Page 17 of As They Are (Strawberry Springs #2)

WREN

RWL Superfan Discussion Central

Bethany Perry: [Link: YouTube video of Wren and Henry embracing in a library.]

Comments:

Carly Ware: She already moved on? That was quick ...

Jamie McCullough: A little too quick if you ask me.

Neve Bullock: They do have better chemistry, though. Jude never looked at her like that.

Kerry Winsor: I’m officially on the Henry train.

Neve Bullock: Weren’t you just heartbroken about Jude?

Kerry Winsor: I’m easily influenced! Leave me alone!!!

“So, did you have fun at the library?” Mollie sipped on coffee as she stood at the bottom of the stairs as if she’d been waiting on me to wake up.

“How did you know that’s where I went?”

“Lucky guess. You love to work on things when you’re mad.”

And I had been. I hadn’t told Mollie everything that Madison had said, but I muttered the words lawsuit , stupid , and forced before I left the house. I was pretty sure she got the gist of it.

“Yeah, well. It mostly helped.”

“Wanna talk about it over breakfast?”

Slowly, I said, “I’m ... actually going to get breakfast ... with Henry.”

Her eyebrows raised. “Really?”

“Yeah, he’s offered to help me figure out how to fight Madison on the Jude thing.”

“I could also help.”

“I know, but you said yesterday you have to pick the remaining strawberries so you could make jam. Don’t delay that just for me.”

Mollie rolled her eyes. “I hate it when you remind me of things I have to do. Have fun with your fake boyfriend.”

“All of that’s up in the air.”

“Maybe.” She was smiling a little too wide.

“You seem perky.” I checked to make sure Eric wasn’t around before adding, “Was the dick that good?”

“It always is.” She laughed. “But I’m also happy you’re here. And I know everything will work out.”

“I don’t know what to do with this positive side of you.”

She shrugged. “You could be positive too.”

I wanted to be, but my problems wouldn’t let me. I’d come here to get a break, but all the worry had haunted me. I almost needed something to shut my mind up so I could actually breathe for a while.

“Go get breakfast with Henry,” Mollie said at my silence. “Continue flirting.”

“We’re not flirting. He’s a good friend.”

“Yeah, and I pulled off being blonde.”

She had not pulled that off at all.

“Terrifying,” I said. “That’s what you are now.”

She did a little bow before pushing me out the door.

“Holy shit,” I muttered to myself before yelling, “Say bye to Cain and Eric for me, then!”

“You have to leave first!” she called through the door.

When I got to the square thirty minutes later, Henry was walking up to the diner, eyes forward. He looked lost in thought.

I pulled into a spot near him and honked the truck’s horn.

He jumped, looking startled for all of a second before he recognized me.

“Nice trick,” he said as I got out.

“I was afraid you’d miss me.”

“That would be impossible,” he replied.

I ignored the swoop in my stomach at his words. “That’s a good line. You should save that.”

Henry opened the door for me, the picture-perfect model of a man. Tammy was at the front, wearing a name tag that said Myrtle.

“If it isn’t Strawberry Springs’ most famous couple.”

Henry didn’t miss a beat. “Give it a few weeks. The news will die down.”

“You’re giving Kerry something to live for, though. Even if she’s mad that she lost a pretty penny.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, and Henry’s hand landed on my shoulder. It was so much easier to pretend with him. It felt natural. Like I could do it for a long time and never get tired.

“Do you mind if we get the table in the corner?” Henry asked. “We have a few things to discuss privately.”

If Tammy was shocked, she didn’t show it. “Of course. I’ll even pretend like I didn’t see you. Though, if Kerry comes in, I can only do so much.”

“Understandable.”

Tammy led us right to the corner Henry had asked for. He sat across from me, but kept his hands in his lap.

We were in friend mode now that we had a little bit of privacy.

“Have you heard from Madison yet today?” he asked.

“No,” I replied. “I doubt I will until we start filming again.”

Henry huffed out a laugh. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but considering the public reaction, I expect you will soon.”

“Public reaction to what?”

“You haven’t seen it?”

I shook my head, dread swirling in my stomach. Henry took out his phone and passed it to me.

“Why am I seeing a video on glove sterilization?”

His cheeks went pink. “It’s just an ad,” he said. “The real thing is after.”

I looked back down. Once the ad was done, I saw the library.

And then I saw us.

I gasped, a hand over my open mouth. “Someone filmed us?”

“Whoever was there must have taken a video of us and put it on YouTube. My bet is on Marjorie.”

“And put it on YouTube as ... HammerTime69?” The username would have made me laugh if they hadn’t posted a video of me .

