Page 50 of At the Heart of It
He went back to surveying the room. Probably ought to sit down and get comfortable. He started to move toward the chair he’d sat in the last time he’d been here, then stopped. Would she read something into the notion that he had a favorite chair at her place? He moved toward the sofa instead. Halfway to sitting, he wondered if he should have picked the loveseat instead. Would Viv notice that he’d opted to plant his butt where Kate had sat before?
And you accused Kate of overthinking things.
He grunted and sat down on the sofa, annoyed with himself. This was why he hated spending time with Viv. Every move was up for analysis. He could pass gas and spend the next two hours knowing she was interpreting it as a subconscious rejection of social norms and Viv’s own hospitality. Or maybe a reflection on his upbringing or dietary choices.
The possibilities were endless.
Viv folded herself into the club chair he’d chosen last time, and poured two glasses of water. Jonah reached out and grabbed two coasters, setting one in front of each of them. Good, this was good. They were getting along nicely.
Viv set a glass of water in front of him, then took a sip from her own. She studied him over the rim, and Jonah fought the urge to look away.
“I’m actually glad we have a few minutes alone, Jonah.”
“Oh?”
“Right.” Viv set her glass down. “I know things were a little tense at the meeting, but I want you to know how grateful I am that you chose to do the show. You didn’t have to do that.”
He shrugged. “It’s fine.” He started to add some offhanded quip about the money being good, but stopped himself. Hadn’t Kate said the budget numbers were confidential? He wondered what Viv’s agreement was with the network. The numbers he’d seen had only reflected his own salary. How much more were they paying Viv? She was the big draw, while he was the last-minute addition.
He hoped she was being paid well. Okay, most of him hoped so. This was her gig, after all. He was just the comic relief. Then again, he did have experience. He didn’t have the psychology degree, but he hoped he’d have a chance to add more than dick jokes to the lineup for the show.
Viv cleared her throat. “I know you’re a little camera shy?—”
“I’m not camera shy,” he interrupted. “Just not a fan of that kind of permanency. Something that lives on forever on the Internet or TV reruns.”
“That’s right.” Viv pressed her lips together and gave a serene little smile. “Commitment was never really your forte.”
Something flared in his chest. “Seriously? You’re the one who wanted the divorce.”
“Honestly, Jonah. If I hadn’t proposed to you?—”
“Like a modern, empowered woman taking charge of her own life,” he snapped. “You wrote a whole chapter about it in your book.”
Viv pressed her lips together. “You can’t look me in the eye and tell me you wanted to get married.”
“I can look you in the eye and tell you I didn’t want to get divorced,” he shot back. “That was your idea, babe.”
“Based on the amount of emotional neglect and?—”
“Wait a minute.” Jonah shook his head as a realization dawned. “Are you baiting me?”
Viv blinked. “What do you mean?” Her expression was one of calculated innocence, but Jonah knew better. He’d seen that look before.
“You’re trying to rile me up,” he said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She glanced down at her water glass, spinning it around in her hand.
“Pissing me off on purpose so I’ll be ready for the camera,” he said. “The emotional equivalent of a fluffer on a porn set.”
She laughed and did her breezy hand wave again, dismissing the accusation and apparently, the whole conversation. God, she was good. She had her Average Joe sound bite and the cameras weren’t even rolling yet.
“Anyway, I do hope you’ll be able to act natural once the cameras are rolling,” she said. “Some people aren’t comfortable around them.”
Jonah only half heard her, still stuck on what she’d said about commitment and how he hadn’t wanted to get married. Was that true?
“I adopted a cat,” he blurted, then felt like an idiot.
Viv stopped laughing and looked intrigued. “Really?”
