starving.”
She let him take her hand and he
clasped her fingers in his. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. He
closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened them, and then said, “Thank you.”
She smiled down at him. His blue
eyes were again clear, coherent, and alert. “I’ll add a sandwich, but only
half. If you keep it down for an hour, I’ll let you have the rest.”
She brought him his food and
appreciated that he had already stripped the sheets and had replaced them with fresh
linen. It had been a chore to keep changing it from sweat soaked sheets to dry
ones as needed.
“Get in the bed,” she said as she
placed the plate on the nightstand. She tucked him in and noticed his smile.
“You look better. I think you’re through the worst of it. I’m going to run
these down to the laundry. I’ll be back in a bit.”
He grabbed her hand and placed it
over his heart and whispered, “Take part of it with you. If you come back in an
hour, I’ll give you the rest.”
She could feel the rapid beat of
her heart against her chest match the beat of his. Tears threatened her eyes.
She smiled down at him. Of course
she loved him. It was entirely too frightening to say out loud. She leaned over
and kissed his forehead. “I’ll be back within the hour.”
His relief was evident by the
heat of blush tinting the tops of his cheeks. The only evidence he couldn’t
hide behind that beard.
Chapter
8
A few weeks
later…
Shay left Harvey’s office with an
armful of scripts. In two days she would attend her first movie premiere. She
would walk the red carpet, though she wasn’t a star. She wasn’t even an extra.
She was the girlfriend of the director’s son. She had consulted with Alex and
he had approved of her choice in outfit. He had been much nicer since the
exchange with Jed.
“Shay,” a feminine voice called
from behind her. She turned to see Ivy Mills, once Maybelline Milner, once her
nemesis, walking her way.
This was the first time she had
seen Ivy face to face since she had sent her a letter of apology, part of the
steps in the Harvey Agency program. Ivy never responded. Shay wasn’t sure what
would transpire. She just knew that for the first time in her life she felt prepared
for anything.
“Ivy.”
“I wanted to say thank you,” Ivy
said as she came to a halt. Her hair was brown again, natural. Her puppy dog
brown eyes looked at Shay with childlike innocence. “I only recently got the
letter. It meant a lot to me.”
“I meant it,” Shay said honestly.
“I saw you coming out of Harvey’s
and I thought you might want to know…I’m backing out of Sleepers. I’m sure they
will need to fill the role quickly. You should tell them to call in the
morning, after eight. No one knows.”
“Why are you backing out?” Shay
asked. She wasn’t sure why Ivy seemed a little off, but she did.
‘Let’s see.” Ivy put her finger
to her lip a moment then said, “I’m quitting. I’m tired of it. I am closing the
curtain.”
“Are you all right?” Shay was
concerned for the woman. She really was.
“No.” Ivy shook her head for
emphasis. “I’m not. But I will be, because I am going to get my life back. I’ve
been working nonstop for the past five years. I have had one real boyfriend
during that time, and he turned out to be a jerk. I missed holidays, birthdays,
and my sister’s wedding. I’m taking a hiatus.”
“Ivy, can I call someone for
you?” Shay was nervous. The woman seemed on the edge of a breakdown.
“No,” she smiled. “But you can
promise me that you won’t let it do to you what it did to me, Shay. Don’t let
it take everything you love away from you, okay?”
Shay nodded and said, “Okay.”
“I’ll see you around,” Ivy said.
“Don’t forget to call them at eight in the morning.”
***
Later that night…
Jed tried but failed to keep his
hands to himself. Shay
She let him take her hand and he
clasped her fingers in his. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. He
closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened them, and then said, “Thank you.”
She smiled down at him. His blue
eyes were again clear, coherent, and alert. “I’ll add a sandwich, but only
half. If you keep it down for an hour, I’ll let you have the rest.”
She brought him his food and
appreciated that he had already stripped the sheets and had replaced them with fresh
linen. It had been a chore to keep changing it from sweat soaked sheets to dry
ones as needed.
“Get in the bed,” she said as she
placed the plate on the nightstand. She tucked him in and noticed his smile.
“You look better. I think you’re through the worst of it. I’m going to run
these down to the laundry. I’ll be back in a bit.”
He grabbed her hand and placed it
over his heart and whispered, “Take part of it with you. If you come back in an
hour, I’ll give you the rest.”
She could feel the rapid beat of
her heart against her chest match the beat of his. Tears threatened her eyes.
She smiled down at him. Of course
she loved him. It was entirely too frightening to say out loud. She leaned over
and kissed his forehead. “I’ll be back within the hour.”
His relief was evident by the
heat of blush tinting the tops of his cheeks. The only evidence he couldn’t
hide behind that beard.
Chapter
8
A few weeks
later…
Shay left Harvey’s office with an
armful of scripts. In two days she would attend her first movie premiere. She
would walk the red carpet, though she wasn’t a star. She wasn’t even an extra.
She was the girlfriend of the director’s son. She had consulted with Alex and
he had approved of her choice in outfit. He had been much nicer since the
exchange with Jed.
“Shay,” a feminine voice called
from behind her. She turned to see Ivy Mills, once Maybelline Milner, once her
nemesis, walking her way.
This was the first time she had
seen Ivy face to face since she had sent her a letter of apology, part of the
steps in the Harvey Agency program. Ivy never responded. Shay wasn’t sure what
would transpire. She just knew that for the first time in her life she felt prepared
for anything.
“Ivy.”
“I wanted to say thank you,” Ivy
said as she came to a halt. Her hair was brown again, natural. Her puppy dog
brown eyes looked at Shay with childlike innocence. “I only recently got the
letter. It meant a lot to me.”
“I meant it,” Shay said honestly.
“I saw you coming out of Harvey’s
and I thought you might want to know…I’m backing out of Sleepers. I’m sure they
will need to fill the role quickly. You should tell them to call in the
morning, after eight. No one knows.”
“Why are you backing out?” Shay
asked. She wasn’t sure why Ivy seemed a little off, but she did.
‘Let’s see.” Ivy put her finger
to her lip a moment then said, “I’m quitting. I’m tired of it. I am closing the
curtain.”
“Are you all right?” Shay was
concerned for the woman. She really was.
“No.” Ivy shook her head for
emphasis. “I’m not. But I will be, because I am going to get my life back. I’ve
been working nonstop for the past five years. I have had one real boyfriend
during that time, and he turned out to be a jerk. I missed holidays, birthdays,
and my sister’s wedding. I’m taking a hiatus.”
“Ivy, can I call someone for
you?” Shay was nervous. The woman seemed on the edge of a breakdown.
“No,” she smiled. “But you can
promise me that you won’t let it do to you what it did to me, Shay. Don’t let
it take everything you love away from you, okay?”
Shay nodded and said, “Okay.”
“I’ll see you around,” Ivy said.
“Don’t forget to call them at eight in the morning.”
***
Later that night…
Jed tried but failed to keep his
hands to himself. Shay
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