Ring of Truth (A Silver Script Novel Book 1) (2 page)

Erin grabbed leftovers from her fridge and plopped down on her couch. She pulled out her phone and dialed Carissa’s number without having to look.

 “Hello?” Carissa sniffled.

“It’s that bad, huh?” Erin felt horrible that it had taken this long to get back to Carissa. She should have called the second she was out of the office. Her mind instantly started planning ways to help her best friend feel better.

“Yeah, but I’ll live. I was getting bored there, anyway.” She tried to sound cheery, but Erin could hear the pain behind it.

“I guess that means you don’t care that we got the account?” Erin couldn’t help the excitement that flowed through her. She’d been up against five other people, trying to get this campaign.

Carissa squealed. “Seriously? Okay, that makes this day so much better.”

“I’m glad. I’ve been feeling so bad for you.” Erin played with the tassel on her grandma’s old afghan that hung over the couch. “How did Matt take it?”

“He’s fine. We’re both disappointed, of course, but at least he got that raise. That way we can still pay for the dress. Of course, we still have to get on the schedule. They’re still booked way out.”

Erin cringed. Carissa’s wedding was only a few months away, and every dress shop was full because of brides wanting to have their Christmas weddings.  “We’ll figure out a way to get you in. You need your perfect dress.”

“Yeah, I do.” Carissa sighed. “So, did you do anything to celebrate the new account?’

Trust Carissa to turn the conversation back on Erin. “I wish. This day has just gone from bad to worse.”

“Uh-oh. What happened?” Carissa gasped. “You weren’t put on the account with Nate, were you?”

Erin rolled her eyes at the mention of Nate. He was the ultimate competition and a total jerk.  “No, thankfully. Mom and Dad are coming to visit, and Coco got out again. And the new guy at the pound is irritating.”

Carissa laughed. “Irritating, huh? And yet, you took the time to mention him. Is he cute?”

“You have no idea. But that’s beside the point. I had to pay thirty-five bucks, and he went out of his way to be annoying.”

“Uh-huh. And does this guy have a name?”

Erin could sense the grin through the phone. “Jake. And it’s not like that.”

Carissa laughed again. “You’re hopeless. Now, are we going to go get some ice cream, or what? I need sympathy, and you need to spill. I want all the details.”

Erin looked down at her untouched plate. Leftovers could wait. “Sure. Meet me at the diner.”

There was only one diner worth going to, and it was only a few minutes from Erin’s apartment. The food was fabulous, and it was noisy enough that they could talk boy problems or whatever else without worrying about anyone listening in.

“See you in ten.” Erin ended the call and tossed her phone on the couch.

She would have changed, but it was late, she was tired, and it was the diner where she’d poured her heart out many times before. No one would know she usually wore sharp suits and had her own corner office—and that’s exactly how she wanted to keep it. Tonight was for her friend.

Jake watched Erin go and shook his head. She was feisty and beautiful, and while her southern drawl was muted, he’d picked up on it immediately. And he was pretty sure he’d messed up any chance he had with her. He’d had all of the procedures drilled into him until he could repeat them back in his sleep, but he still felt bad making people pay for their own pets. When she’d left the collar behind, he was sure it was the perfect chance to ask for her number, but he’d chickened out at the last second. And he’d probably never see her again. Unless her cat got out again.

“She’s quite a looker, isn’t she?” an older customer said, chuckling.

Jake blushed. “Yeah, she is. What can I do for you?”

After helping her find the perfect dog, Jake finished up the paperwork for the day, then checked to make sure each of the animals had enough food and water. He hated to leave them, since really they were the only living things that he’d gotten to know in the city. He missed his small town, but this job would work great while he looked for an acting job. Mr. Dayley had given him a flexible schedule so he could work around his auditions, which was something he most likely wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else.

He needed some groceries, or he’d have nothing to eat the next day, so he walked quickly toward the corner store a few blocks away from his apartment.

The store was quiet, with only a few shoppers among the aisles—one reason he liked this place. It was off the beaten path. He picked up a basket and headed for the produce. It wasn’t quite the same as fresh off the tree, but he needed something he could grab on the way to work every morning. Two women gossiped near the potatoes, but stopped when he walked by. Their appraising eyes made him uncomfortable, so he chose to ignore them.

Jake picked out what he wanted and headed for the bread aisle. His mom would never have approved of his PB&J sandwiches, but until he got his next paycheck, he didn’t have much choice.

Once he had everything he needed, he checked out and left the store, making sure to grab a newspaper on the way out. A small diner sat on the corner a few blocks away from his apartment, and he made a note to head there after payday. For now he could deal with eating a sandwich.

Jake walked the few blocks to his small apartment complex. It wasn’t much, but it’s what he could afford. He picked his way along the hallways, avoiding the toys from the neighbors’ kids. Two young kids raced past, giggling and yelling to each other.

Jake set the groceries down on his counter and put the food in the empty cupboards. He poured himself a drink and dropped onto his couch. While he sipped his juice, Jake went through the classifieds and circled any ads that had to do with acting. A few looked promising, while others had been there for a few weeks, and he’d already tried to get auditions. It was always the same thing. He had great looks and acting, but he just wasn’t right for the part. It was hard to hear, but he wasn’t about to give up. He needed to prove that he could do it. To himself, to his parents. To Melody. He pushed his ex-girlfriend out of his head.

With that done, Jake took a quick shower, and checked his phone. He groaned. Only a few people knew his number, and he was hoping to avoid all of them.

 “Jake, this is Philip. Your payment is overdue. Again. I don’t want to evict you, but I need something.” The deep voice was kind, and that made Jake feel worse than if he’d yelled. Philip was a great guy and had been more than patient with him.

