by Harlow Layne
“I thought he was going to be at work.” With the way she was eye-fucking him, it didn’t seem like it bothered her too much that he was here. It did bother me, though. I didn’t like her eyes all over him, just like every other woman in the world when they saw him. I wanted to be the only person who got to see him like this, even if he wasn’t mine.
“There was an accident on set, and everyone went home. That’s all I know. He wouldn’t say much about it. Right before you got here, I was in the kitchen making us some lunch and saw him out in the pool. I almost called you to tell you not to come over.”
“Why? It’s your house too.” Her reply was a little too loud.
I gave her big eyes and put my finger to my lips. It wouldn’t be difficult for him to hear us talking. He’d been short with me when he came home, and I didn’t want to anger him further.
Her unfiltered mouth was the reason I had thought about rescinding my invitation.
“It is, but when someone has a bad day, you try and make it better not—”
“You can always leave,” Jenner sounded off from behind Sophie.
How had he snuck up on us? He had literally been like twenty or thirty feet away from us.
Sophie twirled around in her spot, with her green eyes lasered in on him. “You have no idea what this woman has gone through, and she doesn’t need the likes of you making her life any harder than it already has been. If my best friend wants me to come over or live here or fucking take a shit on your floor, I will do it. I don’t care about you or your stupid drunk ass. Just let her live her life and be happy.” Turning back to me, Sophie’s entire demeanor changed. “I’m no longer feeling like a swim. How about a rain check?”
Before I could answer her, Sophie swooped up her bag with her clothes in it and stomped off to the front door. When I heard her car drive off, I twisted toward an equally confused Jenner.
Where had that come from?
“I’m sorry for her outburst. I don’t want you to think I’m unhappy because I’m not. I was talking about trying to make your day better since it seemed something . . . ” I shrugged, unsure how to explain what I’d felt radiating off of him earlier.
His face went blank as he spoke in a monotone voice. “You’d be right. I needed some time to myself and didn’t need her loud mouth going off about me.”
“Again, I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
I had no idea where Sophie was coming from. We’d barely talked because she’d been working since we got back, and not once had I complained about Jenner.
He tilted his head as he eyed the grilled chicken lunch I’d prepared for Sophie and me. We were supposed to go outside and enjoy the beauty that was Jenner’s backyard. Looking back toward the front door, I wondered what was really going on with my best friend. This wasn’t like her. Even though she had no filter, she didn’t go off on people for no reason. Even when I had lost interest in Greg, Sophie had never once said anything negative about him.
Waving my hand at the food, I turned to head back to my room and didn’t bother to look back at him. “Have at it. I’ve lost my appetite.”
Once in my room, I pulled up Sophie’s profile on Facebook and started going through her posts. She hadn’t posted in over two months, which was odd in itself. She usually posted multiple times a week. Her last post had been about going on an audition for a movie she desperately wanted.
Next, I went to her Instagram account and scrolled through her pictures. She posted more there and showed her disappointment over and over again about not getting her big break. Why had she not talked to me? I knew I’d been busy with school and moving, but not once had she ever let on what her pictures showed.
Why was now the first time you’ve been on her profile in months?
I had no excuse, and now I needed to do something to remedy what a bad friend I’d been.
Her phone rang twice before she answered. “I’m sorry if I made things difficult for you,” she said in a voice that screamed the opposite.
“It doesn’t matter. I want to talk about you. Today was supposed to be about catching up, and we didn’t get the opportunity.” I didn’t want to start by asking her why she hadn’t talked to me about her acting career. It was a relatively new endeavor she had decided she wanted to pursue within the last six months.
I wasn’t sure why she had a job as a waitress when her father foots the bill for everything, but she said it was part of the process, and I didn’t argue.
“Not much has been happening with me. I’ve been working since we got back, but you knew that.” Her tone was short and defensive.
“Nothing else is going on?” I questioned lightly.
“If you mean have I gotten married to some Hollywood bad boy heartthrob in the last week, then your answer is no. What’s been going on with you?” The lack of interest in her tone threw me for a loop.
“Just trying to get used to everything. I’m kind of hiding out since the grocery store debacle.”
Her email pinged in the background. I wasn’t sure why she did it, but she had the most annoying noises for her notifications. Her email sounded like a nuclear bomb was about to go off.
She gasped and then started laughing, the way she only did when she’d been drinking. I was shocked she was already buzzed; it had only been a short time since she was at the house. Had she been drinking before she got here? If she had, that was completely unlike her. What the hell was going on with my friend?
“Oh my god, Abbi, you’ll never guess what just showed up in my inbox.”
“What?”
“I have an audition for a movie that will launch my career. I’ve been praying for this email and BAM! There it is, right in my inbox. Now that you work at CJJ and your husband is a famous actor, do you think you can put in a good word for me?”
Wait! What? Was she high?
