In the meantime, tonight’s premiere featured the The Fix, Mr. January, and Mr. February—Reece and Spencer respectively.
Because the show was a big deal for The Fix, a lot of regulars were packed into the room, not to mention most of the staff. At first glance, Griffin found the massive form of Tyree, a huge black man with kind eyes and a deep voice. Beside him stood his fiancée Eva and their twenty-three year old daughter, Elena. Eva and Tyree were a story book romance. Separated for more than twenty years, they were finally back together, grabbing their happily ever after.
Griffin was thrilled for them, and a little jealous, too. Hell, he was jealous of a lot of folks at the fix, Megan and Parker included. Along with Reece and Jenna and so many other couples. Everyone seemed to be pairing up, and yet he could only stand back and pine.
Even his former intern, Mina, was happily living with her friend-turned-boyfriend, Cameron Reed.
The same Cameron who was now signaling Griff from behind the bar, asking him if he wanted a bourbon.
“You know me too well. Got any of Selma’s Bat Bourbon?” Matthew sister, Selma, owned a local distillery, and since bourbon was Griffin’s drink of choice, he was one of her best customers.
“You got it.” He poured two shots, then slid the glass to Griffin. But it was intercepted by Mina, who flashed a mischievous grin, then ordered Cam to pour another.
“I haven’t seen you for a couple of weeks,” she said to Griffin. “Where have you been hiding?”
He shot a glance towards Cam. “I think you may be the one who’s hiding.”
She buffed her nails on her shirt and hummed a bit. “Might be,” she admitted. “What can I say? I’ve got a hot boyfriend.”
“Come on, you guys,” Megan called, waving the remote for the TV. “It’s starting.”
Mina grabbed a seat at the bar with Cam standing behind her, but Griff headed toward the empty seat beside Beverly, his heart pounding like a teenager as he walked.
“Hey,” she said, leaning toward him. “In a year, this will be us, sitting here about to watch our movie, right?”
A chill ran through him, but whether that was because of the idea of the movie or because of the woman sitting next to him, he didn’t know. Fortunately, he didn’t have time to worry about that, because the show started, and the room burst into applause as Austin’s Sixth Street filled the screen and the camera zoomed in on the entrance of The Fix.
The logo for The Business Plan came on, and Griff fell into watching the show. Seeing the way that Brooke and Spencer planned the remodel of The Fix. Watching as they worked together. And noticing the vibrant, palpable attraction that sparked between them on the screen.
He thought of Beverly, working beside him as they revised the script, and as if his imagination had conjured her, suddenly she was there on the screen, introducing the contestants for the Mr. January contest. Reece won that month’s title, and when the camera pulled in to show him on stage, shirtless and covered with tats, everyone in the room applauded—and then broke into laughter and wolf whistles when the image of him faded out and his beefcake calendar shot replaced it.
“Sexy!” Jenna called, then squealed when he swept her into his arms, bent her back, and kissed her passionately, his hand resting on the baby bump that was now prominent at about six months. Soon, Spencer’s win as Mr. February followed, and then the final credits rolled.
“Terrific premier,” Tyree said, standing and holding his hand up for attention. “Not only did it show off Brooke and Spencer’s talents, but it makes this place look pretty damn good. And since I’m sure I’ll have them and their show to thank for another increase in customers starting tomorrow, I’m giving you all a round of drinks right now. On the house!”
“There goes our profit sharing,” Brent Sinclair, a co-owner and the head of security for the bar, called from the doorway, setting off a fresh round of laughter.
Beside Tyree, Elena joined in, then shifted her gaze to the floor when Brent winked at her. Griff turned to Beverly, wondering if she’d caught that interchange, and apparently she had, because she lifted her brows and mouthed, maybe.
Maybe, indeed.
And that was one more stitch in his ever-increasing tapestry of envy. Because like it or not, he needed to face up to the fact that he wanted to be the guy with the maybe.
And no maybe about it. Beverly was the woman he wanted.
Too bad he still couldn’t make himself believe that he could have her.
She was so much at the forefront of his mind, that he actually jumped when she took his left hadn’t and tugged him to his feet. “Hey, everybody! Griffin and I have news, too. Can we share with y’all and join the celebration?”
“You’re engaged!” Selma yelled, then immediately said, “What?” when Easton, her boyfriend and a local lawyer, nudged her into silence. “They’re together all the time.”
Beside Griffin, Beverly’s cheeks turned an appealing shade of pink, but she kept her cool and said, “Not that kind of news. This is more in theme with tonight and the show. You want to tell them?” she asked him, but he shook his head. “Fine. Because I’m about to explode with it. Apex Studios bought Griffin’s script. We’re working on some revisions, and then—unless things go to utter shit, which can totally happen in Hollywood—we’ll start filming next year.”
“That’s amazing!” Jenna bounded forward and wrapped Beverly in a hug. Griffin knew that they hadn’t known each other until Beverly applied for the job of emcee, but after spending so many months working together, they’d become good friends.
Everyone else offered their congratulations, too, and the room exploded into excited chatter and well-wishes, especially from Brooke and Spencer. “You’ve been down this road,” Brooke said to Beverly, “but Griff’s going to be new to the spotlight.”
“I’m just the writer,” he said, fighting a sudden, sick feeling in his stomach. “They won’t be interested in me. I’ve hardly done any press for the web series or the podcast except a few written interviews.”
Spencer met his eyes. “If this picture is going to be as big as they expect, you’ll get some of the shine, too.” He frowned slightly, stroking his beard. “You need to be prepared, buddy.”
“It’s okay,” Beverly intervened, once again casually taking his left hand. “It can mostly be avoided. But Spencer’s right. There’s going to be press. We just need to make sure we have a plan.”
“Great. Right. A plan.” Griffin forced a smile, trying to act nonchalant. Of course, this had been on the horizon. He knew that. Hell, he should have been planning already.
But he hadn’t been. And he couldn’t help but resent that the harsh reality of his condition had once again stolen a piece of his joy.