Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Jay followed her. “Erin, come on—at least let me drive you home.”
She kept her back to him. “No. I’m too angry.”
Luckily, there were plenty of cabs nearby to pick up patrons from the very fancy restaurant, so one pulled up right away. She strode toward it, but Jay overtook her and managed to open the door for her.
She glanced at him as she got in and before he shut the door, he opened his lips. She waited for him to apologize. Instead, he said, “You know I can’t resist a challenge. I’ll have you in my bed before you know it.”
She simply raised an eyebrow, letting him know she didn’t care about anything he had to say. In a clipped, emotionless voice she said, “In your dreams.”
Chapter Eighteen
Jay stood by the side of the road watching the taillights of the cab get smaller and smaller as Erin put space between them. In your dreams. He wondered if she would ever know how true those words were. Not only had he royally screwed everything up, but he was also definitely going to dream about her tonight, and the next night, just the way he had all week.
But now he’d made a complete mess of things, all because he was nervous and had acted like a clown.
He stood there long after the cab had disappeared from sight, powerless, rooted to the ground. He had to fix this, but he didn’t have a clue where to begin. He was used to things going his way and he had taken that for granted when he should have been putting Erin’s feelings first. This whole evening was supposed to have been about making her feel special and appreciated. Instead, he’d made her feel like just another in a long line of women.
The reality was that she was special. So incredibly special.
Slowly, he walked back to his car. He started the engine with a heavy heart. Even the car felt empty without her. He’d been so stupidly excited on the drive there, and now he didn’t even want to go back to the house because somehow it already reminded him of Erin. He let the engine idle for a moment, wondering what to do. There was a restaurant and bar nearby that he knew well, The Ram’s Head, which was part of a working sheep ranch. It had been owned by an A-list actor for years. Jay wasn’t much of a drinker, but he headed there anyway. It was a secluded spot—perfect for hiding away—and it was only a few minutes’ drive.
He went straight to the bar, happy to be anonymous, since no one who worked there knew him. He greeted the bartender and ordered a double whiskey, then after a beat added, “And keep ’em coming.” A line out of a cheesy Western, but he didn’t care. He felt exactly like that lonely drifter in every Western who walks into a bar and orders a drink to drown his sorrows. If this really were a Western, some gunslinger would walk in and pick a fight with him. Luckily, mostly tourists and locals had come out for a decent meal or a quiet drink. It was peaceful here. Not showy like the restaurant he’d chosen for Erin. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time, but now that he thought about it, Le Nuit didn’t suit Erin at all. He should have taken her somewhere more relaxed and intimate. He should have brought her here.
He looked out at the rolling green fields full of sheep and then back to the tables around him. Everybody there seemed to be part of a couple, and they were all enjoying each other’s company, talking with ease and laughing. That should have been him and Erin this evening. If he hadn’t made such a mess of things, he could only imagine what they might be getting up to right about now.
The bartender was true to Jay’s request and kept those double whiskeys coming, though he kept an eye on him. Probably making sure he didn’t make any trouble. But Jay was just getting quietly, sloppily drunk.
The day had started so well. The auction had been so much more fun than he’d imagined and now he’d ruined the day. The whole damn weekend. To try and cheer himself up, he thought about the antique movie camera he’d bought, and how he wanted to use it to make a genuine black and white picture. It would be so cool to shoot something on the same kind of camera that had been used to film Citizen Kane.
He kept drinking and as he stared out at those fields of sheep, an idea for a movie came to him. He didn’t usually come up with movie ideas, but he was pretty sure this was a good one. And he knew exactly the two A-listers he wanted.