“I really wish I would’ve made different choices in middle school when it came to my interpersonal relationships,” I said, pressing a finger into one of my eye sockets. “Of course I’m going to do it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance and there’s money, a lot of money.” I sighed, and used my other hand to massage my temple, but Julia smacked it away and started doing something magical to the back of my neck. “Don’t stop. Fuck that feels good,” I groaned, ready to forgive her if she just kept hitting that one sore spot on my shoulder.

“You can submit my name to the Best Friend Hall of Fame later. So what if you have to deal with Theo Ganas while filming this show? You’ve said yourself that he’s always been a professional, and it’s not like he doesn’t know his way around a construction site.”

This was true.

“I just don’t get why he’s here,” I lamented, even as I gave Julia more room to really get into that massage. “Streamflix has been after him for years to do something with them. They would’ve come to him in New York.”

“Maybe he wants to be here,” Julia told me suggestively, as she made muscle-melting circles at the top of my spine. “Maybe he wants to work with you in a different setting. Maybe he—”

“Don’t say it, because it’s not true,” I stopped her. “Theo has no interest in me. He had three years to express that and never did.”

“He was your boss,” José reminded me, but I just could not go there. Theo was here for his company. To keep his father happy. To make his money. That was the only thing he cared about.

“Theo being here for me would imply he knew me enough to care I was gone. The man barely batted an eyelash when I quit.” Julia sighed. “He told me he would have no trouble replacing me.”

“Okay, so he’s an asshole, but it does seem like there’s some unfinished business between the two of you.”

Julia’s words hit me a lot harder than I wished they had. Not because they surprised me, but because of how bad I wanted them to be true.

It was so foolish. So reckless. And it was pointless, because no matter what, I would never risk my business over a relationship. I was bad at romance. No, I was terrible at it. But I was a fucking Jedi Master at shutting everything else out when it came to getting the job done.

Chapter Six

Theo

It turned out reality TV was real in all the wrong ways. We were only halfway through our first morning of filming and things were already going south.