5
She made it look so effortless.
Peter didn’t want to be watching Maria from across their plate-choked dinner table at the hotel, but he couldn’t help himself.
Seated between Nava and Darrell on the long upholstered booth lining one wall of the hotel’s small but elegant restaurant,
she glowed in a way that owed nothing to the candlelight and very little to her undeniable beauty.
No, that glow was her . Her charm. Her vivacity. Her humor. Her interest in others.
They’d only been on the island for three weeks, but from her easy chatter and seeming comfort in the crew’s presence, she
might have known everyone for years. Right now, for instance, she was speaking to Nava as if the two women had attended elementary
school together, helped each other move into their first apartments, and recently reunited after a too-long separation.
“So how did Carlie survive her first year of college?” After swallowing a healthy bite of butter-drenched local lobster, Maria
took a sip of white wine. “Back in Belgium, you said she was worried about how she’d done on her finals.”
Nava smiled. “She aced them, to the surprise of absolutely no one but her. Now she’s already fretting about her fall classes, even though it’s only July, and Dottie took her to the Wisconsin Dells for a week to help the poor kid relax.”
Before his parents separated, his family used to visit the Dells. At least once a year.
Until this moment, he’d had no clue Nava was from Wisconsin too. And who the hell was Dottie? A friend? A partner?
He pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated with himself.
Why couldn’t he do this? Why hadn’t he somehow managed to get past his social awkwardness after more than three and a half
decades of suffering for it?
“She’s attending the University of Wisconsin, right?” When Fionn came to collect their plates, Maria patted him on the arm.
“I meant to tell you, Fi, that scallop tartare is going to be starring in my dreams. There may well be a ménage à trois with
the lobster, so please ignore any sounds of ecstasy coming from the suites tonight.”
When Peter’s brain helpfully provided a picture of Maria in the throes of a non-shellfish-induced orgasm, he pinched harder.
Both Nava and Jeanine chortled, and Fionn snorted loudly. “Thanks, love.”
“Thank you for all the incredible food, Fi. I can’t wait for dessert.” Maria turned back to Nava. “Sorry, Nava. What were you saying?”
“You’re right. Carlie’s going to college in Madison. Just like Dottie and I did”—she made a show of mumbling—“ mmphmmm years ago. Although I suspect Carlie consumes way less beer than we did, probably because she’d never think of getting a
fake ID. I truly have no idea how we ended up with such a sweet, responsible kid, Maria. It’s bizarre.”
Unexpectedly, Maria turned her head and made direct eye contact with Peter, and he flinched a little in surprise. Had she caught him staring?
“Peter,” Maria said, her wide brow creased in thought. “That’s where you went to university too, right?”
He cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. Theater major. Born and raised in Madison.”
“I had no idea!” Nava leaned toward him. “I grew up in Janesville. I was a theater major at Madison too, although there’s
no way our times there overlapped. You’re way too young for that.”
Most days, he didn’t feel like it. But saying so wouldn’t keep the conversation going, so he needed to find something else
to discuss. Something to ask. But what?
He pleated the napkin in his lap, let it flatten, then folded it again. “Did—did you raise your daughter in Wisconsin?”
“Nah.” Nava’s nose wrinkled. “Dottie and I fled to LA as soon as we graduated. But after the divorce, she moved back to Janesville.
When it came time to pick a college, Carlie wanted to stay near one of her moms and both of our families, especially since
I’d be out of the country so often, so she chose Madison.”
“A fine choice, clearly.” Maria gestured toward both of them. “Just look at the exemplary graduates the institution has produced.”
“Honestly, we should be on all their brochures.” Nava reached across the table with her hand raised, and it took Peter a few
awkward seconds to realize she wanted a high-five. When he gave it to her, she grinned at him. “I expect them to rename a
building for us any day now.”
“Undoubtedly,” he said.
Why was Maria smiling at him like that?
“It’s a great place to go to college,” Nava said. “Although I think Carlie’s diet is eighty percent cheese curds during the
school year.”
The fried version was his favorite, personally. Melty and excellent with ranch dressing.
He grinned. “I assume the other twenty percent is brats?”
“Ten percent brats, ten percent frozen custard.” The producer tapped her chin. “Although that doesn’t account for her consumption
of butter burgers.”
When he laughed, so did Nava. Even Maria looked pleased, even though she likely had no clue what the fuck they were talking
about.
Without warning, Darrell and the other crew members erupted in loud laughter of their own, and both Nava and Maria turned
their attention to the PA.
