for Lily to ask why we are wearing different clothes than when we left, but she doesn’t.
“Do you two have your crap together now?”
We both nod.
“Then, let’s prepare for the interview.”
“Great. Do you have any questions about the interview questions you read through or the direction we want you to try to guide the interview?”
“Nope. Seems pretty clear. I just need to figure out which dress I should wear.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Carter give me an I told you so look. I roll my eyes back at him. Just because he’s right doesn’t mean he has to be arrogant.
“Well, let’s see the choices,” I say, hoping I can get some question prep in as she shows me the dresses.
“Yes, I’d love to see you in the different dress options,” Carter says, obviously trying to make me jealous by giving Lily attention.
It’s working.
I’m ridiculously jealous. It’s stupid. I shouldn’t be jealous. For one, it’s clear he is into me, not Lily. He just fucked me, not her. And, two, I’m not into him. It was a one-time thing. Okay, two-time thing. I shouldn’t feel jealous or anything toward him.
I look over at his cocky grin. The only problem is, I don’t know how to tell my body that.
“You look beautiful,” I hear Carter’s voice say from behind me.
“Thanks—” I say and then stop as I turn around and realize that Carter isn’t talking to me. He’s talking to Lily.
I plaster a fake smile on my face. “Absolutely gorgeous.”
Lily lights up as she stands just offstage in her dark green dress. She decided on the green one after Carter said it brought out the green in her eyes. I have to agree. She looks gorgeous in it, and it’s perfect for the occasion. Just enough sex appeal without looking too sexy.
“You ready?” I ask Lily.
“Of course,” she responds.
She looks at Carter like she wants to eat him up. Of course she does. He’s hot. Even more so now that he’s trying to make me jealous by giving Lily extra attention.
“Good. You’re going to do great,” I say.
“We are ready for you, Lily,” one of the assistants says.
Carter leans forward and whispers something in her ear before kissing her on the cheek.
My heart stops as I watch him with another woman. Even doing something as innocent as kissing her on the cheek. I glare at him as he walks over to where I am, so we can watch Lily on the monitors together.
“I know we aren’t together, and you aren’t the type of guy who does relationships, but you could at least wait twenty-four hours before you start flirting with another woman in front of me.”
His fingers brush against mine. “Someone’s jealous.”
I roll my eyes. I shouldn’t have started this conversation with him.
“Let’s just do our jobs and make sure that Lily’s interview goes well.”
He moves behind me, rubbing my shoulders. “Relax. It’s out of our hands now. Now, it’s up to Lily.”
I fold my arms across my chest as I stare intently while Lily walks out to the couch across from Phoebe. I will not think about Carter again until the interview is over. And, even then, I will only think of him professionally. I will not have sex with him again. The sex might be amazing, but it’s not worth the pain I would definitely experience afterward.
The interview starts out pleasantly enough. But then Phoebe turns her questions in a harsher direction, like I was expecting.
“Are you and Phillip still together?” Phoebe asks.
“No, we aren’t,” Lily says.
I nod. Come on, you can do this, Lily.
“So, you are with Jacob?”
“No, I’m alone,” Lily says.
I wince when she says alone. She’s supposed to be coming across as a strong, independent woman. Not weak. Not a woman in need of a man.
“Alone? You don’t seem like the type of woman who likes to be alone. You were with two men at the same time after all. I don’t believe that there is no special someone in your life right now.”
Lily freezes.
I turn to Carter. “She’s fucked,” I say.
He nods, grabbing the nape of his neck while he watches the disaster begin to unfold.
Think, I say to myself, pacing.
There has to be a way to fix this. That is what I do. Maybe I can find a way to turn the power off and shut down the whole production. Maybe this won’t actually air. I might have to sleep with someone, but I can convince them to air an old