15.Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Hank

“From the looks of it, Bonnie’s version of the script isn’t bad. It just needs rearranging so it better fits the bones of the book.” Kasey, Bonnie’s screenwriter friend, is sitting outside with a view of the California coast behind her, and I haven’t yet figured out how someone as young as her could have a view like that. Bonnie said something about her having a screenplay picked up, but I have a hard time believing that would be enough for her to be among the rich and famous. Then again, she is friends with Bonnie.

When Bonnie went to meet with Jonah and the chemistry coach—a meeting I was tempted to try to be a part of—Trevor set me up in a spare trailer with a laptop so I could take a look at the script. I have no intention of actually working on it if I can help it, considering I’m a novelist who is not known for his brevity, but I figured it would be a good idea to touch base with Kasey over video chat before handing the project off to her.

I need to know I can give this project to someone who will get it done, and fast. Otherwise, I’ll feel like I’ve broken Bonnie’s hard-earned confidence. And right now, I’m struggling to trust Bonnie’s friends, mostly because of Derek.

As I was getting situated, he texted me again despite my hope that he would have figured out not to, like Freya did.

Derek:

I owe you thanks again for taking on the script. Bonnie was overworking herself.

My response was less gracious:

Hank:

You know you’re not her boyfriend anymore, right? I’ve got her.

Kasey seems nice enough, but I’m withholding judgment for now.

“I take it you’ve read the book,” I say, hoping she says yes.

Kasey smiles and nods. “When Bonnie first got the role, we both fangirled about it. She’s more of a die-hard than I am, but I’m a fan.”

“I would hope so.” I clear my throat, hearing how vain that sounds. “I mean because you have an idea of how the plot should work. I’m in over my head with this.”

“Smart clarification,” a male voice says from off the screen.

Unease winds its way into my belly as Kasey rolls her eyes. “Liam,” she says to someone behind her computer, “you were supposed to stay out of this.”

“That would involve staying away from you, and I don’t like that.” The owner of the voice comes into view and kisses her cheek. He looks like the perfect stereotypical Californian, with messy blond hair and a considerable lack of clothing as he leans on the back of Kasey’s chair and flashes a wide smile at me. “So this is the adorable author you all are fawning over?”

Kasey smacks his bare chest. “Liam, this is Henry. Or do you prefer Hank?”

I’d rather this Liam guy didn’t know either name, but that’s not exactly polite. Bonnie’s friends are really pushing my limits today. “Hank. But I don’t want…”

“Oh, don’t even worry,” Liam says with another brilliant smile. “Kase and I had a fun run with the paps a few months ago, and we totally understand the value of anonymity.”

“I’m not sure you do,” Kasey teases him. “You love the spotlight.”

“Not as much as I love you.”

“Could…” I wince when they both look at me. “Could we get back to the script? If we don’t get these scenes fixed, Bonnie’s going to do it herself.”

Liam’s smile shifts into something softer. Less flashy. Moving his arms so they’re around Kasey’s shoulders instead of the chair, he looks right at the camera. “I’m glad she’s got someone looking out for her. We’ve been getting worried the last few days, and I swear Freya is two seconds from flying in from Candora and using her diplomatic prowess to force Bonnie into taking a break.”

“Bonnie hasn’t said anything,” Kasey adds, “but we can all see she’s getting tired. From the sounds of it, that movie set is a mess. It’s not just the script but the whole production seems to be falling apart.”

That’s news to me, though I think Bonnie might have hinted at something last night when she mentioned disasters on set. “Bonnie seems like the kind of person who feels personally obligated to fix everything,” I mutter, almost to myself.

“Bonnie is one of the best people I know,” Liam replies. “And you’re right. She’s also not the sort of person who admits when she needs help. Derek’s usually pretty good about seeing it, but Bonnie’s also good at hiding it. Especially when she thinks she’ll inconvenience someone else.”

Before I can respond, Trevor steps into the trailer with a tablet in his hands, and he comes straight for me like a man on a mission. “Hey, Mr. McAllister, Fran wants to talk to you.”

Liam whistles low. “If you’re getting summoned by Fran, you must have done something wrong.”

“Is that Liam Connolly?” Fran’s voice rings out loud and clear from the tablet as Trevor hands it to me. She looks annoyed to be in the same room—so to speak—as Liam. “You’ll recall I fixed your little problem last year, Liam, so I would keep your disdain to yourself.”

