Page 25 of Acting Merry
“As long as that means you worship me,” I whisper into her ear.
It’s a ridiculous thing to say, but I can’t help myself. I like to see how Reese catches whatever I throw her way. It keeps her from thinking about Brady and Megan.
Her hand gives the slightest wobble, a little blip in the otherwise perfectly straight line.
A little thrill rushes through me. I should want a perfect foundation—I’m a stickler on the job—but thinking I might’ve been the cause of that little quiver brings a whole different level of satisfaction.
I don’t even care if Brady saw it.
“For the record,” she says, “you don’t worship kings.”
“Swearing eternal fealty will do.”
“Watch yourself, Your Majesty, or you’ll find yourself with a full-scale rebellion on your hands.”
My mind is more focused on what’sinmy hands right now, which is Reese’s waist. “Sounds like fun to me.”
Once the foundation is filled, we start getting the walls up.
“What in the world are you doing?” she asks as I set my phone on top of the wall she’s holding up.
“It’s a leveling app. Not perfect, but better than nothing.”
She laughs, and the wall shifts.
I look at her severely. “Do you mind?”
“My bad,” she says, all amused penitence.
I resituate the phone. “I don’t think this wall is to code.” I set my phone aside and shake my head. “Shoddy workmanship. That’s what it is.”
“Hey.” She hip-checks me, but I snatch her by the waist and pull her flush against me.
Her eyes lock on mine, smiling just as brightly as her mouth. “You gonna fire me?” She rests her forearms on my shoulders, and it simultaneously feels like the most natural thing in the world and the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me.
Her energy is intoxicating, but instead of making everything feel fuzzy, it heightens my awareness. I feel all ten points of contact between my fingers and her waist. I want to tighten my hold to keep her where she is.
“I’ve gotta dosomethingto you,” I say.
Her gaze intensifies, slipping to my lips, then right back up.
I should kiss her. Right here. Right now. It would be the most normal thing in the world to everyone else. It’s part of the act.
But it still feels like a big deal, and part of me doesn’t want to kiss Reese in front of all these people. I want her to myself.
“And you wonder why you lose every year, Reese!” Hannah shouts from the other side of the big kitchen. “You two may be in la-la-land, but here on earth, your two hours are ticking.”
I smile and take a step back. “A guy is why you’ve lost every year?”
She snorts. “No one’s brought a guy until this year.”
It shouldn’t make me happy to hear that, but it does. I like that I’m the only one Reese has shared this yearly tradition with.
For the fourth wall, I cut the rectangle into a square as carefully as possible and even carve out a little door. Once that’s in place, Reese hands me a roof piece, which I set aside. “We have work to do on the inside first.”
“On the inside?” she repeats.
I nod and shine my phone flashlight into the house.
