Yeah, that made me feel pretty awesome.
Which leaves enemies, I guess, although we really don’t have any. Rick is the only person who might have qualified, but Jase left all enmity behind when he decided to forget Rick and move on. Last we heard, he’s still doing his thing in New York. Good luck to him.
And so we’re back to my nerves on this, Joy Village Theater Company’s fifth opening night. I might have misled you earlier—there actually is a reason for me to be nervous tonight. You see, I finally got my way—after a whole lot of arguing, several pro and con lists, and a very detailed spreadsheet, Jason and Trav agreed that our fifth show could be Walk of Life. They both were (are) super excited to do this show, but they also had (have? Hell, I hope not) reservations about whether we’re ready. With three successes under my belt and the fourth about to open, I decided I knew better, and the data seemed to support me… so I won.
Only now it doesn’t feel like a win. It feels like maybe I set us up for our first failure.
I’m careful not to let my trepidation show. The last thing the cast needs is to think I doubt them. But as the house lights go down, the knots in my stomach tighten. The curtain goes up. So do the lights. Sam enters from stage right, opens his mouth, and—
I should never doubt myself.
***
The after-party is wall-to-wall VIPs. I wish I could say that’s entirely due to our brilliance, but the truth is, the latest superhero movie is being filmed at the studio here at JU, so we had a lot of A-list stars literally on our doorstep who were encouraged to attend by Joy Inc. None of them seemed upset about it, though, and so far they’ve all been highly complimentary. I deserve a medal for not getting all starstruck.
I’m chatting with an actor who’s such a big deal that I’m congratulating myself on actually being able to talk with any semblance of normality and trying not to notice that his abs are visible through his shirt—no padding needed in that costume!—when I sense someone come up behind me.
I smile involuntarily.
Mr. Eight-pack’s gaze goes over my shoulder, and he grins. “I’ll leave you to it, but don’t forget to call me with the details of the amateur theater. I’d love to visit.”
I agree, although I very much doubt we’ll get any rehearsing done if he does, and then as he walks away, a hand touches my arm. I turn and look into a pair of warm sherry-brown eyes.
Warm tingles spread through me.
“Hi.”
He leans in and kisses me. Around us, cast, friends, and VIPs alike hoot and holler, and we smile against each other’s lips.
When he pulls back, those eyes I love so much are sparkling. “Congratulations, Dimi. You were right.”
I pretend to shiver. “Oooh, baby, that sounds so good. Say it again,” I tease, and he laughs.
“You were right. Play your cards right, and I’ll say it again later.” He winks, and it’s my turn to laugh. I slide an arm around his waist and turn to survey the room, leaning into his side.
“Can you believe it’s been nearly a year and a half since we started all this?”
“It’s flown by,” he admits. “My life before then seems like a distant dream.”
“Mine too.” It’s weird. I was happy with my life before, but when I compare it to now—even to last October, the month of complicated communication—it seems pale and boring. Empty. Everything before that night at the community theater is colorless. Which reminds me….
“Hey, Jase?”
“Yeah?”
“You remember the night we met?”
He freezes. “Yes,” he says cautiously.
“It was a night a lot like this one. On a smaller scale,” I add as one of Hollywood’s leading ladies walks past, talking animatedly to one of our cast members.
“Sure. I remember.”
“We got off on the wrong foot that night.”
He sighs.
“You know where I’m going with this, right?”
“Are you really going to make me say it?”
I can hear the pout in his voice. “Yes.” I hesitate, then plunge onward. “Truthfully, Jase, it’s bothered me. That first impression was… not you. I just don’t get why you were such a….” I trail off. He gets it, and this way I don’t have to call my live-in boyfriend a nasty name.
He huffs a disbelieving laugh. “Wait, you actually want me to tell you because you don’t know? I thought you just wanted me to say it—like when I said you were right.”
I turn to face him, confused. “No. I… are you saying I should already know?” Am I being dense? From the incredulous looks on his face, I think I must be.
“I guess there’s no reason why you should know, but hell, Dimi, I thought for sure you did.”
This conversation is starting to really flummox me. “Well, I don’t. Care to share?”
He laughs and kisses me again. “I was trying to hit on you, you idiot. I saw this incredibly good-looking, confident man with an amazing smile who seemed to get along with everyone, and I wanted you to be impressed by me. But it’d been a long time since I even thought about flirting, and I completely fucked it up.”
I blink.
“You were hitting on me?”
“Badly, but yes.”
A grin spreads across my face. “Wanna hear something funny?”
“Funny ha ha, or funny groan?”
“Well, it makes me want to laugh.” My tone says it all, and he groans.
“Go on, then.” He sounds resigned.
“I’ve had a celebrity crush on you for years. I was trying not to be impressed by you that night—right up until you opened your mouth and insulted me.”
His jaw drops.
“Yeah. Just as well, though. It might have been awkward if we’d hooked up before we even started working together.”
Jason shakes his head in disbelief. “I don’t even know what to say,” he admits.
“How about ‘I love you,’” I prompt.
“I love you,” he parrots, a smile creeping back onto his face.
“You could also say ‘You were right, Dimi.’”
He chuckles. “You were right, Dimi.”
“And ‘Dimi, you can pick whatever show you want next.’”
“Dimi, you’re dreaming if you think I’ll say that,” he says, mirroring my tone, and we both laugh.
I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life laughing with him.
Arguing with him.
Loving him.
Just… with him.
***
See where it all started with the first book in the Joy Universe series, I’ve Got This.
Derek Bryer loves his life.
His job as an assistant director at Joy Universe, the second-largest theme park complex on the planet, makes him indirectly responsible for bringing joy (pun intended) to millions of people.
So what if none of his relationships are that close? Everyone he meets loves him.
Except Trav Jones.
For some reason, the visiting Broadway performer would rather Derek just go away. He appreciates Derek’s work ethic, though, and after Trav steps up when Derek desperately needs someone to fill in for his sick staff, Derek seizes the chance to convince Trav he’s not such a bad guy.
Falling in love while distracted by a murder at the park, food poisoning, and colleagues placing bets on their relationship won’t be easy, but between the two of them and with the magic of Joy Universe, they’ve got this.
Grab it now!
Also by Louisa Masters
M/M
Met His Match
Charming Him
Offside Rules
Joy Universe
I’ve Got This
Follow My Lead
Novellas
Fake It ’T
il You Make It
Out of the Office
M/F
An Irish Flirtation (Emerald Isle Enchantment)
An Irish Attraction (Emerald Isle Enchantment)
Trials & Tribulations of Online Dating
Writing as Olivia Ventura
Miss Fix-It
Catch a Shooting Star
About the Author
LOUISA MASTERS STARTED reading romance much earlier than her mother thought she should. While other teenagers were sneaking out of the house, Louisa was sneaking romance novels in and working out how to read them without being discovered. She’s spent most of her life feeling sorry for people who don’t read, convinced that books are the solution to every problem. As an adult, she feeds her addiction in every spare second, only occasionally tearing herself away to do things like answer the phone and pay bills. She spent years trying to build a “sensible” career, working in bookstores, recruitment, resource management, administration, and as a travel agent, before finally conceding defeat and devoting herself to the world of romance novels.
Louisa has a long list of places first discovered in books that she wants to visit, and every so often she overcomes her loathing of jet lag and takes a trip that charges her imagination. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, where she whines about the weather for most of the year while secretly admitting she’ll probably never move.
Connect with Louisa
Website ~ Facebook ~ Facebook Group
Twitter: @AuthorLouisaM
Instagram: @AuthorLouisaM
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Follow My Lead: A Joy Universe Novel Page 23