“Technically I fixed our problem,” Kasey argues.

“And Ethan,” Liam throws in.

Fran scoffs. “Yes, well—”

I clear my throat loudly, scowling at both screens. If I had my way, I would end both these conversations and go back home, but it’s clear I won’t be doing that anytime soon. Especially knowing Bonnie is probably going to need some help at some point, whether she admits it or not. I get the feeling I’m about to spend a lot more time on set. “Can we not?” I say.

Liam chuckles, but Kasey grimaces. “I’ll go through the scenes that need reworking,” she says. “Sounds like you have more important things to do, and I’ve got plenty of free time.”

“You’re welcome,” Liam says, kissing her cheek again. Whatever that means. “I will reluctantly leave you alone so you can work. Fran, lovely to see you as always.” I can’t tell if that is genuine or not, but his smile looks real.

As soon as they hop off the video call, I feel like I can breathe again. I don’t necessarily want to talk to Fran, but I’m pretty sure listening to her is part of the contract I signed .

I should really look more closely at contracts when it comes to interacting with bossy people.

Leaning the tablet against the laptop screen, I try to keep my expression cordial. “You wanted to talk to me?”

She gives me a smile that is far less real than Liam’s. “Yes, I wanted to discuss the arrangement. Are you alone?”

I look up and meet Trevor’s gaze.

He shrugs. “I know all the things.”

Okay then. “What do we need to discuss?”

Fran’s grin turns almost wicked, which is not the kind of look that helps an anxious man feel great about what’s coming. “While we have had some good moments, the people of the world are…dubious. You’re going to need to put in more effort.”

I was afraid of that, and I’m sorely tempted to hand the tablet back to Trevor and go home before this can turn into something I’m not going to like. “What kind of effort?” I ask instead.

Fran rolls her eyes. “You have to actually act as if you like Bonnie.”

“I like Bonnie.” I don’t think I’ve ever given the impression otherwise. Okay, so our first date wasn’t great, but I hoped I made up for that after the harness debacle.

Tutting loudly, Fran waggles her finger at the camera as if scolding me, and I really don’t like the way she’s looking at me. I know she has Bonnie’s best interest at heart, but there’s a lot I don’t like about this woman. “Henry, darling, I don’t mean like .”

“Then why did you say it?”

She ignores me. “I mean you have to show the world that you are in love with Bonnie Aiken. This little cutesy routine isn’t working, and we all know it isn’t Bonnie who’s afraid of a little intimacy.”

Of all the words, why did she use that one? She’d better not be implying what I think she’s implying. “Fran, I hope you don’t expect me to—”

“Oh, honey, you are so sweet and naive.” She clucks her tongue again. “Bonnie may have been in a lot of romance movies, but they weren’t that kind. I am simply saying the world wants a kiss!”

I’ve come a long way since the day I met Bonnie, and I’ve done a lot of self-discovery and healing. I even might be falling for my co-conspirator. But I’m still taking baby steps here. A kiss may be innocent for a Hollywood star, but for me… That’s asking a lot. “Fran, I’m not sure if—”

“Henry, sweetie, your contract says you will do whatever it takes to sell this relationship. If you’re not willing to plant one on Hollywood’s darling, the world is going to start to wonder. Besides, I hear you will be joining Bonnie at the Briggs wedding, and that is the perfect place to demonstrate your devotion.”

I blink, processing. “Wait, you want me to—”

“Bonnie’s with the chemistry coach right now, isn’t she, Trevor? Perhaps, Henry, you should go join her and learn a thing or two about acting before this relationship fizzles and ruins Bonnie’s career. I would hate for that to be on your head. You need to—”

I click the screen off before she can continue, glancing up at Trevor, who lifts his eyebrows high as if waiting for something. The thought of kissing Bonnie has been there from the beginning, but it was always a maybe . Now it feels like an order, and my heart starts pounding in my chest. “Do you think she’s right?”

He shrugs again, though his bunched up grimace speaks pretty loudly. “I don’t think a kiss could hurt. Bonnie has always been pretty…” His face splotches red. “Free,” he finishes. “She’s a kisser. Most people know that about her.”

My stomach twists itself in a knot as my mind starts picturing her with the many men she’s been attached to. “Ah.” Apparently that’s all I can say, and it doesn’t seem to give Trevor any confidence in my ability to do as Fran suggested. Ordered .

