Page 62 of Next Time We'll Fall

But I know that I still have to try because the last thing I want to do is lose her to some movie star, especially if I never even gave it my best shot.

Chapter 16

JUNIPER

“Darling, what are you wearing?”

One of the girls approaches me as I stand with everyone else, waiting for the filming to start.

“Oh, what do you mean?” I say, thinking that she’s teasing me.

“That bathing suit is something that my mother would wear. Come on. You have to dress much sexier than that if you want to attract August Pitt. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I want him, and I’m pretty confident I’ll win him, but I need some competition. You’re a pretty girl, but that bathing suit is not doing you any favors.”

I look down at my bright red bathing suit and frown.

“I thought it was pretty sexy,” I say. “Actually far sexier than I would normally wear.”

“I mean, the bottoms are okay, but, girl, you got to be showing some cleavage. If it doesn’t look like you’re about to pop out of your top, then it’s not a winning look.”

“Oh, well …” I stare at her in surprise. “I don’t think I’m going to actually wear a top where it looks like I’m popping out of it. That’s just not my look, you know?”

She stares at me. “Okay. I guess you don’t want to be in a competition for August.”

“I mean, maybe he doesn’t like women who have everything on display.”

She looks at me for a couple of seconds and starts laughing. “You’ve never been on TV before, have you?”

“No. Why? Have you?”

“Yeah. That’s why they sent me a message on Instagram and asked me to be a part of the show.”

“They sent you a message on Instagram?”

“Of course. That’s how they get most of us. Wait, how did you get invited?”

“They needed a local, I suppose.”

“Oh.” Her expression changes. “I see. I didn’t realize.”

“Sorry, you didn’t realize what?”

“I didn’t realize you lived here.”

“Yeah. It’s a great town. I love it here.”

“Yeah, but you live here in Coconut Beach. It’s quaint—I’ll give you that—but it’s not really LA or New York. I mean, it’s not even San Francisco or Chicago.”

“Oh.” I stare at her in shock.

I can’t believe she’s being so blatantly rude to me.

“Well, we don’t really have a San Francisco or New York in Florida. I guess you could move to the mainland and live in Miami.”

“Ew. Miami is so ew,” she says. “I would never live in Miami.”

“Well, I don’t live in Miami, so it’s fine.”

“Whatever,” she says and walks away.