CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Are you sure you’re not mad?”
Billie didn’t appear to care that Tyler had a guy’s night planned with his close friend Sam Collins, but she’d been so sweet lately he didn’t want to upset the delicate balance they’d managed to achieve. When she’d said that she was going to get a new attitude, she’d spoken the truth. The last three days had been almost completely normal, hanging out together and having a ball. He felt lucky to have his best friend back.
Huffing, Billie slapped a bookmark into her paperback and sighed. “I am not mad, but I will be if you keep bugging me by asking me that over and over. Why would I be mad?”
Tyler shrugged awkwardly, not knowing how to deal with the situation. It wasn’t anything he’d experienced before. “I don’t know but I’ve seen women get pissed off when their significant other goes out with the guys. It’s just Sam, you know.”
“I know and I like Sam. Have a good time and don’t drive if you drink.” She rolled her eyes and slapped her forehead. “What am I saying? You’re going out with Sam. Of course you’re going to drink. Use the car service and don’t let anyone take a picture that’s going to end up on social media. We have the comic book convention coming up and you don’t want to spend three days answering questions about public inebriation instead of the Thunder movie.”
Billie was well acquainted with his evenings with Sam Collins. She’d participated in more than a few too.
“I am using the car service,” he confirmed. “What are you going to do while I’m gone?”
His guilt was rapidly dissolving as he studied her gleeful expression. Far from being upset, she appeared thrilled that he was leaving her alone.
“I’m going to take a long, hot bath. Then I’m going to read my new book in bed. Heaven.”
Billie looked damn happy about it too.
“You can do that when I’m here. You don’t have to wait until I leave.”
“Really? Because last time I tried you knocked on the bathroom door at least three times to ask me what you deemed to be important questions such as ‘Do we have any milk?’ I’m pretty sure you could have figured out the answer by opening the refrigerator.”
Women didn’t understand. “I knew we had milk,” he explained patiently. “I just didn’t know if it was any good. It was the day after the date on the carton.”
“Then smell it.”
“I don’t know how bad milk smells.”
“Trust me, you’ll know. And how could you get to the age of thirty-eight and not know how bad milk smells? It’s not witchcraft, it’s common sense.”
He shot her his most charming grin. “What can I say? I’m a little spoiled.”
“A little? Try a lot.” She made a shooing motion with her hands. “Now go have your guy night with Sam. Drink beer. Wrestle bears. Get a tattoo. Call me if you need bail money.”
Being married to Billie was going to be no hardship whatsoever. She could make him laugh so easily and she didn’t sweat the small stuff.
“Aww, baby girl, that’s sweet, but I wouldn’t wake you up for that. I’ll call Garrett and get his ass out of bed. That’s what I pay him for.”
She was laughing as he exited the house, climbing into the dark SUV the service had sent. It didn’t take long to reach the out of the way bar that he and Sam liked to frequent. It was still Hollywood but a toned-down version. The drinks were overpriced but it wasn’t filled with tourists hoping to see a movie star. This place was for locals and for the most part they left Tyler and Sam alone.
Sam was already inside flirting with a pretty young waitress. Or maybe she was flirting with Sam. It was hard to tell at a distance but his friend didn’t seem to mind. Sam was the Hollywood ideal of tall, dark, and handsome so there were always women wherever they went. He had been married years before and had been single for the last ten or fifteen at least. At age forty he didn’t seem in a hurry to settle down again, always saying that when he met the right woman he’d race her to the altar as fast as he could. Apparently he hadn’t met her yet.
Tyler slid into the dark booth across from Sam.
“Sorry I’m late.”
The waitress’s eyes widened when she took in Sam’s drinking buddy for the evening.
“Trouble with the old ball and chain?” Sam smirked. “Did Billie give you a hard time about going out with me?”
Tyler didn’t want to have this conversation with the waitress listening in. He’d deal with her first.
He pointed to Sam’s beer and chaser. “I’ll have the same.”
Reluctantly – very reluctantly – she headed to the bar to get his drinks, looking over her shoulder the whole way.
“You better hope I don’t tell Billie what you called her because she’ll kick your ass into next week. I’ll have you know that not only did she not care about me coming out tonight, she almost pushed me out of the house. Apparently she wanted some alone time and I’m cramping her style and not giving her any peace and quiet.”