“Like with Houston Briggs,” Trevor continues, unbidden, “it only took about ten minutes after meeting the guy before she was all over him.”

Houston was the one relationship that was real, which means that was the real Bonnie. She’s a kisser .

Shelby and I kissed the first time we met, but it wasn’t because I made it happen. She was nineteen, I was twenty, and she came to a party at my fraternity. When she found me reading a book by myself on the back porch, she did everything she could to convince me to go inside and join the party. When I declined—I was only part of the fraternity for the free rent—she said she would bring the party to me and plopped herself down on my lap. She asked me to read to her, and I agreed because she was beautiful and energetic and captured my attention entirely, like she put me under a spell. I was three chapters deep into Brave New World when she pressed her hands to my cheeks and kissed me.

It was awkward and messy, and we both ended up laughing in the middle of it, but I fell in love almost immediately.

I haven’t kissed anyone else.

“So…” Trevor wrinkles his nose, which probably means I’m not going to like what he’s about to say. “I was talking to Fran on the way to find you, and she didn’t get the chance to say the most important part of this kissing thing before you, uh, hung up on her.”

This kissing thing. Like it’s no big deal. “What is it?”

“Fran thinks you need to be the one to initiate it. Everyone knows Bonnie isn’t afraid of public displays of affection, so if you really want the country to believe you’re in love with her, you have to show them. I’m sure Bonnie’s already gotten this instruction, so she’ll keep her hands to herself.”

“No pressure, then,” I murmur.

Trevor laughs nervously. “Is it really that awful of an idea to kiss someone like Bonnie Aiken? ”

“It’s not her I’m worried about.” It’s the fact that I’ve barely been able to stomach the idea of being away from my house like this. That it was only last night that I told her about how Shelby died. That I am only just starting to imagine opening up my heart to someone new after it was broken so completely by Shelby’s murder. How can I move on when I never got to say goodbye to her? Never got closure?

“Bonnie’s still with Clyde, if you want to get some help with the whole thing.”

I frown, pulled from my increasing anxiety by that comment. “Bonnie’s with…Clyde?”

“Yeah. The chemistry coach. His name is Clyde.”

And apparently Trevor is too young to know about the infamous bank-robbing duo. When did I get so old?

“So I should go find Bonnie and Clyde?” I ask, chuckling at the pairing. It’s almost as funny as Boyd and Gayle the nurses, a pairing that seemed to amuse Bonnie as much as it did me.

Though Trevor gives me a weird look, like he can’t figure out why I would be laughing, he nods and takes the tablet from me. “Jonah’s trailer is just two down from Bonnie’s.”

“Thanks.”

Several pairs of eyes follow me as I trek across the production area, even though I’m pretty sure they’re filming a bunch of side character scenes right now and have no reason to be standing around watching me. Maybe Fran’s not so crazy if even the people who have been around us the whole time are starting to wonder enough to give me searching looks.

I just need to kiss Bonnie. No biggie.

When I reach Jonah’s trailer, I hesitate to knock. Who knows what they could be doing in there with the chemistry coach? The longer I stand here, though, the more people will start to whisper, and I need to show some confidence for Bonnie’s sake. I may be doing better with this relationship, but I clearly need more work .

My phone buzzes in my pocket. Then again. If it’s Derek, I may need to consider blocking his number before this becomes a thing. I’m not about to be his eyes and ears when it comes to Bonnie, even if I do plan on keeping an eye on her to make sure she’s taken care of as much as she seems to take care of everyone else.

I glance at the texts, rolling my eyes as soon as I read them.

Unknown number:

Hey this is Liam.

I thought I would reach out since you’re working with my girlfriend and I have a feeling you and I are going to be friends.

Not likely, but he texts one more time before I turn my phone to silent and shove it back into my pocket.

Unknown number:

I also heard you stood up to Derek which is a bold move and makes me think there’s a lot more to you than any of us know so far so be prepared to be known.

Ignoring the unease building in my belly, I reach up and knock on the trailer door.

It’s Jonah who answers, a knowing look in his eyes. “Wondered if you would be showing up here at some point.”

“Fran?” I guess.

He nods and steps back to let me in. “Honestly, I’m glad I don’t work with her, but she’s a force to be reckoned with. I warn you, though, Clyde is pretty excited to work with you, and he’s his own kind of a force.”

I stop with one foot on the steps and look up at him. It’s none of my business, but I ask anyway. “How was your lunch with June?”

