Never Just Friends (Spotlight New Adult Book 2) by Mina V. Esguerra Page A

Jake’s fame, apart from seeing his photo all the time in random places. When they saw each other, even when he was already on Rage , they were mostly home, or places where he was barely recognized. And then Lindsay found herself being led into a building, apparently the campus of a film school she’d always walked by but never noticed. A short, pixie-haired girl with adorable yellow-frame glasses, wearing a shirt with the words “It’s the sled” across her chest, met them at ground floor and breathlessly told them that she’d be bringing them up to the auditorium.
    And then Lindsay was being ushered to the front row of said auditorium, easily buzzing with the noise of over a hundred people, film students, up on a Saturday to see Jacob Berkeley, star of TV’s Rage Eternal. Lindsay was disoriented.
    “They need to mic me up backstage,” he was telling her. “I’ll be back.”
    “You’re so sneaky,” she said, and he planted a quick kiss on her before leaving.
    Her phone began to ring, and one of the ushers told her that she had to take the call outside. Or could she ask them to call back after an hour. But it was Cora, Jake’s manager, so Lindsay walked up the steps surrounding the auditorium and took the call outside.
    “Jake’s Lindsay,” Cora said, by way of greeting. “I don’t think we’ve actually met. But thanks for getting in touch. Jake’s Davis Film School panel on time?”
    It took a second for Lindsay to digest this, how easily Cora established what they were to each other. Like Lindsay was supposed to know about Jake’s schedule, and this wasn’t one surprise after another for her.
    “Cora, hey,” she said. “Yeah, it’s starting in a few minutes. They’re setting up. Thanks for calling me back.”
    “No, no, I should have done that first actually. I do that. I make calls. You said call you back when I had the time.”
    “Right.” She did call Cora, yesterday, when Marnie had gotten back to her with the manager’s number. She had been directed to voicemail, and she didn’t know what to say, so she asked for this. A call. “I guess I wanted to ask you how Jake’s been lately.”
    Cora paused. Lindsay noticed this because Cora was breathing audibly, like she was on a treadmill, and then there was no breath. “Excuse me? He’s all right, isn’t he?”
    “Well yeah, but...I guess I need to know why he shows up here without telling me? Of course you’d know this, you’d be aware of his plans for everything.”
    “If you’re wondering if he’s terminally ill, no he’s not. Doesn’t he share his medical results with you or something like that?”
    Lindsay laughed. No, she wasn’t that paranoid. Was she? “Oh I wasn’t thinking that.”
    “A man can’t have a change of heart? He just wants to spend more time with you. And do that thing with trees that he thinks he missed out on.”
    “Did anything trigger this? I haven’t heard from him in more than a year and then he’s practically living with me.”
    “Lindsay, the guy had a rough year. It was good for him in some ways, because I’m sure you know that he acted his ass off and earned everyone’s respect for it, but it was rough. I’m sure he took stock of his life and decided that he wanted you back in it.”
    I should want to hear this. It was all perfect, everything that should reassure her.
    “But isn’t he supposed to be in the middle of filming? They’re usually at work this time of year.”
    “Oh, the France shoot got pushed back. Did he tell you that?”
    “No.”
    “Season 3 is France. French Revolution period. Exciting. They’ve done some key scenes in the studio but had to break because the France permits needed to be arranged. He should be there about a week after the end of his obligations to your foundation. You should go with him, if you’re not busy.”
    Because that was what she would do, right? If she were still Jacob Berkeley’s girlfriend, after the three weeks he’d be in New