Tabby skipped into the bathroom.
“Hey, Tabs,” Chase called, “get out here. No snooping.”
“We heard about an accident on the set,” his mom said, drawing his attention back.
“Where did you hear that?”
“Cleo?” his mother asked. “Where did you hear about it?”
“Twitter.”
Chase’s brows shot up. “Twitter?” He turned a grin on his mom. “Cleo heard about it on Twitter and the three of you just hopped in the car and drove here from Seattle?”
“You weren’t answering your phone, and it’s only a two-hour drive. I’ve been on edge ever since you started doing your own stunts. The news scared me to death.”
“What you really mean is that those two,” he hooked his thumb over his shoulder, “wanted a look around the set.”
Tabby danced into the bedroom from the bathroom, and Chase turned to intercept her before she found Zahara. This was no way to meet the family. “Hey, Tabby, get out of there.”
But when he stepped into the bedroom, Zahara was nowhere in sight. He turned Tabitha toward the door by the shoulders, then swatted her butt. “Out.”
She giggled into the living room. While his mother and sisters looked around the suite, Chase peeked into the closet and under the bed. No Zahara. He rushed to the balcony and looked over the side, then right and left. He caught the flash of Zahara’s dark hair swinging behind her as she traversed the diagonal walls separating balconies.
“Jesus Christ.” He was both pissed and relieved.
He returned to the living room and his family.
“So what happened?” Cleo asked, plopping down on the sofa and twirling a strand of hair around her finger. “Did someone die?”
“You’re so morbid,” Chase told her, but it reminded him of all the dangers in Zahara’s job. Which in turn reminded him of how determined she was to stay in it, kid or no kid. “Nobody died.”
“Didn’t you tell me someone went to the hospital?” his mom asked Cleo.
“Yeah. What about it, bro?”
“The hospital was a precaution,” he told them. “Luckily, she’s fine.”
“She?” all three of them asked at the same time.
“Yes. She. The stuntwoman on the film.”
Cleo leaned forward, her eyes sparking with interest. “Stuntwoman? I didn’t know there was such a thing. That’s so cool. Can you go to college for that?” She turned her gaze on their mother. “I’ve just decided what I want to be when I grow up.”
Peggy crossed her arms and tilted her head. “Over my dead body.”
“Guys,” he said, “why don’t you head downstairs for breakfast. I’m going to hop in the shower, and I’ll be right down.”
He closed the door behind them and pulled out his phone on the way to the bathroom to text Zahara. I can’t believe you just climbed over railings on the fifth floor. WTF?
He turned on the shower and rubbed his eyes. He hadn’t gotten much sleep, but reconnecting with Zahara had been worth it ten times over.
His cell dinged, and he picked it up. I was going to swing down to the next floor, but someone was on the patio.
Zahara.
You have no idea how many balconies I’ve climbed. For me, it’s no more difficult than a kid on a jungle gym.
I wouldn’t want you on a jungle gym either, he texted.