Six
Six
Grace felt nervous in her own home, and she hated it. Emily Swanson, who was even prettier, sexier, and more polished than she’d been when they’d worked with her on the magazine, flitted around the living room chatting with her producer.
“You said it was a small production,” Grace whispered as she leaned toward Noah.
He took her hand and squeezed it. “It is. I’m sure we won’t have this many people here all the time. They’re just figuring out what they need.”
Noah brought their joined hands to his lips, staring into Grace’s eyes and, just like that, her pulse settled and her breathing evened out.
He smiled at her, like he knew the exact effect he had on her nervous system. Leaning down, he gave her a gentle kiss. “I love you, Gracie.” The words whispered across her lips.
“That,” Emily said loudly, startling both Grace and Noah apart.
When they looked her way, she was pointing at them and the videographer was capturing them on film.
Emily walked forward, her shiny, black heels tapping over the floor in a hurried pace. “I want lots of emotion in this. Our magazine spread was wonderful, but let’s face it, we never get the details about what happens when the fairytale ends. So, if you feel it, I want to see it. The good, the bad, and the ugly.” She stopped directly in front of them and Grace felt even shorter standing next to her in her heels and Noah, who was six feet.
“Don’t suppress the bad and the ugly. That’s what viewers eat up,” Yuzi, the producer, said. He was close to Noah’s height but much thinner, and the black suit he wore slimmed him down even more. He held an iPad and stylus like a clipboard and pen. “Don’t worry about being dramatic or too much.”
Grace’s stomach wobbled precariously. “I don’t think we’re really a dramatic couple,” she said quietly, stepping closer to Noah.
“That’s okay,” Yuzi said, perhaps misunderstanding that Grace wasn’t sorry about that fact. “We’ll be able to edit the footage and give viewers what they want. Why don’t we take a look at those jars again? I’m wondering if we need a different aesthetic.”
Grace frowned and when she glanced up at Noah, it soothed her to see he wasn’t fond of the suggestion either. Emily might look different on the outside, more glammed up and posh, but Grace still trusted the other woman’s intuition.
“Yuzi, why don’t you and the others go? We’re set to start filming next week. You’ve seen the space and we have notes. Let me have a bit of time with Noah and Grace to iron out some details.”
Second thoughts bounced around in Grace’s mind as Noah and Emily walked the producer, camera guy, a couple of assistants, and two lighting techs to the door. Her phone buzzed in the back pocket of her jeans. Ignoring it, she went to the kitchen. She loved their kitchen. Over the last year or so, she and Noah had started cooking together. He was better at it than she was, and most of the time she played sous-chef, but she loved it—the two of them working together to create something.
Voices traveled closer and she heard Noah’s words as he and Emily entered the kitchen. “It has to be our vision.”
Grace grabbed glasses. She’d set out a pitcher of juice before everyone arrived, but no one had wanted anything other than to see the house and meet the “stars.”
“Of course. This is a follow-up. A ‘where are they now?’ but we all know reality television is about the soundbites. We need some of that and yes, it may feel engineered because parts of it will be, but the rest will be authentically you and Grace on the path toward your wedding. I truly believe we can get the network to sign on for the wedding. That means playing the angles just right though, and Yuzi was just worried about the jars feeling juvenile.”
Grace tried to hide her frown as she poured juice. “The jars are part of our journey. We’ve spent time filling them with ideas for our wedding and swapping them for something that shows better on the screen seems decidedly inauthentic .”
She slid a glass of juice across the island to Emily, not sure why the woman was smiling at her as though Grace had given her the keys to a new Mercedes.
“You’ve come into your own,” Emily said, accepting the juice even as Noah came to Grace’s side. “When we met, you were uncertain, a false front that looked good but didn’t necessarily have the structure to hold up. Now, you’re a successful businesswoman in your own right and it shines through.”
Grace started to say thank you, but Emily wasn’t finished.
“It’s going to transfer onto the screen beautifully. Viewers are going to love you two just like readers did. Noah, you still have those gorgeous puppy dog eyes for Grace. This is going to be like The Bachelor meets 30 for 30 .” Her excitement vibrated through the kitchen.
Noah lifted his brows and glanced at Grace. “Sports documentary.”
Emily looked back and forth between them. “I want you two to be happy. The magazine spread we did together not only got me a promotion but was one of the most widely read articles the magazine has ever published. You two are reality gold. This is just the beginning. I can feel it.”
“Hear that, Gracie?” Noah’s hand slipped around her waist and settled on her hip. “You’re gold.” He leaned down, whispered so only she could hear. “Breathe. We’re in charge, babe. You say no, we stop.”
She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, using Noah’s certainty as a cloak of strength. Open mind. She laughed and leaned into Noah. “Not quite what she said.”
Emily placed both hands on the countertop. “My whole premise is to show that you two jump the hurdles together. You’re both passionate, smart, beautiful people who captivate others. If we film something and you don’t like it, we’ll cut it. If we put the final piece together and you hate it, we’ll adjust.”
Grace nodded. “Okay. But does it have to focus on our wedding plans? I mean, the bigger picture is that we continue to work and live together, jumping those hurdles and getting through the day-to-day.”
“ While planning a wedding. I want to show the whole journey. That’s the piece that is going to give us a wider viewership. We’ve got your couple dynamic as you plan something stressful, family and friend interactions, the balance of personal and professional, not to mention an inside look at both of your careers.”
Noah smoothed a hand down the back of her hair. “What happens if it doesn’t feel right to us? Your crew starts next week. What if we dive in for a bit and decide against it?”
Grace saw the way Emily’s jaw clenched.
“Your lawyer added an escape clause to the contract. You two can’t lose.”
Noah was already looking at her when Grace looked up at him. She arched her brows in question.
“Whatever you want, Gracie.”
Expanding and growing meant taking chances. And regardless of how it turned out, she’d have Noah by her side. She had to keep reminding herself that, at other points in her life, she hadn’t had support like his and things still worked out well. Better than well. She and Noah could navigate this, even if it grew beyond their control. They’d figure it out. Together.