Chapter 10 #2
Claire shrugged and speared a sliced brussels sprout. “I’m going to be your wife and all. I’d better keep up with my fiancé’s projects. You know… doing my duty.”
“A dutiful fiancée, indeed.” His sheepish grin added to his boy-next-door charm.
“If I’d known you’d been keeping tabs on me, I’d have prepared a more elaborate backstory.
” He told her about the first preview round.
“Now, there’s pressure to make it ‘deeper,’ more emotional, and let’s just say I’m not sure I want to add the details the studio’s demanding. ”
“All your movies are authentic, Wade. That’s why they don’t flop—you get the emotion right.’”
“True, but maybe this one’s just bound to flop.” His jaw tightened, and his fingers grazed the stem of his glass. “I don’t want to dig too deep into my character’s inner life. That level of… it’s…”
She’d seen the previews. Perhaps the orphan story hit close to home.
Despite the sensitive topic, he must’ve invested time in this movie like he did all the others.
“Sounds to me like you already know the story’s potential.
” She dragged her fork through the vegetables.
“Sometimes, the imperfections make a character’s story realistic.
” Claire told him what she liked about the movie he’d written and acted in based on his brother Nate’s life.
“His struggles before he became a star made me and the audience root for his character.”
“How many of my movies have you watched?”
“Not many.” Every single one—more than once. He’d never find that out, though. “What about the new movie you’re about to film? A comeback martial artist?”
“Seriously?” His eyes widened.
She swallowed hard, heat creeping into her cheeks. “I read entertainment news sometimes.”
He sliced into his steak. “The actor didn’t lose weight like he was supposed to, and the actor on callback isn’t fitting the role either.” He jabbed a bite and frowned at it. “I’m exhausted giving new actors a shot. I’m done after this.”
“It’s pretty remarkable that you even try. Hollywood’s not exactly forgiving from what you told me, especially with new faces. You’re giving them a chance to shine.”
“Look where it’s gotten me.” He lifted the meat to his mouth, and she did the same, eating before she asked why he got into acting.
“Bouncing from one home to the next, well, entertainment was all I had.” His shoulders sloped. “In my last foster home before the Stones, the negligent couple was only in it for the foster-care support money.”
“I’m so sorry for everything you had to go through.”
“I’m glad, I guess. I wouldn’t be here in Pleasant View with you.” His sincere words touched her to the core. He then talked about his busy schedule and how the movie reedits would press the other deadlines like the filming next week. “I’m waiting on Novi to see if we have a plan.”
“Don’t you have movie tricks you do for such things?
You know like in certain movies where one person acts two roles in the same movie or someone’s body is changed?
” Was she showing her ignorance? She didn’t know all sorts of things about how movies worked.
“You could also tweak the story—maybe the character doesn’t reach all his dreams. Life’s complicated. We don’t always win.”
He dipped his chin, and a smile quirked his lips.
“It’d be a twist, but you’ve given me some good ideas, Cupcake.
” His gaze lingered on her, his eyes warm as if weighing her words and finding something deeper in them.
“Kind of like us—not the conventional love story, but maybe we can still make it work.”
A flash went off nearby, the camera aimed their way.
Wade grinned and slid their plates aside with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Well, if we’re supposed to be in love…” he whispered, and her heart raced.
Before she figured out what to do, he cupped her face tenderly.
She held her breath as his fanned against her lips.
Then he pressed a lingering kiss on her cheek.
Warmth rushed through her. Would her blush be obvious in tomorrow’s tabloids?
“We were supposed to have a real kiss, actually.” Wade eased back into his seat. “But you looked terrified.”
Claire shook her head so fast. “I’m not scared,” she all but squeaked.
“We’ll find out soon.”
Soon? That left her anticipating. Great, now she didn’t want her food anymore.
He raised his water glass. “About Albert’s letter… you always had a crush?”
“He said you always looked at me in a certain way?”
He scrunched his face. “I always had to make sure my best friend’s sister was all right.”
“Is that why you kissed me—so I didn’t feel bad after your rejection?”
Hurt crossed his face, but he recovered.
“I kissed you because I wanted to. Sure, you caught me off guard. One second, you were thanking me for the car. The next, your lips were…” He shook his head, and his cheeks pinked.
Okay, maybe he’d liked the kiss too. He’d hesitated until she started walking back toward the building where her party was still going on.
That was when he’d tugged her arm back and pulled her into a tender kiss she’d never forget.
“That was then. Let’s talk about the letter. You always loved sailing, why?”
“I’m always around the mountains. I figured going to the ocean would be nice. You know, just to be on a boat and take it in.”
“Good to know.” His eyes glistened beneath the lights. “How have you been coping since Albert’s death? Sorry I haven’t asked sooner.”
She exhaled, the response pressing against her ribs.
She’d listened to countless sermons about God’s plan and read Bible verses about how every life was numbered, every day designed before it even began.
But the lingering what-if never left. “I always wonder if I hadn’t offered to watch Bella so he could go biking… ”
“No, Claire.” His hand covered hers. “Albert likely would’ve had a cardiac arrest that day no matter where he was.
We’ve all searched for reasons, for ways this could have been avoided, but it doesn’t work that way.
” His Adam’s apple bobbled as he swallowed.
“God ordained the number of our days—the when, the where, the how. You know that.”
She nodded as the familiar truth settled in deeper this time.
From Wade, it carried more weight. As they then discussed the uncertainty of death, tears welled in her eyes.
One slipped free. He handed her a napkin, his other hand wrapped around hers.
His voice trembled as he spoke. Each word carried wisdom and assurance, reminding her every breath was a gift and God’s plan was always in control.
It felt like they were mourning together, and the shared grief brought an unexpected solace.
She liked it—especially when Wade stood, moved his chair beside hers, and embraced her.
No words were needed as she breathed in his sandalwood scent.
His quiet, genuine comfort wasn’t for show while he held her in shared silence.
The conversation drifted to lighter things—wedding plans, the cake flavors they still had to choose, and songs for their first dance. Wade mentioned one of her favorite singers. “I already put in a request for Shania Twain. Just in case the DJ needs time to find the songs.”
He remembered? A smile curved her lips, the mournful fog lifting to reveal a flicker of joy.
She tipped her head up at him. Her gaze lingered on those far-too-well-formed lips, and an unexpected heat rushed through her, an ache to close the space between them.
She didn’t have to. He leaned in, and her breath hitched as the distance vanished.
His forehead touched hers first, a gentle grounding that sent a shiver down her spine.
His hand slid to the back of her head, his fingers curled into her hair, and she moved her hands to grip his collar.
The scene was all so familiar. It had her closing her eyes, her pulse thrumming as their breaths mingled—warm, uneven, electric.
Then his lips brushed hers, so featherlight it could have been a whisper against her skin.
Yet, it ignited a fire that surged through her veins and curled her toes.
She had barely sunk into the tender warmth before a soft grunt escaped her, and an eagerness to kiss him the way she’d imagined over and over rushed in.
But his hand slipped from her hair, and his lips eased away, leaving her breathless and tingling with the ghost of his touch.
“We had to get one picture here at least,” he whispered breathlessly, then reached for a water glass.
With her lips still tingling in a sensation she couldn’t describe and her whole body parched, she needed water too.