Chapter 26
HOLLIS
Ipulled up to Micah’s place in Malibu just after noon, parking in the circular driveway behind his Range Rover. The house was ridiculous, all glass and modern architecture perched right on the beach. If you jumped off his balcony, you’d land on the sand.
Micah answered the door before I even knocked, grinning like he had a secret. “Perfect timing. I just finished rendering the last version of your promo.”
“How many versions are there?” I asked, following him through the house.
“You’ll see.”
The home theater was exactly what you’d expect from someone in the industry, with a massive projector screen and tiered reclining seats that I knew from personal experience were heated with massagers.
The surround sound setup made commercial theaters look amateur.
A vintage popcorn machine sat in the corner, the smell of fresh butter filling the air.
“Want some?” Micah gestured to the machine.
“Nah, I’m good.”
“Suit yourself.” He grabbed a bag for himself and settled into one of the middle seats.
I took the one next to him, feeling that familiar mix of excitement and nerves.
This commercial could change everything for B Well.
Or it could fall flat. I trusted Micah, but I’d never actually seen his directorial work before.
“So,” he said, pulling up something on his tablet that controlled the whole system. “I have a few different options. They’re rough cuts, but I wanted to run them all by you and see which one you like best.”
“Rough is fine. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
The lights dimmed automatically, and the screen came to life.
The first clip opened on Jack Montana standing against what looked like a mountain backdrop.
Green screen magic. He looked exactly like you’d expect an action star to look: masculine, confident, trustworthy.
The lighting made his features stand out, all strong jaw and knowing smile.
He lifted a bottle of B Well Balance, took a drink, and delivered his line with perfect timing.
“When you push your body to the limit, you need fuel that works as hard as you do. B Well Balance—real ingredients, real results.”
The clip ended with the B Well logo and a call to action to visit the website.
I sat back, impressed. “Yeah, that looks great.”
“Good.” Micah was already queuing up the next one. “Now this one.”
The screen lit up again, and this time it was Jack and me together.
The backdrop had changed to what looked like a gym, with weights visible in the background.
I immediately hated it. We looked like gym bros.
That was not the vibe I wanted associated with my drink.
Jack and I stood side by side, both of us holding bottles.
We looked like we could bench press a car.
The green screen work made it seamless. I couldn’t even tell where the digital background began.
Jack delivered a similar line, but this time I jumped in with a response about the product’s benefits. We looked like two guys just talking about something we both believed in. And it was an easy leap to assume drinking the smoothie would give you biceps that could crack walnuts.
The clip ended the same way—logo, website, done.
“Yeah, that also looks great,” I said. “You really know what you’re doing.”
“Thanks.” Micah paused, his finger hovering over the tablet. “You don’t seem thrilled.”
“I like the first one,” I said carefully. “I’m just not sure I want this marketed as a bodybuilder thing. I want it for everyone.”
He nodded. “Thought so, which is why I’ve got another one for you to check out.”
“Play it. These are good.”
“Now, this next one is a little different.”
“Different how?”
“Just watch.”
The screen lit up again, but this time Jack Montana wasn’t on it. Instead, the frame focused on me and Juno, caught when we thought we weren’t being watched. We were standing off to the side of the set. It was when we were joking around.
I watched as I handed her one of the bottles. I remembered her teasing me. The lighting was soft, far from the glare of the harsh studio lights directed on Jack Montana. It looked more natural. Less commercial, more authentic.
She laughed and shook her head before taking the bottle and gulping it down. I grinned, watching the moment I had been present for. She wiped her mouth and gave me that look I had come to love. It was all sass and spice. Her telling me to fuck off in the sexiest way possible.
And then I saw it. The way I was looking at her in that captured moment. Living that moment was one thing but seeing it through a new lens rocked my world.
I watched myself lean in slightly, completely focused on her like nothing else in that massive sound stage existed. The expression on my face was soft, almost reverent. I’d never seen myself look at anyone like that before.
I’d never felt myself look at anyone like that. I didn’t even know it was possible to look at someone like that. Fuck. That was the way Drew looked at Kensey. Callum looked at Victoria.
What the hell?
“See?” Micah said quietly beside me. “That right there.”
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the screen. Juno said something else, and I watched myself respond, saw the easy back and forth between us. We looked like two people who genuinely enjoyed being around each other. No forced chemistry, no acting for the camera. Just us.
The clip ended with both of us raising our bottles in a casual toast, still smiling at each other, the B Well logo fading in over the image.
The lights came up slowly, and I sat there trying to process what I’d just seen.
“So,” Micah said, setting his tablet aside. “Want to know what I see when I watch that last one?”
