Chapter 5 #3
“He’s your co-host,” Jack said, and she choked so hard on air Decker thought he’d have to give her the Heimlich. Or mouth to mouth.
Hmm… wouldn’t that be nice.
“Not happening,” she said at the same time as he said, “Is that the same as co-mingling?”
“Do you ever stop?”
He leaned in and whispered, “Not until you beg me to.”
She went chin up and glared at Jack. “This can’t happen. I dated this man.”
Decker leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I thought it wasn’t a date? At least we’re coming around to the same page on that one.”
She flapped a hand at him like a pesky fly. God, she was pretty when riled. “Do you see what I’m dealing with here?”
The director just smiled and nodded as if this moment was a trailblazer in cinematic excellence. “I can already smell the Emmy.”
“It wasn’t a date, dear,” Opal said. “It was a chemistry test.”
“How do you even know him and if he’d be a good match for me?”
“His mother and I play canasta together on Wednesday nights. We shared stories about the two of you and I just knew you’d be spicy together. Clearly I was right, because you two passed with flying colors.”
“You set me up? Again,” Poppy shouted.
Opal stood and came over to Poppy and took her hand. “For your own good.”
“Either way, I don’t consent.”
Jack shrugged, unfazed. “Actually, you did consent. It’s right here in the contract.”
Poppy looked around and there was something on her face that had Decker’s spidey senses going off.
Then he remembered why he was there—to fix his reputation—and if America watched him flirt with the internet’s sweetheart, the rumors would only get worse.
Plus, he didn’t need a distraction, not when so much was on the line.
Then again, six weeks to change her mind about him?
That might be fun.
“I mean, no one would fault you for opting out now,” Decker said.
“Me?” she squeaked. “You think I’m the one who’s going to leave? Like hell. I am not leaving. You’re”—she poked him in the chest and her finger bounced back—“leaving.”
“No can do, Angel. I signed a contract, and I don’t go back on my word.”
“Look.” She snatched his arm and dragged him a few feet away for privacy. “I know we didn’t get off on the right foot, but this isn’t just any restoration. This is my family home.”
“Speaking of family. Do you have one? Kids? Maybe a dog. Asking for Taters here.”
“No. Just my aunt and me and this house. Stark House. The one I grew up in.”
“You grew up here? Talk about living the American dream.” She literally grew up in the house that had idealized what the American dream looked like in TV-land.
“My mom and I moved in when I was eight.”
“You want to show me your bedroom?”
“Hard pass.”
“That’s a shame,” he said. “Do you still live here? Because proximity plays a role in a budding relationship.”
“No. My aunt owns, but she’s ready to sell and I have to make sure it’s perfect before she does. So you see why this project means everything to me. I can’t just leave it up to anyone. It has to be me, not some guy who makes a joke at every turn. Don’t you get it?”
“I get it more than you can understand,” he said seriously. He made a promise to his brother to right things. And no matter what it took he was going to do that. “My family’s business is riding on this project going perfectly.”
“Why is this show so important to you?” she asked.
Man, how to answer that without sounding like a grade-A selfish prick. “I need to prove to America that I’m more than a sex tape.”
“So you’re here for some image makeover and I’m here because this house means the world to me. We aren’t even on the same page; how can we co-host?”
“You mean to tell me that you haven’t even considered what this show could do for your career?”
“Sure, but what it comes down to for me is that this house is treated the way it deserves to be. Like more than a reno show.”
“I know how special this house is,” he argued. “Just like I know how special this opportunity is for me and my family. I can’t let them down.”
She sighed. “We’re at a stalemate.”
He looked into her stunning eyes and went for honesty. “Would working with me be so bad?”
“Yes,” she whispered, and his gut pinched a little.
“Why?”
“You lied.” Her tone said that was that. Simple as pie. There was no getting over it.
“I know this isn’t an excuse,” he said gently, trying to express his sincerity. “But I meant what I said. I didn’t want to embarrass you, so I played along.”
“It’s still a lie. And I don’t waste my time with liars.”
“Then how about we just start as co-workers?” he asked, wondering if he really screwed up so bad that he couldn’t charm his way into her good graces. Surely he could. If they could work this out, he’d have six weeks not just to change her mind but to change America’s.
She looked deep into his eyes as if accessing her internal BS detector.
How had he forgotten how she messed with his head?
How those big green eyes mesmerized him?
He’d spent less than twenty minutes with her at the bar and the sparks flew unlike any he’d ever experienced.
That’s why he was going to co-host. Besides pulling through for Brian, he wanted to spend more time with her.
And wasn’t that a bad idea.