“Have you been recognized?”
“What do you think?”
“Was it awful?”
“Actually, no. I got some looks, but no one approached me. It’s pretty chill here.”
“I’ll cross my fingers that it stays that way,” she says with a sigh. “I told everyone that you’re preparing for a role, so it’s pretty quiet here, too. But I have the team working your social media, and I’ll make sure all correspondence goes through me. I’ll just shoot you a daily email, and if something needs your immediate attention, I’ll call.”
“You know I love you, right?”
She scoffs into the phone. “Duh. What would you do without me?”
I have no idea. Having someone I trust to take care of things is vital. I’m lucky to have her.
“I need you to have some dumbbells sent here for me. I can do everything I need to except upper body. There are some cool ones on Amazon that I’ll send you the link for.”
“I’ll order them today,” she says, and I can tell by her voice that she’s writing it down. “I’ll text you when I have a delivery date.”
“Thanks, Nina.”
“That’s what you pay me the big bucks for,” she says with a laugh. “Have fun. Bone a snow bunny. Don’t get her pregnant.”
“This is your advice for my time in Montana?”
“It’s good advice,” she replies. “Relax while you’re there. Make friends. Be a regular human being.”
I roll my eyes. “I’ll work on it.”
“’Kay. Call me if you need me. I’ll talk to you soon.”
She hangs up, and I stand to drag my already sore ass up to the shower. Be a regular human being. I’m not sure that I remember what that’s like.
And trust me, I’m not complaining. I have a life that people dream of. It doesn’t suck.
But it is lonely. Calculated. Strategic.
I’ve had walls firmly in place since I was fifteen and found out the girl I had a crush on was only dating me because of the movie I’d just been in. She didn’t want me.
I’m sure that’s not always the case, and it happened when I was a kid. But it taught me a valuable lesson to keep my eyes open, and my heart locked up tight. To be friendly but not accessible.
I’m not starved for attention. I’m starved for connection.
I turn on the water, hot as it goes, and step under the stream. It pounds on my upper back, and I sigh in happiness. There’s a hot tub out on the deck that I might use later tonight after all the crowds have gone home.
I immediately move into squats, a habit I’d formed years ago. I can get a hundred of them in before the shower’s done. It’s all about time management.
I’ve just stepped out and am drying off when I hear the doorbell ring.
“Fuck.”
It’s either a fan who followed me here or Jenna.
It better be Jenna.
I sling a towel around my waist and walk down the stairs to the door, look through the peephole, and smile when I see Jenna’s sweet face staring back at me.
Cross-eyed.
I open the door and watch her jaw drop as her gaze automatically travels from my feet to my eyes. She swallows hard, then takes a sip out of the coffee mug in her hand.
I wish I was Felicia. She’s always going somewhere.
I smirk at the funny mug and step back, ushering her in so I can shut the door and cut off the cold air.
“Sorry for interrupting,” she says as she follows me to the kitchen. “I was about to go to town and thought I’d see if you were around and wanted to join me.”
“What’s up?”
“Well, you can’t just be a hermit up here, no matter how pretty it is.” She sits on a stool and sets her mug on the countertop. “I have a couple of errands to run, and I thought we could get a coffee at Drips & Sips. It’s better than Starbucks.”
“That’s a bold claim,” I reply and soak her in. She’s fucking beautiful, and I’ve seen my fair share of gorgeous women. Touched them. Kissed them.
Made it look like I was fucking them.
Hell, I did fuck some of them.
But I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anyone quite like Jenna. Maybe it’s the gorgeous face, sexy figure, and long, blond hair mixed with the confidence. That doesn’t happen often.
“Why didn’t you tell your friend that I’m here?” I ask and watch her frown.
“Because that would be an invasion of privacy.”
“So?”
Her brows climb into her hairline, and then she sips her coffee, watching me. “Well, I’m not a jerk. I can’t just advertise who’s staying at my place. That’s not cool. Also, it’s not my business to tell my friends that you’re here.”
“I met Jacob today,” I inform her and lean on the counter. “He told me you’re a good friend of his wife.”