Page 53 of Deck the Hauls

Half an hour later, I was standing with Mihira, Dana and Olivia eating a delicious pork belly bao and sharing notes on the last episode of Heated Rivalry.

Every so often, I would forget what had just happened with Austin for a glorious thirty seconds, before the cloud would settle back over me, growing darker each time. How dare Austin ruin my last night in Sapphire Springs?

“Who’s your favorite character, Emily?” Olivia asked, jerking me out of my thoughts.

“Sorry. Um, probably Kip?”

Austin was at the drinks table now, pressing a glass of white wine into one of the young production assistant’s hands. What was her name? I frowned. That’s right, Ava. She had a very cute cat named Mr. Waffles.

Austin’s hand snaked behind her back, and my frown deepened.

He started to lead Ava down to the other end of the barn.

“What the fuck?”

I turned to see Dana watching Austin too. He seemed to be blow-by-blow recreating exactly what he’d done earlier to me, just on a much younger and more vulnerable member of the crew. Ava couldn’t be older than twenty.

They’d stopped now, Austin slinking closer to her.

I stood frozen. Was this what an out-of-body experience was like? It was like I was watching what had just happened to myself from afar.

Ava inched away from him. Even from the other side of the barn, her body language was clear.

My chest constricted. Shit.

“I’m going over there.” Dana’s nostrils flared, her eyes intense.

I wanted to follow her, to help Ava, but fear locked me in place.

Dana strode toward the back of the barn.

She said something to Ava, who nodded and quickly escaped, and then spoke to Austin. Austin glowered and then stomped off.

“What’s all that about?” Olivia asked, her brow furrowed, following my gaze.

“Austin was sleazing onto our production assistant, and it looks like Dana just gave him a piece of her mind about it.”

Mihira raised her eyebrows. “Shit! Ava? That’s terrible.”

Dana headed back toward us. I wished I had her strength to confront Austin.

“Emily, do you have a minute?” Dana asked as she reached us, her eyes blazing.

“Sure.” Nerves bubbled in my stomach. “Sorry I didn’t come with you before. I panicked a little.”

“Hey, that’s okay. It’s not surprising. You’re probably still recovering from the shock of what just happened. And it’s a lot easier for me to go all Kill Bill on Austin when I don’t know the guy or care about burning any bridges.”

I swallowed. “Maybe. But I should have helped. If you hadn’t been here…” I blinked away tears. Would I have just let the whole thing unfold without intervening if Dana hadn’t been here? I hoped not.

Dana stopped walking and turned to me, her face soft. “Hey. It’s not your fault. There’s no point worrying about what-ifs. I was here and it’s okay.” She pressed her lips together. “But I think we should talk to Charles and see if he can do anything about it.”

I glanced at Charles, who was holding a beer and chatting to one of the camera crew.

I bit my lip. Dana was right. We had to do something. My heart thumped in my ears. Shit.

“I can do it on my own,” Dana said. “Make it clear you’re not involved.”

My heart wasn’t slowing down and my breaths were getting tighter. I managed a small nod. “Would you mind?”