Close Enough to Touch (Jackson Hole 1)

“Sure.”

“I love you, Grace.”

“Me, too,” she said. It was the only response she ever gave. But Merry’s words filled her up with a warm feeling. Such a warm feeling that by the time she stepped onto the bus, her panic had almost faded entirely.

She had nothing to be unhappy about, after all. It was a beautiful day, nobody on the bus tried to start a pleasant conversation, she had a roof over her head and she was earning money. Plus, she’d fucked out all her stress last night.

Heck, yeah, she had.

So when Grace stepped off the bus, she put a little extra sway into her step and clomped her way down the wooden sidewalk.

“‘Stay gold, Ponyboy,’” she said with a smile as she opened the door to the studio.

“What?” Eve asked from behind the counter. She looked up from some prints she’d been reviewing. “What’s a ponyboy?”

Grace flushed. Apparently Eve had never seen The Outsiders. Merry watched it once a year and made Grace watch it, too. “Nothing. Sorry. Just a movie joke.”

“For…yourself?”

“Yes.”

Eve just nodded and slipped the photos back into an envelope. “Ready for a long day?”

“I’m ready. Are we heading back out to the ranch?”

“Yes, I’ll drop you off there. I’ll be working at the river.”

“Great,” she said, not quite meaning it. She wasn’t exactly worried about seeing Cole again, but she didn’t want to put up with his glaring face first thing in the morning. Especially without caffeine. She still didn’t have a coffeemaker, and she’d forgotten to stop for a cup at the gas station.

But Eve rode to the rescue. Or she drove to it, pulling up to a drive-through coffee place. Grace nearly wept with happiness at the smell. A real latte. My God. It had been weeks.

By the time they bounced over the last few yards of the ranch road, Grace was ready to face Cole. It was a good thing she’d braced herself, because as soon as she got out of Eve’s car, he looked up from a conversation and his gaze caught hers.

She raised one eyebrow. He lowered both of his.

“God,” she muttered. “Men.”

“You already have man problems?” Eve asked from just beside her.

Grace winced, realizing she’d muttered out loud. “Kind of.”

“One of these production guys bothering you?”

“Nobody bothers me,” Grace said.

“Good for you. You know any of these people?”

She glanced around. “Probably not. They’re mostly preproduction. Not a lot of call for makeup.”

“All right. You’ve got my phone number if you need me. And if I get out of cell range, I’ll be back in a couple of hours. The catering’s been lined up, so we can grab lunch here when I get back.”

And just like that, Grace was in charge again. Well, not in charge of much. Just her side of things. Clearing up problems. Making phone calls. She’d have to add more minute

s to her phone. Maybe even get a real plan.

No, that was too permanent. When she went to Vancouver things would be tight, and money uncertain. But… For the first time, it occurred to her that she might have more options. Working in makeup was a pretty narrow field. Sure, there might be a perfect opening now, but there was a good chance she’d find nothing afterward, and she’d probably stay in Vancouver for a little while.

But preproduction stuff? Location work? That could open up a whole new world for her, at least until she could get settled and figure out her next step.