He grins wide. “She doesn’t like me. ”

I have a feeling that’s not going to stop him from trying again. Thankfully, June can take care of herself, but as I head inside, I make a mental note to check up on her from time to time while filming is underway.

I don’t know what I expected from a chemistry coach, but a little old balding man wasn’t it. He looks like someone’s ninety-year-old grandpa came to visit the set, and despite his broad smile, I’m instantly uncomfortable. This is the person who’s supposed to teach me how to find more chemistry with Bonnie? He looks like he hasn’t experienced romance in twenty years, since the day his wife passed of old age.

“You must be Henry!” he says, holding out his hand. I’d thought he was sitting next to Bonnie, but he was actually already standing, which puts the top of his head at the level of my chest.

“H-Hank,” I correct, though my name comes out stammered because Clyde has a surprisingly strong grip. “And you’re Clyde?” It’s a question because I’m honestly not sure at this point.

Clyde guffaws. “Yes, sirree. Have a seat here next to Miss Aiken, and we’ll jump right in.”

I fall onto the couch rather than taking a more graceful approach. What does he mean by ‘jump right in’? My heart rate spikes as I watch Clyde struggle to get himself into a chair across from us. Jonah, I notice, finds himself a stool so he can watch. Great. What happened to Bonnie and me already having tons of chemistry?

I don’t think I want an actual answer to that question because it probably has something to do with me and my many issues.

Still, I don’t think he should be here for this.

Bonnie nudges her shoulder into mine. “Jonah knows our relationship is fake,” she says, reading my thoughts.

I frown. “Why?”

“Because Fran put me on backup in case things fail between you two,” Jonah answers for her. When I look at him in alarm, he wrinkles his nose. “I don’t like it any more than you do, McAllister, but it’s part of the job.”

“Fine, but why are you here ?” I sound rude, but I almost don’t care. This meeting is going to be bad enough without a witness.

Chuckling, Jonah shrugs and looks around the trailer. “Technically, you’re in my space. Besides, I’m curious.”

Definitely don’t like that.

Touching my arm, Bonnie pulls my attention back to her. “Just ignore him. And everything will be fine with our relationship. Did Fran talk to you?”

About kissing Bonnie in front of as many people as possible? “Yep,” I squeak.

Clyde lifts an eyebrow as he settles in his seat across from us.

“And did she tell you what we need to do?” Bonnie asks.

She’s speaking so gently that I feel pathetic for making a big deal out of this. Our relationship isn’t real. Bonnie doesn’t want it to be real. A kiss won’t mean anything, so I should really stop panicking.

That’s easier said than done. My one and only first kiss was twelve years ago.

I clear my throat again, trying not to look anyone in the eye. “She said I need to kiss you.”

“Are you okay with that?”

It is strangely emasculating to have a beautiful and intelligent woman ask if I am comfortable with the idea of kissing her. Everyone is entitled to their levels of comfort, but I was married for six years. It’s not like I am new to any of this.

“Perhaps we need to take a different approach,” Clyde says, and he sounds more like a therapist than a chemistry coach. Not that I know what a chemistry coach is supposed to sound like. “Hank, why don’t you tell me about your first love?”

My eyes jump to his in panic. “What?” I look at Bonnie, trying to understand why she would tell anyone about Shelby when she knows how difficult it has been for me to talk about her .

Bonnie’s eyebrows pull low as she looks at me. “Was there no one before Shelby?” she asks, almost too quietly for me to hear.

I shake my head as I clench my hands in my lap. I keep my words quiet, but I’m not ashamed of my past. It is what it is. “My parents were too young when they had me and left me with my grandmother. My grandma was too old to be a parent but looked after me to the best of her ability before she died soon after I turned eighteen. There was never time for dating because I was always looking out for her. Shelby was my first…everything.”

She was the person who helped me feel like I could be a part of something. The reason I switched my major from business to literature halfway through college because she thought I had a “professor vibe” and should look into teaching, which was the best career move I could have made because I loved it. Shelby was the guiding light in my life to make me think a family was the best dream I could ever have despite never really having one of my own.

I still have parents. Technically. But I have no idea where they are, and I’ve never bothered to find out. They didn’t do anything to shape me into the man I became. Not like Shelby did. And when I lost her, I lost everything about who I am right along with her. How am I supposed to sum up a relationship like that?

“Hank?” Bonnie takes hold of my hand, pulling my gaze back to her. “You don’t have to talk about her.”

