One Week with the Marine (Love on Location)

He dialed the number, and then waited for her to pick up. When she did, she sounded almost breathless.

“Holden,” Myla said. “What a surprise.”

“Hey, Myla. What’s going on?”

“Oh, um.” There was a slight pause, then she said, “Look, I’m going to have to cancel lunch plans with you and Avery for tomorrow. Something came up.”

“That’s totally fine. That’s actually not what I was calling about—”

“Oh, I—” she said, but he glanced toward the store, unsure when Avery might reappear.

“I need your advice,” he said.

“Oh?” Another long silence stretched between them. “What’s going on? Avery acting weird?”

“No, no. She just…we’ve made it official.”

Myla gasped. “No way.”

“Yeah, yeah, we did.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “But I haven’t been completely up front with her about my plans. I mean, I have, but I think she thinks—”

“Well, whatever it is, I think you’ve just got to set clear expectations, you know? That’s the most you can do. Especially with someone like Avery.”

He considered this. “Okay, I think you have a point.”

“But Holden—”

His breath caught in his throat. Avery was practically jogging toward the truck with nothing but a magazine in her hand.

“Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you back.” He thumbed the phone off then shoved it back in his pocket as Avery climbed into the car again.

“I stole this.” She looked down at the magazine, as if surprised to see it in her hand.

“I see.”

“I didn’t mean to…I just…” She slapped the front cover. “Did you see this?”

Holden followed her gaze and found a familiar face staring back at him from the glossy cover. Oliver Masters—soap opera darling and love of Myla’s life—French-kissing another starlet on the deck of a swanky hotel.

“No,” Holden said. How had Myla not mentioned that? He’d only just been on the phone with her.

“I need to go to her. I’m really sorry, but can our trip wait? I need to make sure she’s okay. She hasn’t even called me. I mean, she has to know, right? If I saw it on the newsstand—”

“It’ll be okay.” Holden put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and soothed her. “It’ll all be all right. I’ll drive you there and drop you off. You guys can have some girl time.”

Maybe that way he could have some alone time, too, time to reflect on exactly what he wanted in his life. Who he wanted in his life. And how he was going to get all of it.

It shouldn’t be more than an hour’s work.

So, without another word, he gripped the steering wheel

tighter and started off for Myla’s.

…

When Avery got to Myla’s house, it was to find her friend sitting on the sun-bleached steps, her head in her hands. Avery approached cautiously, hoping not to spook her. She knew how Myla was after a breakup, delicate and sullen. She’d pretend to be strong, like it didn’t bother her, but then in the next instant, the onslaught of tears would begin, and they wouldn’t stop until the next guy came along to fill the hole that had been left.

Silently, Avery sat down beside her friend and waited for her to speak.