Chapter 60
"Aren't you coming to dinner with us, Leo?" the director asked. "I thought you said you were bringing a friend."
Leo had originally planned to bring Julian along.
A few years ago, he never would have bothered. Julian had insisted on making it on his own, so Leo had let him.
But tonight, for some reason, Leo had wanted him there.
Maybe it was simply because Julian happened to be in town.
Leo hadn't told the director that the "friend" was his younger brother. As far as the entertainment industry knew, there was no connection between Leo Fontaine and Julian Sterling.
Julian had spent the last few years almost entirely in music. He wrote songs, released them, performed, and this year had finally headlined his first stadium concert.
He'd done well on his own. Better than Leo had expected, if he was being fair.
But the entertainment industry ran on connections as much as talent, and Julian had deliberately refused to use his family's. Meeting an established director wouldn't hurt him.
That was why Leo had invited him.
At least, that was what Leo told himself.
What he hadn't expected was for Julian to turn him down without a second thought.
For barbecue.
With Emma.
A celebrity leaving dinner halfway through to meet one particular fan at night?
What exactly did Julian think he was doing?
Unless he was interested in her as more than a fan.
Leo's expression darkened.
For the past three years, he'd kept his distance because Julian had demanded the chance to succeed without him. And Julian had succeeded. Maybe that was why he'd finally stopped being intimidated by his older brother.
He certainly wasn't listening to him anymore.
Leo looked at the director.
"I won't be joining you after all. Something came up with my friend. I need to check on him."
The director frowned slightly.
Invitations from someone at his level weren't exactly casual, but he didn't press the issue.
"All right. Go take care of it."
"Sorry about tonight," Leo said. "Dinner's on me next time."
He headed for his car.
The moment the door closed behind him, the pleasant expression disappeared from his face.
His assistant glanced back.
"Where are we going?"
Leo sent him the location Julian had given him.
The assistant looked at the address.
"A barbecue place?"
He sounded genuinely confused.
Leo Fontaine had just turned down dinner with one of the industry's most respected directors for barbecue.
The air-conditioning inside the car was cold enough to clear Leo's head.
Which unfortunately gave him time to wonder why exactly he was going.
Because of Julian, obviously.
Julian was his younger brother. Leo was only going there to stop him from doing something stupid and damaging his career. It had nothing to do with Emma.
If the fan had been anyone else, he would've done exactly the same thing.
At least, that was what he told himself.
Most of the new food had arrived by now.
Julian had also finished two glasses of beer.
His alcohol tolerance, unfortunately, wasn't nearly as impressive as he'd made it look earlier. He'd only drunk that first glass so quickly because he'd felt strangely awkward around Emma and thought a little alcohol might loosen him up.
It had.
Possibly too much.
His cheeks were already warm beneath the shadow of his cap, and his head had begun to feel pleasantly light.
He looked at Emma and blinked.
"Emma."
She was eating grilled calamari.
"You didn't come to my concert."
It was technically just a statement.
Somehow, it still sounded wounded.
Emma immediately looked up.
"I'm sorry, Julian."
Julian smiled, showing the slight points of his canine teeth.
"You don't have to apologize. I know you had a reason."
Emma paused.
He did?
Julian rested his chin on one hand and tilted his head toward her.
"Is your family member doing better?"
Emma stared at him.
What family member?
Who had she apparently hospitalized now?
Then she remembered.
The fan organizer.
Emma had mentioned needing to go to the hospital that day, and apparently the explanation had evolved somewhere along the way.
Well, it was too late to rewrite the story now.
"They're much better," Emma said with a smile. "Thanks for asking."
Julian's smile brightened.
"You don't have to thank me. You care about me. Of course I'm going to care about you too."
Across the table, Lana's eyes widened.
Was this actually how celebrities talked to their fans?
Because if it was, maybe she'd picked the wrong hobbies.
She looked from Julian to Emma again.
No.
She wasn't stupid.
There was something different about the way Julian treated Emma.
Unfortunately, they also looked ridiculously good sitting together.
Lana took another sip of beer.
There was no law against shipping two couples at once.
Probably.
Julian leaned a little closer to Emma.
Maybe the alcohol was getting to him.
"Why were you so cold to me this afternoon?"
That had genuinely bothered him.
Emma blinked.
Then she gave him the same explanation she'd used earlier.
"It was my first time onstage with you. I got nervous. And with the livestream going, I didn't want to act too excited and cause trouble for you."
They were sitting close enough now that Julian could see the movement of her lashes when she blinked.
Emma looked straight at him as she spoke.
His heartbeat picked up again.
So that was it.
She'd been thinking about him.
The uncomfortable feeling that had followed him since the afternoon finally disappeared.
Julian opened his mouth to respond.
His phone buzzed on the table.
He glanced down.
A message from Leo.
Julian stared at it.
Leo was here?
He'd assumed Leo only wanted the address because he was curious where they were eating.
Apparently not.
Julian stood, still slightly dizzy from the beer.
"My... friend is here. I'm going outside for a minute."
He stepped over the bench and headed for the entrance.
Emma didn't think much of it at first.
Then she noticed the black mask he'd left on the table.
Her eyes narrowed.
Oh, great.
He'd taken it off while eating. Walking outside without it was practically an invitation to be recognized.
Emma grabbed the mask and hurried after him.
Julian had just reached the entrance.
He was looking down as he walked, his steps slightly unsteady from the alcohol. Luckily, no one had recognized him yet.
Emma caught up and grabbed his arm.
Julian turned.
"You forgot this."
She held up the mask.
He blinked at it, still a little slow from the alcohol.
Emma waited a second, then sighed.
"Put it on."
When he still didn't move, she reached up and put the mask on him herself.
From a distance, the gesture looked considerably more intimate than it actually was.
Leo saw every second of it from inside his car.
He hadn't planned to get out.
That plan lasted approximately three seconds.
The van door slid open.
Leo stepped onto the sidewalk.
He'd come straight from the set and was disguised too, his face mostly hidden as he walked quickly toward them.
Emma had just finished fixing Julian's mask when she noticed a tall man standing nearby.
She turned and smiled politely.
"Are you his friend?"
Leo looked at her for a moment.
"Yeah."
Emma nodded toward the restaurant.
"We're having barbecue."
She was about to add that they were nearly finished when Leo spoke first.
"Then I'll join you."
His voice was cool and matter-of-fact.
"I haven't had dinner yet."
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