RINGOFTRUTHEBOOK (1) Read online

  “We haven’t decided. Do you know of somewhere close?” His mom readjusted her purse and dabbed at her eyes.

  “There’s several, but I’ll take you to the little diner that Erin introduced me to. I think you’ll like it, and it’s not too far away.” Jake started walking and his parents followed. He’d been craving one of their milkshakes. He tried to ignore the fact that he hoped she’d stop there on the way home.

  ***

  The diner was busy for a Sunday morning, but there was one more booth near the window. They sat down and looked through the menus. Jake played with a packet of sugar while he waited to order his food.

  “This all looks fantastic. I can’t decide what I want.” His dad set down the menu. “I give up. What do you like here?”

  “Erin would recommend the James Dean. I have to say I agree … without the mushrooms.” Jake smiled to himself.

  His mom’s eyebrows scrunched together. “This doesn’t say there are mushrooms.”

  Jake laughed. “I know. Erin adds them.”

  His dad leaned forward. “You’re head over heels for this girl, aren’t you?”

  “What do you mean?” Jake asked.

  “You’ve talked about her nonstop since she left this morning. It’s good to see that you’re past the heartbreak of, you know.” His dad shrugged when his mom elbowed him.

  Jake set the sugar down. “Yeah, she’s pretty amazing. And nothing like that other person.”

  The waiter came to take their order, saving Jake from having to talk about Melody. Sam and Jake got the James Dean meal, and his mom chose a breakfast platter.

  “So what are your plans today?” Jake took a drink of his water. He’d planned to go with them, but he was eager to get home so he could call Erin.

  “Mom wanted to shop for your niece and nephew. Their birthdays are coming up, and she wants to check out the toy store. And I was planning to hang out in Central Park. See the zoo, enjoy the quiet.”

  Jake laughed. “That’s what home is for. But that sounds fun. I can help you find a gift, and then go over to the park.”

  The waiter brought their food, and set down the syrup for Jake’s mom. “You should take a tour of the park. It’s worth the money.”

  “Thanks. I’ll look into it.” Jake’s dad smiled at the waiter, and popped a fry into his mouth as she walked away.

  “Sounds like we have our day planned out for us then.” Jake took a big bite of his burger. The flavors burst in his mouth, and he had to admit Erin was right. As good as the burger was before, the mushrooms made it ten times better.

  Jake didn’t realize his parents had said anything until they started laughing.

  “Earth to Jake. What is going on? You haven’t been yourself since we left the church.” His mom set the fork down. “We did say something wrong, didn’t we?”

  Jake sighed and put his burger down on the plate. “You didn’t do anything wrong. We did. Well, it was my fault, but Erin went along with it.”

  His mom cleared her throat and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “What exactly did you do?”

  “Oh, man. Nothing like that. Erin’s parents were coming into town, and you two were coming into town, and neither of us had dates even though you were all expecting it. I asked Erin to … pretend to be dating me.” Jake went on to explain about the ring, and everything else that had happened since then. The disappointment was evident on his parents’ faces as they picked at their food in silence.

  When they didn’t say anything for a few minutes, he continued. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. And then it just kept escalating. Erin’s family kept congratulating us, and then this morning … I think that’s what Erin is upset about.” He held a hand up to stop his mom from apologizing. “Not you. I think she would have loved to use the pastor. It was the lying that got to her. And to me. And I’m sorry. I’m actually relieved I told you before you left.”

  His mom stood without saying anything and walked into the bathroom. His dad stared at the door for a moment before turning back to look at Jake.

  “Why did you think this was okay?” His low voice beat into Jake’s soul.

  Jake ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know. We both just needed dates.”

  His dad glared at him. “That’s a weak excuse, and you know it. How long have you known her? Did you just pick a random person off the street, or did you actually put some thought into it first?”

  Jake’s anger flared. “That’s not fair.”

  “Neither is lying to your parents,” his dad argued back. He stood and left the table and walked over to the bathroom. He tapped on the door and spoke softly until it opened. His mom came out, her eyes swollen from crying, and they left without saying good-bye.

  Jake wanted to kick something, but knew it was all on him. He’d made the deal, he’d pushed it, and now everyone around him—everyone he cared about—was angry with him. He pulled out what cash he had and dropped it on the table before leaving.

  Chapter 11

  The morning was chilly when Erin left her apartment that morning. She pulled her jacket closed and kept her head down to protect her face from the wind. It was good they’d have her go through makeup before the shoot that morning. Her hair was already flying around her face, and leaves whipped around her.

  A cab pulled up to curb and she climbed in, thankful to be out of the wind. Erin directed the driver to the studio and stared out the window. She’d considered asking Jake if he wanted to go with her, but he hadn’t called at all the day before. Never mind that she hadn’t texted or called him either. Walking away from him probably hadn’t been a good idea, but it was all too much to handle at the moment.

  “Doing anything exciting?” the driver asked.

  Erin looked at him surprise. “What?”

  “Doing anything exciting? If you’re going to the studio, you must be doing something fun.”

  “I’m shooting a commercial.” Erin slouched down in her seat, wanting the ride to be over.

