She laughed. “I, uh… I might have some anger management issues.”
I took the bag from her and peeked in. There were knuckle marks against the outside of the croissant. Literal knuckle marks. I barked a laugh. “Elaina Dyker. Did you punch the croissant?”
She laughed, pressing her lips together as though this would hide the fact that I saw her adorable little giggle. She brought her thumb and forefinger up beside her temple. “Maybe a little.”
“Did you even try a bite?”
She shook her head no. “I like my routine. I like my daily lunch of yogurt and almonds.”
I made a face. Because she had to be exaggerating. Sure… she liked them. But having that same thing every day? Even chocolate cake every day would get tedious. “You can like yogurt and almonds but still indulge every now and then, you know.” I reached in and pinched off a piece of the smashed croissant, holding it out toward her lips. “C’mon. Live a little. I promise you, it is actually healthy, if that’s your concern.” Not that she needed to be concerned about that. “Almond flour. Gluten free. Grain free. Only two net carbs. The only sugar is the honey in the honey roasted almonds and the natural sugar in dates.” Her eyes grew wide at that and I knew I had hooked her.
She reached out her hand to take the piece of croissant from me, but I pulled back. “Nuh-uh,” I teased. “We can’t have your fingers getting sticky. Might ruin that fancy suit you’re wearing.”
She rolled her eyes, but parted her wet lips, her tongue peeking out just enough for me to place the croissant on top of. She moaned as soon as it hit her mouth, and her eyes fell closed as she slowly chewed and swallowed. “That’s… that’s healthy?”
I nodded. “See? I’m not just a pile of muscles. I’ve got some talent, too.”
Her head fell to the side. “I never said you weren’t talented. I just wish you wouldn’t show off quite so much of your other assets.”
I grinned. “I thought you liked my assets?”
“I do,” she answered absentmindedly, then immediately shook her head, realizing what she’d said. “I mean, I did.” She swallowed, glancing at me briefly before directing those silvery blue eyes back at her hands in her lap. “Things change.”
They sure do. “You most of all. I barely recognize you from the girl I dated in high school. What happened to the Lainey who used to dye her hair purple, dive into the mosh pit, and gasp, eat a croissant now and then?”
Uh oh. Her spine went stiff. Relaxed Lainey with her guard down was no more. Now the guards were drawn at attention and their rifles were pointed directly at my balls. Mayday, mayday! “Nothing happened to me. I grew up… you should try it sometime.” She stood abruptly, slinging her purse over her shoulder. “I should go. What time and where is the meeting tonight?”
“Lainey, wait—”
“My freaking name is Elaina!” Her chest heaved with each heavy breath and she stood there with her fists clenched. For a moment, I thought she might take a swing at me.
“Okay,” I said quietly. I’d clearly pushed her enough… maybe for a lifetime. Would honesty work? “Elaina, I want you to stay. It’s nice catching up.” I swallowed. “I-I’ve missed you.”
She snorted, looking to the lights above us. “Missed me? You had ten years. You could have come back to see me anytime. You could have answered any one of the ten years’ worth of texts or emails I sent or voicemails I left. All you had to do was say goodbye before leaving. But you couldn’t even do that.” She tugged her purse strap higher, clutching it tightly in her white-knuckled grip. She snorted, shaking her head again. “Missed me,” she repeated. “Nope, I don’t buy that, Neil. But I can be civil. I can work with you, and I appreciate you allowing me and the city to have some say over this TV show. But this,” she gestured between us. “This is never going to happen again. Ever.”
I nodded, feeling the pit of my stomach drop. “I’ll text you the details about tonight’s meeting,” I said.
She gave me one final glance before turning, her hair fanning out behind her with the movement, and exiting the club.
I arrived at Jolie, a French restaurant in town that my parents only took us to a few times in our lives—usually on our birthdays or anniversaries. Brad took me here once, but there was an emergency at work, and I had to leave before our entrees were even brought out.
