Second Chances in Hollywood
Josie watched with envy as Beau and Charlie settled into chairs offstage while she was stuck sitting on the desk next to Robert. She hadn’t even been this close to him when they sat by the lake in Yosemite. She kept her eyes pointed straight ahead, but she could still hear his soft breathing and the occasional rustle as he shifted position.
“Josie, I’m sorry.”
He spoke so softly she wasn’t sure she heard him at first. Her eyes went wide, and she turned to look at him. He cast his gaze down as soon as her eyes met his and he opened his mouth again.
“I—”
“All right, I think we’ve got it,” the director said. Robert clapped his mouth shut, and Josie looked straight ahead again.
Good gravy, she hadn’t expected an apology. But did he mean it? He was an actor. Her heart thumped. She wanted to forgive him, to go back to that easygoing companionship they’d started to form, but would he get the wrong impression again? She couldn’t bear going through this twice.
“Josie?”
She looked at him again. His eyebrows rode high on his forehead, and his eyes darted back and forth, studying hers. He was waiting for her to say something. She could accept his apology, but they couldn’t be friends, only coworkers. She hardened her expression.
“Okay,” she said. A pang of guilt ripped through her when his face fell, but it was for the best.