  The driver laughed. “All right. I get it. I’ll be quiet. Just saw that you were down, and wanted to cheer you up.”

  Erin smiled, but didn’t say anything. When they pulled up at the curb, she made sure to tip him a little more than usual. “Thank you for trying to brighten my day.”

  The driver tipped his hat. “Any time.”

  Erin was the first one from her group to show up, so she was able to sit and go through the different ads Mr. Smith had suggested. They would be short and simple, but he wanted a variety, so Erin had helped find another couple to trade off doing the commercials. That would help Jake since he would be starting the other job soon.

  Voices came down the hallway, so Erin stood and smoothed her dress and hair. Oh, man. Her hair. She quickly brushed her fingers through it to calm it down. When Mr. Smith came in the room, Erin moved forward and held out her hand for him to shake.

  “Welcome. I’m glad you could make it.”

  “I love to see my visions come to life. Did you see the changes we made?” he asked.

  “Yes, and I think they’re great. There are a few more changes we can make if we need to the family commercial, but I like the concept.”

  Jake walked in with another couple and set his stuff down on a bench. He smiled over at Erin, but didn’t come over to say hi.

  “Erin,” Debra called out. “This is Brooke and Liam. They’ll be the other actors on this project. We’ll have each of you go through the scenes and then decide from there which we can use.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Erin remembered them from their profiles.

  The director came in and studied the stage before turning to the group. “Okay, let’s have Jake and Erin first. Then we’ll move on.” He handed them their scripts, and Erin walked over to the set where Jake joined her.

  “Hey, how was your Sunday?” he asked.

  Erin shrugged. “It was quiet. What time did your parents leave?”

  Jake frowned and looked away
. “I don’t know. They were angry when they left, so I don’t know what they did after that.”

  Erin gasped. “You told them?”

  Jake nodded. “It went about how we thought it would. Let’s forget about it for now. Not much we can do, and I need this to go well.”

  “Okay.” Erin gave him a hug, but he seemed tense for some reason. The meeting the day before must have really gone bad. They walked over to have their hair and makeup done. Erin couldn’t help glancing over at Jake, but he continued to stare straight at the mirror in front of him. Once they were done, they went back to the set and waited for directions.

  “Let’s get ready,” the director shouted. “You two sit there near the Christmas tree. Yes, right there. And … action!”

  ***

  Erin caught Jake’s eye as she walked toward him and handed him a gift. His dimples showed as he pulled out the teddy bear she gave him. Jake then went down on one knee and pulled a box out of his pocket. Erin put her hands on her cheeks in excitement before holding out her hand for the ring. They ended with the two of them leaning in for the kiss.

  “Cut! Let’s try it again. We need you two to feel more for each other. You’re in love, and this is the moment he’s going to show how much he cares. Got it?”

  They both nodded and get back into their positions.

  “Action!”

  Erin went through the motions again, this time ignoring all the people around them. She pretended like this was real. It was easy enough, because they’d been pretending to be engaged for a few days already. Her smile slipped, and the director yelled, “cut!”

  “Emotions. You’re in love with this guy. One more time.”

  The look on Debra’s face told Erin that she better get it right this time, or she was in trouble. Okay, enough with the sad. She cared a lot for Jake, so she just had to show it. She poured all of her feelings for him into her acting. The friendship, the feel of his lips on hers, everything. It was just enough so that when Jake slipped the ring onto her finger, she had tears of joy in her eyes. Jake leaned in for a kiss, and Erin held her breath in anticipation.

  “Cut! That was perfect. Remember that for the other commercials. Brooke and Liam, you’re up.”

  Jake and Erin stared in each other’s eyes for a second before he let go of her, and they left the stage and sat next to their stuff. Erin was still trying to compose herself when Debra sat next to her and studied her for a moment.

  “You had me scared there for a minute. You two were so perfect last week, and today it was just sort of blah until that last one. I’m counting on you. Don’t disappoint me.” Debra stood and walked away.

  Erin took a drink of water, and sat back to watch the other couple. They were pretty good. The chemistry wasn’t quite there, but it was okay. Erin thought back to how it felt when Jake put the ring on her finger. She’d wanted it more than anything. But it couldn’t happen. Not now. Not when his parents knew the truth of what had happened.

  One of the assistants brought Erin a copy of the next commercial they’d be shooting. This time they’d have speaking parts, so she went over to sit by Jake.

  “Hey, want to practice?” she whispered.

  Jake looked through the script and nodded. “They don’t give you a lot of time for these commercials, do they?”

  “A few of these were last minute, so no. Sorry.” Erin waited for the commercial to be finished before she turned to face him. “Okay, ready?”

  “Sure. Okay …” Jake cleared his throat. “Hey, honey. Are the kids in bed?”

  Erin nodded. “Yes, finally. It’s always so hard to get them to sleep on Christmas Eve.”

  “They’re so excited for Santa to come tomorrow.” Jake laughed.

  “The tree looks so beautiful with all the presents underneath it. Did you make sure we didn’t miss any?” Erin asked.

  “Well, let’s see,” Jake pretended to count the gifts. “Wait, a minute. There’s an extra one.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s this one. It has your name on it.”

