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The love of my life is out there somewhere. Maybe it’s Cash. Maybe it’s not. Either way, I’ll keep looking until I find him.

“Bring back a corn dog for me!” Jayne calls after her.

“We will!” Serena, West, and Joey disappear into the crowd and then Lacy sinks into the chair next to Jayne’s.

“Who else do you think we can convince to show up for the store’s opening?” I ask Lacy.

“Allora will be here,” she responds. “And I’m going to ask Perry Shaw.”

Perry is an older actor who plays the grandfather of Serena’s character, and he’s one of those men women consider a silver fox. He’s a little crotchety sometimes, so I don’t know if he’ll show up.

“Does he actually like you?” I ask with a laugh. “Because every time I see him, he’s grumbling about something.”

“He’s really a big teddy bear,” Lacy says. “He’s just got a bad case of the Hollywoods.”

“The what?” Chris asks in confusion.

“Oh, just an inside joke,” Serena says with a laugh. “Instead of saying someone is grumpy on set, we say they have a case of the Hollywoods. Like a case of the blahs, but Hollywood-style because we’re all in the industry.”

Chris snorts. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Ironically, that description fits Cash in a way too. He got burned by someone in the entertainment industry and now he’s…grumpy.

And I’ve suddenly decided that my only job tonight is to make him smile.

Chapter Fifteen

Cash

Maya’s gone when I get back to the tent and I look around in confusion.

“She said to tell you she’ll be back in a few minutes,” Bodi says helpfully.

I nod and take in our surroundings.

It’s a lot busier than I anticipated, but that’s a good thing, especially for Jayne. I’ve heard a lot about the bookstore she’s opening, and even though romance novels aren’t my thing, everyone on the team has been talking about it. I’ll probably buy some books for my mom and sister for Christmas. If there are special editions, they’ll appreciate it since they’re both readers. I don’t see them as often as I should but I do try to spoil them with gifts and trips.

I turn to ask Jayne a question but freeze when I see Maya heading back in our direction. She’s holding something in one hand and using the other to happily lick a snow cone. I can’t remember the last time I was somewhere that had snow cones.

“Do you like corn dogs?” she asks me.

“I do.” I nod. It’s not something I normally eat during hockey season, but since the season hasn’t actually started yet, I take a bite from the one she holds out to me.

“How do you feel about blue raspberry snow cones?” she asks, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

“They’re okay. I like cherry better.”

“Then let’s go get you one.” She reaches for my hand and, much like the night we met, leads me into the crowd.

And just like that night, I allow it because…well, I allowed it the night we met because she’s pretty and I wanted to get laid. I still want to get laid, but I know that’s not on the table tonight, yet I’m willing to go pretty much anywhere she wants.

The line for snow cones is pretty long but Maya keeps up a steady stream of conversation, entertaining me with stories about people she works with, in between bites of the massive corn dog we’re sharing.

“Most people think I talk too much,” she says. “You can tell me if I’m annoying.”

“You’re not.” I reach out and use my thumb to wipe away a small dribble of blue liquid from her lip. Then I slowly and purposefully lick my thumb. “That’s the thing with me—I like it better when I’m with someone who doesn’t mind carrying the conversation.”

“I can definitely do that.”