“Hey, when a big guy shows up at your door practically begging for your help, you help him. Sharolyn, he adores you. He’s a mess without you. I think you should give him another chance.”
“It’s not about me,” I said quickly. “He needs a high society girlfriend. He needs somebody who can look glamorous, and throw parties, and give toasts. He needs somebody who has a wine-tasting expert on speed dial just in case they need them.”
“Sweetheart,” a deep voice said from my left side. I turned as Nolan sat down beside me. “I could hire someone if I wanted to plan an event. If there is anything the studio needs me to do, they can take care of that.”
I could feel my chin trembling and couldn’t stop it as my eyes filled with tears. “I know I’m going to end up being forced to do things I can’t do, and I’m going to let you down,” I croaked.
“Oh, baby, no.” Pulling me to his chest, he held me close while I tried to stop myself from crying. I felt Jenny’s hand on my back, and turned to her.
“You ambushed me?” I didn’t know whether to be angry or touched.
“No, honey,” she said gently. “I just know that your nerves sometimes shut you down so you can’t think straight. So I’m here to help you.”
“Problem-solving time,” Nolan said, sitting back and holding my hand. “No emotions, no fear, just logic.”
I raised an eyebrow, looking back and forth between them. This was odd. But they both seemed so determined. “Okay.”
“Imagine a scenario that would cause you to react with fear, and we’ll think of a solution,” Jenny said. “For example, if Nolan asked you to be his date at a wedding, and not knowing what to wear made you nervous, you could always call me for fashion advice, or I’d take you shopping.”
“See?” Nolan said. “Now that I know you don’t want photos taken, I’ll know to wave them away.”
“I don’t mind, usually, I was just already frazzled,” I said.
“Now that he knows you’re a bit jittery sometimes, you’ll both know what sorts of questions to ask,” Jenny said. “He can walk you through things. Tell you ahead of time who is likely going to be there, who you’ll be meeting, and where you’re going.” She turned to Nolan. “She handles things a lot better if she can do a mental run through ahead of time. It calms her down.”
“Thanks,” Nolan said. “See? All we have to do is talk everything through.”
“But I can’t help you,” I said. “Your partner should be able to help you.”
Jenny laughed, rubbing my back for a second. “Such a people pleaser. Listen, Sharolyn, let the guy take care of you, okay? You’re always taking longer shifts, giving up your seat, giving money to your sister, and taking care of everyone else in your own little ways. That’s amazing and kind, but it’s okay for you to have limits.”
“Absolutely,” Nolan agreed. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, and I wouldn’t expect it of you. And please don’t think this TV show is some sort of pinnacle of my career. I’ve done a lot of things, and I’ll likely end up doing a lot more. Money is not a problem, and there will always be something new on the horizon.”
“You’ll find things to help him in your own way,” Jenny said. “You always do.”
“Sharolyn, maybe you can be my reading coach,” Nolan said, smiling down at me. “You could keep me posted on the latest bestsellers, book trends, that sort of thing. So I could fake being smart.”
I finally laughed out loud, breaking the tension. Jenny patted my shoulder, then grabbed her purse. “I’m going to leave you two to chat. I’m a phone call away, alright?”
I turned to hug her. “Thank you,” I whispered in her ear.
“He adores you. He’s amazing. Let him love you,” she whispered back. I nodded, waving as she left.
Turning back to Nolan, he leaned in slowly, cautiously. I met him halfway, kissing him gently.
“I’m sorry–”
He placed a finger over my lips. “Never be sorry for feeling however you feel. But next time, please come to me. As long as we’re always talking, we’re going to be incredible together.” Grinning, he drank half of my wine, then left some money on the table while I took just one sip. “Let’s get out of here,” he said. “I don’t want to get you kicked out of your favorite restaurant, and I can’t keep my hands off you anymore.”
Nolan’s arm locked around me as he turned away from the direction of my apartment. He kept grinning down at me. I still couldn’t believe how gorgeous he was, or that he was interested in me at all. But now I trusted it. For him to have gone to the trouble of consulting Jenny, he must really believe in us.
CHAPTER TEN
* Nolan *
I bundled her in a cab to my place, realizing that she hadn’t even seen it yet. She seemed a bit dazzled by my two-level gray brick house, which I didn’t think was that impressive compared to my brother’s, but it was more than enough for me. And now, Sharolyn. But before I even let her look around, I took her hand and led her straight to the bedroom.
“Baby, I felt sick when you left without me last night,” I said, sitting her beside me on the bed. “Please promise me that if you ever need to leave something like that again, you’ll come to me, or wait for me in the lobby and call.”