Page 142 of You and Me, For Real
Edith steps forward as if to give me a hug.
I tense and give a slight shake of my head. “We’re not quite there yet.”
Her lips purse. “Understandable. Thank you for allowing me to come.”
“Shall we get to it then?”
“Absolutely,” Thomas says as he ushers my mom forward with a hand around her waist.
We enter the theater as one happy family. Nearly.
The credits rollacross the screen and the small, private audience cheers.
It’s with surprising calmness that I watched Scarlet and Griffin experience intimate moments on-screen. Maybe it’s because I caught small ticks of hesitancy I’ve come to recognize in Griffin before their scenes—nothing anyone else would notice. Or maybe it’s because, throughout the entire episode, Griffin held my hand and squeezed it. Or traced his fingertips up and down my forearm. Or placed soft kisses on my bare shoulder. Or stared at me through nearly all the scenes. I finally had to scold him to pay attention.
He merely chuckled and said, “Yes, ma’am.”
But I leaned over and whispered, “We’ll continue this later.”
His eyebrow lifted. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
Now, the theater lights illuminate the room and we begin exiting the room, heading toward the main entrance. Numerous people stop us to shake Griffin’s hand and congratulate him. He smiles and replies with something brief, varying his responses here and there, until one man approaches and clasps his shoulder, holding him in place. We halt our steps.
“Young man, that was quite a performance.”
“Thank you.” Griffin shakes his hand. “Jack, this is my girlfriend, Ashton.”
Girlfriend. I’m a little awestruck as something new and bubbly fizzes in my chest. I manage a “Hi.”
“I’m glad you liked the show.”
Jack laughs and shakes his head. “No, I’m talking about the interview with Gwen.”
Griffin’s eyebrows furrow, matching my own confusion. “I’m sorry?”
“You’re right. Hollywood politics are garbage. We should all toss the rule book out the window and start playing by our own rules.”
Griffin chuckles awkwardly. “Agreed.”
“You’ve got some morals and some backbone. I like that.” He nods toward me. “And clearly some excellent taste. I’d like you to come work with me on my next project.”
Griffin sputters. “Really? Moonstruck won you over?”
“That they did. With the understanding they keep loose reins on me. And I wantyouto be my guy. Film or television, I’ll let you take your pick. I’ve got production offers for both.” He pulls a card from his suit pocket. “Have your people call my people, will ya?”
“Absolutely. Yes sir, I’ll definitely do that.”
“See that you do.” Jack tips an invisible hat toward me. “Ma’am, a pleasure. You hold onto this one. He’s a good egg.”
I tighten my hands wrapped around Griffin’s arm. “Oh, I intend to.”
EPILOGUE
ASHTON
“Today, we’re talking about puppy-proofing your home.” I smile wide into my phone camera, imagining the confused expressions I’d get in return. “That’s right. You heard me. Puppy-proofing. Just like baby-proofing, you need to consider the dangers to your puppy within your home…as well as any precious items you’d like to, well, keep precious.”