Jenner was famous, but I didn’t think he was in the best position right now to be offering recommendations. If he did, she probably wouldn’t get the job, and I didn’t know anyone yet. Who the hell did she think would to listen to us? If she thought I was going to talk to Catherine about her, she was sadly mistaken. Sophie had only one commercial job, and that was back when she lived in Baton Rouge. I didn’t have the heart to tell her; she had done a shit job of it, and the only reason she got the part was because a guy who’d been pursuing her asked his dad to give it to her. After that, though, she’d caught the acting bug.
“I think after what happened in the kitchen, Jenner isn’t going to be in the mood to help you out.” I tried to let her down as gently as possible.
“When did you start calling him Jenner? He’s always been Reeves to you.”
My hackles rose. As the phone call continued, her tone sounded more and more annoyed.
“Because he asked me to call him that.” I wasn’t going to explain myself any further. Especially not when she hadn’t been confiding in me. How had she changed so much in such a short time?
“Why are you letting him dictate your life?” she spat.
“Why are you being such a bitch to me? Do you think I like the situation I’ve gotten myself into because of one stupid split-second decision to go to Vegas?”
“Oh, so now it’s my fault you got married to that asshole. He’s already changed you, and you know what?” Her voice turned harsh with venom dripping from each word. “If you really feel that way, then I can’t be a part of your life.” In the next second, the line went dead.
Stunned and upset by what had just transpired, I wanted to get away from the scene of the crime. I walked out of my room and kept walking until I was at the security gate of the neighborhood. I would have kept going if it hadn’t been for the three men standing across the street with cameras in their hands. When I saw them, I turned around and headed back to the house. I knew they had gotten a shot of me with my puffy red-rimmed eyes, but at that moment I didn’t care. I couldn’t make sense of what my life had turned into.
Not wanting to run
into Jenner, I opened the gate on the side of the house and made my way to the back of the property. I wanted to look out at the vast area that spanned behind his property and get lost in the city. I wasn’t sure how long I sat there before I saw Jenner appear a few feet away from me out of the corner of my eye. The sun had set and there was a fire in the firepit, and I realized I must have been sitting there for hours.
“Are you . . . I . . . ” He cleared his throat and tried again. “Are you okay?” His normally deep voice was soft. Dare I say he sounded as if he cared.
Without looking at him, I picked at my nail bed. “In the span of two days, we’ve both lost friends. Is that normal in Hollywood?”
“Not having real friends is normal, where influence and money are concerned. It’s hard to trust those you surround yourself with. After you’ve been burned, you’ll see what I mean.”
A lump in my throat formed, making it difficult to swallow. “I don’t want to be burned or be jaded.”
Like you.
“You’ve got to be a little jaded so you can learn to read people and get a fix on why they want to be in your space. Is it because they genuinely feel a connection with you, or do they want to use you? In my personal experience, nine times out of ten, they want to use you to further their career. Plain and simple.” He leaned forward and planted his arms on his legs and clasped his hands together. “Did something more happen between you and your friend?”
“I feel like I don’t know her anymore. I tried to get her to talk to me, and it didn’t work. And then . . . ” This was the part that killed me and made me doubt if she’d ever truly been my friend or if she pretended to be my friend to see what connections I’d eventually make for her. Maybe Sophie had always wanted to be an actress but hid it from me. After today, I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t. Is this what Jenner felt like whenever someone new came into his life?
He moved to stand in front of me before he squatted down until we were eye to eye. “Then what?”
I couldn’t look him in the eye when I told him. Instead, I looked down and stared at his bare feet. “She wanted us to put in a good word for her so she could land some dream movie role she’s never mentioned to me before. Until a few months ago, she’d never even expressed an interest in being an actress, and now . . . ” I didn’t know what to think.
“It doesn’t surprise me. You can throw a rock anywhere in LA and tag someone who wants to be in the movie industry.” He sat down on the grass and leaned back on his elbows. “I hope you said no.”
“I’ve been at my job all of two days, and I haven’t even made it into the office yet. There’s no way in hell I’m mentioning her to Catherine.” I lowered my voice as if it might carry on the wind and get back to the person I once called my best friend. “She’s not even that good. The only reason she got the one job she had back in Louisiana was the guy’s son wanted to bang her.”
He let out a dark chuckle. “It doesn’t surprise me, but I’m sorry you lost a friend.”
Me, too.
“Can I ask you something?”
Lying back in the grass, he replied. “Hit me.”
“If everyone is out to fuck you over, how’d you become friends with Alex? How’d you know you could let her in?”
How did a single mom from Missouri become friends with a bunch of elite actors? And nab herself a sexy Swedish husband while she was at it.
“From the moment I met her, I could feel she was different and genuine. An old buddy of mine went with Colton Patrick back to his hometown and met her there. I don’t want to try and understand what he thought he was doing with her, but in the end, he fucked her over very publicly. They got into a fight about me on the way to the airport and ended up in a wreck. After she woke up, he ghosted her.” He shook himself as he looked off into the distance. “Alex couldn’t fly back home with her injuries and was desperate to get back to her son, so I drove her back. I ended up staying with her for a week, and we became close. I opened up about my problems with Poppy, and from then on, we’ve been friends. She’s the real deal.” His gaze met mine with a shining smile, proving he wasn’t all bad.
