All four of us seated at the table, what felt like an intimate, cozy space moments ago, now felt suffocating. My Britney O'Prey magic was waning. I had just enough left to get my message across.
"No," I said abruptly, knowing that no good could come of this."No? What do you mean no? This is your dream job. Making this commercial for Hunter Industries will put Britney O'Prey on the map," said Olivia, aghast with shock, her tone getting louder and more agitated by the second.I couldn't keep my eyes from traveling to and settling on Will, who was looking at me too. From the corner of my eye, I caught Olivia frantically looking first at Macy, then back and forth between Will and I. At this rate, the girl was going to give herself whiplash."What she means is—" Macy jumped in, desperately trying to salvage the situation."I think Ms. O'Prey can speak for herself," said Will, stupidly cool and collected and did I mention calm.H"It's me, good old Mace. I'm on your side, remember?" said Macy, still trying to curry favor with me with that pitiable, pleading look on her face.Macy Keller, like any good friend, stood by me when I took the fall for what was to be Britney's latest scandal. The trouble was, the three of us had grown up together. To this day, Macy and Britney worked together. Macy was my best friend, but she was Britney's too, thus making it impossible for her to take sides when it really came down to it. My thoughts must have been written all over my face, because Macy's campaign to gain my trust continued. "Come on, I risked my job to be here to help you. Truth is, no one has a clue where Britney is. She's been a no show since that night. When I found out about this deal being offered to Britney, I knew it was only a matter of time before Merida found out where you were. So I—""Tricked Olivia Hunter into believing that you were Britney's agent, so that she
All four of us seated at the table, what felt like an intimate, cozy space moments ago, now felt suffocating. My Britney O'Prey magic was waning. I had just enough left to get my message across. "No," I said abruptly, knowing that no good could come of this. "No? What do you mean no? This is your dream job. Making this commercial for Hunter Industries will put Britney O'Prey on the map," said Olivia, aghast with shock, her tone getting louder and more agitated by the second. I couldn't keep my eyes from traveling to and settling on Will, who was looking at me too. From the corner of my eye, I caught Olivia frantically looking first at Macy, then back and forth between Will and I. At this rate, the girl was going to give herself whiplash. "What she means is—" Macy jumped in, desperately trying to salvage the situation. "I think Ms. O'Prey can speak for herself," said Will, stupidly cool and collected and did I mention calm.H
I was easily the most high strung person on the rooftop as I stood in the middle of a crowd of people living their best lives. The music pumping through the air was on point and sweaty strangers were rubbing up against each other without a care in the world. "Not the most practical place to meet, is it?" I yelled over the music, when Harmon finally appeared. "Especially considering the serious nature of our little problem," I continued, following after him as he seemed to glide through the crowd effortlessly.Battery, theft, the charges that the slimy reporter from last night could bring up against us were piling up by the second. The only thing that made me feel even a tad better was that we managed to snag his phone. At least I was spared the nightmare of an indecent exposure scandal. My heart couldn't take another one of those. Now what to do to keep the sleazy reporter quiet. I squared my shoulders, lifted my head high and prepared to meet Will. Some
"Is it done?" I asked, finding myself in a sulky mood the next morning. "Yes, Mr. Hunter, it is. Ryan Summers will never work for a respectable publication again," Harmon replied.I took it upon myself to attempt to ease my anxiety by taking a walk on the beach. Dawn was breaking. The sunrise was perfect and getting rid of Ryan Summers permanently felt rewarding. Still, the scowl on my face remained. "Cupid's Cove has a guest," said Harmon, somewhat reluctantly. It was rare to have me be in a foul mood, much less because of some shitty reporter looking for his big break and definitely not over a woman. Yet, there I was and it was happening. The obscene banter and pointless smiles from last night's party didn't help either. "Satan's spouse or his spawn?" I asked, uncertain that I wanted to know the answer."Your fortune is too great for it to be mommy. Alas, you shall have to make do with me," said a peppy voice. "Harmon," she said in greeting, blowing him a kiss. "Miss Olivia," H
Still reeling from the assault on my foot, I watched as a crazed Ryan snatched his phone back from me and made a run for it. Just as I was about to go after him, I bumped into Harmon, who brought me to an abrupt halt. "Whatever it is, it's going to have to wait. It's time for your interview with the mainland reporter," said Harmon, attempting to calm me down as we returned to a more public setting. "Fat chance." I hissed, trying to maintain my cool as we strode through the lobby, making our way back to the restaurant. "Where the hell is he?" I asked, as we entered the restaurant. Harmon and I looked around, both coming up empty. "Beats me. He was here a second ago. Couldn't wait to talk to you," Harmon rambled, still looking around. "What part of keep him here did you not get?" I snapped, grabbing onto Harmon's jacket. Even he knew when it was best to stay silent. "Why the fuck is there an unauthorized phone on my island, Harmon?" I persisted. "He has a phone? Apologies, Mr. Hun
This was a terrible idea and I knew it, but I kept walking towards the restaurant where Will and I met anyway. Too emotionally drained to make excuses, even to myself, I accepted that I had cabin fever. Well that and maybe some small, teeny tiny part of me wanted to see Will. "May I?" he asked, sneaking up on me from behind and claiming my hand before I had the chance to respond. "It appears you may," I responded bluntly, a trait I came to associate with being in his presence. Still, I allowed him to hold onto my hand and escort me into the room. Ill at ease with all the attention we were drawing, I found myself holding a hand up to my chest. "Who knew one hundred people were so many," I proclaimed, now squeezing the hand that held mine. "Surely it's nothing to the great Britney O'Prey," he said, moving to let go of my hand. A switch flipped inside me and I held on tighter, both to his hand and my chest. Will paused, waiting on me, a quizzical look in his eye. "Of course not, n