Part 17 (2/2)

Then I'd spend the night in the king-sized bed while Carter, a true gentleman, took the couch. It was lonely in that bed, and even through my exhaustion I managed to stay awake, thinking about Kent and about those kisses stolen on the edge of that cliff.

If we'd swung out into the emptiness, I was certain we would have flown.

Well. All that was over now and it was back to business as usual. I'd talk to Kent about the state of my relations.h.i.+p with Carter after we got home. Right now I just wanted to go back to the hotel, throw myself in bed and sleep until we had to get up tomorrow. Shooting a video is exhausting.

But then Manny turned to me and clapped a hand on my shoulder. ”So, Rebecca, you want to go out for some drinks with Sonya and me?”

I blinked. ”What? Drinks?”

He grinned and rolled his eyes. ”Yes. Drinks. Bebidas. Cervesas. At a bar. Let's go wind down.”

I glanced over at Sonya, who wasn't paying us any attention. She was methodically taking off the wardrobe jewelry as she moved toward the wardrobe trailer. ”Are you sure Sonya won't mind if I come along?” I asked.

”Sonya won't care,” he a.s.sured me.

I hesitated. I was technically still under contract to watch over Carter. Should he come with us? Should I tell Kent where I was going? Everything was so weird.

”Let me, uh... go talk to Carter.”

Manny nodded affably and wandered toward the van. ”Let me know, because we're heading out in a few minutes.”

I nodded and walked over to where Carter was standing, looking exhausted but relieved.

”Hey, Mrs. Girlfriend,” he said as I approached. ”So what do you think of making a music video?”

”I think it kind of sucks,” I said.

”I know, but I also love it,” he replied. ”I mean, it's exhausting, but I actually got to do some acting this time, so it wasn't so boring, you know?”

I smiled. ”Yeah. You're a really good actor. Did you know that?”

”Kent always said so, but I wasn't sure I believed him.”

”He was right.”

Carter grinned at me. ”Thanks, Rebecca. I appreciate that.”

I smiled back, and then remembered what I was here for. ”Oh, yeah. Manny and Sonya invited me out for drinks to celebrate the wrap. You wanna come with?”

To my shock he shook his head. ”Nah, I don't think so. I want to go back to the hotel and go to bed, you know? I don't really feel like drinking.”

I almost asked him if he were feeling okay, but I bit my tongue at the last second. ”Okay,” I said instead. ”Maybe I'll take you out for lunch tomorrow or something.”

”Sus.h.i.+,” he said immediately. ”You will take me out for sus.h.i.+. To celebrate how great I am at acting.”

I rolled my eyes. ”Have you looked at any scripts yet?”

He shook his head. ”No, but that's something to think about. Hey, you want to read scripts with me over lunch? Kent said there's some waiting at home, so we can figure out together if I'm going to be a vampire, a werewolf, or a fairy.” He tilted his head and looked at his back. ”I think I'd look good with wings. What do you think?”

”I think you'd look good as a CGI wolf,” I said.

”Ouch, Mrs. Girlfriend. A shot across the bow.”

I grinned and poked him. ”You should be a fairy. Or an alien.”

”Oooh, an alien! We'll see if there's a script for that. Don't drink so much you can't read tomorrow.”

”Not a problem,” I a.s.sured him. I turned to go find Manny.

A chest blocked my way.

I pulled up short and looked up and up again into Kent's eyes.

”May I help you?” I asked. I tried to be all nonchalant about it but my voice cracked like that of a twelve year old boy. I'm smooth like b.u.t.ter, you see.

Kent raised a brow. ”You're going out?” he asked.

I nodded. ”I asked Carter, but he said he wanted to go back to the hotel and crash.”

Kent tilted his head. ”And you believed him?”

I suddenly felt very tired. ”Yes,” I said. ”I did. We're going out to lunch tomorrow and he wants me to be unhungover so we can go over the scripts he's been offered.”

Kent actually looked vaguely surprised by that. ”You are?”

I nodded. ”Yup. So he's going to go get some sleep and I'm going to go hang out with Manny and Sonya.”

He thought about this for a second. ”Are you sure?” he said finally. ”You don't want to avoid San Diego night life for... reasons?”

I felt my lips thin, but I squared my shoulders at him. ”No,” I said after a second. ”No, I think I can handle it. Besides, I'll take us to a bar I've never been to before.”

His mouth twisted and I could tell he wanted to get his paternalism all over me, try to protect me, but then I saw him actively suppress the instinct. ”All right,” he said. He dug into his back pocket and pulled something out-my phone. ”Call me if you need anything.” He frowned. ”And don't listen to your voicemails. In fact, just turn the stupid thing off.”

I smiled at him, touched. ”Thanks. I will.”

He jerked his head. ”Get out of here. I'm sure Manny's already getting started on his celebration.”

Then Kent leaned forward, an easy movement, and I leaned into him...

He jerked away, and I saw an expression of horror pa.s.s over his face. He took a step back. ”Have... have a good time...” he said. Then he whirled around and practically ran in the other direction.

I stood there, shocked, because I'd recognized that gesture.

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