“Your mom wouldn’t leave Oregon.”

Zoe knew better. Much as she liked to believe that her mom wouldn’t try and interrupt her life, she wouldn’t put it past her. And Zanya wasn’t exactly rolling in money with any real options. She realized how selfish her thoughts sounded in her head.

What a bitch. Maybe she should be looking at larger homes . . . homes to house her family.

“Don’t go there, Zoe,” Jo exclaimed.

“They have so little.”

Luke edged closer. “Life choices, babe. We’ve talked about this for years. Nothing has changed. You enable your mom now . . . your sister, even Zane, and you’ll be taking care of them their entire lives.”

They were right.

“I hate that you both know what I’m thinking before I do.”

Luke and Jo smiled at each other.

“Perhaps something a little smaller would be a better option,” Anton said.

“It wouldn’t hurt.”

They were eating a late lunch at 15 Coins. Zoe knew the head chef, who personally stepped out of the kitchen to greet them and suggest what they should order. The hospitality was a norm in River Bend but unexpected in Dallas. Even among the accents and the smiles, the metropolitan atmosphere stood out above everything else. And with metro anything, smiles and simple greetings were about as far as people went.

“It feels a little fancy for shorts and a T-shirt.”

“Look around, Jo. There aren’t a lot of dressed up people in here.”

Jo and Luke glanced around the busy restaurant and agreed with a “huh” and a nod.

“I can’t believe the size of everything we looked at today,” Jo said. “It’s like everyone here wants a huge electric bill to combat all this heat.”

“It’s Texas. People like their space here. Closets the size of New York apartments are the norm. I’ll find something that suits me. Just need to keep looking.”

“You’re going to need a big closet for all those shoes you have stacked up in the spare bedroom.”

Zoe had the good sense to be slightly embarrassed by her collection. “It’s part of my on-screen wardrobe.”

Luke grunted. “I’ve seen you cook. You don’t use your feet.”

The thought made her cringe.

Jo laughed.

Zoe felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up. “Felix.”

“I thought it was you. Nobody wears jean shorts with a silk blouse quite like you.”

Zoe accepted her director’s hug and glanced behind him. “Are you with someone?”

Felix puffed out his lower lip. “Alfonzo ditched me for a pedicure.”

She smiled. “Pedicures are important.”

Felix winked and looked at Jo and Luke. “Let me guess, out of town friends.”

Zoe pointed to Jo. “Felix, my fashion consultant, my friend . . . and occasionally he tells me what to do on set. This is Jo.”

Recognition flashed in his eyes as he stuck his hand out. “The posse?”

“I use Sheriff, but posse works.”

“My goodness you are beautiful. A little glowing around the eyes.”

It was fun to see Jo blush. She wasn’t used to compliments.

Felix turned his gaze toward Luke. “Oh, let me guess . . .” He tapped a finger on his chin and then glanced at Zoe. “Is this him?”

She knew she’d talked about her friends back home, but didn’t think she’d revealed any secrets to Felix over the years.

“This is your Luke . . . right?”

Luke had opened his eyes wide and wore a smirk.

“I wouldn’t say he’s mine.”

Luke extended his hand. “A pleasure.”

It was Felix’s turn to blush. “Too bad you don’t play for my team. The good ones are always straight.”

Luke, the brat, pulled out the lone empty chair. “Join us. I’d love to hear what Zoe has been saying about us.”

Translation: he wanted to know what she was saying about him.

“I hate to interrupt.”

“You do not!” Zoe almost snorted her response. “Sit down.”

“So demanding. See what I put up with?” Felix sat and promptly ordered a martini as a waiter passed by.

For the next couple of hours, Felix did all the talking. Luke listened intently as her flamboyant friend recounted what information he’d gathered about him over the years. Luke was the high school lover . . . the man she left behind. All true, and nothing that wasn’t more than an elephant in the room during most conversations. Luke paid close attention when Felix reminded Zoe of a brief affair she’d had over a year before during a filming session in New York. His name was Gary. He was a production assistant infatuated with her, and she was attracted. She didn’t often mix business with pleasure, but Gary had been the exception. As Felix pointed out, he resembled Luke in many physical ways.

The affair lasted several months.

When Gary started asking for more, she cut the relationship off.

No matter who she met, she’d always been too emotionally distant for anything long-term.

Felix insisted on paying the bill and promised to “drop by” River Bend the next time he drove through. Considering no one ever drove through, the likelihood of him doing so was slim.

With Felix’s arm looped through Jo’s as they exited the restaurant, Luke sauntered up next to Zoe and whispered, “So, Gary looked like me, huh?”