Emily was fine for the rest of her stay in Los Angeles. She wondered if the panic attack had been just a one-time thing. She couldn't possibly react like that every time she saw someone who looked like Josh.She tried to focus her mind on other things until her next counselling appointment. One distraction was looking at what the media had to say about the premiere of Chipfairies 2. Reviewers still raved about the film, and its opening weekend proved that the film was a hit with audiences too.Emily was conflicted in how she felt about it. Meeting up with Pam for lunch, she couldn't hide her disappointment about how everything turned out."I don't understand what you're upset about," Pam said. "It says here, 'Byron Pomeroy, who has already made a successful comeback from near-bankrupcy this year, had another hidden ace up his sleeve. The Chipfairies movie proves this billionaire hasn't lost his touch after all'. It's all very complimentary.""Sure, even though Byron doesn't deserve
The next day was the premiere of the clown movie, Deadly Drollery. Emily got an unexpected call from Byron at 11 pm. He sounded highly excited, but he aske how she was doing first."I passed my learners' test," she said, "Now we can go riding together!""That's awesome!""So, how was the film?" Emily asked."This movie is a masterpiece," he said. "I just got back from the viewing, and everyone was crazy about it. I thought it might be all right, but it was more like a triumph. You've got to see it!""Well, okay," Emily said. She wasn't very keen on watching another triumph of Nova Summers."You're really going to like it."Hearing Byron's voice reminded her of the connection between them, and her jealousy was instantly laid to rest.They already had a copy of the film, but they had always been afraid to watch it in case it turned out badly. It would have been a disappointment after the success of Chipfairies 2.Now Emily was kind of curious to see it, even if it had Nova Summe
The next day, Carter dropped by the house, and they took on a moderately steep mountain trail not far from where she usually practiced.Emily was a little concerned about Carter going too fast for her, but he kept a steady pace, not trying to show off or get too far ahead. This was her first ride since getting her license, and as usual it took her mind off other, less pleasant matters.They stopped in front of a picnic bench to have some water and take in the view."This is awesome," Carter said, looking over the mountainous landscape, "You're right, I never want to leave here. I might have a job lined up teaching Tae Kwon Do. Maybe I'll teach some skiing in the winter, and I'll be set.""Sounds like a plan," Emily said, "I can see you fitting right in here."She had always thought it was so cool that Carter did martial arts, even though it wasn't the most lucrative source of income. He was an all around sporty guy who valued his freedom, maybe a little too highly since he never s
Emily got home from her appointment and went to find her fiance. He was busy in his home office, but she suspected he was only hiding from her. She knocked on his door."Yes?" he said irritably."The dogs want to go for a walk," Emily said"I'm kind of busy.""They said they want to go with you.""Did they?" Byron looked up from his computer, almost smiling."Yes, it's been ages since we both walked them together, and they need to talk to both of us."Byron got ready pretty quickly which was a good sign he wanted to talk it out too so they could move past this.They walked along the beach, letting the dogs off leash to splash in the water."Okay, what did the dogs want to talk to us about?" Byron asked."About what happened," Emily began, "I realize how it must have looked like to you. You're out of town for a few days, and suddenly your fiancee is hanging out with some guy you've never met before. I get that would cause some jealousy.""Yes, exactly," Byron said. "But I rea
Byron hoped their outing wouldn't be too weird for Emily. He knew it was going to be weird for him.But he tried not to be intimidated by the idea of his current fiancee and his ex girlfriend together on an outing. He wanted to see Nova again, and she seemed cool with the three of them hanging out.Fortunately, Nova took over the conversation and handled everything with grace. Byron felt fairly dashing, walking around with a beautiful lady on each arm. Nova was showing off her figure in a flower patterned summer dress, while Emily looked cool in a white blouse and a pink skirt.They walked along the pier, and Nova chatted about funny incidents on the set of Deadly Drollery."... and here I am, covered in clown makeup, trying to order a taco!" she concluded yet another story."Let's go to the Science Museum!" Emily said on sighting the giant metallic globe perched on the famous futuristic-looking building. "Okay," Byron said, "Have you been there, Nova?"Byron could see that Emi
Byron didn't think he would see Nova again for a few weeks if not months. He feared it might even be forever. Her contract with his studio wasn't yet renewed, and if she really hated him, she would probably sign on with any other studio of her choice. She was really making a name for herself, and any movie producer would be happy to sign her on.Byron was planning some low-key world domination in his office when his receptionist rang and said in an excited voice that Nova Summers was here to see him.Byron took a breath. He had a feeling this meant trouble. She couldn't have forgiven him so quickly, which meant she was probably here to tell him off."Still the same old office," Nova said, looking around. "Not much has changed here... except you." She looked a little pale and tired, and Byron felt guilty about putting her through the emotional ringer. "Did you come here to tell me what a terrible person I am?" he asked."No. I should have trusted my instincts, but sometimes it's h
Emily got on the phone at once, rushing into the house along with the two dogs, who thought maybe this was a fun game of tag. "Yo," Carter answered in his charming way."Carter? Would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow?" she asked while the dogs panted by her side, waiting for more playtime."Um... I might have a thing tomorrow..." Carter said vaguely."Are you sure?" she asked in a sing-song voice, "Because you might miss an opportunity to meet Nova Summers.""Get out of here!" Carter cried. "Nova Summers, the hottest actress in the world, is going to be at your house tomorrow?""That's right, and she's every bit as fabulous in real life," Emily said, rolling her eyes, "So are you in?""You bet I'm in, baby."Emily was very pleased with her plan. She really did want to annoy Byron. It was one thing to have friends that one's partner might not approve of, but he insisted on seeing Nova so much, and hadn't even asked her before inviting Nova to the house. She was hardl
While the men inspected each other's motorcycles, Emily took the opportunity to talk to Nova about something else. She didn't want her to get too carried away when it came to Carter."Please don't take Carter seriously," Emily advised. "He's a bit of a clown, for lack of a better word.""I don't believe it," Nova whispered dramatically. "You want all the men to yourself, don't you? It's not enough for you that you're engaged to Byron!""That's not true," Emily protested, "I just wanted to warn you about getting too interested in Carter. I've known him ever since he was young. All he does is putter around, never having a real girlfriend or a real job.""Well, thank you for the Employment Bureau report," Nova huffed, "But I'll make up my own mind.""Suit yourself," Emily said. Everyone had a chance to sober up while Emily and Nova played with the dogs and discussed fashion news, and the men went to Byron's home gym to compete in bench pressing.They gathered in the living room fo