“Ahh,” Clyde says, scribbling something in a small notebook he produced out of thin air.

“She was the first person to really see me,” I say to the trailer at large, despite what Bonnie just said. We’re never going to get through this if I don’t say something . “She never judged me for what I was, but she always pushed me to do better.”

Bonnie smiles. “My first love was a boy in the second grade. His name was Stevie, and every girl was in love with him. One time, on Pet Day, his mom showed up and surprised him with a puppy, and I knew he and I were meant to be.”

A smile cracks through my melancholy. “Because of a puppy?”

She nods. “I always wanted a puppy. Desperately. But my parents didn’t think I could take care of one, even after I used the excuse that having a dog at home with me would be way safer than being by myself.”

“By yourself?” Shock runs through me like a bolt of lightning. “You were home alone in the second grade?”

Shrugging, Bonnie tucks one slender leg over the other. “Pretty much my whole childhood. They both worked, and daycare was too expensive.”

No wonder she doesn’t like to be alone. And no wonder she struggles with asking for help. She’s used to taking care of herself. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper, adjusting our hands so our fingers are laced together. “No one should have to be alone like that.”

“Says the man who just spent the last four years holed up in a house by himself.”

“Exactly. I know what I’m talking about, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Especially not you.”

“This is good!” Clyde says, making us both jump. He’s grinning like he just won the lottery. “Emotional intimacy will almost always lead to physical intimacy, though the same can also be said for the other way around.” He throws a wink to Jonah, who finger guns him back.

I’m not sure I want to know what that means.

“Hank,” Clyde continues, “I want you to tell me three things you appreciate about Bonnie’s appearance.”

I wrinkle my nose.

Clyde laughs. “We’ll get to the better stuff after this. Three things.”

Shifting in my seat, I take a second to admire her. Though she’s filming later, her makeup is minimal right now, leaving her looking natural and younger than she appears on screen. She’s tall and slender, as many actresses are, and her dark hair has a slight wave to it. A small blush warms her cheeks, and her eyes fall when she seems to decide I’ve looked for too long.

I smile. “I like your freckles, Bonnie.” I reach up and brush my knuckle against her cheek, bringing her gaze back up to me. “And your smile when you think no one is looking. I like the way your eyes are a shade of blue I’ve never seen before and seem to see way more than anyone realizes.”

Bonnie blinks as her cheeks turn a deeper pink. She’s not smiling now, as much as I wish she would, but those deep-seeing eyes of hers are saying a lot. This is the most open I’ve ever seen her.

“Now,” Clyde says loudly, and I’m starting to wonder if he knows what he’s doing because he’s really killing the mood. “Bonnie, what are three physical things you admire about Hank?”

Immediately I’m uncomfortable.

Grinning, Bonnie wraps her other hand around our clasped ones and jumps right in. “I like your glasses,” she says, “and the way they make you look as smart as you really are. I like that you wear what’s comfortable, not what’s stylish.” She laughs when I frown at that one, and then she wipes my expression clean off my face when she runs a hand through my hair and sends a chill through me. “And I like your messy hair. It makes you look approachable and kind.”

“Bonnie, name three non-physical things you like about Hank.”

“What if I want to go first?” I ask without looking at Clyde.

He laughs but doesn’t respond.

Bonnie bites her lip as she scoots closer to me. “Hank, I like the way you treat everyone as equals. I like the way you’re unafraid to show emotion, even after everything you’ve been through. And I like that you didn’t immediately jump at the chance to be in a relationship with me. ”

While everything she just said hits me hard, that last one feels more like a gut punch than a compliment. “You…you like that you had to beg me to do this?”

Bonnie snickers. “I like that you gave it a lot of thought and weren’t tempted by anything but the chance to help me. You’re here because you want to be.”

I don’t wait for Clyde to give me directions this time, jumping right into my own three things. “I like that you accepted my answer when I first told you no. I like the way you act with your whole heart and seem to be more of a vessel for Gabrielle to tell her story rather than a person pretending to be her.” I lift our hands up to my lips and press a kiss to her knuckle. “I like the way you care more about other people than you care about yourself, even if I don’t like the pressure it puts on you. Not many people in your position are so outwardly focused, and you are inspiring. It’s no wonder the world loves you.”

That…was not where I planned for that to go, and panic courses through me when a tear slips from her eye when she blinks. I didn’t want to make her cry!

