Page 60 of The Golden Scoop

Matt

My life changed the day I met Emma. I didn’t know it then, and I most definitely didn’t expect what came after. She’s the most confident, hardheaded woman I’ve ever met. It’s for that reason, after a week of trying to win her over and failing every time, I decided it was way more fun to give into the bickering and still support her behind the scenes.

It didn’t take me long to fall head over heels for her. The way her hair looks when it’s braided, how she jumps to defend her friends without any questions asked… She doesn’t know what she does to me by putting me in my place when I take things a little too far. Like she was born to do it.

Countless nights I’ve spent wondering what it would feel like to be on the receiving end of one of her knockout smiles, what it would be like to kiss it away until neither of us remembered what we were fighting about.

Jennifer storms into my trailer, the small metal door slamming against the wall with a deafening thud. I sit up fast, as I’ve been caught mid thought. One I’m supposed to stay away from.

“We have a problem,” she says, typing away on her phone. I know better than to interrupt. She’s an expert. There’s never been a problem she hasn’t solved, so I usually let her vent out until she lands on one.

When she finally looks up, her eyes sweep the space.

“Where’s Emma?” she asks. “I was hoping to catch you both.”

I stop my shoulders from shrugging, because that’d give away I’ve somehow managed to mess up more than I thought was possible.

“She’s working from home today. There’s only so much she can observe on set, and she needed to get some actual writing done,” I lie through my teeth. I can’t handle another person I respect telling me I screwed this up.

“Should’ve told her to bring a laptop with her, Matt. I told you to be inviting,” Jennifer admonishes.

If I told her just how inviting I’ve been… She’d never let me live down crashing Emma’s date. Hell, I don’t think I’ll forgive myself either.

“You know writers and their quirks,” I say, forcing a lighter tone, adding a shrug. “Stars have to align for inspiration to hit and all that.”

Almost like a blessing in disguise, her phone starts ringing before I have time to confess I haven’t heard anything from Emma since she walked out yesterday. That there’s a real chance the article’s not happening anymore, and I’m waiting for everything to fall apart.

“About my problem,” she says, pointing at the screen. “Give me a minute.”

I nod, and as soon as she’s gone, my face drops. I’m miserable.

As I should be.

My thoughts went wild. Once they started, I couldn’t stop them. And for the life of me, I couldn’t handle the idea of her going out with Tom. I tried talking sense into myself, but the more I told myself it was fine, the worse it got.

Clearly a huge mistake.

Emma’s right. I embarrassed everyone. Even Stella, who was doing me a favor, and has been a friend for years. Acted like the biggest jerk in Los Angeles.

I don’t think I’ve ever been in love, so I don’t know if this is it. What I do know is I’ve been thinking about Emma since I first laid eyes on her. She’s a recurring dream. Always too far out of reach.

And if it’s not love, then something’s seriously wrong with me, because I’m losing it.

Who interrupts a date and then can’t even admit the reason is he wishes she were his?

Somewhere between me showing up at her place and her showing up at mine, I realized she’s too good to get involved with someone like me.

Emma doesn’t need the chaos that comes with dating an actor. She deserves better. A man who can take her out in public without cameras being shoved in her face. A man who doesn’t keep himself tucked into the roles he plays.

She’s truth. And she deserves the same. The best option is for me to stay away.

“I thought I had fixed our problem,” Jen says, walking back in, looking even more stressed than before. “Turns out that was a dead end too.”

Did Golden get in contact with her already?

“What mess did I get into now?” I ask, silently praying she doesn’t mention Emma.

“Surprisingly, none.” Relief washes over my entire body. “But the date we hired for your gala in New York tomorrow fell through. The company said they might have a replacement but unfortunately, she’s come down with the flu. In the middle of summer, ironically.”