I stood outside of the restaurant and peered through the windows. Neil was at a table in the back. He had the nerve to ask me what happened to me? Neil freaking Evans happened to me… that’s what. We had plans. We were supposed to backpack across Europe. We were supposed to go to Boston together for college. We were supposed to stay together. Or did he forget that little fact? Then he left with no explanation. No goodbye.
I dropped my gaze to my pointed toe ballet flat and dragged it across the rocks of the sidewalk. It was a damn good thing, though. That girl from high school? She was a mess. I couldn’t even imagine what sort of adult I would have turned into if Neil had stayed in my life. Backpacking across Europe? That didn’t even sound fun. It sounded sweaty. Why backpack when you can pack a perfectly good rolling suitcase?
Bottom line: Loca Lainey wasn’t enough to keep Neil here. And maybe Elaina wasn’t either, but frankly, I much preferred this version of myself over the reckless mess of a girl that I was in high school.
I smoothed the black dress I had chosen to wear and shoved my arms into a blazer over top. It wasn’t the sexiest look, but tonight was business. I needed to keep telling myself that, and maybe the blazer would be like a costume to help me stay in character. Like a shield or armor, it would protect me from falling for Neil’s charms yet again. Because God knew, if there was one thing, and one thing only, that hadn’t changed in ten years… it was that I had trouble saying no to that man.
I entered the restaurant, smiling at the hostess and pointing to the table in the back where five men were already seated. One lone chair sat next to Neil, waiting for me, along with a drink, pre-ordered. I glared at that drink as I stepped forward, sliding into my seat and holding out a hand to one of the men.
“Hi, I’m Elaina Dyker, town manager of Maple Grove.” The first man had dark hair and blue eyes and just the perfect amount of stubble that looked airbrushed on, it was so perfect.
He grinned at me, and though I didn’t recognize his face, he could have been a freaking movie star. “I’m Ash Livingston. Director at Silhouette Studios.”
“Oh my God,” I said, recognizing the name. “Wasn’t your movie just nominated for an Academy Award?”
His smile widened and he nodded.
I glanced to the next man over and saw Jude freaking Fisher. Holy hell. Neil didn’t tell me we were going to be meeting with A-list celebrities. What the hell were they doing here working on a reality show in our little town? I should have skipped the blazer.
Despite my shock, I held out my hand to Jude Fisher, words escaping me.
“Hi Elaina,” Jude said. Jude Fisher just said my name. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“And this is Elliott,” Ash said, gesturing at the third man. “He’ll be directing the TV show once we get it off the ground and running.”
Starstruck, I lifted the glass to my lips to take a sip. The sour mix was intense, and I cringed, spitting it back into the tumbler. “Ugh. What is this?”
“Midori Sour,” Neil said, grinning. “It used to be your favorite.”
I gulped my water. “Yeah, when I was eighteen.” I handed the full glass to the server to take it away. “I’m sorry, could I please get a dirty vodka martini instead?” I asked.
Jude lifted his martini glass in a solute toward me. “A martini drinker. My kind of girl.”
I had to actively control my body to keep from snorting and giggling as he said that. I needed to keep it together. We were here to discuss the town. A TV show. I could not let Jude or Ash or any of the men here convince me to go their way with things. Not unless it made sense for the town. For that reason, I needed to keep myself to t
his one drink. One martini. That was it.
“Neil,” Ash said, his index finger brushing across his lips while he was deep in thought, studying my face. “She’s even more beautiful in person.” He jerked his head toward Neil, seated beside me. “What the hell were you ever doing slumming it with a guy like that?” He grinned and it was charming as hell. Charming. Disarming. And a million other adjectives swam through my muddy brain.
“Ha.” I raised my water glass in a mock toast. “I ask myself that daily.”
Ash snorted and sipped his scotch with a wink toward Neil. “I like her.”
“Laine—uh, I mean, Elaina,” Neil sent me a quick look, and my brows jumped. I didn’t even need to correct him on my name this time. ‘A’ for effort. “Since Elaina is the town manager here, and will be issuing the necessary permits, I figured it would be a good idea to have her sitting in on preliminary meetings.”
