Page 69 of The Kissing Part
“That’s fine, just wait until you get the all clear from me. I’d like to make this happen without a lawsuit. You just focus on Nala. I’m going to send you over the latest version of the script. Congratulations, Shayla, I’m thrilled for you. Do something nice for yourself. This is a major win.”
He hangs up. I sit there a few moments, my mind reeling. I’ll be in LA again. Maybe I could offer Owen an all-expenses-paid three-month trip to LA. That way he’d know how much I want to stay together no matter where my job takes me. I so hope everything works out.
I had the Oliver Nuckowski project in the back of my mind, but there were some financing hurdles, and I thought it would be years before it got the backing it needed, if it did at all. I can’t believe I got Nala. This iseverything.
I tap over to my email to read the latest script.
* * *
Owen
Shayla and I had a fantastic weekend together. She was in a good mood, and it rubbed off on me. We had Mackenzie, Harper, and Olivia over on Friday night for dinner. I invited Nathan too, but he had a date. On Saturday night, Shayla and I had a movie marathon, mostly sci-fi and fantasy, which I like, and we spent the rest of the time in bed. I could get used to this.
I sit at the kitchen table with a glass of water and my laptop. If this is what our life would be like, right here in Clover Park, I’d say yes to us in a heartbeat. It’s Monday night, and I find myself excited for her to walk in the door so we can have dinner together. Takeout’s waiting on the counter.
I take a drink of water. Does looking forward to the small things like dinner on a Monday mean I’m in love with Shayla? Adrenaline fires through me at the thought. With risk comes reward, right?
The front door opens, and Shayla calls, “Owen Campbell! Where’s my welcome-back hug?”
I stride to the foyer, grab her in a hug, and swing her around. She laughs. I put her down, take one look at her happy glowing face, and my heart cracks open. I love her. There’s no sense denying it anymore.
I kiss her. “You hungry? I got meatloaf and potatoes from Happy Endings.”
“Please tell me you got something with vegetables too.”
“And I got you veggie loaf with cauliflower rice. Blech. I always wondered who ordered from the healthy menu.”
We head to the kitchen. I get the containers out of the bag while Shayla sets the table. We make a good team.
At dinner, Shayla tells me the latest on set. I know everyone from my stint as her guard, so it’s fun to hear. I tell her about an interesting job I worked this week at a tech company that believed they had a mole leaking company secrets through the dark web. I found her within an hour, the seventeen-year-old daughter of the CEO. Some daughter-daddy issues there.
After we finish eating, she says brightly, “I have good news.”
I smile. “Yeah, what is it?”
“You’re looking at the new star of the next Oliver Nuckowski film. It’s a great role. Nala is this kickass woman on a quest. She’s just everything. It’s set in a fantasy world that’s like an ecotopia. No pollution, everything runs on clean energy. I just read the latest script, and it’s even better than the first version I read. My agent says it has franchise potential. I’ll be a role model to girls all over the world.”
“Congratulations! That’s amazing!”
I walk around the table to hug her. She leaps to her feet and throws herself in my arms. I give her a kiss and go back to my seat.
“Is that why we had a sci-fi and fantasy movie marathon this weekend?” I ask.
She laughs. “Yes. I couldn’t say anything until it was official. It was so hard not to tell you, but my agent said it could jeopardize the deal.”
“I wouldn’t have said anything to anyone.”
“I guess I was afraid to go against what he said. Anyway, now you know.”
“Where does it film?”
“LA.”
“I guess that’s better than Australia.” I can’t begrudge her a major role that she’s excited about. “How long will you be away?”
“A little over three months. I’d love to have you with me. All expenses paid of course. I’m not sure I can get you a job with this studio, but we could be together.”
“I can’t leave for three months. I have work. I’ll be with you in Vancouver, but I can’t keep following you from set to set.” I can feel my heart creaking closed again. This was the elephant in the room neither one of us wanted to acknowledge.
