Page 15 of Love on the Byline
“It was my smoothie,” Bran argued, tossing a glareOllie’s way.
He should not be enjoying this, buthe didn’t fight the grin.
“You’re still a giant toddler.” Blake settled her bag on hershoulder and pulled out her cellphone.
“I’m not the one throwing a tantrum over something thathappened years ago.”
“Something you didn’t even remember, right?” she asked, hervoice rising.
“Obviously, it wasn’t important enough for me to remember,”Bran countered.
Even to Ollie, that sounded petulant. This was like watchinga train wreck, and he didn’t know how to stop it.
“Guys,” he began, “did you know the earliest piece ofrecorded literature is The Epic of Gilgamesh?”
“What?” Blake blinked at him.
“It was written around 2000 BCE,” he supplied, happy to haveher attention. “In ancient Sumerian.”
She seemed to bite back her smile. “Head still full offactoids, eh?”
“Some things never change,” he replied, his body floodingwith relief.
“Indeed,” she said, turning to look at Bran.
Growling, the idiot stalked into the kitchen.
Blake’s gaze swept towards the front door,her bag clutched tight to her chest. Despite her threats to leave, she hadn’t.Which told Ollie she might need something out of this, too. He took a chance.
“Look, if you don’t want to do the story, that’s fine,” hesaid. “Maybe the Gazette will send someone else, but I think this could be agood thing.”
“Seriously? There’s no way he and I could spend a week inthe same room without me wanting to strangle him.” She waved a hand Bran’s way.
“Then go,” Bran said from the other side of the island. “Beon your way.”
“Fine,” she replied, cooly. “Idon’t need this gig anyway.”
That sounded unconvincing. “But—” Ollie tried to interject.
“Nope, I’m out.” She turned for the front door. “Good luckwith everything.”
Shit. He rushed to catch her.“Blake, wait.”
She turned to him with a sad smile. “You really moved outhere for him? Ollie, you’re too nice, and way too gooda friend for someone like him. I’d hoped you figured that out by now.”
“I know you think you know him, but you don’t. He’s not theguy he was in college,” he said. “I don’t even think he was the guy youthought he was back then. It was just…unfortunate circumstances.”
Blake’s smile was bitter. “Yeah, well, this is one set ofcircumstances I can control. It was good to see you, Oliver. Maybe we can graba drink or something when the scales fall from your eyes.”
With that, she walked out of Ollie’s life. Again.
4
“Are you out of your mind? She’ll crucify me.” Bran tossedhis phone onto the desk.
They were back in the sun-drenched office of his Malibuhome. It was a bright and inviting space with large windows facing out onto thevibrant ocean offering a million-dollar view. But all the sunshine in the worldcouldn’t burn away the tension in the room.
“Clark and Noelia believe Blake is perfect for this. She’ssmart, driven, and doesn’t have any industry baggage weighing her down.” It hadactually taken a bit of convincing on Ollie’s part,but they were now fully on board.