Page 42 of Scoring Destiny

She chuckles. “Like I said, I have more work than I can take on. There are always half a dozen projects in the pipes. And at some point, even though I keep saying there’s too much on my plate, I know I’ll release my clothing line.”

“You’re incredibly busy,” I say.

She lifts her eyes to mine and gives me a soft, wry smile. “Then I guess I’ve basically taken myself out of the running to be the woman in your life.”

Shit.

That wasn’t the direction I had in mind when we started talking.

“Right now, I don’t know that there’s anyone in the running to be the woman in my life. I’m too broken.”

Chapter Sixteen

Maya

I’m too broken.

Cash’s words echo in my psyche over the next couple of days.

Our date was fun but it ended early and we didn’t end up anywhere near a bedroom.

Probably for the best.

I like him but not at the expense of my heart. Despite asking for time, he’s emotionally unavailable and that’s a big red flag for me. And I’m not one of those women who thinks she can change a man. There’s no one on earth who will change me in any significant manner, so why would I attempt to do it to someone else?

He’s allowed to heal and live his life as he sees fit.

Just as I’m allowed to not want to hold on to a fantasy.

Even if it’s a sexy, vulnerable, hockey-playing fantasy.

I’m in L.A. for a few days, attending some pre-production meetings for next year’s movie. This is mostly boring stuff, but the money’s good and I’m too young to turn my nose up at it. Besides, I got lucky with the movie that won me that Oscar—it wouldn’t take much for me and my popularity to fade into oblivion.

“We have exciting news,” Don Sealey says. “It looks like we’ve got Shandy Harless and Jake Ferris slated to come on board. They’ll be signing contracts this week, and once that happens, it’s a go.”

I nearly choke on my coffee when he mentions their names.

My friend Byron, who’s one of the premiere makeup artists in the industry right now, meets my gaze curiously. We’re good friends so he knows me well enough to pick up on my reaction.

“What?” he mouths.

“Later,” I mouth back.

“We’ll also be filming part of the movie in Budapest,” Don continues. “So, anyone here who needs to update a passport, make sure you get that done by early spring.”

“Are Jake and Shandy definite?” I ask casually.

Don nods. “Jake and I are friends, and he wanted her to read for the part. There was so much chemistry during their screen test, there was no reason to test anyone else.”

Ugh.

I’ll have to dress her. Have casual conversation with her.

Both of them, really.

Double ugh.

I’m not sure where we stand romantically—we didn’t make any formal decisions—but I know for a fact that Cash won’t be happy about this little development.