Only now it was much more personal.
Jennifer appeared next to Austin and linked her arm in his. “Hey,” she whispered and pulled him close. But Austin was too focused on Bruce, so preoccupied by everything the producer was saying that he didn’t even push Jennifer away.
“Watch out for Sienna,” Bruce said. “She thinks she’s a professional actress and will pretend like she didn’t know anything was wrong. But if you push her buttons—maybe mention her missing brother, Milo—she gets emotional and makes mistakes.”
Jennifer nudged Austin with her shoulder. “Ain’t that the truth.”
“Eli was in on Audrey’s disappearance, so we don’t need to get footage of him. I already had someone get his interview.”
Silently, Austin wondered who else knew. His eyes scanned the crowd looking for some kind of tell from his co-workers, but everyone’s eyes stayed glued to the front of the room.
“I also want to make sure we sit down with the groomsmen. Fox was suspiciously absent yesterday, and I have a feeling he was in cahoots with the girls. Harry is always good for some footage. Whoever interviews him, make sure to bring up the cake. He looked like he was having a hard time with it. And Wade, he’s going to be the guy the ladies fall for. Make him look good because I may have plans for him.”
“I’d like to have some plans with him,” a woman in the back said. She and a few others giggled.
Jennifer squeezed Austin’s arm. “Don’t worry, I only want you.”
He was not at all worried. In fact, he would prefer if Jennifer wanted Wade instead of him.
“Austin, Jennifer. I want you two on interviews. Grab some equipment and a cameraman, and get moving,” Bruce said before he barked out orders to the rest of the crew.
Austin didn't wait to see who got assigned where and practically ran out of the room. He was already creating a mental list of things he needed to grab from the tent outside before he could get started. And he wanted to get started immediately. This was his chance to talk to Harper again. Maybe it wasn’t too late for him to explain what had happened. True, she’d been pretty angry the last time he’d seen her. Hopefully she’d cooled down. It wasn’t like she could deny an interview with him. It was in the contract. He’d simply claim the girls before Jennifer got a chance. He opened his mouth—
“I’ll get the bridesmaids, you get the groomsmen,” Jennifer said, appearing next to him just as he entered the tent.
Austin’s breath caught. “Oh. I kinda thought I could get the bridesmaids, and you could get the groomsmen.”
She stopped and looked at him, her face stern. “So you can talk to Harper?”
Austin gave a jerky shake of his head and uneasy laugh. He started piling supplies into a backpack. “Why would you think that?”
She rolled her eyes. “Do me a favor and stop treating me like I’m some clueless LA bimbo. I’m good at what I do, and after Wedding Games, I’m going to have a lot more opportunities.”
Austin had been counting on the same being true for him, especially after his cake decorating contest idea. He just had to keep it together for a few more days, and he’d be that much closer to the career of his dreams. But the pull toward Harper couldn’t be ignored. “I want to interview the bridesmaids because I want to make sure Harper’s okay after what happened with her sister.”
Jennifer grabbed Austin’s bag and shook her head. “What is it about that girl? The wedding is in four days, and after that, you’ll be back in LA where you belong. Why do you care so much?” She swung the bag onto her back, and they walked back outside and headed toward the inn.
Austin almost said “because I love her” but he bit his tongue. Jennifer would find a way to use those feelings against him.
He shrugged, hoping it looked casual. “Because even if I never see her again, that was a cheap shot, and you know it.”
“It’s reality TV, Austin. They know what they’re getting into.”
“That doesn’t make it right.”
They’d just stepped back inside the inn. Jennifer looked up and down the hall before she pulled Austin into a closet. It wasn’t the makeshift safe room, and there was a giant mop bucket in the room that took up a lot of space. The two of them were closer than was entirely comfortable for Austin.
She spoke in hushed, hurried words, her eyes fixed on his. “I’m only telling you this because I’m serious about us dating when we get back to LA. And I hope that when I tell you, you’ll know that you can trust me with your secrets too.”
Austin nodded, his heart pounding. “Okay.” This was either going to be really good or really bad.
“I knew Audrey didn't run away.”
Really bad, then.
“What?” Austin’s voice boomed in the small room.
“Shh.” Jennifer’s eyes went wide. “Do you want to get caught?”
Caught in a small closet with Jennifer while he still hadn’t made amends with Harper? Not even a little. He shook his head.
“Look, I shouldn’t have even told you this.”
“No, you should have told me sooner.”
“No, because Bruce and I knew you would help Harper if you thought there was a problem.”
Was he that transparent?
“I needed you to tell me what was going on.”
All this time she’d had ulterior motives. And then she thought Austin would still want to date her after this? Yeah right. It was the final straw.
“Why would you do that to her sisters? Do you even feel remorse for stressing them out?”
She laughed. “Of course I don’t. I did it because Bruce said if I helped him, he would give me a spot on his next project. It’s supposed to be really great too. Better than Wedding Games.”
She rattled on and on about how Bruce had caught her during the karaoke competition and asked if she wanted to be part of a special project.
