“Yes, last night. Don’t act like you forgot.”
“How could I forget?”
At last, they were getting somewhere. “Well, say it.”
“Say what?”
Was she going to make this whole thing difficult? Was he going to have to drag every word out of her mouth? One thing was for sure, if he didn’t know it before, he knew it now, Serena was so different from June. When June was angry, he knew it. With the outside world, his wife had been reserved. With him, not so much. Thankfully they hadn’t argued much.
But Serena for some reason was masking her displeasure. Instead of telling him the problem, she was hiding behind a friendly but cool demeanor. He didn’t like it. He’d rather face the problem and then move on. So if she wasn’t going to do something about it, he would.
“Say what you’re upset about. Don’t hide it.”
She worried her bottom lip. “That’s strange, because I’m usually a much better actress. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“Of course I’m worried. It involves me.” He stopped himself just short of saying that if there was a way he could make it up to her he would.
That was how he used to handle June. Then again, maybe that was how June handled him. He wasn’t so sure anymore. The more time he spent with Serena, the more clarity he was gaining on his past. Maybe it hadn’t been as perfect as he wanted to remember.
She sighed. “I don’t want it to ruin dinner. We can talk after we eat.”
He did not understand this woman. She wanted to eat first and then argue? Who did things like that? Before he could ask her, she’d headed into the kitchen.
He sighed and shook his head. He might as well as get comfortable. This was going to be a long evening. He headed for the master suite to take off his suit jacket and tie.
When he entered the room, he flipped on the overhead light. He kicked off his shoes and loosened his tie. He really didn’t have any appetite. He’d been tied up in knots all day.
He sat down on the bed and his hand landed on paper. He glanced down to find a ream of paper. He picked it up and read the top sheet: Life Atop The Ferris Wheel by Mae Ellwood.
Jackson removed the rubber band and flipped to the last page. The last line read: The End. She’d finished it? But last night she’d said she was stuck.
He dropped the pages to the bed and headed for the kitchen. He plowed through the door and came to a stop when he found the kitchen aglow with a candle in the center. Dishes were set out and dinner was awaiting him. But it was the woman wearing the great big smile that drew and held his attention.
“Dinner’s ready. I hope you brought your appetite.”
“I, uh, sure.” But he couldn’t eat, not yet. There was one thing he had to know. “Did you get out of bed last night to go work on your script?”
The smile slipped from her face. “Is that what’s bothering you?”
“Of course it is. Imagine how I felt when I woke up alone and the spot next to me was cold, as in you never slept there.”
She approached him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. Well, actually I did a lot of thinking. That’s why I couldn’t go to sleep. I realized what I was missing for the ending of the script and I had to go write it out while it was fresh in my mind. I was afraid that if I went to sleep I would forget parts of it.”
He breathed his first easy breath all day. “So you didn’t leave because you regretted what happened between us?”
The smile returned to her face. “No, silly. I don’t regret any of it.”
He reached out and drew her to him. She melted into his embrace as though they’d been doing it for years. He planted a kiss on her lips. She immediately kissed him back.
As his lips moved over hers, each muscle in his body began to relax. He had no idea until now how worked up he’d been. And it’d all been over a screenplay.
Serena pressed a hand to his chest and pulled back. “Are you ready to eat?”
He really didn’t want to eat at the moment. He’d be more than happy to keep kissing her. But he knew this meal was a big deal. And he was proud of her for going outside her comfort zone and cooking dinner—even if it came out of a box.
“Sure. What is it?”
“It’s baked mac-’n’-cheese. Is that all right?”