  Erin gasped. “Oh, it’s beautiful.”

  The rest of the commercial was the voice over and action, so they ran through the script a couple more times before it was time to go to wardrobe. Erin put on a pair of pajamas and a robe. The makeup artists combed through her hair and touched up her makeup.

  Erin went out to the set where they’d set up a couch and decorations around the tree. She was told where to sit and handed a mug she had to pretend to drink from. Jake came out soon after in pajamas. The gray shirt was tight across his chest and accented his muscles. He was also handed a mug and soon they were shooting the commercial.

  As they said their lines, they settled in front of the tree. Jake pulled out a small rectangular box and handed it Erin. She opened it and gasped at the beautiful necklace inside. It was a heart that was encrusted with diamonds along one edge.

  Jake took the necklace from the box and put it on Erin’s neck. His fingers tickled her neck and sent tingles through her. She turned and cupped his face in her hands, and kissed him. It was just a short, simple kiss, but the feeling behind it left her breathless.

  “Cut! That was great. We’ll run it again from a few different angles.”

  Erin moved back into position, and took the necklace off so they could put it back in the box, then picked up her mug.

  By the time they’d run through the commercial a few times, Erin had decided that shooting this commercial was going to be the death of her if they didn’t get done soon. Working with Jake played with her emotions, and made it really hard to stay away from him. She had to keep reminding herself that everyone was standing around watching her—including her boss.

  “That’s a wrap for these two. Let’s get the others on set. Erin and Jake, head to wardrobe. The scripts for the next commercial are in there.” The director leaned back in his chair.

  Jake caught up to Erin as they walked into the other room. “Hey, are you okay?”

  “Yeah. Just overwhelmed. I’ll be fine.” Erin couldn’t bring herself to look at him. Her emotions were too raw still.

  “You’re doing a great job. Your expressions look so authentic.” He smiled and walked over to the rack of suits.

  Erin was sure he meant that as a compliment, but it felt like a slap to her face. The emotions looked authentic, because they were. She’d fallen hard, and couldn’t do anything about it. She put on the nice outfit and looked through the notes. It was easy enough to go through. She could do this with a smile, and without Jake having to touch her for this commercial, she could handle this one. She hoped.

  When Brooke and Liam came into get changed, Erin went back out to the set. She was surprised to see half the crew leaving with equipment.

  “We’re done?” she asked Debra.

  “No, they’re getting ready to shoot the last commercial outside with artificial snow. The wind died down just in time. Otherwise, you could have been filming in a blizzard instead of a simple snowstorm.” She laughed.

  “That’s good. It was pretty nasty out there. How did the other two do?” Erin looked over the notes Debra had taken.

  “They did great. It’ll be tough to decide which commercials to go with, but each of you bring something different to the set.”

  Erin had to agree. It took more time, but this gave them a few more options if they were able to get the extra TV spots.

  “We’re ready for you.” The assistant’s voice made Erin jump. She led Erin over and had three children stand up. “This is Avery, Morgan, and Michael. They’ll be your kids for this commercial.”

  Erin bent down to their eye level. “Hi, I’m so glad to meet you. Are you excited?”

  Avery nodded, but the other two just stared at her.

  Jake knelt down by them. “We’re going to play a game. See this coin? I’m going to make it disappear.” He moved his hands around and then held them out to show they were empty. “Where’d it go?”

  The child
ren giggled while they tried to find it.

  “Oh, I think I see it. Erin, come here.” He reached up and pulled the coin from behind her ear. “There it is.”

  “Do it again!” Morgan yelled, and the others cheered and jumped up and down.

  “Okay, but first we’re going to do this commercial. Let’s sit here and pretend to open presents.”

  Erin watched him play with the kids, and her heart melted. He was a natural when it came to making them laugh. She sat down in her spot and held out a present to Michael.

  When the director yelled “action,” they started pulling the lids off the boxes. Each one had a small gift inside.

  Jake moved closer to Erin and handed her a small box. Inside was a diamond bracelet. She grinned as Jake put it on her wrist and then kissed her.

  “Cut!”

  The kids giggled at Jake and Erin as they stopped playing with their toys and put them back in the boxes for the next take.

  They shot the commercial a few more times from different angles, and then did a few with just Erin and Jake, and then again with just the three kids. Once they were done, the kids tackled Jake.

  “Do the trick again!”

  “Okay, okay.” He reached over and pulled a coin from Avery’s and Michael’s ears, and then stopped. “Hey, Morgan? What is that?”

  “What?”

  Jake slowly pulled the bracelet that had been on Erin’s wrist from behind Morgan’s ear. “You have expensive taste.” He stood and helped Erin up. “Great job you guys. We have to go get ready.”

  Erin and Jake walked back into wardrobe for the last commercial. She was surprised at how late it had gotten already. It was nearing evening. Shooting three commercials in a row would do that.

  She vaguely listened as she was directed to put on a gorgeous evening gown. Her mind was already going through what needed to be done for the ads tomorrow. She slipped the gown on and inspected it in the mirror to make sure it looked right. They’d managed to find a perfect fit, and the glittery black material hugged her body just right.