Hollywood Ever After (Red Carpet 1)

And we left, me with my head spinning and Josh lost in thought. As I wasn’t ready for a deep conversation at the moment, I decided to try small talk.

I settled back into the seat. “When did you get to London?”

“I stayed in LA for a week, working out the arrangements for the next few films.” He looked at me, his eyes traveling over my face before he continued.

“Which did you decide on?”

“The World War II piece is a go, as you know. The working title is Love or Honor.” He shrugged. “We start filming once I finish End, Shannon’s film. Then it looks like the Van Gogh picture will follow.”

I smiled. “Really?”

He nodded. “I suppose the big openings haven’t hurt.” He squeezed my hand. “So it’s tentatively lined up to shoot early next year.”

“Congratulations!” I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Happy?”

“Very…now.”

My heart kicked up at the possible double meaning to his comment. Was he very happy because his pet film project was going to be made or because I was here? I didn’t linger over the question for long. Instead I teased, “See, the whole ‘hottie’ thing didn’t hurt.”

He rolled his eyes and laughed, grudgingly. “You are wicked.” But his smile didn’t budge.

“Is that a complaint?” I teased.

“Not at all.” His eyes held mine. His voice was soft as he said, “I’m glad we’re getting this time together.”

I tried to sound calm, but my voice wavered as I said, “Me too.”

He stared for a minute, his thumb running over the back of my hand. “What about you? What did you do in Texas?”

I pulled my legs up, twisting towards him in my seat. “Well, mostly mom stuff really. There’s the regular school pick-up and drop-off, laundry, dishes, shopping, Little League, piano, viola, and gymnastics, homework, and birthday parties. Maybe a little sleep. The boring everyday stuff.”

“It’s not boring if it’s part of your life.”

“I guess I should enjoy the boring for now. I have a feeling things are going to change, with the book and the move. Mom is a terrific help. I don’t know how I’d manage everything without her.”

“Has Marty always lived close?”

“No, Dad passed away a couple of years ago and she moved closer. Since she’d retired and didn’t have Dad, I think being with us has helped her not feel so alone.” Then I added, “I guess I hope that’s the case. Sometimes I feel like I take terrible advantage of her. I don’t want her to live her life around me and the kids, you know? But my brothers…”

“Brothers?” He was surprised. “I didn’t know there was more than one.”

“Joe is in San Francisco. He’s finishing up some research grant through Cal-Tech. He’s a genius, but he tends to get bored easily so he moves. A lot.”

He nodded. “He’s the one that sent you to Shannon’s for your birthday? I have to thank him.”

“I need to send him a thank you, too.”

He smiled at me.

“Benjamin’s the baby. He’s in Afghanistan; he’s a Marine. He sends notes every once in a while, but we don’t know where he is exactly. The kids write to him once a week. A letter from his niece and nephew is all he wants, so we make sure we do it.”

“That must be difficult.” He sounded thoughtful.

“Whenever Will says he wants to join the Army, I admit to suggesting other, less dangerous options. You know, mailman or dog walker or…” I laughed.

“Professional soccer player,” he finished. “He has an amazing left foot. Someone lobbed a soccer ball our way at the park and he kicked it back, dead on. He’s quick, too.”

“He gets that from his father. Daniel’s an incredible athlete.”