Page 71 of Call It Home

I was. “While I can’t promise my final answer, I am definitely interested in hearing what you have to say to see if our visions align.” There. That sounded professional enough, right?

“Good enough. I’ll have my assistant, Keeley, set something up soon.”

I stared at the phone in my hand—the one that had been abruptly disconnected—and nearly shouted. This was the kind of job I’d always dreamed of. I didn’t want to put the cart ahead of the horse, but if I could make this opportunity work…

But that was also an issue.Howcould I do that? That would be a full-time job, one that would last easily ten times longer than filming the show. Longer, even. At least The Laurel Ridge Hotel wasn’t across the country, but still, it was further up the mountain and would require a lot of my time to be on-site. But maybe I could find a way.

I started to call Mac, but there was that pesky little NDA, and I didn’t think a man like Connor Dunham blurred the lines about his business. Besides, I didn’t really have anything to tell him yet.

Chapter27

Cam

“This is so exciting,”Emalee exclaimed as we wound our way through the crowd that had gathered in the grassy pavilion area.

“I can’t believe this many people turned out,” I answered.

“You shouldn’t be. You know how this town loves to get together for any occasion.”

She was right. Sterling Mill loved to come together for holidays, fundraisers, and anything else that drew the town together. And tonight, Mac and I were the reason everyone was here. Beverly Seymour had insisted that the town have a watch party for the premier ofRenovation Station.

In front of the gazebo, a huge screen had been set up. People were spread out in lawn chairs or picnic blankets on the grass that made up a little park area between Main and Market Street. I’d tried to hide in the back, but Emalee had found me and practically dragged me to the front.

“You know you’re going to look great,” she comforted. “You’re gorgeous. Mac is sexy. You’re both going to look amazing. And I don’t have to see what the house looks like to know it’s the best.”

I gave her a one-armed hug. “Thanks, cuz. It’s just a little overwhelming, you know?”

“I get it. But you know this town is 100 percent behind you, so no worries.” She looked around. “Where’s Mac?”

I’d been wondering the same thing. “I don’t know. He doesn’t love crowds. I think I’ll go look for him.”

I navigated through the throng of people, scanning the crowd for any sign of Mac. The sun had started to set, casting a warm orange glow over everything. The smell of grilled hot dogs and burgers wafted in the air, making my stomach growl with hunger.

Finally, in the back where I’d wanted to hide in the first place, I saw a familiar blond head. Mac was sitting on the grass with his back against a tree, his eyes closed.

Relieved, I jogged over to him. “Hey, what are you doing over here?”

He opened one eye, his eyes warming as they saw me. “Just taking a moment to breathe.”

I sat down beside him, feeling the cool grass beneath me. “You nervous?”

“A little bit,” he admitted. “Not really sure why, since we know what happens. I guess it’s the idea of seeing myself on television for the first time and hoping like hell they don’t make us look stupid.”

“Us, meaning you and me. Because I hope like hell they don’t make Vivien look like a warm ray of sunshine.”

He chuckled.

I leaned my head on his shoulder, enjoying the warmth of his body next to mine. “It’s going to be great. And even if it’s not, we’re in this together.”

He smiled, wrapping an arm around me. “We are.” But there was an odd edge to his voice, almost melancholy.

For a while now, I felt like he was holding something back from me, but then he’d make love to me, and I knew he wasn’t holding back then. If anything, he was almost desperate to keep us connected for as long as possible.

I sat beside Mac, who loosely entwined our fingers. We were surrounded by the buzz of excited chatter and happy shrieks of kids, who didn’t really care about the show but were having fun with friends.

As more people began to filter into the park, we found we couldn’t hide. People continuously came up, congratulating us with wide grins and enthusiastic hugs. I loved that my town was so supportive. I knew Mac shied away from being the center of attention, but to my surprise, he seemed to be taking everything in stride.

The sun had almost completely set, and the sky had turned a deep shade of purple when Emalee found us again. This time, she was with Zach, who had Olivia strapped to his chest, and Iain. She handed us each a plate of food.

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