Jude blinked, seemingly confused for a brief moment, though I had no idea why. “Well that’s… convenient.”
“Despite what Neil might have said about me, I promise I’m not here to make your lives difficult. Simply to protect the interests of my town.”
“Your town will be safe in our hands.”
I arched a brow at him. “I’m sure that’s what the producers of Jersey Shore said, too.”
Ash huffed a laugh. “Have you ever been to the Jersey Shore? That show is one hundred percent accurate.”
“Besides,” Jude said. “It’s a moot point if we can’t get at least three of your ex-girlfriends to sign on for the first episode. Surprisingly, you don’t have many.”
“Yeah,” Ash added. “Surprising for a guy who was rumored as such a playboy. Turns out, that was mostly tabloid gossip.”
I blinked, unpacking all the things they had just said. My heart fluttered in my chest and my stomach bottomed out. “What?”
Neil shot a look to Jude. “Well, I haven’t exactly said yes yet.”
Liam cleared his throat from the other side of Neil. It was the first noise I’d heard him make since I arrived. “Yeah, but you will,” Liam muttered from behind his pint glass.
Jude, Ash, and Elliott exchanged a look. “Doesn’t sound like the Neil we know,” Jude said.
I held up a finger, inserting myself back into the conversation. “Can we go back to that ex-girlfriend thing—”
But I didn’t get to finish my thought as Neil cracked a smile, shaking his head. “Guess being home has changed me. Has me wishing for that LA lifestyle I left behind.”
Ash snorted. “Okay… now I know you’re full of shit. Who are you and what have you done with our college roommate?”
Neil held his stare for a few seconds. It was like Ash was trying to read his mind, and I found myself longing to know what was going on inside his head, too. They were right… this didn’t seem like Neil. Signing onto a reality TV show without any argument? Granted, this is the same guy who paraded around in a speedo with his muscles slathered in baby oil to win competitions. It’s pretty clear that I didn’t really know Neil at all. And the Neil I had once loved was long gone. “Our reasons for saying yes to this shouldn’t matter. It’s never mattered to you with talent on previous projects,” Neil said.
“So, you are saying yes?” Elliott asked, hopeful.
Jude looked concerned and glanced at Ash before answering. “But you’re not just talent. You’re our friend.”
Neil drummed his fingers across the wood table top. “What the hell are you both doing producing a TV show, anyway? Shouldn’t you be working on the next big art film? Only doing things that might be recognized by The Academy?”
Elliott grinned and held up his hand. “Afraid that’s my fault. This was my pitch to Silhouette, but because I’m newer at the studio, the president wouldn’t let me develop it on my own. So, Jude and Ash offered to produce it.”
Jude brought a hand onto Elliott’s shoulder, giving him a light squeeze. “As a favor. I remember needing help to get projects greenlit when I was starting out.”
“Shit,” Ash said, taking a swig of beer, “I still sometimes need help. Oscar nod and all.”
I watched as the conversation unfolded, studying Neil’s face with each passing moment. He seemed uncomfortable with this show… for whatever reason. Which didn’t make sense. Didn’t he leave Maple Grove… leave me, for a chance at fame and stardom? But now he seemed more like he was resigned to this. Like he had no choice, not that he wanted to.
And what the hell was I doing here beside him? What was his angle? I lifted the martini glass to my lips, taking a tiny sip. I needed to nurse this thing if I was only going to have one all night. “You told me that the show was practically a done deal,” I said, leaning back in my chair.
Neil shifted his eyes to me, grabbing a piece of bread from the basket in the center of the table and tearing it open. Bread? Neil? He was clearly uncomfortable if he was reaching for the gluten. “I told you and your father that there was interest in filming a TV show here. And there is,” he said, gesturing to Ash, Jude, and Elliott across the table from us.
Below the table, Neil’s knee bounced. His fingers tapped against the loaf of bread.
He didn’t want to be here. The question was… why? And how was me being here part of his plan?