Peter sipped at his water, still smiling to himself.
There. That hadn’t been so hard. He’d had a friendly conversation with a colleague, and now he knew a lot more about her,
which would make later conversations easier. They could reminisce about the Dells, or compare their favorite State Street
restaurants, or praise the glory of balmy summer nights spent listening to music on the Terrace overlooking Lake Mendota.
To his surprise, he actually wanted to talk with Nava again. She was interesting and funny and good at her job, and she seemed... warmer than he’d expected.
He... liked her?
Yes. He liked her. Which was good, since they’d be working together for years to come.
“I put up my fifth video last week,” Darrell was saying. “Some people still haven’t realized I’m trolling them. Even after
I enthusiastically praised the innocent romanticism of ‘Every Breath You Take’ and said Sting intended it as a guide to healthy
relationships.”
Peter choked on his water amid more cackling.
Somehow, Ramón managed to groan and laugh at the same time. “Jesus.”
From across the table, Jeanine leaned toward Darrell, her bright gaze trained unwaveringly on the younger man. “Despite my best efforts, one of my closest friends danced to that song at her wedding.”
Darrell didn’t look away from Jeanine. In fact, he set both forearms on the table and canted his body forward, lessening the
distance between them even further.
“Has either of them been arrested for stalking?” A smile played at the edges of his mouth, and Jeanine’s gaze dropped there
for a split second.
“No.” Her voice had turned husky. “Not yet.”
He raised a single dark brow, and the gesture was so damn smooth, Peter had to fight the urge to applaud the young man. “I
assume they’re divorced?”
“Yep,” she said, and they both snickered.
With a slight shift of her shoulders, Jeanine’s top dipped lower. So did Darrell’s eyes. And for the first time, the PA’s
too-bright grin didn’t bother Peter in the least.
“Next week, I’m reacting to Ginuwine’s ‘Pony.’” When Jeanine bit her lip, Darrell’s grin widened. “I intend to discuss how
refreshing I find his interest in equestrianism.”
That time, Peter sprayed his water across the table, and Jeanine thumped him vigorously on the back as he coughed.
“Thank you,” he wheezed.
“You okay?” Nava looked concerned and ready to leap across the table to his rescue. “Do you need more water?”
“I’m fine.” Another couple of coughs, and he could breathe again. “Just took a drink at the wrong moment.”
At Jeanine’s urging, Darrell was talking about his ideas for future videos. “I have a whole bit planned about how ‘Down Under’
extols the merits of cunnilingus. Also why I believe the phrase ‘Vegemite sandwich’ is a filthy metaphor. But after that,
I’m not sure what song to do.”
Thank fuck Peter hadn’t taken another gulp of water, because damn .
“Peter.” Maria’s voice wasn’t overly loud, but it carried clearly across all the chitchat. “I know you listen to music between
takes. Do you have any suggestions for Darrell?”
He did, in fact, listen to music between takes, mostly because it gave him a valid reason for not interacting with everyone
else. With earbuds affixed and his cell in his hand, no one expected him to demonstrate sparkling wit or even basic sociability.
And once more, Maria had put him on the spot, dammit.
“Um...” With everyone turned toward him, his mind emptied of all musical knowledge. But he tried his best to push past
the blankness, because there was something... Ah. Perfect. “Have you already done a video about the unabashed go-America
patriotism of ‘Born in the U.S.A.’?”
Darrell nodded approvingly. “A classic of lyrical misinterpretation. That’s a great suggestion, Peter. Thanks.”
“If... if I come up with anything else, I’ll let you know,” he offered.
For the first time, Darrell’s absurdly charming smile was directed at Peter, and it nearly blinded him. But in a good way.
Absently, he touched his belly. He hadn’t had any wine, so he couldn’t explain that odd sensation of warmth in his gut. It
was pleasant, though.
When Jeanine captured the PA’s attention once more, Peter picked up his fork and prepared to address the delicious-looking
apple crumble in front of him. Which was when Ramón nudged his arm.
The director stretched his neck to whisper near Peter’s ear. “Do you see what’s happening?”
That was vague, but Peter was pretty sure he knew what Ramón meant.
“Between Jeanine and Darrell?” When the other man nodded, Peter pressed his lips together, unsure what to say. “It’s their business, of course. I just . . . I just hope Darrell doesn’t get hurt. He’s so damn young .”
Because Jeanine was fantastic—why hadn’t he acknowledged that to himself before?—but she tended to like her men disposable.