Million-Dollar Consequences

Eleven

Max rolled his script in between his hands as he leaned back on two legs of the wooden chair at the Brooks family dining room table. They were taking five, or as Ashley had said, “however long Bella needs to relieve herself,” before they resumed filming the scene. Max’s walk-on role as the neighbor with a rambunctious Saint Bernard, aka Bella, was popping up again in episode four.

“You’re a natural. You should get a dog,” Isaac told his brother before cracking open a can of sparkling water. Raspberry in this case—not his favorite, but the only flavor on the food cart.

“Why would I need a dog?”

“Companionship for the hikes you take into the woods.”

“I have Kendall. Not that she’s much of a hiker. But she’s getting there. At least she has decent shoes now that she lives with me.”

Isaac chuckled. He didn’t necessarily consider Kendall high-maintenance, but neither was she as laid-back as Meghan.

“Hate to say this,” Max started, making Isaac tense in anticipation. “But I like being back on set.”

“Why do you hate to say it? Because you resisted it with everything inside of you for so long?”

“Something like that,” his brother admitted. “It might not be my thing, but it’s been fun to moonlight as a famous person.”

“Dude, you have a town named after you. You’re a famous person always.” Isaac was having a hell of a good time performing with his brother. They were together again, slipping back into the rhythm they’d had on set as kids, only this time around they were playing two different characters. “It’s too bad we were never in the same scenes together before. You might have stuck it out in this business if you’d enjoyed yourself more.”

“I still would have left.”

“Ouch.”

“It’s nothing personal.” Max leaned forward and whacked Isaac in the leg with the rolled script. “I’m sorry I was a bear about it before. Reuniting with everyone has been...nice.”

Max wasn’t known for his compliments or grand statements. Or apologizing. Isaac clutched his chest and pretended to have a heart attack. “Did you say you were sorry?”

Max ignored Isaac’s theatrics, tipping his head in the direction of the living room set where Meghan was chatting with Merilyn, her hands waving animatedly in front of her while she spoke. “How’s everything going?”

It was fucking great.

They’d gone out to pick up coffee every morning, and then she’d walk with him to M Hotel, where the show was filming. Afterward, she’d either stick around like she had today, or head back to the apartment to work on her podcast, or her website, or one of the other million things she did. She was a hard worker, and ambitious. He didn’t understand why she referred to herself as flighty or rash. She’d accomplished more than most entrepreneurs he knew.

He planned on taking her out for dinner tonight. Sex had been a daily occurrence, twice on some days, three times today if he could squeeze in a break and sneak her into an empty conference room. Here was hoping Bella needed an extra lap around the park.

“I take it by your dopey grin, it’s good,” Max said, his smile knowing.

“It’s great, man. She’s...great.” A lame adjective, but he wasn’t about to admit to his brother how she made him feel alive again, or that her nipples were the perfect rosy shade of pink, the likes of which he’d never seen before. And he definitely couldn’t share that they’d been making love on the closest piece of furniture because they were too impatient to go to the bedroom first. “I don’t know what you or Kendall were so worried about.”

“Kendall means well,” Max said. “They lost a lot when they lost their brother, you know?”

“Their brother,” Isaac blurted before realizing he didn’t know she’d had a brother, let alone that he’d passed away.

Max’s eyebrows bent in sympathy. “She didn’t tell you?”

“No, ah, I guess it didn’t come up.”

“Might want to debrief each other on the basics.” His brother turned to look over his shoulder to where Meghan was hugging Ashley. “She’s in tight with your crowd, looks like.”

“Yeah. She fits in wherever she is,” Isaac muttered, but he was still stuck on the fact that his temporary fiancée hadn’t shared her brother’s death with him. They’d mentioned their families on several occasions. It should have come up. Did she not trust him?

Meghan bopped over to where they were sitting, her red lips parting in a smile. “Looking good out there today, Max. Is acting like riding a bike? It all comes back to you when you’re in the moment?”

“It’s more like riding a camel. It’s uncomfortable and you look awkward doing it, but it’s still fun.”

She giggled, her smile holding when she faced Isaac. “I’m going to head over to Luxury Bean. Kendall wants to go shopping and grab lunch.”

“I’ll walk you.”

“Won’t you be late for your scene?”

“I’ll cover for him,” Max said.

Well. Isaac would be damned. Not only was his twin brother stepping in, but also stepping up for him.

“Thanks, man,” Isaac told him.

Max shrugged.