Free Love Me to Death by Sharlay

get exactly what I desired was if I made it myself. The rest is history.” I can see the sparkle in her eyes as she speaks.
    “I’m guessing you’ve done pretty damn well based on the size of your penthouse?”
    She laughs.
    “I’ve been blessed with a very good career, but it’s just money. I can’t take it where I’m going, can I?” She chuckles. I hate hearing those words. I don’t want to go there so I don’t.
    “Do any celebrities wear your pieces?”
    “Yes, quite a few; that’s how I get a lot of my rings sold. They are like walking billboards for me. People see their favorite celebrity wearing one of my pieces and suddenly my rings are flying off the shelves.”
    “Sounds awesome, so do you have some sort of factory where they’re made?”
    “I have five: two in the US, one in the UK, one in Switzerland, and another in India.”
    “You’ve done pretty well for yourself, Ned. I’m proud.”
    “I have a great team.”
    “And I’m pretty sure they have a great boss. I know I do.” I laugh.
    “Smooth, are you looking for a pay rise?”
    “Maybe, is it working?”
    “Nope.”
    “Damn.”
    She laughs.
    “What about you? How did you get into acting?” I don’t think I’ve ever had a woman ask me this or look so genuinely interested in my answer. This woman .
    “Honestly, it was the only thing I was good at in high school. I pretty much flunked everything else. My teacher, Mr. Eagles, believed in me for some reason. He kept pushing me until I started to take it seriously.”
    “What do you love about it?”
    “It’s like looking at life from a different perspective. I think as a world we’re pretty judgmental of people we don’t understand. Playing a role allows me to immerse myself in a character’s world and life. That experience always teaches me something new about people and the world around me. It gives me a new type of appreciation.”
    “And affects other people’s views as well,” she says gently.
    Gosh, she gets me. “Exactly.”
    “It sounds pretty amazing.” I look up to find her smiling at me. Why is my heart beating so fast?
    “It is,” I whisper. “So what’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” I ask in need of a subject change.
    “Tomorrow is your day off.” I suddenly hate days off. “I have back-to-back meetings all morning. I’m very close to signing a contract with a huge jewelry retailer, and I need to tie up a few loose ends tomorrow.”
    “That’s fantastic.”
    “Yeah, if it all goes as planned then I will get the go ahead to visit Paris and make an offer on a building that I will eventually turn into another factory.”
    “That’s awesome. So, what do you have planned for the evening?”
    “Nothing as of yet.” She smiles. “Why?”
    “Well—”
    The sound of her phone ringing interrupts me.
    “Sorry,” she says before sliding it out of her purse. I give her a little nod that tells her it’s ok and then continue to finish my cannelloni, which I’m sad to see coming to an end.
    “Hey, Misty,” she says. “Oh, you’re with Jackson? Yeah, it was an awesome surprise.” She laughs. I’m suddenly very interested in this conversation. “No, I really had no idea he was coming until I saw him this morning. Yeah, of course. Hey, Jackson. Yes, I’m good. I’m just eating dinner.” With Cole … you forgot that bit, Ned. “Tomorrow evening …” She looks up at me and I smile like I’m not interested in her or her conversation. She looks away. “Yeah, I’m free, what did you have in mind? La Vita, that new restaurant? Yes, I think I know it. Yeah, six is a good time for me. Great, I’ll see you there then. No, tell her I’ll catch up with her soon. Ok, you too, bye.” She hangs up and I pretend not to notice.
    “Sorry about that,” she says quietly.
    “It’s cool,” I say with a shrug of my shoulders. I finish my last bit of food and down my wine in one go.
    “Whoa, slow down; we all know what happens when you drink too much