Page 38 of When I Picture You

“Keep your voice down!”

Lola was glad to spend the evening with Nash. Having gone through the effort to get him to L.A., they needed to be seen in public. The couple had gone to a juice place, where they’d pretended not to notice the dozen people with their phones out, then they’d changed their outfits and gone to dinner—giving the paparazzi stationed outside plenty of time to snap photos.

“In a straight way, obv,” Nash added. “What do they call it? A girl crush!”

“I did have a tiny thing for her in high school, so I might have some … feelings left over.”

“The feelings I saw looked piping hot.”

Lola let out a huff, but she couldn’t deny it.

“Well, I’m happy for you,” Nash said. “It’s been forever since things ended with you-know-who.” They had an agreement not to say Ava’s name aloud—though now that she’d talked to Renee about her, maybe they didn’t need it anymore. “It’s time you got back out there. Who knows what could happen? She’s the director, you’re the muse—you’re practically scissoring already.”

Lola choked on her spritz and Nash’s eyes went wide.

“Lola! You did not! When?”

Lola blushed furiously. “It was before we were working together, at my sister’s wedding.”

“What did Claudia say?” Nash asked.

“She didn’t say anything because it wasn’t worth telling her. It was supposed to be a one-time thing. I mean, itwasa one-time thing, and now we’re keeping it professional.”

Nash nodded solemnly. “Which is why she was staring at your ass in the parking lot.”

Lola threw the sprig of rosemary garnishing her drink at him.

“Hey! This is a nice restaurant!” he cried.

“What about you? How are you surviving in Montana?” Two months ago, Nash’s boyfriend had decided that a closeted actor’s lifestyle—even an actor as hot and up-and-coming as Nash—wasn’t for him. They broke up just before Nash left for Butte.

Nash frowned down into his beef tartare. “Not to be dramatic, but it’s literally the worst thing ever. Some days, I’m okay, and then some days, I’m just completelynot. It’s lonely, you know? The cast and crew are great, and we hang out, but then at the end of the day, I still want to call him.”

“You can always call me.”

“It’s not the same,” Nash said. “Anyway, I’m planning to fuck so much while I’m in town that when I get back to the middle of nowhere, I’ll be completely over him. Grindr is so hit or miss up there.”

“You arenoton the apps!” Lola hissed at him.

“Relax! I’m just enjoying the dick pics, not meeting up with anyone. It’sMontana. I’d probably get hate-crimed.”

“Just be careful.” Lola regretted the words the second they were out of her mouth. Nash didn’t need her to warn him what was at stake, any more than she’d needed Gloriana to tell her not to let things get messy with Renee.

“I’m phenomenal at being careful,” Nash said. “Been doing it all my life.”

New photos of Lola and Nash dropped

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