thinking about the encounter with Russell and the kiss she had planted on Tyler, she hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep.
Wandering around to stand behind Sabrina, Nya looked at the photos on the screen. Once again, Sabrina had captured some elegant photos that this couple would cherish.
“Those are beautiful,” Nya said. “Oooh, the ones at the pier... I love them. Especially that one.” Nya pointed at the screen. In this particular photo, the bride’s veil was flowing in the wind, and the camera had captured it beautifully.
“Thank you.”
“You just keep getting better and better,” Nya said.
Nya had begun toying with photography in her spare time. But she hadn’t dared to tell Sabrina about her newly piqued interest.
“Everyone loved the calendar,” Nya went on. “That picture of Mason, with his chest glistening, was particularly sexy.”
Sabrina grinned. “It’s possible I put a little more effort into his photos.”
“Speaking of Mason,” Nya began cautiously, “I do have a favor to ask.”
Sabrina flashed her a knowing look. “I knew it! You always bring me my favorite latte when you want something.”
“Am I that transparent?”
“Only to me. What do you want? And what could it possibly have to do with Mason?”
Sighing, Nya sank into one of the two chairs opposite Sabrina’s desk. “Remember I told you that Russell showed up at the gala last night?”
“How could I forget? He’s the reason you left early.”
“Well, I need you to talk to Mason. Tell him to tell Tyler McKenzie that the date for Friday night is off.”
Sabrina blinked a couple of times as she stared at her with a quizzical expression. “Okay, maybe I need to drink this coffee first, because I’m not making sense of what you’re telling me.”
Nya sipped her coffee before continuing. “Something happened last night. Something I didn’t get a chance to tell you. It’s no big deal, and clearly it was just a reaction to seeing Russell.”
“Still confused,” Sabrina said.
“When I saw Russell last night, he was heading toward me with Topaz. You remember Topaz?”
“The woman he cast in his film. The one you suspected he was sleeping with.”
“Yes,” Nya said. “Well, seeing Topaz on his arm...I kind of freaked out.”
“What does any of this have to do with Tyler?” Sabrina asked.
“Because I did something really stupid. When Russell was walking toward me, with Topaz practically all over him, I panicked. I didn’t know what to do, and all I could think about was the last time I’d spoken to Russell and how he’d humiliated me and acted as though I’d never get over him...” Nya knew she was rambling, and Sabrina’s look of confusion grew more intense. “I was at the bar to get a drink, and when I saw Russell, I—I just turned to the guy next to me and started kissing him.”
“What?” Sabrina’s eyes were bulging.
“I know, it was completely crazy.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,” Sabrina said, holding up a hand. “Are you telling me you kissed someone randomly? Literally just laid one on some guy at the bar? To what? Make a point to Russell?”
“Saying it like that makes me sound incredibly stupid. I wasn’t thinking. I just acted. Worst of all, it turns out that the man I kissed was that sexy firefighter, Tyler. He played along with the kiss...perhaps a little too well. Now Tyler and I are supposed to go to the film premiere on Friday night, but I don’t want to go. I can’t. And that’s why I need Mason.”
Sabrina drank more coffee. “There are a lot of blanks you’re not filling in for me, but that’s okay. Let’s start from the beginning. What film premiere?” But before Nya could answer, Sabrina continued, “Ohhhh. You mean Russell’s film? He finally finished it? And the premiere is on Friday night?”
“Yes. The world premiere is on Friday night, followed by an after party, and he said he wants me there. Probably just to rub his success in my face.”
“Why did you say yes if you don’t want to?”
“Russell produced two tickets and gave them to Tyler. I tried to decline, but for some reason Tyler told him we’d be there. Probably as a bit of payback for me kissing him the way I did. I didn’t want to force the issue and keep refusing when Tyler was pretending to be my boyfriend.”
“So you didn’t just kiss him. You guys pretended to be a couple.”
“There was no plan. As I said, it just happened. But the last thing I want to do is go to Russell’s movie premiere, and God only knows why Tyler wants to go. Maybe he actually wants to see the film, or just wants to go for the experience—”
“Or he wants to spend more time with you.”
The words caused Nya to swallow her breath and hold it. Did he? He had certainly kissed her back as though he’d been interested, but she had specifically told him to play along. Still, there had been undeniable heat between them as they’d shared that kiss.
Which was exactly why she didn’t want to go out with him on Friday night. Not now that she’d sworn off dating.
“I don’t want to spend more time with him,” Nya said, trying to push the memory of Tyler’s mouth out of her mind as she met Sabrina’s eyes again. “You know that I’ve sworn off dating for a year. It’s been four months, and I’ve been going strong with my commitment. I’m not going to waver. So can you please have Mason tell Tyler that I won’t be going on Friday night? Considering they work together, it shouldn’t be any trouble for him to pass the message along.”
“You sure you don’t want to go?” Sabrina asked. “Aren’t you curious about the film?”
“I can watch it whenever it’s released on DVD,” Nya said. “I just can’t stomach the idea of spending a night watching a project that Russell and I started working on when we were dating. It’s not about being hung up on him. It’s about not wanting my past to keep invading my personal space.”
Sabrina shrugged. “Sure. I’ll ask Mason to tell him.”
Nya’s shoulders drooped with relief. “Thank you.”
Sabrina’s eyes suddenly bulged. “Oh, heck. I’ve got to get some clothes on.” She jumped to her feet. “And take a quick shower before my ten o’clock appointment.
Nya also stood. “You’ve got twenty minutes.”
As Sabrina hurried out of the studio, Nya inhaled a deep, calming breath. She could finally de-stress. Mason was going to talk to Tyler and cancel the date.
And Nya could get back to enjoying her intentionally single life.