I cleared my throat, still feeling weirdly exposed. “Sure.”
“I see my brother falling for someone.” He turned in his seat to face me fully. “You’re different when you’re around her, man. You shine brighter. Like someone turned up your wattage or something.”
“That’s dramatic, even for you.”
“I’m serious.” He gestured at the screen.
“I’ve filmed you before for social media stuff, watched hours of footage of you selling B Well.
You’re good at it—charismatic, confident, all that.
But this?” He shook his head. “This is something else entirely. You look happy. Comfortable. The best version of you.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, uncomfortable with how accurately he’d pinned down something I’d been pretending didn’t exist. “She makes me work for it. Can’t coast on charm with Juno.”
“It’s more than that.” Micah leaned forward. “Look, I’m not trying to embarrass you or make this weird. But I’ve known you my whole life, and I’ve never seen you look at anyone the way you look at her in that footage. Not once.”
I took a deep breath, that familiar panic making me feel itchy. “Yeah, well. It’s complicated.”
“Because of the business partnership?”
“That’s part of it.” I shifted in my seat, trying to articulate feelings I’d barely admitted to myself. “But also because I’m not exactly known for my stellar relationship track record. You know that. And Juno deserves better than some guy who’s going to bail the second things get difficult.”
“Maybe you hadn’t met the right person yet.”
I laughed, but it came out hollow. “That’s what she said.”
“Smart woman.” Micah grinned. “So what are you going to do about it?”
I thought about Juno in my bed. An honest-to-God adult conversation. Something I’d never really had with any other woman. The terrifying, exhilarating feeling of wanting something—someone—enough to risk getting hurt or screwing it up.
“I like her,” I admitted. “A lot. More than I probably should, given how recent all this is. And it’s different than anything I’ve felt before. Like I actually miss her when she’s not around. I think about her all the time.”
Micah’s grin widened. “Then go for it, man. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“I could hurt her. Mess up the partnership. Destroy everything I’ve been working toward with B Well.”
“Or you could actually be happy for once. Maybe build something real with someone who clearly challenges you and makes you better. Seems worth the risk to me.”
I sat with that for a moment, letting it sink in.
When had I ever let fear of failure stop me from pursuing something I wanted?
I’d built an entire business from scratch, weathered public criticism and setbacks, pushed through every obstacle that had come my way.
Why was I suddenly so terrified of taking a chance on this?
Because it mattered. Because she mattered in a way I hadn’t anticipated.
“You’re right,” I said finally. “I should go for it.”
“Good.” Micah picked up his tablet again. “Now, which one of these do you want me to polish up? I can have a final version ready in a couple of days.”
I considered the options, running through the pros and cons of each approach. The clip with Jack alone was solid, exactly what you’d expect from a major brand commercial. The one with Jack and me together had that buddy appeal, the endorsement factor that could really move product.
But the one with Juno and me? That one felt different. Real. And that was my goal. I didn’t want to look like a muscle-bound health freak. I wanted it to be something anybody could relate to.
“It would be crazy to not use Jack Montana, right?” I said. “I mean, you paid him.”
“Yeah,” Micah agreed. “Although the people online love you and Juno together. They love stories with happy endings. Real life has so few of them.”
I thought about the comments on the video of us making up, all the people who’d picked up on the chemistry between us even when we’d been actively trying to hide it. People responded to authenticity, to genuine connection. Maybe that was worth more than a celebrity endorsement.
But I also needed this partnership with Young at Heart to succeed. I needed to hit that million-order mark. And using Jack Montana’s star power was the smart business move.
“Do me a favor,” I said, making a decision. “Polish up the one with Jack alone and the one with Juno and me.”
Micah raised an eyebrow. “Both?”
“Both. I want to see them finished before I decide which one to actually use. That way I have options.”
“Fair enough.” He made some notes on his tablet. “I’ll send them over as soon as they’re ready.”
“Thanks, man. Seriously. This whole thing has been incredible.”
“That’s what brothers are for.” He stood up, stretching. “Plus, like I said, this is good for my portfolio. Win-win.”
I followed him out of the theater and back through the house. At the door, he stopped and turned to me.
“Hey, Hollis?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t overthink this thing with Juno. I know that’s your default setting, but sometimes you just have to trust your gut and jump.”
I nodded, appreciating the advice even if following it scared the shit out of me. “I’ll try.”
“Good. Now get out of here. I’ve got editing to do.”
I drove back to Santa Monica with the windows down, letting the ocean air clear my head.
My phone buzzed multiple times with messages, probably Toby with content ideas or customers responding to something on social media.
But I ignored it all, too caught up in replaying that footage in my mind and what that look really meant.