“She’s lucky to have you.” I meant it.
“I’m lucky to have her and Luke. They keep me grounded.”
“Have you ever thought about not living in LA and getting away from all the craziness?”
His lips turned down, the firelight dancing across his handsome face. “I haven’t, but now that you mention it, I might want to one day. I don’t think I want to raise any of my kids in LA. If it was up to my dad, he’d probably steal them away and have them at casting calls when they’re a couple of months old. I’d probably do what Luke and Alex do. Seventy-five percent of the time, they’re tucked away in their little town, and they love it.” He lifted one shoulder. “It works for them, and I’d like that one day.”
Jenner’s dad was a lot, and I couldn’t imagine what he was like to him when he was a little boy. What was most shocking was Jenner coming out here to check on me, but for him to open up. I liked it when he showed this side of himself.
He cleared his throat as he pulled a few blades of grass out of the ground. “I was thinking of having them over sometime soon. I’ll have to check Luke’s schedule, though. He doesn’t get many days off since they cram the entire season’s shooting into a few months.”
“It’s your house.” I wasn’t sure why he was telling me this. He could do whatever he wanted.
“Right, I know, but I thought we could grill or something. Maybe have a little pool party.”
“Just let me know when and I’ll make sure you have everything you need.” Even though Jenner had tried to make me feel better, I was still down about Sophie. One thing that always got me out of a funk was to bake, and luckily I had picked up all the ingredients to make peanut butter, chocolate chip cookies when we’d been at the store. “Do you like cookies?”
His hand stilled on the grass. “Who doesn’t like cookies?”
“Assholes.” Greg didn’t have a sweet tooth. I should have known then there was something wrong with him, and we could never work.
“I agree,” he lightly chuckled. Jenner sprung up and walked beside me into the kitchen. His eyes followed me as I pulled out everything I’d need to make the yummy peanut buttery goodness and started to put it all together. “You don’t need a recipe or something to do that?”
Cracking an egg into the bowl, I shook my head. “I’ve made these more times than I can count. It’s all in here.” I tapped my temple.
“I’ve never seen anyone make cookies from scratch.”
It seemed like he’d never seen anyone make anything before. It was strange to think in some ways he’d lived a sheltered life. I couldn’t imagine never having cookies fresh from the oven before. Not getting melted chocolate on your fingertips and licking it off.
My hands stilled as a thought came to me. “You’re not allergic to peanuts, are you?” If he was, I would make him some other type of cookie and keep these all to myself.
“No . . . were you hoping to kill me with your cookies?”
Meeting his eyes, I saw them crinkle in the corners. My gaze slid down to his mouth, where his lips were set in a mischievous smile. “No, I would have made you a different type.”
“That’s nice of you. What type would you have made me?” He cocked his head to the side as he watched me mix all the ingredients together.
“I’m not sure. Maybe snickerdoodles. They’re another favorite of mine.”
While I scooped out the dough and put it on a baking sheet, Jenner stood silently watching my every move. Who knew something so simple could render him speechless?
“How do you feel about chicken parmesan for dinner?” No matter how much I wanted to, I wasn’t going to only eat cookies for dinner.
“Sounds like perfection.” His voice was full of awe.
Pulling out all the ingredients, I got the chicken ready to place in the other oven. I wasn’t sure why he
had two ovens when he never cooked, but I wasn’t going to complain. It made cooking tonight that much easier.
“Did you cook like this for your ex?”
When I looked up at him, Jenner almost looked embarrassed for asking the question.
My brows furrowed at his question. Was he jealous he wasn’t the only man I’d ever cooked for? Because that would be ridiculous; our relationship was as fake as ninety percent of the breasts in LA. Getting back to the task at hand, I coated the chicken. “Not very often since we didn’t live together, but when I lived with my brother, I cooked for him. Why?”
When he didn’t answer, I looked up to find his gaze fastened to the swell of my breasts. The tank top I’d slipped on over my bikini accentuated how large they were.
Wanting to fuck with him since he didn’t seem to be listening or paying attention to what I’d been doing, I shimmied my chest, making my breast jiggle. Jenner damn near drooled before he pulled himself out of his stupor.
“Your ex was an idiot. If I had those tits making me dinner even occasionally, I would have kept you all to myself.” He stood straight abruptly. “I’m going to go take a shower.”
I had a sneaking suspicion he was going to go jack off in the shower. If my cookies weren’t almost done, I would have made my way outside to see if I was right. Instead, I stayed in the kitchen, growing uncomfortable as the space between my legs dampened, imagining what was going on in his bathroom. How hard he gripped his shaft and slid his hand up and down–the water gliding down his chiseled body.
The beep of the timer broke me from my fantasy. I wiped my now sweaty hands on the towel before I pulled out the heavenly peanut butter cookies. I’d barely put them on the cooling rack when Jenner popped his head around the corner with a dreamy look on his face. He walked with purpose over to the cookies before picking one up and shoving almost the entire thing into his mouth.