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Ledger nods and leans back in the leather chair sitting in the middle of the lobby. “That’s what I said, isn’t it?”
Hilary glances at me, that soft look disappearing, and she rolls her eyes. “Fine. You better get your crap together, Miss Dominic.”
Then she’s strutting away from our group and taking careful steps into the waiting elevator.
Ledger rises from his place on the chair, wiping his hands on the worn-out jeans he’s sporting, and I place a hand on his arm before he can walk away. He looks at my hand, then my face, and I hurriedly drop the limb from his skin before throwing a small smile in his direction.
“Thanks. I know I didn’t deserve what you did.”
He shrugs. “You may have been late, but, like I told Hilary, you’ve done a lot to gain traction with our music, and that doesn’t deserve to be ignored, no matter how late you were today. Let’s try not to make it a habit.”
The rest of the guys file past us, nodding in my direction as they do, and I finally take a deep breath as Ledger follows their trail to the elevators.
One conversation down. Now I’ve just got to get through another one with Julia.
***
Julia is standing outside my hotel room door when I step out of the elevator, her shoulder pressed against the wall while a free hand rubs gently over her growing stomach. The corridor is bathed in soft, warm light from ornate sconces lining the walls. She glances up even though the carpet muffles my footsteps, and I give her a bright smile with my arms spread wide open.
“Why didn’t you tell me you’d be here tonight?”
She doesn’t answer, and there’s a stern frown on her face when I pull away to look into her eyes. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, babe.”
I roll my eyes at her tone, knowing she’s only doing it to rattle me, and scan my keycard over the black box before pushing the door open. She follows me inside, quietly inching further into the room while I drop my purse onto a small table, and I spin around with hands on my hips.
“Well, let me hear it.”
“Hear what?”
You knew from a mile away how much of an idiot I am, and Brent will be devastated if he ever found out.
She cocks her head to the side. “Why would I do that?” For a moment, I think I’m out of the woods — until she grins at me. “Although I did see this coming from the beginning.”
“It just happened, you know?”
Julia shakes her head. “Spill it, and I want to hear every dirty detail, babe.” She sinks onto the couch in front of me, which looks uncomfortable for her changing body, and pats the space next to her.
“Come on, you can tell me all about it. Starting from the beginning.”
Which is exactly what I do. I didn’t even realize I needed to let all of this out until she opened her mouth, and it’s like a verbal flood for the next forty-five minutes until I take deep breaths while she stares at me.
“Well, are you going to say anything?”
She blinks, then her lips break into a bright smile that makes me dread what she’s going to say next. “You like him, Mallory.”
I scoff. “Yeah, right? It’s all fun and games, nothing serious at all.”
Julia hums in response but says nothing else, and a thought runs rampant in my mind as she does.
Julia’s words echo in my mind: “Youlikehim.” It’s such a juvenile way to put it, but it hits home harder than any adult phrasing could. Do I like Jace? The thought sends a waveof panic through me. Liking him wasn’t part of the plan. It complicates everything.
But as I replay our moments together - the late-night talks, the gentle touches, the way he looked at me this morning - I realize it might be too late. I might have alreadyfallenfor Jace Brooks, and I don’t know what to do about it.
I feel more content when I’m surrounded by Jace’s spicy scent, safer as he wraps his arms around me, and more grounded when his touch coasts along my skin.
Suddenly, I realize the words I just uttered to my best friend might be a lie after all. This isn't fun and games anymore. It hasn't been for a while. I'm standing on the edge of something profound, something that could change everything. Jace is much more than a distraction or a way to blow off steam. He's become a constant, a comfort, a challenge - everything I never knew I wanted.
Rising, I take a few steps creating some distance from Julia. As I stare at my reflection in the window, I see a woman at a crossroads. Professional Mallory, the one who’s fought so hard to prove herself, is urging caution. But the Mallory who’s known Jace’s touch, who’s seen the warmth in his eyes - she’s ready to throw caution to the wind.
