A Hollywood Deal (Ryder & Paige 1)

“Do you?”

She nods. “Donald Left from high school. You remember him, don’t you?”

“Yeah.” He wasn’t in any of my classes, but I knew him by reputation. Supposedly a really nice guy. Played football. Smart. Worked hard.

“After we graduated,” Bethany continues, “he told me he loved me and asked me to marry him.”

I gasp. “You never told me!”

“Well, you know. It wasn’t really share-worthy.”

“So what happened? I mean, obviously you turned him down.”

She laughs. “Obviously. The thing was, if I’d married him, I’d’ve been stuck in Sweet Hope forever. He was set to inherit that brewery his dad ran, and I wanted to go to L.A. and do my art and stuff. So in my case, it was a dream versus maybe the love of my life.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Hmm.” She dips a fry into ketchup. “Not really regret, exactly. But I do wonder sometimes. You know, how my life would’ve turned out if I’d said yes. This was before I met Oliver, of course.”

“Huh. Have you looked him up to see how he’s doing?”

“We ran into each other last time I visited Mom and Dad. He’s quite happily married with two kids—four and six.”

“He didn’t waste much time pining for his high school love,” I joke.

She laughs. “Nope. Too practical. Thankfully I have Oliver, who I love to pieces, but if I didn’t and wanted to pick things up again with Donald, it’d be too late.” She shrugs. “But that’s how life is. Opportunities don’t wait, and they don’t always come back. I chose my dream because that’s what mattered the most when I had to make my decision. So I’d say that in your hypothetical situation, the person should choose what’s most important.”

I stay quiet as I process what she just told me. Money—even a huge amount of money—isn’t particularly important to me. Maybe it’s a reflection of my background, but I don’t need much to be comfortable, and being rich has never been an objective.

But Ryder…

If I’m honest with myself, I know where my hesitation is coming from. It’s the fear that what he’s offering is going to turn into something heart-felt and real on my part…while it remains just a physical act for him. I mean, the guy sees more ass than a proctologist. His reputation may be exaggerated in some cases, but not when it comes to women and relationships.

I don’t have any delusion that I’m going to be the one to change him. It’s a fun fantasy, but I know how people are. They don’t really change, not at the core. That’s why sociopaths don’t feel any remorse, Ryder’s cousin Elizabeth can’t rest until every child is fed and happy, and Bethany is trying to use her art to bring joy to people.

I’d most likely regret taking the money for the rest of my life. Even if it is to protect my heart, I’d regret it anyway because I’ve already tasted how sweet his other offer is.

After we finish our lunch, Bethany and I hug each other good-bye and agree that we have to meet for another lunch or two. She makes me promise to call her if I need help with the planning. “Even if you have an army of people, sometimes you just need your family there for you,” she says.

“I will.”

“Love you.” She gives me another hug, and I watch her walk off. She pulls out her phone before turning the corner.

My phone pings a moment later.

I think you’ll choose what’s in your heart. Money never meant much to you. Regardless, I’m always on your side.

I can’t help but smile. She’s too smart to think that my hypothetical scenario was really hypothetical. I text back, Ditto.

Then I text Craig The Lawyer about our meeting while making my way to the hotel to get my car. I can’t possibly tell him the truth either, so I should ask him to change the amount to ten million after two years of marriage, not one.

On the other hand, he’s a shark. So he’s probably going to balk at the amount of money staying the same while the duration doubles. Maybe fifteen mil would be better. It doesn’t matter what the dollar figure is, so long as the intent is clear.

As I finish my text and put the phone in my purse, somebody grabs my arm. “You bitch. You think you can just avoid me?”

I blink in shock. Shaun. His hold on me isn’t gentle, but it isn’t rough either.

He hasn’t changed much in the last few weeks. He’s got that scruffy dark look that fits the leading man image, and he’s tall and lean from regular weightlifting. But his eyes never held much warmth