I glanced back at the three Hollywood men and folded my hands on top of the table. I decided to drop my interrogation for now. “The paperwork to film here isn’t as extensive as it is in a big city. New Hampshire has great tax subsidies for filmmaking and there’s no income tax.” Neil’s gaze snapped to me, his brows knitted. What the hell was his problem? This was why he asked me here. “So… tell me, what sort of reality show is this going to be?”
“It’s called Bake It or Break It… a reality show where various bakers around the country have to compete alongside their exes. It will be a combination of the audience casting votes, like in American Idol and judged baking competitions… like in Cupcake Wars.”
Well, that sounded weird. Again… my ears perked up at the mention of exes. Did that mean Neil’s ex-girlfriends were going to be here in Maple Grove? Because God, kill me now if I had to see them around my town for a few weeks.
“Okay,” I said, scribbling down notes in my journal.
“We will film several bakery owners from around the country who are bachelors or bachelorettes. The first episode will be a dating style show with their exes, and the audience will vote on which ex the bakers are paired with. Then, the next few episodes are competitions that will narrow down the contestants to the final three who will be flown out for the final juried competition.”
I wasn’t sure what my face looked like, but I’m pretty sure it was horrified. “You’re joking.”
Elliott shook his head, glancing nervously at Jude before back at me. “No. I’m not.”
“You’re telling me that you’re planning to pimp out Neil and Liam to their ex-girlfriends… and then, what? Make them bake cupcakes to win challenges for dates?”
“Oh,” Elliott snapped his fingers and pointed at me. “That’s a good idea.” He pulled out his phone and tapped away some note.
That? That was a good idea? Yikes. I shook my head, ignoring him.
“Just Neil,” Ash said.
“Yeah,” Liam scoffed. “Someone has to keep the bakery afloat… or so I’m told.”
“Neil and Beefcakes are just one component of the reality show… granted, the team we’re routing for, of course,” Jude said.
I shook my head, not quite believing what I was hearing. When Neil mentioned a reality show … I figured it was a baking show. Something that would be on the cooking channel, akin to Rachael Ray. “And who the hell will want to watch these couples try to make it for a whole season?”
Ash snorted at me. “A lot of people. You clearly don’t watch TV. Have you seen the awful reality television that’s on these days?”
Elliott interjected, “And… it’s only seven episodes, not a whole season.”
T
hat didn’t even make sense. “Why only seven episodes?”
Jude cleared his throat… he seemed like he was the most business-like of the three Hollywood types, which surprised me. “The network canceled one of its other shows, and this is filling in for the final few weeks of the season. It’s sort of their test run to see if audiences like it.”
I took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of my nose. “So, let me get this straight… my town which, thanks to Neil and Liam, is already overrun with bachelorette parties is now going to be some reality TV den for a bunch of TV bunnies who are also Neil’s ex-girlfriends?”
Ash cleared his throat, leaning forward. “It’s not as ‘girls gone wild’ as you think it is. Actually, contestants have strict policies they have to comply with. They have curfews, dietary restrictions, hours they have to complete filming. Reality TV is far from real. Besides, the ex-girlfriends are only in the first episode, and there are only four of them.”
“Well, three,” Elliott said, gesturing to me. “Not counting you, of course.”
My face went white hot. Pin pricks of light invaded my vision. “Excuse me?”
Across the table, Ash winced, and Jude’s eyes fluttered closed briefly. “Well, we were getting to that,” Jude said, sending a glare to Elliott.
“Because of your long history with Neil… and the recent viral meme, we were hoping you would be a contestant on the show.”
“One of the exes,” Elliott added, and I saw Ash’s jaw tense up. Jude and Ash clearly had schmoozing down to a science… Elliott on the other hand, not so much.
Is that what I’ve been boiled down to? One of Neil Evans’ exes? My stomach turned at the thought.
“I can see you have reservations.” Jude’s voice had a calmness to it that was comforting. “Watch some of Silhouette Studios other reality shows tonight. You’ll see how we handle our subject matter. It’s not the same sensationalized television you usually see. We are more like… The Great British Bake Off. We don’t create drama for the sake of drama.”
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