Page 43 of Taking the Pitch
“Wait,” he says, rummaging around in a reusable bag I recognize from my car. “Here, chug this before eating,” he tells me, handing me a light blue sports drink.
“Why?” I question, setting my bowl down to twist the top off, taking two big gulps.
“The electrolytes help ease headaches.” Pointing a fork at me, he adds. “You’re probably dehydrated, drink up.”
I roll my eyes but do as I’m told because he’s not wrong. I have a tendency to forget to drink anything other than coffee when I’m on a deadline. Finishing the bottle, I hold up the empty container and shake it, showing him it’s empty.
“Good girl.”
I roll my eyes again and grab my bowl, trying to quiet the butterflies that took flight in my stomach at those words. The only women who like that are the ones I write about…right?
Turning away from him, I stop at Bruno’s food bowl and scoop his dinner into his dish before I head to the couch and take a seat, grabbing the remote from the side table. “Want to watch a movie or something? I mean, no pressure. We don’t have to if you don’t want to,” I babble.
Smooth Amelia.
Plate piled high with more food than I could probably consume in two meals, Judd grabs a napkin from the food bag and comes into the living room, joining me on the other end of the couch. “Sure, what do you have in mind?”
I shrug and flip on the TV. My recently watched list pops up.
“Do you likeThe Office?”
Judd snorts and holds up a finger to me as he chews his mouth full of food. “Does telling you I dressed up as Gold Face for Halloween two years ago answer your question?”
“Pictures or it didn’t happen,” I tell him, pointing my spoon at him.
Chuckling, he pulls his phone out of his pocket and swipes across his screen until he finds what he’s looking for. “Here,” he says, handing me the phone.
I take it and look at the picture. Judd is dressed in a suit with a gold tie, wearing what looks like a wig, holding up plastic handguns in each hand with a wide smile across his glittery gold face.
“That is epic,” I say, handing the phone back to him. Our fingers brush when he takes it back and I pull my hand back quickly when I feel a little zap. He must feel it too because he’s staring at me with what I assume is a matching expression to mine.
Judd clears his throat and puts his phone back in his pocket. “Must be static from the next storm rolling in,” he says before going back to his food.
That has to be it, because there can’t be any other reason why, I tell myself.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
judd
We’retwo episodes intoThe Officewhen Amelia pauses the show and turns to me, hugging her legs to her chest. She looks nervous. “I owe you an apology,” she says quietly, eyes flicking to mine, then back down to her hands where she’s picking at her cuticles.
“For what?” She doesn’t owe me anything, least of all an apology. When I was heading to the library today, I decided to take Lucy’s advice and just be Amelia’s friend, to show her who I really am.
“For my behavior. For how bitchy I’ve been lately, especially towards you.” She pauses and shakes her head slightly. “I promise I’m not usually a miserable person. I just…” She sighs, flicking her eyes back up to mine. “I have a lot going on and I’m not handling it well,” she admits and rubs at her temples. I take her appearance in quickly. Even in the dim light, I can see the dark circles under her eyes are even darker than they were at the gym the other day.
“You don’t need to apologize for anything, Amelia.”
“No, I do. Especially after taking care of me tonight and rescheduling the interview. You didn’t have to do any of that, but here you are. Coming to my rescue.”
I shift on the couch and turn my body towards her, coming up with an idea. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll accept your unnecessary apology if you agree to accept my friendship.”
One eyebrow quirks up. “You want to be my friend?” she asks slowly, like she’s trying to comprehend something impossible.
I nod.
“Why?”
I shrug. “You can never have too many friends.” Deciding to keep my conversation with Lucy to myself. “So, what do you say? Friends?” I ask, sticking my hand out to her.
