Page 86 of Deck the Hauls

I clenched my jaw. Today should be about celebrating Emily’s film, not reliving past trauma. She’d probably tracked Emily down from the article in the local paper about the museum opening.

Did Emily need me to step in?

“Look, I appreciate you coming all the way out here,” Emily said to the reporter, “but I’m still not ready. I haven’t decided what to do yet. I need some more time.”

“I understand. I just wanted to meet you in person, let you know that I’m here if you have any questions,” Rebecca said gently. “And that you’re not alone. It’s not going to be just your word against his. We have one other woman willing to go on the record as well as a few that are willing to speak anonymously. Because of the seriousness of the allegations, the paper is saying we need another named source before we can publish and the woman going on the record doesn’t want to be the only one, either.”

Emily’s face softened slightly. “I’m sorry you’ve come all this way for nothing, but I will think about it. I promise I’ll let you know by next week at the latest. Is that okay?”

“Of course. You’ve got my details. I’ll be spending the next few hours in Sapphire Springs if you change your mind, and I’m always only a call or email away.”

Despite my hackles being up, Rebecca wasn’t like the snarky, hard‑nosed reporter I’d imagined. It didn’t seem like she was only out for a story. It was hard to tell, of course, but it did seem like she really cared about Emily—or at least wanted to make sure she was making an informed decision.

“Thanks Rebecca.” Emily managed a weak smile.

Rebecca nodded. “No problem. Thanks for hearing me out. Lovely to meet you in person Emily. And lovely to meet you too, Dana. Well, I might go grab a spot in line so I can see the museum.”

“If you’re looking for a story,” I said, “I’m sure the owner Roz would appreciate it if you wrote an article about it for your paper.”

Rebecca chuckled. “I can’t make any promises, I’m afraid. But perhaps if I can find the right angle…”

I bet if we told her about Austin, she’d quickly find the right angle. But I doubted Emily would want that, and it was probably best to give Charles and HolLove an opportunity to deal with him first.

Rebecca turned and walked toward the end of the very long line.

“Are you okay?” I asked Emily.

“Yeah,” she said, pressing her lips together into a weak smile. “It was a bit of a shock, her showing up like that. But she seems pretty nice.”

I rubbed my thumb on my chin. “What are you going to do?”

“I will think about it—maybe tomorrow, after the premiere. Talk through it with you, if you’re still happy to listen, of course. And then hopefully come to a decision. But I’m not going to worry about it for the rest of the day.”

“Well, we’ve got a few hours until we have to be at Roz’s for the movie night,” I said, my voice dropping. “We can meet the others at the café. Or I could distract you from your opening night nerves with another form of entertainment.” I raised my eyebrows.

Emily leaned slightly closely, her mouth curving up. “I like the sound of the second option.”

CHAPTER THIRTY

EMILY

Dana trailed her fingers through my hair. “We better go get dressed, or we’ll be late for your own premiere.”

I nuzzled my face into her neck, inhaling her now-familiar, slightly earthy scent. I could stay like this forever, snuggled under the duvet together, naked and intertwined. “It’s only six-thirty and the movie doesn’t air until eight. What time are we meant to be there?”

“Seven,” Dana said, her fingers dropping to my cheek. “And we probably shouldn’t be too late. Roz is taking the whole thing very seriously. She even bought a new TV for the occasion.”

I forced my eyes open. Faced with Dana’s neck, I couldn’t resist running kisses down it.

Dana let out a moan, her hands gripping my hair. “No, no, no. We can’t get started again. As tempting as it is, we have to get up.”

Sighing, I raised my head up and looked at her, trying not to be too distracted by the sight of her bare breasts. “Okay, fine.”

Dana planted another kiss on my lips. “You can shower first, since you usually take longer to get ready.”

I slowly untangled myself from the warmth of Dana’s body, unable to resist dropping a few more kisses on her smooth skin as I went, and then reluctantly rolling off the bed.

My nerves started up again as the warm water washed over me. What if the movie was terrible, and it sent my career further into a spiral? The storyline was cliché, and some of the acting—hopefully not mine—left a lot to be desired. Fingers crossed it at least wouldn’t be a black mark on my record. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Austin either.