Read Online Under the Lights by Dahlia Adler - Free Book Online Page A

in the world is standing in the doorway right now.
    I jump away from Zander and wipe off my mouth as Josh approaches, as if that’ll cleanse me from this unpleasant moment. Ugh. I knew Josh auditioning was a horrible idea as soon as Ally mentioned it, and now I’d forgo Pinkberry for a year if I could magically get the power to teleport myself out of here.
    â€œJosh, what the hell are you doing here? I thought you were meeting with Davis.”
    â€œI met, I saw, I conquered.” He grins broadly. “Guess who’s gonna be your new costar, baby.”
    No
. “You have to be kidding me.”
    â€œJust curious who you’ll think is a better kisser,” he muses, wedging himself on the couch between me and Zander. “Holloway or me?” We’re no longer even touching, but I can still feel Zander bristle.“How perfect is that gonna sound on the cover of
Entertainment Weekly
?”
    I jump off the couch. “No way in hell. You’re coming on as my love interest? I did
not
sign off on this!”
    Josh laughs. Such an asshole. “Please. Like anyone cares.”
    â€œThey will,” I warn him, crossing my arms, though I have no idea if this is true. Considering what a battle it was to talk them out of putting me in orange leggings, the jerk probably has a point.
    â€œWell, I’m doing it to help Liam get a lightened schedule so he can film the Lassiter movie, so you might wanna think about him before you try—and fail—to get my ass booted from the set.” He smiles smugly. “Besides, you haven’t even given me a shot yet. Wanna practice before the table-read next week?”
    â€œI am literally gonna hurl all over your overpriced shoes right now.”
    He laughs. I don’t.
    â€œI’m going for a walk,” I declare, grabbing my phone from my purse and not even caring that I’m not being subtle about it. Then I march outside and immediately call Jade; she’s always the first to know everything.
    â€œDid you know Josh was joining the show?” I demand as soon as I hear a voice on the other end.
    â€œVanessa?”
    My stomach tightens. Of course Brianna’s answering Jade’s cell phone. “Is your mother there?”
    â€œJade’s at a meeting right now.” Brianna’s voice is pleasant and professional, smooth and confident, and that only annoys me more. Acting should be left to actors, not to publicists—or their interns—who pretend to be friendly for five seconds. “Is everything okay?”
    â€œAs if you care,” I mutter, and then immediately regret it. God, this girl is worse than Josh at makingme drop my nice Vanessa guard. “I was just looking for more information on something,” I add, making sure my voice sounds sweeter now.
    â€œOn Josh Chester joining the cast of
Daylight Falls
?” Brianna asks. “It’s just a three-episode arc. Shouldn’t be too bad. You can handle yourself just fine. I’ve seen it.”
    I can hear the smile in her voice as she says this last bit, and despite everything, my lips curve up a bit, too. She may be a manipulative sneak, but there’s some actual sincerity in there. It makes me tingle with a little pride.
    After a few beats, she asks, “So, should I have Jade call you?”
    â€œPlease,” I mumble, because it seems way too awkward to admit that she just made me feel better about the whole thing with a few words. “But, um, no rush, I guess.”
    â€œOkay.” We’re both silent again, and then she says, “Come on. Are you really so pissed about me being at Josh’s party? I was just doing my job.”
    â€œI’m not pissed,” I lie, because I shouldn’t really care enough to be. “I just think it’s weird that you showed up and pretended to be”—
Nice, and funny, and the only person who actually thought to see how I’m feeling about Ally