“I would imagine living you with you is like living with a toddler. A happy one but still immature.”
They were always busting each other’s balls and it looked like tonight wouldn’t be any different.
“Because you’re so mature?” Tyler taunted. “You might want to rethink that, my friend. Remember that time in New York City?”
Tyler didn’t even have to mention which time, although they’d had more than one wild night. But that particular crazy evening wouldn’t be forgotten very soon.
Chuckling, Sam stroked his chin and smiled at the memories. “That was a great night.”
Tyler pointed a finger at his friend. “And it was all your idea, Mr. Maturity. So take your toddler bullshit and shove it up your very famous ass.”
The waitress brought Tyler’s drinks and tried to linger, brushing his shoulder with her hand as she straightened up. This certainly wasn’t the first time some girl had given him an eyeful of her cleavage but it sure didn’t feel the same. Before he’d enjoyed the view and every now and then he might even pursue something with the lady in question. But that was before.
His life was now separated into two parts. Before being engaged to Billie and afterward.
It didn’t seem respectful to ogle a waitress when he had a beautiful fiancée at home. Of course it wasn’t real but that didn’t make much of a difference. It still wasn’t right and Billie deserved better than a horn dog for a husband. After hearing the story of her childhood, she deserved better everything in her life. Period.
The waitress leaned down and placed her hands on the table so her breasts were almost spilling out of her tight t-shirt. “Is there anything else I can get you? My name’s Trish, by the way.”
Sam quirked an eyebrow at Tyler. “I’m fine but I can’t speak for my friend.”
Tyler shook his head. “I’m good too. Thank you, Trish.”
Her lips turned down in disappointment, Trish wandered back to the bar where a few others patrons sat. Sam watched her as she walked away, her hip swaying, before turning to Tyler.
“You could have had her if you wanted.”
“So could you. And you’re not engaged.”
A slow smile crossed Sam’s face. “Speaking of your new status, what’s up with that? I thought Billie had more sense than to get romantically involved with you. Did she have a severe blow to the head and get amnesia?”
Sam Collins was one of Tyler’s best friends in the world and there wasn’t much they didn’t know about one another. Lying would be useless anyway as Sam could see bullshit from a mile away. It was uncanny how the man could sniff out a lie.
“She’s helping me out,” Tyler admitted, his voice low although the bar was loud. It was doubtful anyone would hear them. “Weller won’t even talk to me about the role. He wants a man who is settled and in love.”
“Weller’s an ass. I wouldn’t work on one of his sets for all the millions in the world. You need to think twice about whether this part is worth it.”
It was worth it. Tyler wasn’t afraid of Weller and all his bitching and whining.
“You didn’t seem surprised at all. Had you already figured it out?”
Sam shrugged and took another draw on his beer. “I couldn’t be sure. It didn’t seem probable that you turned your friendship into an engagement in the six weeks since I last saw you but stranger things have happened. Billie’s a good woman though, and you’re lucky. Are you actually going to get married for a movie role or just stay engaged? A wedding seems kind of extreme but people have married for worse reasons, especially in this crazy town.”
“We’re getting married,” Tyler said firmly. “This is the role of a lifetime and I’m grateful to Billie for helping me.”
No way was Tyler going to mention the financial arrangements. That was private.
“I can’t imagine that girl ever saying no to you for anything. Or you to her, for that matter.”
Shaking his head, Tyler chuckled, remembering the look of horror on Billie’s face when he’d brought up the proposal. “Let’s just say she didn’t say yes right off. I had to use my powers of persuasion.”
“Well, I guess I should say congratulations. I actually think you and Billie will make a great couple. When is the big day?”
Damn, this was harder than Tyler had imagined. What if Sam said no?
“Yeah…about that…shit…I was hoping…well…that you might be my best man.”
He had his answer when Sam’s face lit up. “Fuck, yes. Do I get to throw you a bachelor party?”
Saying yes was a dangerous proposition but it was a tradition. “Sure, just keep our names out of the press. I don’t need pictures of all of us with strippers on the cover of the Enquirer.”
Sam held up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
“You were never a Boy Scout.”
“You don’t know that for sure.” He nodded to the empty pool table. “Now let’s go play some pool. How about a little friendly wager?”
Tyler was going to love every second of taking Sam’s money.