Holding her breath, she tiptoed out of the room, closing the door behind her. The fire had died off in the great room and a definite chill was in the air. Gizmo lifted his head and looked at her. He didn’t make any attempt to move from his oversize cushion with his blue blanket and his stuffed teddy he used for a pillow. She turned on a lamp next to the couch. Gizmo gave her a curious look as she made her way to the fireplace to rekindle the fire. But apparently it was too cold or he was too tired to beg her to take him outside. She couldn’t blame him.
With the fire started, she fussed over Gizmo before gathering her laptop and moving to the end of the couch closest to the fireplace. With a throw blanket over her legs, she opened her laptop and set to work. For the first time in quite a while, her fingers moved rapidly over the keyboard. When the words came to her without a lot of effort, it was like magic. It was as though the story had taken on a life of its own. The characters were speaking to her and all she had to do was type out the words.
She didn’t know how much time had passed but the sun was just starting to come up when she typed The End and pressed Save for the last time. She shut her laptop, set it on the coffee table and then laid her head on the backrest of the couch with a satisfied smile, her heavy eyelids drooping closed.
* * *
Quack. Quack.
Jackson’s eyes opened at the sound of his alarm. His assistant, who was fresh out of college, had decided to play a trick on him and had reset his phone to various obnoxious sounds. A duck for his alarm, an old car horn for his phone and other random, off-the-wall sounds. What she didn’t count on was him liking them. They were easy to distinguish from everyone else’s cell phone. And best of all, it made those around him smile. So he’d left the tones as they were.
He wondered what Serena thought of his quacking alarm. He opened an eye and glanced over to find the bed empty. Serena was gone. He ran his hand over the pillow and mattress, finding her spot cold. Apparently she’d been gone for quite some time.
He sat up and looked around the room, but there was no sign of her. What did her absence mean? Did she regret their lovemaking? Did he regret it?
The reality of their actions sharpened his sleep-hazed thoughts. He’d made love to another woman. He sunk back against the pillows. Maybe it was a good thing that Serena had gone. He wasn’t sure he’d be good company right now.
He’d broken his word to himself. He was moving forward—starting something—leaving the memories of his wife behind. Guilt slugged him in the gut. What would June think?
No. He couldn’t go there. Right now, he had to straighten things out with Serena. He had to tell her that they’d made a mistake. But if Serena hadn’t spent the entire night, did that mean she wasn’t looking for a relationship? Could it be that easy?
The only way to find the answer was to find Serena. He quickly showered and dressed. His film crew was picking him up this morning. And while out and about, he’d arranged to rent another vehicle that he’d pick up some time that day.
He exited the master suite and Gizmo came running up to him. “Shh...”
Gizmo moved to the front door. Jackson glanced around, expecting Serena to be hot on Gizmo’s heels, but she was nowhere to be found. Jackson grabbed his coat and the leash. Gizmo was so excited that he kept stepping in front of Jackson, almost tripping him.
“Arff!”
A distinct grunt soon followed.
Jackson put his finger to his lips. “Shh...”
Gizmo’s tail continued to rapidly swish.
Jackson tiptoed over to the couch and there he found Serena curled up in a ball beneath a little blanket that didn’t even completely cover her. She’d rather freeze on the couch than be snug in bed with him?
The thought dug at him as he rushed to the bedroom to grab a blanket from the bed. He draped it over her. With a sigh, she snuggled to it.
Jackson stared down at her very sweet face. She looked almost angelic as she slept. He wondered what she was dreaming about. He doubted that it would be about him. Not that he wanted her to dream of him.
No matter what Serena said, she still didn’t trust him. Her sleeping out here was proof of it. And why should she when he acted without thinking? He had nothing to offer her.
“Arff!”
He had to take Gizmo out before Serena woke. It would be so much easier if they didn’t speak—not just yet. He had to get his thoughts sorted. He needed time to find the right words to say to her—to salvage their friendship. Serena was a very special person and he hated the thought of completely losing her from his life.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE CABIN WAS QUIET—too quiet.
Serena utilized the printer on the desk in the great room and spent most of the day proofing her script. But the reason she’d rushed in and immersed herself in editing the script had more to do with filling in the silence around her. She was amazed at how quickly she’d gotten used to having Jackson around. And how much she missed him when he was gone.
Warning bells rang in her head. She was getting in deep—perhaps too deep. It wasn’t like Jackson was asking for her hand in marriage. Not that she wanted him to drop down on one knee. She just wanted to know that he cared for her—and his feelings for her were more than a passing fancy.
Her gaze moved toward the window. Evening was settling in and snow had begun to fall. Big fat flakes fluttered about before piling on top of the many feet of snow. And Jackson was out there somewhere on these mountain roads. She wished he’d taken the four-wheel drive like she’d insisted. But he’d assured her that he would be fine. If he was so fine—why wasn’t he home yet?
She gathered the pages she’d been working on and put a rubber band around them. With a deep breath and a bit of trepidation, she carried the script into the master suite. Jackson had requested to read it. Why should she resist him? After all, if she wanted it to be produced into a movie, a lot of other people would have to read it.