“Well, I know jack about running a ranch, so you and I can be clueless there together.”
“Deal,” Vega laughed.
“What are you working on?” Corie asked.
“Oh, uh. Top-secret thing in development.”
“Ah, gotcha.”
“It’ll be my first writing credit.” Amanda hated how smoothly the lie rolled off her tongue. She knew the drill. Knowing her name was enough. All they had to do was a quick search and her profile or lack thereof would pop up in the online movie database. Her first two PA credits were listed, but that was it. She didn’t want to lie to Sam or his family, but for now she needed some part of her life that Dru couldn’t touch. Luckily, she’d never been added to the call sheet so there wasn’t an Internet trail of “Assistant to Ms. Anastasia.” Still, work was the last thing she wanted to talk about.
“Lilah, you work at the ranch?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Yeah. I work for Zach. Have you met him?”
“Just for a second last weekend.”
“I mean I sort of work for him and Jesse—”
“Not for much longer,” Jesse said as he walked back into the room. He flopped his massive weight down into a recliner in the corner that seemed to have been custom-made for his size. The black Lab wandered over and settled under the footrest.
Lilah shrugged, rolling her eyes. “I got promoted.”
“You did?” Sam said, surprised.
“Yeah.” Another shrug.
“You don’t seem so excited,” Amanda said.
“Well, I’m getting my own office and everything, but now I have to work downstairs with Delfi. I’m going to miss working upstairs.”
“I’ll show you the office blueprints later,” Sam said, throwing Amanda a lifeline. She had no clue what Lilah was talking about.
“We ready?” Jesse asked.
“Yeah, let’s do this shit.” Corie settled farther into the love seat, her hands still draped over Vega’s legs. Jesse held up the remote and pressed play. Amanda tried to focus on the most eighties movie opening she’d seen in a long time, but as the ridiculous movie and Corie’s hilarious commentary went on she realized the tension she’d spent the whole drive trying to chase away had settled back on her shoulders. She was tight all over and all she could think about was Dru and what mood of hers would be waiting for her when she got home to LA.
“You okay?” Sam asked quietly.
“Yeah, just thinking about work stuff.”
“Listen, you’re in Charming now, baby. You can leave that all behind.”
Amanda couldn’t help but laugh. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Uh, I’ve never seen this before. When do they get to Manhattan?”
“You got an hour at least!” Corie yelled across the room.
“Are you serious?” Lilah replied.
“Will you please,” Jesse groaned, his tone somehow dry. “I’m trying to watch the best movie ever.” Amanda chuckled to herself, but her leg accidentally brushing against Sam’s shifted her attention again. A tingle rushed down her thigh and again she was fighting the memory of what it felt like to have Sam’s fingers brushing over her bare skin.
“Sorry.” She shifted closer to Lilah, putting a little distance between herself and Sam’s muscular legs. Those jeans should have been illegal. He didn’t say anything, but she heard the small rush of breath leaving his nose as he scooted to the other end of the couch.Same, bro,she wanted to joke. The frustration had been building inside her from the moment she saw him in the lobby of the lodge. Normally Amanda was confident in her decisions, but as Lilah offered her a throw blanket from the back of the couch, another twinge of regret hit her. She could think of much better sources of warmth.
It was a little after one a.m. when Jason Voorhees finally met his way overdue end in the sewers under Manhattan. Lilah and Vega passed out halfway into the ridiculous slasher flick. Amanda envied them. Corie and Jesse had jokes for days, but the weight of the week and the long drive had finally caught up with her somewhere around the hour mark where Jason was terrorizing teens on a boat miles away from New York City. All she wanted was to hop a train to Snoozeville. The warm and restless energy emanating from Sam’s end of the couch was the only thing keeping her awake. She could sense his every breath, every small shift of his body. Focusing on Jason’s rampage was the only thing keeping her from thinking of how differently the night would have gone if she hadn’t cut him off so unceremoniously.
Jesse hit stop as the credits rolled and the familiar groans and stretches started around the room. Amanda looked away as Corie leaned over and kissed Vega awake.
Sam eased to the edge of the couch, toying with his cowboy hat perched on his knee before he turned to her. “Ready to head back?” Amanda almost twitched at the raw edge to his voice. Sleepy looked good on him.