MassaHJ
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Chapter 142: Lunch III
🕑 Added 2025-06-25 09:06:31 +0000 UTC“So, Jake, are you and Scarlett secret lovers?” Cam asked, leaning forward with an eager smile.
I was mid-sip and nearly choked. Scarlett just gave a casual shrug.
I dabbed my mouth with a napkin.
Cam waved a hand. “I just want to break the ice.”
“Pretty sure you shattered it,” Mitchell muttered.
Jay chimed in, “You gotta admit, though, you always show up with someone stunning. You get this from your grandma.”
I narrowed my eyes at Jay. Is this because I kicked Manny out?
Scarlett tilted her head. “Should I be flattered or concerned?”
Phil smiled awkwardly, trying to help. “You’re definitely... stunning. But in a classy way.”
Claire smacked his arm.
Seeing the situation only getting worse, I said, “Scarlett.”
She turned her head to look at me.
I gently reached out, cupped her chin, and lifted it slightly. Then I leaned in and kissed her—a deep one. A real one. And I didn’t let her go for a while.
The table fell into stunned silence. No one spoke. Only the soft clinking of utensils on plates could be heard.
When we finally parted, Scarlett looked a little dazed, her cheeks flushed red.
I didn’t say a word. Just sat back in my chair like nothing happened.
I turned to the waiter. "Yeah, can I get a Coke? And one of those premium ribeye steaks, medium-rare. Thanks."
He blinked, then nodded and walked off.
I took a sip of water and thought, Yeah... with this bunch of people who are champions at making things awkward, you need to be even more shameless and make it even more awkward.
I turned to Scarlett with a smile. "Now I get you. This is really funny," I said, seeing everyone’s blank face.
She jabbed me.
Cam, finally finding his voice, whispered, "Can someone pass the salt? And maybe a fire extinguisher for the heat coming off that kiss?"
Mitchell buried his face in his hands.
Jay laughed, shaking his head. "This one has balls."
"Jay!" Gloria said sharply, giving him a look.
Jay shrugged. "What? I'm just saying."
"You might try 'cojones'!" I added, grinning.
That made Gloria laugh out loud—until she turned and gave me a sharp look right after.
"So, why are we all gathered on this beautiful day?" I said without shame, casually looking around the table. I know it’s Claire’s birthday—I heard it before. But I also knew that would irk her.
Everyone instinctively turned their eyes to Claire.
"So, you all remembered it's my birthday?" Claire said, raising an eyebrow.
"Why do you look angry, Claire? It's not like your whole family is giving more attention to a stranger than to you..." I commented, feigning innocence.
There was another awkward silence, until Haley couldn’t hold back her laughter.
"Haley!" Claire said indignantly.
"Okay, I was mean. I'll give you a present to make up for it, Claire," I said, trying to make peace.
"I don't need a kid's present," Claire said, mocking.
"Come on, Claire, you should be more mature. You are becoming more mature," I replied.
Haley leaned toward me and whispered, "Why are you pressing all of my mom’s buttons?"
"It’s funny," I said.
The truth is, she reminds me of my ex from my past life—just older. They even have similar tastes, like a love for horror movies. That’s why I remember all of them so well. She made me watch with her. Not that I didn’t enjoy them...
Phil, always the helpful one, chimed in, "She loves wine, horror movies, Halloween..."
"Phil!" Claire snapped.
"You like horror movies?" I asked, feigning surprise.
"Yes," she said, nonchalantly.
"It is settled. I'll give you tickets to the premiere of Annabelle," I said.
"What??" Claire exclaimed.
"He can do it. He's the writer," Scarlett added with a smile.
"What??" Claire said again, with even more emphasis.
She stared at me for a second, then blinked. "So you're the Jake Harper?" she asked, finally connecting my name to the writer.
She hadn’t realized it before likely because of my age.
"Yes," I replied with a smile.
Claire suddenly changed her entire attitude, a wide smile spreading across her face. "I just love your movie The Conjuring. And obviously Paranormal Activity."
"You’ll love Annabelle," I said. "And I’ll tell you a secret—I'm writing one for next year called The Nun. And I can give you tickets to the premiere—a handful of them."
Now Claire had the face of someone truly celebrating her birthday. She turned to Phil with excitement. "Phil, we're going to the premiere!"
Phil gave a strained smile, already regretting bringing it up. "That's great, honey."
Haley leaned toward me again and whispered, "How do you even pull this off?"
"What?" I said, playing dumb.
"You make Mom all angry, and now all happy. That’s like a miracle," she whispered.
"So you're doing another horror one?" Scarlett asked, a little disappointed.
"Don’t worry, I might write other things besides horror for next year, will use David H. again (like in Lost in Translation. The horror movies I use Jake Harper)" I said.
There are some movies I didn’t find listed in the Writers Guild (and they probably won’t appear for a few more years). So I might write a draft for them—even if I don’t feel like a real writer. Some of them bring in a lot of money.
Jay suddenly spoke up, looking thoughtful. “Oh, Claire, did you remember Charlie Harper? He’s Evelyn’s son.”
Claire’s eyes widened for a moment, as if something clicked in her memory, but then she quickly said, “I don’t.”
“Oh boy,” I murmured.
Mitchell suddenly perked up. “Wait—wasn’t he one of your ex-boyfriends, Claire? Oh! Now I remember, you two tried to set me up with his younger brother!”
“What?” Jay said, turning to Claire.
I looked at Mitchell. “With my dad?”
Claire groaned. “I thought your father was like Mitchell...”
“I don’t fault you,” I said with a shrug. “Ironically, he isn't. But my mother is.”
