Page 74 of The Publicity Stunt

The entire time they keep their eyes on each other, Holly scowls, her chest heaving. Theo goes on looking at her with utmost fascination.

Is this … some sort of twisted foreplay? Am I a third wheel right now?

Holly smacks his hand away. “Touch me again and my scalpel will find a permanent home in your throat.”

A shit-eating grin spreads across his face. At this point, I’m not even surprised. It’s like the guy has a death wish. Theo tilts his head to the side and says, “Kinky. I like it.”

The heat in her eyes increases tenfold. Oh, no. This is not going to end well. I hook my arm around Holly’s, tugging her toward the exit. “Good night, Theo—or morning. I don’t know how it works with you surgeons.”

“You girls need a ride home? I’m sure Hollister here would appreciate seeing the inside of a car for once.”

Holly’s scowl has now turned into a full-blown glare. “What did you just call me?”

With his eyes trained to Holly, he directs his next words at me. “I hope Parker’s arm is doing better, April. We’re supposed to go camping next Friday.”

Oh … that’s where the Captain Marvel tumbler is from. Wait a second, he’s giving him his Marvel merch? I thought Parker didn’t even like the guy that much.

“One of these days, Carter,” Holly grits through her teeth, “I’m going to make you regret we ever crossed paths.”

Theo just smiles. “Looking forward to it, love.”

I pull her toward the sliding glass doors before she tackles him to the ground.

Once we’re out of earshot, Holly turns to me and says, “I take it back. If I see Hayden Parker walking down the street, I’m definitely going to throw stones at him.”

I laugh. “No, you won’t. Because deep down, you’re a good person. Deep, deep down.”

We throw our empty cups in the trash. It’s half past three. If I hadn’t already put Holly through all this trouble tonight, I would’ve insisted we accept Theo’s offer to drop us home. Regardless of what my sister says, he seems like a nice-ish guy. And if he isn’t, well, then I have a mini pepper-spray bottle in my purse as backup.

We’re about to step out when Holly tugs me back. “April?” she says. Her earlier snark has transformed into something doleful.

“Yeah?”

“You really think that, don’t you?”

I frown. “What?”

“That I’m a good person.”

My frown deepens, chest tightening with concern. “Of course, I do.”

Holly shakes her head and looks down at the ground, biting her cheek. “Right, I, um.” She looks up and there’s a heaviness in her eyes. She looks like she’s about to cry, but then she takes a deep breath and changes the subject. Everyone does. When something’s hurting us, we always change the subject. “Come on, let’s get back home.”

“Holly, of course, you’re a good person.” I stop her, gently rubbing my hand over her arm. “And even if you’re not, fuck that. Because at the end of the day, you’re always going to bemyperson. No matter what. We might not be related by blood, but we are related by stolen turtlenecks. That’s the strongest bond. Everyone knows that.”

This time her smile is more genuine. It’s not often that my sister shows her vulnerable side. She’s stubborn, hates being touched, and, quite frankly, doesn’t like many people. Her emotional side hardly ever presents itself, and that’s okay. Her life hasn’t been the easiest. The icy exterior is an aftermath of all the pain and loss. Unlike me, her scars come from something worse than a simple broken heart. Holly Moore isn’t for everyone.

We resume our walking. I turn to adjust the back of my coat and catch Theo looking at us, still standing where we left him. His brows are furrowed and he mouths, “All okay?” Giving him a light smile and a nod, I turn away.

Holly Moore isn’t for everyone. But perhaps Theo Carter isn’t just anyone.

ChapterSixteen

Present Day

APRIL

It’s six p.m. and I have about twenty press releases to write with approximately ten edits each, and all I’ve been doing for the past half hour is sitting in one of the many folding chairs on set and staring at Parker.