It had been two weeks since the kiss on the third floor. I’d been avoiding Jacob like the plague out of sheer embarrassment. It wasn’t easy, as filming had finally begun on Fourth Down and I had to be around to watch every one of his football-related scenes to ensure accuracy, but I was making it work.

Somehow.

I still couldn’t believe he kissed me like that. Couldn’t believe he even wanted to. And lord, I wanted it too—but I knew I couldn’t. He might have given me a heartfelt apology, but I was too jaded by my experience with James to trust anything men said upfront anymore. Jacob’s apology had certainly seemed genuine, but the fact that he’d followed it up with an attempted make-out session didn’t exactly bode well. It made me wonder if he’d only pretended to say he was sorry so he could get closer to me as part of some game he was still playing on James’ behalf.

I also wondered if I’d ever trust a man again.

Any man.

I sighed as I watched Jacob out on the set’s football field, filming the scene where Walter Simmons returned to the game after an injury that had been considered career-ending at the time. He was playing the part well, although I had a feeling there was still something missing from his portrayal; some element of Simmons’ personality that wasn’t quite there yet. Bonnie could obviously feel it too, because she yelled ‘Cut!’ and went over to talk to Jacob and his co-stars on the field.

The worst part of working with Jacob was having to see him like this every day, because every time I spotted that scruffy dark hair or had those grey eyes flashing in my direction, I melted. In those seconds, all I thought about was the kiss again, and how damn good it felt. What a rush it was. I’d never experienced such pressing need, such urgency, not with anyone else.

Ever.

But it couldn’t happen. It was totally wrong. Not only did I not entirely trust Jacob, we were working together, and I didn’t want to get fired for misconduct which could theoretically happen if we were seen hooking up. I also didn’t want a reputation amongst all the movie studios for being the kind of ‘professional’ who slept with actors on sets. Word traveled quickly in the film industry, so I intended on keeping my nose clean and my head clear.

That didn’t stop me from secretly wanting Jacob, though, in the dead of the night when I tried to sleep, all too aware of the fact that my bed was empty and I was alone save for Oscar snoring on the floor beside me. It didn’t stop me from remembering how I’d kissed him back for a moment despite all the alarm bells ringing in my head and screaming, ‘This is wrong, stop it!’.

When filming was cut short by a sudden storm looming over our heads, I raced to the parking lot, eager for the warmth and cover of my car. Storms weren’t exactly common here—at least not compared to most other places in the country—so I never carried an umbrella around with me. My hair was already beginning to frizz from the first droplets of rain.

When I reached my car, I discovered with great frustration that the battery on my car remote had died. I usually carried a spare key around in case this happened, but I couldn’t find it anywhere as I dug around in my handbag. The rain was bucketing down now. Of course. I cursed the weather as I continued searching every little nook and cranny of my purse.

“Hey, Nora! You okay?”

I looked up, shielding my eyes from the rain as a familiar voice called out to me. It was Jacob. He was idling in his black car nearby, head hanging out the window. “You okay?” he repeated.

I held up my key fob. “Battery died, and I can’t find my spare key.”

“Get in. Can’t have you out in this rain,” he said.

“It’s okay. I’ll get an Uber.”

He snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. Just get in. I know where you live; I’ll drop you off. We can even pick up a new battery for your thing on the way.”

I hesitated for a moment longer, but a crack of thunder made me reconsider. “Okay,” I finally said. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

He reached over into the glove compartment as I climbed in the passenger side. I was all too aware of his closeness to me. Again. My heart raced and my skin tingled, and I closed my eyes for a second and tried to control my breathing, hoping he wouldn’t notice how much his mere proximity affected me.

“Here,” he said, passing me a small hand towel. “I always keep this in the car in case something like this happens.”

“Thank you,” I said, dabbing at my face. “And don’t worry about stopping at the store—I just remembered I have a spare battery at home. For the key thing.”

“Cool. So are you enjoying working on the movie so far?” he asked as he pulled out of the lot.

I nodded. “I have a feeling it’s going to be great when it’s done.”

“Yeah. Hope so. Although I haven’t been acting my best. I’m trying, but Walter’s a much harder character to play than I originally thought,” he said. “I mean, I knew it would be hard, but not this hard. Know what I mean?”

“Yes. But I think you’ll be fine. Just need a few days to really get into the role.”

“Maybe. I just wish he was still alive. It would’ve really helped me if I could actually meet the guy and see how he spoke and interacted with people in real life. I’ve seen interviews, obviously, but people are always a bit more formal and uptight in those.”

“True. It was really sad when he died last year.”

“It was. I’m not a massive football fan, to be honest, but he seemed like a great dude. I want to honor him by playing him as well as I can.”

I smiled. “That’s really nice,” I said softly.

We were silent for a few minutes as we wound our way through traffic. Then Jacob turned to me at a set of lights. “Hey, I just wanted to say sorry again. About what I did upstairs the other week. I shouldn’t have tried to maul you like that. I’ve been kinda embarrassed about it, so that’s why I haven’t really been saying much to you lately.”

I gave him a weak smile. “I suppose I deserved it after trying to get Oscar to maul you.”

He chuckled, and then his face turned serious again. “Really, Nora, I don’t know what I was thinking. I mean, of course you wouldn’t want to kiss me. I’m a fucking dick.”

“You’re not that bad. You rescued me from the rain, after all,” I replied with a wry smile.

“True. I’ve just noticed you’ve been a bit standoffish at work. I really wish I hadn’t made things so fucking awkward. You’re so good at what you do, and I can tell you love your job. I hate that I might’ve made you not want to come to work every day.”