“They don’t love me,” she whispers. “They only ever love who I’m with.”

“That is absolutely not true.” I say that, but maybe it is true. Maybe Bonnie has spent her whole life fighting for attention but never getting it the way she wants it. Even Houston, her one real relationship, only lasted a little while, and I can’t imagine how it feels to be constantly watched and critiqued by people who have no idea who this incredible woman really is. Does anyone even really know her?

I lean in and press a kiss to her forehead, tucking her hair behind her ear. “You are worth loving, Bonnie. No matter what the world thinks, that is unequivocally true. ”

“You promise?” Bonnie looks like she’s on the verge of really crying, which is so out of character for the always cheerful woman I’ve known so far.

I move my hand to her cheek and brush her tear away with my thumb. I want to pull her into my arms and show her that she’s not alone like she was as a kid, but something holds me back. “Promise.”

Bonnie’s lips curl up in a smile. It’s the one I love, only softer. Warm, uninhibited, and simply Bonnie. It’s the kind of smile I can easily picture myself kissing.

Jonah clears his throat, and the sound hits me like a slap in the face. I turn to glare at him for interrupting, only my eyes snag on Clyde first.

The old man winks at me before clapping his hands together. “Well, I’d say you don’t need much help from me at this point. Remember, intimacy is about vulnerability. You two have a lot of reasons to hide from each other, but you shouldn’t. Fake or otherwise, the only way this relationship is going to work is if you trust each other. And the only way you’ll be able to prove it’s working is by looking at each other the way you did just now.”

“You don’t want us to practice kissing?” I ask. The question surprises me more than it seems to surprise anyone else. I wince, looking at Bonnie before I stand alongside Clyde.

Clyde grins up at me. “I think you two can work that part out without me. Your relationship needs authenticity, not big-screen watchability. There’s a big difference between a choreographed kiss and a real one.”

“That’s true,” Jonah agrees, though no one asked for his opinion.

I raise an eyebrow and look at Bonnie for confirmation.

“He’s right,” she says with a shrug. I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse. “There’s nothing romantic about an on-screen kiss.”

“Unless you’re already dating your costar,” Jonah adds. “Right, Bon?”

He had better be talking about Derek right now .

Thankfully, Bonnie shakes her head. “Even then, every little move is usually laid out in a specific way and practiced about a million times. Spontaneity is what makes a real kiss so much better.”

Spontaneity. Got it. If I want my kiss with Bonnie to look and feel real, we can’t plan for it to happen. I rub my hands on my thighs as I process that. I eventually got used to kissing Shelby without a whole bunch of lead up to it, but eventually is the key word there. I don’t have eventually with Bonnie. Houston’s wedding is next week, which doesn’t give me a lot of prep time. Ideally, I’ll have a chance to kiss her before then so I’m not fumbling through it in front of an audience.

Why couldn’t Jonah have waited just a few more seconds before he interrupted? I was on a roll. But at the same time, it’s probably a good thing he stopped me. I’d prefer my first kiss with Bonnie to not have witnesses.

Clyde wraps his bony fingers around my arm, tugging me down so I’m closer to his level. “You have to be willing to let your guard down,” he says softly. “And let go of the fear that has been holding you back for so long. I promise it will be worth it.”

With a wink and a nod, he shuffles to the door and slowly makes his way down the steps outside. He seems to know more about me than he lets on, but I’m weirdly okay with it.

“Well, I’m going to go get some lunch,” Jonah says, glancing between the two of us before following Clyde.

Bonnie steps forward to continue the procession out of the trailer. “I should check on the—”

“Lunch,” I say, almost sharply. I step in front of her, tempted to grab her hand in case it helps get my point across. “You should get some lunch, Bonnie. You didn’t have breakfast this morning. ”

She frowns. “But the—”

“Kasey is looking over the script. She and I have that covered. That’s not your job. Your job is to give your best to Gabrielle, and you can’t do that if you’re not giving your mind and body a chance to rest.”

For a moment, she almost looks angry as she stares me down. I’m currently blocking her way out of the trailer, and I plan to keep it that way until she agrees to eat something, even if I have to find Eli and convince him to drag her to the catering tent. But then she lets her hard expression fall and looks like she’s on the verge of tears again.

“Okay,” she says, her voice small. “Will you come with me?”

I hold out my hand, and a flash of something runs through me when she touches me. Something I haven’t felt in four years.

Yeah, I’m in trouble.