But Austin struggled to pay attention. His jumbled thoughts fought to understand what Jennifer was saying. It was one thing to manipulate the contestants on the show, which was to be expected. But to pit crew members against each other? Austin was just now realizing the extent of Bruce’s mind games.
Was this what they meant when they talked about show business eating people alive?
“I’m done,” he said, interrupting Jennifer’s one-sided conversation.
“What?”
“I’m not cut out for this job. Thank you for helping me realize that.” He opened the door and started walking down the hall toward the last place he’d seen Bruce. He needed to tell him now before he lost his nerve.
Jennifer was right behind him. “Don’t do this,” she pleaded. “Think about how hard you’ve worked to stay on Bruce’s good side. Your cake decorating contest idea was really good.”
“Yeah, but he’s already singled you out as his pick for who to work with next, hasn’t he? So it doesn’t matter.” A few days ago, he would have been unbearably jealous of Jennifer. Not anymore.
“If you quit before the show’s done filming, he’ll make sure you never get another job in television.”
“I’m counting on it.” Austin smiled to himself. While he should have felt nervous or anxious about ruining everything he’d worked so hard for over the years, he felt a tremendous peace about his spur of the moment decision.
He was at the door to the meeting room where he could hear Bruce’s cold, hard voice shouting out instructions. Two deep breaths, and he stepped forward to open the door, but then it opened and Jason Castle walked out.
“Oh, thank goodness.” Jennifer sighed. “Can you please talk some sense into Austin?”
Jason’s brows lowered. “Uh, sure.” He glanced at Austin, who just shrugged. He didn’t have time for this. He had to get this over with so he could find Harper as soon as possible.
But Jennifer was right behind him, blocking him in. “Austin wants to leave the show.”
“Why?” Jason folded his arms and tilted his head.
Jennifer snorted
. “Because he’s cracking under the pressure. Can you explain that it’s normal to feel overwhelmed, and help me convince him not to make Bruce angry?”
Jason shook his head. “Do not make that guy angry. He’s got connections, he’s friends with all the bigwigs. It will be near impossible to get work again.”
Austin tried not to roll his eyes. They were acting like Bruce was king of the universe. “Would that be so bad?”
“That depends.” Jason chuckled. “If you’re content living in some Podunk town like Wellspring for the rest of your life, then go for it. But you’ve got to remember, following your dreams is about sacrifices. Do you think I got where I am today without making tough choices?”
“Of course not,” Jennifer said, her eyes glued to Jason.
“Thanks for the advice. I need to talk to Bruce.” Austin tried to push past him, but he stayed put in front of the closed door.
Jason looked him up and down. “Kid, how old are you?”
“Why?”
“Because you don’t look old enough to know what you really want out of life yet. You’ll learn with time that a window doesn’t always open when you close a door. Sometimes you have to bang on windows all over town before one opens a tiny crack.”
Austin looked at Jason, for the first time seeing just how caked on his makeup was. Instead of hiding the lines on his face, it made each one into a deep valley full of past sorrows. Jason had been in this business since before Austin was born. How much had he given up to do what he loved?
“Would you have done anything differently?” Austin asked him.
“Like I said, it’s all about making sacrifices. If I had realized that sooner, I wouldn’t be stuck here doing a show like this, that’s for sure. You gotta know what you’re willing to give up to get where you want to be.”
The thing was, Austin already knew what he was willing to give up to follow his dreams. He marched inside the meeting room without a second thought, and quit.
Twenty-Three
4 Days Until Dream Wedding
Austin packed his suitcase in record time, but when the time came to talk to Harper, his feet suddenly felt like lead. The last time he’d seen her, they’d fought. Before that, he’d been rude and flirting with Jennifer.
Not exactly ideal behavior to win her favor.
He hadn’t thought about that when Bruce yelled at him, the vein on his forehead throbbing. He’d been so excited to quit his job and pursue Harper, that he hadn’t stopped to think about how it would go.
And now he was second guessing whether or not he should tell Harper, or leave again—and never come back.
This was why he always had a plan. The uncertainty about his next step was eating him alive from the inside. A creeping unease made its way up his body and into his stomach, threatening to overflow in a spectacular display of digestive pyrotechnics.
He needed air. He grabbed his suitcase and headed to the front desk to stash it while he took a walk around the property to clear his head. The crew had shared cars from the airport, so he’d need to call a cab eventually. But first, a walk.
It was dark, and the property was quiet. His shoulders instantly relaxed when the fresh mountain breeze hit his face. It was easier to think now that he was outside and away from the buzz of voices in the inn. He made his way toward the barn at the back of the property, thankful for the lights scattered throughout the trail to illuminate the way. It would be empty since it was night and being alone was the best way to sort through his thoughts.
“Hey!”
The voice was far behind him, but Austin kept walking. It wasn’t Harper, and now that he’d quit, there was no one else he needed to listen to.
“Hey!”
He kept walking but finally stopped when a hand pulled on his arm.
