Witching For Joy (Premonition Pointe #3) - Deanna Chase Page 0,1
photos were heavily manipulated, do you?”
Joy scowled at the younger actress’s back as Prissy retreated from the tent. Blue contacts? Her eyes were already sky blue. The younger woman was clearly enjoying pushing Joy’s buttons. When she was gone, Joy looked up at her makeup artist. “She really is a bitch, right?”
“Definitely,” Sam said, nodding her head. “Bitch in heat, actually. I swear, if Troy does show up at her house, she’s probably going to first scratch your eyes out and then pee on him.”
Shaking her head, Joy let out a humorless chuckle. “She’s barking up the wrong tree. He didn’t even tell me he’s coming to town.”
Sam raised her eyebrows. “Is he ghosting on you?”
“No. We’re not even dating.” Joy sighed. “The media made something out of nothing. We’ve been in touch over the past few months, but we’re not anything other than friends.” Could she even call a hookup a friend? She didn’t know. Dating was a foreign concept to her. Troy had been the first and only man she’d been with after her husband called it quits on their marriage. Joy hadn’t been expecting anything from Troy. Why would she? It wasn’t as if she was going to jump right into a relationship with a man she barely knew after a marriage that had lasted nearly three decades.
“Well then, why not just send him a text that Prissy wants him to show up at her cocktail party, and then either wash your hands of it or show up at her party looking like a million bucks and let them both eat their hearts out.”
Joy glanced up at her with narrowed eyes. “And how am I going to do that?”
A slow smile claimed Sam’s lips. “You let me worry about that.”
“What do you have up your sleeve?” Joy asked.
She shrugged one shoulder. “Let’s just say that I’ve got a connection to a high-profile stylist.”
“Hey, Mom,” Prissy called as she walked back into the tent carrying a mug.
Joy tried not to scowl. Her own children were right about the same age as the starlet, and she was in no way offended by the term, but it was the way Prissy said it, as if Joy’s age were something to be embarrassed about, that just got under her skin.
“I brought you a coffee,” Prissy said, handing Joy the mug. “Figured you could use a pick me up since it’s my fault we worked so late last night.”
Blinking at her, Joy wrapped her hands around the mug, stunned. Joy was tired. Prissy had experienced a rare off night the previous evening, and she’d caused the cast and crew to endure over fifty takes of the scene they were shooting. She’d been flat and kept forgetting her lines. The fact that she was humble enough to bring Joy coffee as a peace offering caught her off guard. It wasn’t what she’d come to expect from Prissy. “Thank you. This was very kind of you.”
Prissy smiled at her, did an exaggerated curtsy, and said, “That’s because I am kind.” She winked and as she left the tent again, she called over her shoulder, “Enjoy.”
“That was… really weird,” Sam said.
Joy had to agree. She tipped the mug to her lips and took a sip. When the rich coffee, flavored with just the right amount of creamer, hit her tongue, she nearly let out a moan of pleasure. It was exactly the way she liked it, and she decided right then and there that maybe she was being too hard on Prissy. If the woman had paid enough attention to know how Joy took her coffee, she couldn’t be that bad, could she? Joy took another long sip and let out a sigh. “Damn, this is good.”
“Yeah? The evil princess finally did something nice for a change?” Sam asked, applying bronzer to highlight Joy’s cheekbones.
“Maybe she’s turning over a new leaf,” Joy said as she settled back into the chair to enjoy the rest of the coffee while Sam worked her magic.
“And… cut!” the director called. “That’s it for today. Good job, team.”
Prissy walked across the set and stopped right in front of Joy, her eyes searching Joy’s face.
“It’s fine,” Joy said, sharply, still feeling the sting of the slap Prissy had landed in the last scene. Her cheekbone ached, but she wasn’t going to give the younger actress the satisfaction of knowing she’d actually hurt her.
“I’m sure you are.” Prissy narrowed her eyes and added, “You should really spend some time at that spa.