"Sure, what?"
"If I were being totally selfish, I'd beg you to take the job."
I smiled. "Oh yeah?"
"Definitely. We'd be living in the same town. And Iknowyou'd be great for Willow." She hesitated. "But tell me, was it a good offer? Meaning financially?"
Was it ever.
After I gave Arden the highlights, she said, "Seriously?"
"Yeah. But you realize whatthatmeans, don't you?"
"What?"
"It means it's too good to be true."
"It's notthatgood," she said. "You'd still have to put up with Mason."
Silently, I considered what it would be like to live in the same home as Mason Blastoviak, to eat at the same breakfast table, to see him in the mornings or at night.
It would be terrible for all kinds of reasons, including my stupid attraction to him. I murmured, "Well, there's that."
"And," Arden continued, "I'm sure he'd want you to start right away. He's leaving for California in just a few days. Weallare."
"You mean for the show?"
"Yup. We're finishing this house in wine country. The house is practically done, so all of the brothers need to be on site for some final footage."
Arden would definitely know.Earlier this year, by some twist of fate, she'd ended up playing a role of her own on the TV show. It had all started when she and Brody were hot for the same property – a Victorian beach house that had belonged to Arden's grandparents.
In the beginning, she and Brody had totally hated each other. Now, they were so obnoxiously in love, I might've been jealous if I weren’t so happy for her.
Thinking of Brody's older brother, I said, "Actually, Mason wants me to start tomorrow."
"Wow. That soon?"
"Oh yeah. And I forgot to mention, if Idostart tomorrow, he said he'd pay my tuition forbothof my summer classes."
"No kidding?"
I considered the dollar-amount in question. To Mason, it was probably chump change. But to me, it wasa lotof money. "That's what he said."
Across the parking lot, Livia and Chopped Liver stopped beside a white Mercedes. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, hot and heavy. Livia sagged against him and kissed him back with a vengeance.
When he grabbed her ass, she grabbedhisin return.
As I watched from my darkened car, I felt just a little bit icky, and not only because I was watching them in secret.
It was because the guy was Livia's second choice. And surely, he knew it. Earlier on the dance floor,anyonecould've seen that she'd been ten times more interested in Mason.
Didn't the guy care?
Didn’tLiviacare?
And why didIcare?
Ishouldn’tcare. But the fact I did, well, it went a long way in explaining why my sexual dry spell had lasted so long.
