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Smith finally burst out laughing. “There wereonlysheep. Valentina and I are still laughing. Jay, what on earth were you up to last night?”
“I might have had a couple of drinks too many,” he admitted. He scratched his head. Sheep? He wanted to make a movie aboutsheep?
Then Smith turned serious. “I know you don’t drink like that as a rule. What’s going on?”
He and Smith went way back—almost as far back as he did with Archer—and right about now he was feeling sorry enough for himself that he needed a friend. He decided to tell at least the core of the truth to Smith Sullivan who, in love as he was with Valentina, was the perfect person to help him in this situation.
He swallowed, unsure of how to put such unfamiliar feelings into words. “I’ve completely fallen for a woman and she will have no part of me.” He paused. It was strange to hear himself speak this way. This was not the kind of thing he’d ever said to anyonebefore and the words felt odd in his mouth. He needed to lighten the tone. “I’m not a hot A-list actor like you.” This wasn’t the reason Erin had rejected him, but his default defense was always to joke around.
But Smith wasn’t having it. He’d known Jay too long and he clearly knew what a friend in need sounded like. “Have you shown this woman therealyou? You play a good game, like I always used to, but look how much Valentina had to get past when she met me. I was an actor, always under the spotlight when she prefers privacy, and what’s more, I was playing the role of her sister’s love interest in a movie. And now I’m about to become a father, because thankfully, Valentina stuck around long enough for me to convince her that we had what it took to make it. You act like you’re all about the big deal, Jay, but you’re a good man underneath. Let her see that.”
Despite how rotten Jay felt, Smith had managed to make him smile. Maybe he’d phoned to make fun of him—and who could blame the man—but there was kindness there too. He was checking up on his agent to make sure he was okay. And Jay appreciated that.
Plus, it was really good advice. “You might be right,” Jay said, inwardly cursing himself for treating Erin like she was just another girl when she was anything but. Smith had his number—Jay had defaulted to his well-worn playboy dealmaker persona, the guy who saw getting a woman into bed as a challenge to be overcome. But he didn’t feel that way about Erin, and she wasn’t that kind of woman, so what had made him act that way? He must have known his behavior would drive her away.
Secretly, in the part of himself where he still felt like a little kid from a roach-infested apartment with no hope, just his own hustle, did he feel he didn’t deserve a decent woman like Erin? Because he’d sure succeeded in blowing the one incredible chance she’d given him.
While he was thinking, Smith said, “And get that script to me about the sheep. I’m already doing some shepherd method acting to get ready for the role.”
Smith was still laughing when he hung up.
Jay shook his head and vowed never to drink again. He needed to get on with the day and somehow make amends with Erin.
He managed to get to his feet, take the dog out, put on some coffee, and take some painkillers. He was about to head upstairs to a long, hot shower and shave off that sad stubble when his phone rang again. Once more he groaned. Archer Davenport. Another person he always picked up for.
As he said hello, Archer sounded in suspiciously high spirits.
“I didn’t offer you a part in a sheep movie, did I?”
Archer was cracking up now. “Smith and I were so excited to be shepherds. And then it got a little confusing with the whole ‘it’s a metaphor’ and then a ram entering the scene, or something like that.”
Well, it was nicesomeonesaw the funny side of it. He was feeling pretty humorless, himself. He was glad that Archer hadn’t video called and seen the sorry state he was in, still wearing his wrinkled suit and barely managing to keep the coffee cup from shaking in his hands.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “The evening got away from me.”
Archer, as Smith had done before him, turned serious. “Smith says you’re in love and that’s why you got plastered. You were drowning your sorrows because she rejected you.”
Jay’s stomach lurched unpleasantly. In love? Those were words he hadn’t admitted to himself. He just couldn’t go there. This wasErin. There was something about her unlike any woman he’d ever known. And now he was on the phone with herbrother,who had all but said he’d cut off a vital body part if he so much as touched her.
How had he gotten himself into this mess?
He managed, “I don’t know about love... but she’s not like the others.”
Now Archer sounded just plain curious. “Who is she? Your heart never broke over any of the lingerie models you’ve dated.” Quickly he added, “No offense. But you are a one-track kind of guy.”
Jay winced. Those women were from another lifetime. “She’s not like that. She’s different.”
“That’s great. Who is it? Anyone I know?”
He shuddered. Holy hell—if her brother knew it was Erin, Jay would be in big trouble with his very talented and heavily muscled client and friend. So all he said was, “I screwed things up anyway. She doesn’t want to see me ever again.” Jay looked down at himself. If Erin could see him now, she would run a hundred miles to get away.
Archer was quiet for a moment, clearly thinking things through. After a few beats had passed, he said, “Jay, I hope you make things right with this woman. I never had a chance with Tessa until I told her how I felt. You have to get real and you have to be vulnerable. It’s the only way.”
Jay took a deep breath. Archer’s advice was good, but if he knew that he was giving Jay advice on how to win his own sister... Well, his head hurt too much right now to even contemplate all the complexities of that. All he knew was that dating Erin had always been problematic. Now, it was just plain hopeless.
“Hey, man, you should come over for dinner tonight,” Archer said. “Tessa will cook you something healthy to make up for your heavy night.”
Jay hesitated—it was such a genuine offer of friendship that he was truly touched. But he couldn’t imagine having dinner with Arch and Tessa while hiding the fact that the woman hewas crazy about was Arch’s sister, so he thanked him and said he already had plans for the evening.