Something needed to happen soon with his auditions, or Jake would have to get another job. He’d been told not to expect a raise at the pound for the first year, which he hadn’t really expected anyway. Jake made a sandwich and sat down on the old couch that had been left by the previous owners, and turned on the TV. The reception was terrible, but he couldn’t complain, because it was also free.

He made a few phone calls to different agents, and then entered all the new audition dates into his phone. Tomorrow would be busy, but he hoped it would be worth it.

The phone rang, and Jake answered it, grimacing. “Hey, Mom.”

“You didn’t call at all this week. I was beginning to think you’d been mugged.” His mom shouted for Jake’s dad to come on the line.

“I’m fine. Just busy.” Jake set his plate in the sink and turned on the faucet, waiting for the water to go clear before getting a drink.

His mom sniffed. “Too busy to call your parents? After everything we’ve done—”

“Enough, dear. How’s your job, son?” his dad asked.

“Great. I sold a few dogs and returned a few runaway pets.” Erin’s face appeared in his mind. She was so beautiful with her long dark hair and green eyes—even if she was upset at the time.

“How nice. And your acting? Found anything yet?”

Jake sighed. “It’s … going. I have a few auditions tomorrow.”

“Excellent. Well, honey,” his mom paused, and Jake could hear whispering. “We have some great news. We have a wedding to attend in New York City this weekend, so we’ll be coming to visit. They invited you as well. We made sure to add a plus one for you.”

Jake looked around his empty apartment in alarm. “Uh sure. That would be great. I have some plans I might need to move around, but I can make it work.” Plans, like making his apartment look somewhat furnished.

“Plans? Like … date plans?” His mom’s voice was excited.

Jake shook his head.
Typical
. “Not all plans have to involve dating, Mom.”

“So it
is
 a girl. Oh, I’m so excited.” She squealed, making Jake roll his eyes. It’s not like he was all that old. Mid-twenties gave him plenty of time to find someone. “Although, that does ruin the second half of my exciting news.”

“And what’s that?” Jake wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

There was a slight pause as his parents whispered back and forth. “Melody left what’s-his-name and will be in town, so we were hoping you two could go together. I got her number from her mom.”

Jake cringed at her name. “Mom. No. Besides, you’re right. I have a date.”

“Ah, well. I’ll have to break the news to her parents. They’ll be so disappointed. She would make such a wonderful wife.”

“Look, I need to get to bed. I’ll see you when you get here.” Jake knew the conversation would go on for hours if he didn’t hang up now. And this was a conversation he never wanted to have.

“Well see you on Friday. Our flight gets in at six o’clock, and our hotel isn’t too far from your place. Love you,” his dad said, clearly agreeing with Jake.

“Love you too.” He hung up as he heard his mom still going off on how wonderful it was that he had a date.

Jake grumbled at the phone and tossed it on the bed before going into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Now on top of work, he had to come up with a way to furnish his apartment, and find a date in two days.

Erin met Carissa at the diner and gave her a hug before they slid into a booth. The smells of hamburgers and fries filled the air and brought her a sense of comfort.

A waitress came by holding her notepad and pen. “You two want the usual?”

“Yep. I could use a huge mug of hot chocolate about now.” Erin studied Carissa as she put in her order. While she looked a little pale, Carissa had finally put on some weight and looked better than she had in months. It had been touch and go for a while, but she’d been given the all clear a few weeks before.

The two of them talked about work and Erin’s upcoming projects. Erin waved at a few of the regulars who came in and said hi. Maybe she should have changed out of her pajamas …

“So how are you really doing?”

“I’m fine, really. Having the money for the wedding would be great, but now I have more time to plan everything. This whole thing has dragged on forever and I just want to get married.”

“But what about insurance?” Erin didn’t want to mention the possibility of a relapse, but it weighed heavily on her mind.

“Mom and Dad stepped in and helped. I’ll pay them back somehow, but insurance didn’t really cover most of my bills anyway.” Carissa took a bite of a fry.

Erin leaned forward. “I tried to get you hired on as my assistant, but I was told it wasn’t possible. I’m not letting it go, though. I need you.”

Carissa smiled. “You don’t have to do that. Really. While I’d love to be your assistant, I’m actually fine with being let go. Matt’s job pays well enough that I don’t need to work once we’re married, and I was thinking of staying home to write anyway.”

Erin looked at her in surprise. “Seriously? That’s great.”

“You know I’ve always wanted to try to write a book, and this is as a good time as any.”

“What would you write about?”

Carissa ran her fingers through her short blonde hair. “Write what you know, right? I was going to try a memoir.”

Erin grinned. “That would be awesome. Maybe we could do a trade. You could help me with the ads, and I could help you with whatever you need on the book since I was there through the whole thing.”

Carissa nodded. “I was thinking the same thing. I just hoped you wouldn’t mind.”

“Of course not. I’d love it.” Erin looked at the clock on the wall. “I need to get going soon. Mom and Dad are coming into town for a wedding, and I’ve got to get some work done first.”

“Dang. I was hoping you’d be able to look at dresses with me this weekend.” Carissa frowned.

“I’ll be there. They can’t make me skip that for anything. Just text me the details and I’ll make it work.”

“Great. Matt is the greatest guy ever, but I need you to make sure I actually look good.”

“That’s what best friends are for.” She took another bite of her fry.

“Okay, so I want to hear about this guy.”

Erin shook her head. “There’s no guy. I don’t have time for that right now. New project, remember?”

“Uh-uh. You’re not getting out of this. Who is he?” Carissa took a bite of her steak.

Erin sighed. “Fine. Yes, it’s the guy from the pound. He’s … hot. But I was rude to him, so I’d rather not see him again.”