Page 87 of Fever Dream
“Emmett.” She nods her head in a casual greeting, as if we didn’t share the most memorable kiss of my life. Which is saying something because, well, it’s not as though I’ve been precious about the women in my life.
But something tells me that kiss will be the standard that everyone else will fall short of.
“Jules,” I murmur, playing it equally cool. Especially since Richard has turned to watch us. I hope to god he didn’t see me eye-fucking her from across the bar.
“Julia,” he announces. “Good. You’re here. Paperwork all signed?”
He quirks a condescending brow at her, and guilt assaults me for changing the bar without telling her. But I’d spent two nights tossing and turning over the time I spent with her at The Sugar Saloon. And try as I might, I couldn’t convince myself it was nothing. It was a happy little bubble. And I was the one to burst it. But I wanted to be the one to fix it too.
So here we are at the Disneyland of country bars instead.
I can’t explain it, and I don’t want to overanalyze it. I’m just working on instinct—the one that is dragging me kicking and screaming after Julia fucking Silva at every turn.
“Yep! Permits are all set,” she chirps, holding a yellow folder up triumphantly.
He’d dressed her down, but she’d just taken that as a challenge to prove him wrong.
I admire that about her. That drive. That toughness. That’s why her confession about trusting me hit so damn hard. She’d been vulnerable with me, and I’d shut down.
And then I’d kissed her. Like that would fix everything. I scrub a hand over my stubble and groan inwardly, because I have no fucking clue what I’m doing. I might as well be stumbling around in the dark for how out of my element I am right now.
Dick Wad claps once before striding toward her. “Attagirl,” he says, leering just enough to make me want to rip his fucking head off. Instead, I settle for meandering in their direction.
He takes the folder and flips it open, thumbing through the pages and nodding. “Good. Well, Emmett, you’ve got a date set with Evelyn during the top three week at an art gallery and then another, where you’ll go zip-lining, and you can take whoever you want.”
I cross my arms, growing tired of Richard’s obsession with Evelyn. “Top three week? I haven’t even made my choice for eliminations tonight.”
The showrunner hits me with a smarmy smile. “Well, taking one out of the mix for entertainment value won’t hurt anything. She stays. End of conversation.”
“That’s a bold—”
“Way for you to make a lot of money?” Richard finishes for me, his expression fully loaded with innuendo. Because unfortunately, he knows how badly my family and I need this extra income.
My molars clamp together, and I force myself not to look at Julia.
“It’s been suggested to the girls that they should try to move their relationship with you to the next level,” Dick Wad continues flippantly.
Relationship.
Laughable.
What’s not funny is that for the first time in my life, guaranteed female attention makes me uneasy.
“So do me a solid and lay some pipe or something. Ha!” He laughs so loudly as he slaps my shoulder that Julia flinches beside me.
“All right,” she interjects without sparing me a single glance. “I’m going to go check in with the manager, make sure everything is in line before we get started.”
As she walks away, I watch. Wishing I could talk to her, but not sure what I’d say. I don’t know what to do in this situation.I’m torn between knowing I need to follow through with this show and not wanting to because… I don’t want to hurt her.
When I tear my eyes away, I find Richard regarding me coolly. “Careful with letting that problem get in the way of the show,” he says. “Or I’ll fix it for you.”
Richard’s threat has had me walking on eggshells all night. I dance with each of the women, feeling more like a marionette than a man. I’m dodging stray hands left and right, and I can tell by the scowl on Dick Wad’s face that my lack of enthusiasm is pissing him off.
I can’t bring myself to look at Julia, though I know she’s here.
Because I’m not an actor. I’m just a guy who has always excelled at keeping things casual. And for the first time in my life, I don’t feel casual at all.
It’s fucking confusing.
