Page 50 of Deck the Hauls

“Places, please,” Charles yelled. “And...action!”

The second kiss seemed to go on for an eternity. My stomach twisted and turned.

Why wasn’t Charles calling cut yet? He’d just said it wasn’t meant to be too explicit. Surely it should just be a quick peck on the lips.

Emily finally pulled back, gazing into Austin’s eyes with a dreamy smile on her face.

I exhaled. Oh, thank god. Please, please let there not be a reshoot.

“And that’s it for today. Thanks, folks. We’ll see you all tomorrow morning.”

I watched as Emily disentangled herself from Austin, keeping a close eye on his hands.

“That kiss went on for ages,” I muttered to George. “It seemed a little excessive.”

George raised her eyebrows. “It was only a couple of seconds.”

“Hey, do you feel like grabbing a drink?” Austin asked Emily, still standing in front of Olivia’s stall.

“That sounds fun. Is Mihira already invited? If not, I might message her and see if she’s interested too.”

Austin shook his head. “No, I meant just the two of us.”

“Oh.” Emily’s eyes widened. For someone who was so good at acting, she was quite terrible at not letting her emotions show on her face. Emily was clearly not interested in having one-on-one drinks with Austin. Thank god. Unfortunately, Austin hadn’t caught on.

“There’s a bar in town called Frankie’s. Or you could come back to my bed and breakfast if you’d like.”

Emily shuffled, her face red. Shit. She looked like a deer in the headlights. Why couldn’t Austin take a hint?”

I stood, racking my brain for a way to help Emily out of the situation.

“Sorry to interrupt,” I said as I reached Olivia’s stall. “Emily, do you have half an hour to spare? I need to check the animal trap and I’d appreciate your help in case another skunk has been caught.”

“A skunk?” Austin did a double take.

Emily laughed, the tension releasing from her face. “Yes. It’s a funny story. I’ll have to tell you about it sometime. Sorry Austin, I think I might pass on tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Emily turned and started walking with me toward my stall.

“Thank you,” Emily murmured. “I was not expecting that and it threw me. I’m guessing you don’t really need my help with another skunk?”

“No, not really.” I grinned. “It was the first excuse I could think of. I will need to check on it tonight after I’m finished here, but I can manage myself.”

Did Emily’s face fall, or was it my imagination?

“But if you feel like hanging out with me, you could grab a seat and keep us company.” I looked around. “If Austin returns, you can say you’re just waiting for me to finish the shift before we go check the trap. And you’re more than welcome to come with me for that as well—you never know when your veterinary knowledge might come in handy.”

Emily grinned. “That sounds great. I’ll just go get changed.”

We spent the rest of the evening savoring Prue’s rich mulled wine and chatting in between fielding pre-order requests for trees.

I tried to ignore the growing heaviness in my chest. This would probably be the last opportunity I had to spend time with Emily one-on-one. Sure, I’d attend the wrap party, but that wouldn’t be the same. She’d be surrounded by cast and crew—including Austin.

I gritted my teeth. Emily was by no means incapable of protecting herself, but still…

Friends looked out for each other, and I wanted to look out for Emily, just in case.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN