Page 50 of Broken Romeo
Gratitude releases some of the tension in my shoulders at the sight of her. Thank God there’s someone here I know… other than Nolan. Who apparently bites.
A couple of other women who look familiar wave and say hi, but I can’t quite place why I think I recognize them.
A willowy voice rings behind me. “So, you’re the girl who got my part.”
I spin to find Missy Howl standing there. Coal-lined lavender eyes peer at me as she sweeps her fingers through her curtain of billowing dark hair.
What in the hell am I supposed to say to that?
I open my mouth to answer, but all that comes out is, “Uhhh…”
While I normally hate being interrupted, I’m grateful when Missy tilts her head and clicks her tongue, cutting me off mid-stutter. “You must really be something for Holden to ignore our personal history and cast you instead of the person critics call, The next Laura Benanti.”
I almost laugh. Who talks like this? Who compares themselves to a Broadway legend publicly? With a challenging glare, she folds her arms, pushing an impressive amount of cleavage higher, practically coercing me into starting a fight.
I smother the urge to roll my eyes. If she wants Holden so badly, she can have him.
Go ahead and lift that leg, lady. Mark your territory. He’s all yours.
But I know with a woman like Missy, there’s not much I can do to convince her I’m not a threat. Nothing will work to get her off my back. If I’m kind, she’ll walk all over me. If I’m mean, I make an enemy for life.
This is the living embodiment of damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Nolan’s protective palm falls onto my shoulder.
“Missy, chill,” he says.
It catches me completely off guard that Nolan is standing up for me. And even more so when one of the girls at the table I just met chimes in with, “Yeah. This is what being an actress is. You win some, you lose some.”
Missy’s eyes darken for a brief moment before a cheery demeanor sweeps over her face. But even her fake smile is brittle and plaster. If this is the extent of her acting ability, no wonder I got the part. “I know. God, I’m just teasing! Lighten up, everyone!”
Lifting a delicate looking martini glass to her scarlet red lips, Missy falls into a chair next to Maggie. She’s making herself at home while I’m still standing here, not even comfortable enough to sit and join the party.
I study Missy’s easy smile as she laughs with the group. Every piece of her face is modeled after a precious gemstone. Her eyes are dark amethyst. Her lips, rich rubies. Her cheeks, a perfect hue of rose quartz. And her hair, onyx. She’s rare, exotic jewels… and I’m cubic zirconia. An imposter, standing amidst brilliant, priceless baubles.
“Where did you study acting, Katie?” she asks.
What is so hard to get right about my fucking name? I glance down at the shot of whiskey in my hand. The plan had been to sip the damn thing throughout the night, but something tells me I’m going to need this liquid courage tonight.
I tip my head back and take the shot, then slam the small glass down onto the table in front of me. The amber liquid smolders down my throat and I wince against the burn, trying my best not to let it show that I rarely drink.
I wipe the corner of my mouth with my index finger.
“It’s Kate,” I correct her pointedly. My voice is raw in the way that only whiskey can make you sound. “I got my BFA from—”
Holden’s deep voice ripples through me, cutting me off mid-sentence. “Enough, Missy.”
Every follicle of hair I have stands on end and gooseflesh shivers across the back of my neck. His presence is heavy behind me.
I sneak a glance at him from over my shoulder. He’s standing close to me… so damn close that I can smell the crisp scent of soap and spices. His hair is damp from what I can only assume is a shower, and he leans over me, plucking the beer out of my fingers and handing me a Cosmo.
“You hate beer,” he whispers, his lips dangerously close to my ear.
I lift my gaze and connect for the briefest moment to Missy’s glower. “Holden,” she says with a saccharine smile. “You made it.”
Holden clears his throat and shrugs out of an expensive-looking jacket, draping it over the back of an empty chair. “Well, when I heard you were coming to meet my small cast, I figured I should make an appearance.”
He pulls out the empty chair beside him, pausing, giving me a look.