I sighed. “It’s not exactly you, Jacob. It’s…”

He turned away as the light went green, but I could tell he was still listening. Having him facing elsewhere actually helped me open up more, because there wasn’t the awkwardness of having his perfect eyes trained right on me as I tried to articulate my thoughts.

“I guess I’m just having a hard time with men in general at the moment,” I admitted. “I wasn’t quite sure why you kissed me or what your intentions were.”

He nodded. “I get it. After James, you can’t trust guys for a while. Makes sense. And I guess you weren’t sure if I was still trying to fuck with you on his behalf, seeing as that’s what I was originally doing when we met?”

“Yeah. That’s exactly it, actually.”

He smiled, eyes crinkling slightly around the corners. I loved that about his smile. It made it look real, unlike the disingenuous smiles that a lot of people in our industry put on when they wanted to appear friendly.

“Well, like I said, I get you. I was a total ass when we first met, and there’s no reason you should trust me implicitly just because I apologized. I just hope that you can trust me eventually, seeing as we’re working together. And even though you aren’t interested in me in that way, I’d still love to hang out and chat every once in a while. I think you’re really great, Nora.”

I looked at him, eyebrows knitted in a curious expression. “You mean like… you want us to be friends?”

“Sure.”

“I didn’t think the great playboy Jacob Archer had any female friends. Unless they’re friends with benefits.”

He laughed. “I’m not as bad as the media makes me out to be.”

“So you didn’t hook up with the Vice President’s daughter when you and a bunch of other actors were invited to tour the White House last year?”

“Oh. Um…”

Now it was my turn to laugh. “See, you are a bad boy.”

“And you’re a bad girl. Obviously you’ve been stalking me online and reading all the tabloid articles about me.”

I held up my hands. ”Guilty as charged.”

“Speaking of bad people, have you heard any more from James?”

“He’s been sending me abusive messages on Facebook, but I just ignore them.”

“Why don’t you block him?”

“I do. He just makes new accounts.”

“Jesus. The guy is insane. You should report him to the cops.”

“I don’t think anyone ever got arrested for sending someone mean messages on Facebook,” I said with a sigh.

“Well, promise me you’ll be careful when it comes to him,” he said. “How’s Oscar, anyway?”

“He’s great. Dug up a bone in the yard the other day. I guess he wants to be an archaeologist.”

“Always good for a dog to have career aspirations. Man, I just hate the thought of that poor thing ever being abused.”

I shuddered. “Same. It makes me feel sick that James could do anything to the poor boy. How can someone hurt an innocent creature like that?”

“I know. It’s disgusting,” Jacob said. “Hey, have you… oh, never mind.”

I peered at him. “No, tell me.”

“Well, you’re a better person than me, so you probably haven’t thought of this. But have you ever wondered what it might be like to get some revenge?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just something petty and mean. Something to make him feel bad without knowing it was actually you, seeing as you don’t want to antagonize him.”

I wrinkled my forehead. “Like what?”

“Well, what’s something he cherishes?”

“Um. I guess his vintage Chevrolet,” I replied, twisting my lips with thought. “Although for something he loves so much, he doesn’t take very good care of it. He keeps a spare key for it under a freaking plant pot in the garage. It could get stolen so easily.”

“What an idiot.”

“Yeah. He got it by convincing an old woman to sell it to him for far less than what it was worth. He used to brag about it. I should’ve known then and there that he was a relentless sociopath.”

“Jesus. So you’ve never thought about doing something to it? Or just him in general?”

I shook my head. “No. Of course not. That’s a bit… childish.”

“Well, I have thought about, childish or not. I’m still mad at the bastard.”

“For Oscar?”

“For Oscar and you. He treated you like shit. And he made a fool of me by lying to me, too. I kinda want to punch the dude, but I don’t exactly feel like copping an assault charge at the moment.”

“Believe me, I’ve thought about punching him too,” I muttered. “Anyway, my turnoff is up here,” I added, pointing to a sign on the edge of the road.

“I thought your main turnoff was already sitting right next to you,” Jacob replied.

I rolled my eyes. “Very funny. You’re not that bad, Archer.”

He grinned and turned into the road which led into Ellesmere Circle, and this time Clint waved us straight through, obviously remembering Jacob’s car from a few weeks ago.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you at work tomorrow,” Jacob said as we pulled into my driveway.

“Maybe not,” I said, checking my phone. “Bonnie just texted me. Apparently this storm is going to last a few days, so filming will be shut down.”

“Damn. Guess I’ll see you next week, then.”

I nodded as I climbed out of the car. “Yeah. Anyway, thanks for the ride. I appreciate it.”

“No worries. And hey, where does James live again?” Jacob asked, leaning out the window.

“Sherman Oaks, near the… wait, why? You aren’t actually going to do something to his car, are you?”

“Of course not,” he said, flashing me a beatific smile. “I just want to add him to my Christmas card list.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why don’t I believe you?”

“Because you don’t trust men?”

I let out a snort of laughter. “Touché. Well, do what you want, but you aren’t getting his address from me.”

“I’m sure Chris can get it for me.”

I put my hands on my hips. “Don’t you dare steal James’ car!”

He winked. “Oh, I won’t steal it. Anyway, see you later.”

With that, he reversed out of the driveway and tore away, honking the horn as he left. I sighed as I watched him go, a small smile playing on my lips.

Somehow, despite how wrong it felt, I was pretty sure I’d just become friends with Jacob Archer.