“I don’t know what my sister ever saw in a jerk like you.”
Austin whirled around to see Audrey standing with her hands on her hips, glaring at him like he’d just kicked a litter of puppies.
“Excuse me?” He knew he should try to win some points with Harper’s sister, but she’d just interrupted his vital planning meeting with himself. He didn’t have time for this.
“You have a lot of nerve, coming here, messing with Harper.” Audrey’s eyes blazed, and Austin took a step back. Apparently all the Hudson sisters were impressively scary when irritated.
“What have I done to mess with her? All I’ve been doing is trying to help her.”
Audrey held up a finger to her chin like she was thinking hard. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe how you tricked her into liking you again just so you could use her bakery and do whatever else Bruce told you to do.”
“That seems like a very elaborate scheme for someone who didn’t even know she’d be here.”
Audrey rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay.”
“Really, I didn’t know she’d be here.” He ran a hand across his face. “I didn’t know you’d go missing. I don’t know anything right now.”
She snorted. “No kidding.”
“I do know I hurt her by pretending to be with Jennifer.”
Audrey’s eyes narrowed. “Pretending?”
Austin looked off into the trees, embarrassed to be admitting so much to someone he barely knew. “Jennifer threatened to tell Bruce that I knew Harper from college unless I was her boyfriend. I thought if I could make Jennifer think I liked her, she’d back off from Harper.”
“Well that’s...devious.”
Austin barked out a laugh. “I thought she was my friend, that we’d help each other out, but she just went off the deep end on this job. She knew the whole time where you were. Meanwhile, I was in a panic running around with Harper looking for you.”
Audrey winced. “I really didn’t like lying to Harper.”
“Neither did I, but it was to protect her. To protect your family.”
Audrey frowned. “You don’t know us.”
He shrugged. “I’d like to. If she’d give me the chance.”
“Helping her was a good start.”
“I’d help her with anything, but she doesn’t need me. Not like she used to.”
Audrey’s eyes widened as something behind Austin caught her attention. He spun around, unsure of what he’d find, and his breath caught in his throat when he saw Harper standing there. She looked as beautiful as ever in the light of the moon.
“I still need you.”
How long had Harper wanted Austin to look at her the way he was right now? It felt like an eternity. And now that he was, Harper was drawn into his amber eyes like a lifeline. She registered Audrey’s departure back toward the inn, but barely.
“How much of that did you hear?” he asked.
Harper tucked her hair behind her ear. “I got here somewhere around Jennifer going off the deep end.”
Austin took a step toward her, and her heart gave a little stutter. “So you know I never liked her? That it was always you?”
“I want to believe that, but…” She looked at the ground, her feet almost hidden in the thick grass.
Austin reached out and grabbed her hand. “Why was it so easy for you to believe that I was with Jennifer, but not that I’d spent the last four years wishing I’d done everything differently in college and ended up with you?”
“It’s easy to believe because Jennifer is the type of girl you always fell for in college. It was easy to believe because you didn’t even try to talk to me in the years since graduation.” She felt her face heat up and was thankful for the poor lighting by the barn.
“I was an idiot for dating other girls when the perfect one was under my nose the entire time. I was even more of an idiot for letting this go on for so long. I love you.”
Harper shook her head. “You can’t say that. It’s not fair when you’re leaving in a few days to go back to LA. And before you bring up those baking lessons, I—”
“I quit.”
She couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. “What?”
“I realized it was getting in the way of my dreams.”
Harper’s cheeks felt impossibly warmer, and her hands started to tremble at her sides. “But working in television is your dream.”
He shook his head and took another step toward her. “You’re my dream, Harper Hudson.”
Impossible.
“What about your career? Where are you going to live?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know yet.”
“What? No plan?” She frowned.
A half-smile spread across his face. “If you can change, I can change.”
“I haven’t changed that much. Putting plates away properly and paying taxes on time isn’t that hard. But you...Austin, you always need a plan.”
He shook his head. “Not this time. I don’t need a plan when I have you.”
Harper’s heart melted right then and there. She closed the distance between them with a few steps, leaned in and pressed her lips against Austin’s. This time, there was no holding back, and she put her whole heart into it.
Austin was here, and they didn't have a plan, but she knew they could figure it out together. And they would because they’d spent too much time apart to let pesky details like where he would live or work get in the way. Of course she’d help him find a place to live. Of course he could help in her bakery until he figured things out. Planning this was easy.
She put the emotion she bottled up over the past four years into her kiss, and Austin’s passion matched hers in every way.
Harper never wanted it to end, but eventually Austin pulled back and looked down at her longingly. “I love you so—”
Austin was interrupted by a fist colliding with his face.
Harper jumped back and screamed at the shadowy form moving in front of her to stand over Austin where he’d fallen on the ground. She couldn’t see him well, but he was a big brute of a man, his hair a massive tangle of brown over wide, powerful shoulders.
The Bridesmaid & The Ex (Wedding Games Book 2) Page 15