“I ... suppose? I have no idea who posted this. You should read the comments.”

I scrolled down, eyes widening when I finally hit them. A few were asking about Jude, but the majority were talking about us . Henry and me.

And how cute we were.

“That’s what you meant by public opinion.”

“Yes. And as mortified as I am that I’m on YouTube of all places, it might work.”

He was mortified ? “We could try to get it taken down if it bothers you.”

“It’s fine. If my mother sees it, I’ll have to have a very unfortunate call with her, but I’ll live.”

“What’s your mom like?” I asked, leaning forward. “I could try to?—”

“I can handle her,” he replied. “And my mom is ... normal.”

I waited for him to say something else, but he didn’t.

Henry obviously didn’t want to share information about his mom. He had the right to keep anything he wanted from me—I knew that.

But I was still disappointed.

“All right,” I said. “But I still owe you for all of this. If I convince Madison to go with it, you’ll have to give me something to help you with.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Come on. Does your car need an oil change?”

“No.”

“Does your house need any new light fixtures?”

“I like my house the way it is.”

“What about the clinic? I bet it could use an upgrade.”

“That’s also fine.”

“Henry,” I groaned. “You can’t just give me nothing to help you with. I’m not a taker. I’m a giver too, so let me give you something.”

“There’s really nothing.”

“If you don’t, I’ll find it.”

“There’s nothing . Just let it go and don’t look for it.”

“Fine, I won’t look for anything.”

“Good.”

“In front of you.”

“Wren.” That firm voice returned, and I was tempted to push him just to see what he would do.

But I held back. I was sure my savior wouldn’t appreciate me annoying him more than I already had.

And by the time I’d figured out what to say, he’d sighed. “Sorry,” he said. “I got a little too firm there. I just want you to take care of yourself. I don’t need anything.”

“All right,” I replied. “I can respect boundaries.”

Mostly.

A shadow crossed over our table, and I did a double take when I saw the last person I expected.

“M-Madison? What are you doing here?”

She took off her sunglasses and placed them on the top of her head. “Filming resumes tomorrow. And I’m making sure things go off without a hitch. I see you two are cozy.”

We could have been cozier.

“You caught us having a normal breakfast,” I said. “What do you need?”

“Were you aware a video was posted of you last night?”

“Yes.”

“And did you plan for everyone to see it?”

“Wren had nothing to do with that,” Henry said, his voice tense.

“Is that true?”

“He was helping me feel better after someone threatened me. I didn’t even know there was a video.”

Madison rolled her eyes. “So, someone in this town did it. Whatever. The point is, our plan has changed. You can be with Henry. He can be a guest star.”

“I can be a what ?”

Shit. This was not what I expected.

“No, he can just be on the sidelines. He has a job as a doctor. Something he can’t just stop doing.”

“Yes, I know. But the network likes the romance element, and so do the fans. You chose Henry, so to keep the romance alive, we want him too.”

I opened my mouth to argue more, but Henry cut me off.

“Wren, it’s fine. We can work with this.”

“But you said?—”

“I know what I said.” His eyes went back to Madison. “I can’t commit to much. What were you thinking?”

“We film you seeing the library. Talk about what it means to you and this town. Make it a cute little story. Only a few hours a week. We can talk compensation.”

“I don’t need money, but I do have a request.”

“What is it?”

“I want you to showcase the town. Not just as a place that needs this library, but as a real place. Which means highlighting the local businesses, like this one.”

Madison’s eyes narrowed, a sign she wasn’t thrilled with the request.

It was a good one, though.

“Fine.” Her voice was stiff. “I’ll draw up a contract.”

She walked away without another word, headed to her car.

Tammy approached the table. “Do I even wanna know what that was about?”

“Just business stuff,” I said.

“Good business things,” Henry added. “For more than just us.”

“I don’t know if I like you two planning things together,” she said. “It’s a little scary. But I have a feeling this’ll be lasting a while. So, I guess I’ll have to get used to it.”

A while in reality meant only a few months. But I wondered if she expected “a while” to mean so much more. They saw Henry and me as a real couple, two people who were dating for love and not for benefit.

I would have to remember that when this ended.

The second I saw Jude pull into the square on filming day, my heart jumped to my throat.

He didn’t feel the same way. His entire body was loose and relaxed as he walked over to me.

“I hear you have a new boyfriend you’ll be with on camera. Congrats.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Sorry about not pretending to date you.”

“Eh, it’s fine. I’m still the main guy on the show, and it frees me up a little. Hey, does this town have any hot ladies?”

“I ... You’re really asking me that?”

“What? You’re seeing someone else. So, I’m free to do it too.”