Her hands trembled at the familiar voice. She closed her eyes. Breathed. “How do I take my coffee, Bachelor Number Three?”
“Decaf. Handsome.”
Monique and Leah dropped the curtain. Hollyn had known who’d be standing there. No one else could’ve known those things about her, but the sight of Jasper still stole her breath. He was standing there with a weary smile, tousled like he’d been wearing the same clothes for days, and was holding a sign that labeled his character for the audience, but it was flipped downward.
“Hey,” he said softly.
It took a second for Hollyn to find her voice. “Hi.”
“Sorry I’m late.”
She stood, forgetting anyone else was there. “What are you doing here?”
“Show her your sign, bro!” the heckler shouted.
Jasper smirked and turned to the audience. “Thanks, man. I’ll take it from here.”
Hollyn glanced down at his white-knuckled grip on the sign. “Should I take a guess?”
“Yes!” a female voice shouted, one that sounded suspiciously like Andi.
Jasper didn’t lift his sign. “You can try.”
Hollyn swallowed hard. “Guy who got the part?”
He nodded. “I am, but that’s not what’s on the sign.”
He got the part. The knowledge sent a sharp kick of grief through her. “Guy who’s going to be a great, big TV star?”
He shook his head and lifted the sign. The words were scrawled in Jasper’s handwriting.
The Guy Who Messed Up and Is Here to Say He’s Sorry
She sucked in a breath.
He dropped the sign to the floor. There was another behind it.
The Guy Who’s Going to Turn Down the Part
Her hand flew to her mouth.
He dropped another page.
The Guy Who Belongs in This City, on This Stage, with These People, and Who…
Another page dropped.
Has Totally Fallen in Love with You
The Girl Who Most Definitely, Without a Doubt Deserves All the Big Romantic Gestures
Tears brimmed in her eyes as the audience caught sight of the words and started cheering. The heckler called out, “He loves you, Miz Poppy!”
Hollyn choke-laughed on her tears and lowered her hand.
Jasper stepped forward, took her hands in his, and put his mouth next to her ear. “I love you, Miz Poppy. And Hollyn Darling. And every other version of yourself you might want to be in the future.”
The future. “Jasper.”
“Kiss him!” Andi shouted.
The crowd chimed in, cheering them on.
Jasper looked down at her, questions in his eyes, vulnerability there.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked, still reeling from all the things he’d said. He’d gotten the part. He was turning it down. He was staying. He loved her.
“Never been surer of anything,” he said. “Sometimes when you get the dream, you realize it wasn’t what you were looking for at all. That you already had what you most wanted right where you were standing. You just weren’t looking hard enough.”
All the tension she’d built up being onstage relaxed, and a big smile took up residence without her permission. “This is the least funny improv scene ever.”
He grinned. “Let’s give them a show, Hollyn Darling.”
“Let’s.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and he dipped her back low, putting his lips to hers and kissing her with dramatic flair. It could’ve been the intro sequence to the Jasper Dearest and Hollyn Darling show they’d joked about that first night together.
The crowd exploded with cheers, and Jasper eased her back up, cupping her face and kissing her for real this time. The sound of the other people in the room faded into the background, and Hollyn forgot to be self-conscious or nervous or worried about what anyone else in that room thought. She no longer cared.
All that mattered was how she felt inside. That this was right. That this was real. That this was meant to be.
For the first time in her life, Hollyn didn’t have to pretend she was in a movie to escape. She didn’t have to imagine she was anyone else or anywhere else but right there in her own shoes. Happy. In Love. Brave.
She was finally the star in her own story.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Jasper had no idea how he and Hollyn made it through the rest of the improv show. He’d wanted to sweep Hollyn out of there the minute they’d kissed, but they’d stayed onstage and had given it everything they had. The whole group had walked off to a standing ovation.
The applause was still ringing in his ears as he grasped Hollyn’s hand and tugged her toward the back of the bar. But before they could make it to the storeroom and get some actual alone time, Fitz intercepted them. He threw his arms around Jasper and picked him up off his feet. “Holy shit, Jasper!”
Fitz squeezed the breath out of him. Only Fitz could make Jasper feel like his six-foot-two frame was small. “Dude, calm down. I didn’t announce onstage that I loved you.”
Hollyn was laughing at them, her eyes sparkling. “Should I be jealous?”
“Maybe,” Fitz said, releasing Jasper and thumping him on the back “Because I love this guy. That show was…wow. The signs, man.”
Jasper straightened his collar. “Aww, Fitzwilliam, I didn’t take you for a romantic.”
“It’s Fitzgerald, asshole. Do I look like a Mr. Darcy?” Fitz grimaced like the idea of being considered broody offended him on a personal level. “And though I’m happy for the both of you, this isn’t about the romance. This is about setting yourself up to go viral. That shit y’all pulled up there?” He shook his head with a smirk. “Golden. You should see the hashtags popping up already. Hashtag LoveAtImprov, hashtag GrandGesture, hashtag ImTheGuy.” He glanced at Hollyn. “Hashtag MizPoppyInLove.”
Hollyn grinned.
Jasper shrugged. “I didn’t do it for the hashtags.”
“And I don’t give a damn about your intentions,” Fitz fired back. “Because all that matters right now is the fact that at least two of the investors are in. The third is a strong maybe. Either way, you’re going to have enough. You and Hail Yes are going to get your theater, Jas.”
Jasper rocked back on his heels, the news hitting him like crashing surf. “Are you serious?”
“They want you to be part of it, too, Hollyn. A regular special guest,” Fitz said, looking to her. “People are going to connect to your story and the story of the two of you together.”