Before the Sunset (Cottonwood Cove, #4)(2)

“Yeah, but my name is tied to this bullshit drama. No one wants to work with a train wreck, and she’s pulled me into her mess.” I let out a long breath. I didn’t let shit get to me most of the time, but Jessica was threatening to take me down with her. “And she keeps calling me. She wants to get together.”

“Do not reply. Stay away and keep your distance. Nothing good could come out of seeing her right now. She’ll post a picture and make up some twisted story.”

“Agreed. And we have some time before we start filming season two. But I’m hoping we won’t have many scenes together, seeing as the two characters broke up.”

“If she keeps pulling these stunts, I think they’ll write her off the show. She’s blowing up her own career. Hell, she would have gotten plenty of attention if she’d just promoted the show. I don’t think she expected it to be the most-watched show on Netflix, not only here but in several other countries. She started this campaign against you back when the show first premiered, so she’s probably kicking herself for it now.”

“It’s hard to stop a freight train once it’s already moving down the tracks, right?”

“Correct. But sometimes, that freight train is moving so fast, it’s going to crash and burn. She’s not making any friends or presenting herself as someone to hire in the future. You’ve remained silent. Taken the high road. You’re going to be fine.”

“I’ve got a few interviews coming up, and I know they’re going to ask about it. Do you want me to just continue to say no comment every time someone asks if there is any truth to her accusations?”

“Well, you know what I think, but I’ll keep saying it. If you could share that you’re in a committed relationship, it would go a long way right about now.”

“It’s a little tough to date at the moment.” I laughed. “Some of these fans are pretty aggressive. That’s why I’m happy to be back in Cottonwood Cove. But I’m keeping to myself for the time being. I don’t know who else might pull a stunt like Jessica and try to get their own five minutes of fame. Or sell a bullshit story.”

I’d never had any trouble with women in the past. Hell, I was a big fan of women in general. I hadn’t had a serious relationship, but not for any particular reason. I’d never met anyone who made me want to dive into anything that lasted longer than a few casual dates. But I loved women. I was a serial dater and a fabulous fucking lover.

If I do say so myself.

But it had been a while for me now. Even before the whole Jessica scandal broke. I mean, I couldn’t just take a woman out for dinner and then rock her fucking world because I didn’t trust anyone outside of my family and Reese at the moment. But it had been almost a year since I’d actually had sex with anyone, aside from my almost oops with Jessica Carson. I doubted anyone knew or would even believe that I’d been abstaining for quite a while now. I don’t know. Maybe it was the fact that my career had changed, and I was taking things more seriously. Or that I was tired of the same old shit. Or that Reese had been gone, and I’d just been in a funk.

Hell, she was probably the reason that I haven’t had a real relationship.

She was the only girl I liked spending endless amounts of time with. She’d been my best friend for as long as I could remember. Our birthdays were just a few days apart, our moms were best friends, and we’d always just been close.

Literally, since birth.

She was my person.

We’d never crossed the line physically, and not because she wasn’t gorgeous.

Reese was the most beautiful woman in the world, as far as I was concerned.

But I would never do anything to fuck up what we had.

We’d made a pact when we were barely teenagers to always protect what we had, and we’d both stuck to it.

And our friendship was the best relationship I’d ever had.

So, yeah, I dated women, showed them a good time, and then talked to my best friend about everything under the sun.

I didn’t need a relationship with a woman because I had Reese.

And this year with her being gone… it had shown me just how much I needed her.

“Maybe you’ll meet someone in Cottonwood Cove. They already know you there. They aren’t going to be looking for a story.” She chuckled. “You need to show the world that you aren’t this calloused playboy she’s made you out to be. You’re the best guy I know, Finn. I wouldn’t work for you if you weren’t.”

“Well, I don’t have any long-term relationships that I can talk about because that isn’t my thing. And I’m not looking for it. My dad always says that you’ll know when it happens. It hasn’t happened. So, I don’t know how I’m going to suddenly jump into something. It’s just not realistic.”

“Just keep an open mind. Can you do that?”

“Sure.”

“And if it’s not anything that’s going to go anywhere beyond the bedroom, keep your dick in your pants. The tip and all.” She smirked.

It was an ongoing joke in my family. I hadn’t slept with Jessica. We’d drank too much tequila because I’d been having a shit day, and we made out a little. Things had gotten heated, and before I knew it, we were getting ready to do the deed. I’d barely had the tip of my dick wrapped in a condom and teased her entrance when she’d bitten my shoulder so hard I’d nearly lost my shit. Pain wasn’t my thing.