Page 100 of She Likes It, Hey Micah
“Are you dating Darcy?” Micah asks.
“No.”
“But you want to be?”
“Yes. No. It’s just…it feels like she’s keeping something from me. I don’t like it.”
“Maybe there’s a reason.” It takes me a second to realize thatI’mthe one who said that. Face heating, I slowly climb down the ladder and rest the lights on the floor before moving to Micah’s side. I have to admit that I’m curious about whatever is going on with Houston’s love life, and I will absolutely take this chance to enjoy a moment with Micah. Outside of last night, when she let me give her a shoulder massage while she made plans late into the night, I haven’t had much of a chance to be around her, let alone touch her.
Houston’s eyes track my movement as I wrap Micah up from behind, pulling her against me. I should probably remember that he’s her older brother and likely just as protective as he was when he met me the other day, but I’ve been craving her all day. Once the reopening starts in an hour, I doubt I’ll have the chance to hold her again until it’s all over.
“What do you mean, a reason?” he eventually asks.
I shrug. “People are motivated by a lot of different things. If this Darcy is keeping something from you, she probably thinks it’s for a good reason.”
“Is there ever a good reason to hide things from someone you care about?” Micah asks. She sounds more curious than accusatory, which I appreciate. I know how much I hid of myself in the beginning, and I regret taking so long to trust her.
I kiss her temple, something Houston doesn’t seem to appreciate with the way he narrows his eyes at me. “No. But it takes the right person to show you that they can be trusted. Hearts are fragile things.”
“I like your heart,” Micah says.
“I love yours,” I reply.
Houston’s phone dings, and he seems overjoyed to have a reason to look away from us. As soon as he reads the message he received, his eyebrows shoot high. “Okay, don’t be mad at me.”
Micah tenses, gripping my arms. “What did you do?”
“I called in a favor that I wasn’t sure would pan out until now. Hopefully it doesn’t disrupt anything, but I thought it might help.”
“What—”
But Houston heads for the door right as a group of people walk through it. I twist so Micah can see the literal entourage making their way into the lobby. It’s made up of people loaded with garment bags, suitcases, cameras, and a million other things I can’t name, but it’s the two people in the middle who catch my attention.
My arms go slack. “Is that…?”
Micah gasps. “That’s Bonnie Aiken.”
“Okay, so I’m not going crazy and seeing things?” Still, I blink hard because I can’t comprehend why a movie star just walked into a tiny lodge in middle-of-nowhere, New Mexico. “But how—”
“She and Houston were dating over the summer,” Micah explains, sounding far too casual about her brother being a thing with one of the most famous—and beautiful—faces of Hollywood.
Houston greets Bonnie with a hug and a kiss to the cheek, and then he shakes the hand of the man next to Bonnie. I may not watch many movies, but even I know Derek Riley. Like Bonnie, he’s one of the biggest names in the movie industry right now, which means…
Micah giggles. “Do you have any idea how many people are going to know about the lodge after tonight?” she whispers.
“Do you have any idea how many people are going to want to hire you for their events?” I throw back.
She turns pale, grabbing my hand. “But I don’t have a company.”
“Sounds like you need to make one.”
As the new arrivals make their way toward us, Micah’s hold on my fingers grows tighter and tighter until I wince from the strength of it. For someone so tiny, she has a lot more power than anyone realizes.
“Micah,” Houston says, “you remember Bonnie, right?”
Bonnie glides forward, pulling Micah into a graceful embrace. She may be in what looks like silk pajamas with minimal makeup—I’m assuming the entourage is there to change that—but the actress is just as beautiful as she is on all the billboards around town advertising her newest movie. “Micah, this place looks like a dream!”
Micah squeaks.
