Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
“What do you think?” my mother asked when I entered the kitchen and found her shaking out another martini.
“It’s … modern.”
“I thought it’d remind you of LA.” She offered the drink to me. “Martini?”
“No thanks.”
“Well, Josephine, do you want to use the pool or …”
“Josie,” I reminded her. While I went by Josephine professionally, I still wasn’t used to anyone who really knew me calling me that. Even my mother.
She waved her hand at me. “I birthed you. I can call you what I want.”
“Fine.” I ground my teeth together. “And no, I’m going to head to the set.”
“All right. Let me get you a key.” She dropped her martini and reached in one of the kitchen drawers to retrieve a set of keys. “Gold one is to the front door. You can drive the Benz while you’re here.”
“I can Uber,” I told her.
“Don’t be silly. I have a garage of cars. Pick which one you want.”
“Sure.”
“And Josie,” my mother said softly. Her eyes were earnest when I faced her again. “I’m glad you’re staying here.”
I shot her a half-smile. “I’ll see you later.”
She nodded, and I disappeared through the living room to the garage. I still had no idea why I’d agreed to this. The relationship was complicated. I had been in middle school when my mother’s husband overdosed. She was the talk of the town for marrying one of the wealthiest men in Savannah, and her reputation turned to infamy after he died and she got every cent of his considerable fortune. Half of the town called her a gold digger and man-eater, and the other half said she killed him. I never knew what to believe, and my mother refused to speak on the subject. Couple that with her abandoning me with my dad—except for the summers, which I’d been coerced into spending with her—and we’d never gotten along.
I probably would have given up coming to Savannah at all if my two best friends, Lila and Marley, weren’t here. They were the closest thing I’d ever had to sisters.
And then there was Maddox.
I shook my head and popped the door on the Mercedes. I didn’t want to think about Maddox. He was Marley’s twin brother and still lived in Savannah. I was sure that I was going to see him while I was filming here for six weeks. But complicated didn’t even begin to describe my relationship with him.
Putting Maddox out of my thoughts, I took the car down the narrow Savannah streets and out of town toward the filming studio. After starring in the hit teen supernatural-school show Academy for eight seasons, we’d been off the air for two years. Now, the studio had green-lit a follow-up full-length movie to close out the last chapter of the show. Fans had been clamoring for it since it’d ended. I hadn’t been sure it was ever going to happen until I got the call a month ago.
I parked out front of the mostly empty studio. We didn’t have to be here for another couple days, but I’d wanted to come home early. Lila and Marley were in Atlanta now but had promised to come visit. That had been enough to get me to agree. Any excuse to see my besties.
My favorite director, Jimmy, from the first eight seasons of Academy had gotten the job for the film. He’d called me personally and offered me my spot as Cassie Herrington again. As if they could make it without me.
I pulled the door open to the studio and entered a new world. Jimmy had mentioned some technological innovations, but truthfully, I hadn’t listened too hard. I was busy memorizing my lines and digging deep back into my character. Jimmy had said he’d meet me at the studio to discuss it all before we got started.
But so far, I hadn’t seen him.
“Josephine Reynolds,” a voice said behind me.
I knew that voice. Oh God, I knew that voice.
I whipped around and found Maddox Nelson standing in the middle of the studio, wearing a gray T-shirt, molded to his ripped figure, and dark jeans. His usual messy, wild curls were cut short and slicked into order. His jaw was square and chiseled and those dark eyes … they still went straight through me.
I hadn’t seen him in a year and a half, and it hadn’t exactly ended amicably.
Who was I kidding? It had gone up in flames and burned like a wildfire.
“Maddox,” I whispered.
“Hey, Josie,” he said with a smirk on his lips. “Surprise.”
2
SAVANNAH
PRESENT
“What are you doing here?” I asked, frozen in place.
“Didn’t you hear? I’m doing the visual effects.”
The words were out of his mouth, and still, I didn’t quite process them. Maddox was an incredibly talented animator. He’d started his career working with Pixar before creating his own company, MadSon Productions, and moving over to CGI for popular superhero movies. I’d never thought that he’d agree to work on something as small as an Academy movie.