Page 45 of The Marriage Narrative
They continued shouting at him, but Jordan’s attention shifted to Julio, his current cameraman, who cleared his throat, nodded to the door, and raised his eyebrows. That was code forMabel radioed in and wants you somewhere.
“Call Sadie and yell at her too. She knew everything.”
On their way out, Julio hush-whispered, “Front door. Staircase.”
This better not take long. He wanted to get back to the den before Zinnia. Leaving her alone with his family felt like being held underwater—his chest burned and he couldn’t come up for air until he was sure she was okay. He hated that he couldn’t trust them with her.
No doubt she’d found plenty of new hiding spots during her wander breaks. They weren’t “allowed” in the bungalow during business hours.
As if that could stop him. If he wanted to go, they were going. If she wanted to go, they were already there. All she needed to do was ask him.
Part of him knew she never would because it was her job to keep trying—the newly branded Zaffre Sweetheart to his formerly Estranged Son. Another part of him wished she would. That she’d turn to him and say, “I can’t do this. Can we go?” He’d take her hand without questioning it. They’d spend the day regrouping, just the two of them, and try again the next day. He wanted her to confide in him. About everything.
Too bad he’d royally fucked up the chances of that ever happening.
The staircase came into view and Jordan felt the wind get knocked clean out of him. He clutched the nearest wall to stay upright as a startled gasp rattled out his lungs.
Howdid she keep doing that to him?
Because Zinnia was sitting on the staircase with his dad. He was far enough away that he couldn’t hear more than soft mumbling until the enchanting sound of her giggles carried across the room.
When someone truly had her attention, she focused on them with her entire being—all of her engaged and actively listening, beaming like a spotlight. That was how she was looking at his dad. And his dad didn’t smile like that for any old reason.
Jordan understood why Mabel had radioed this in. He wouldn’t have believed it otherwise. His dream come to life, right in front of him?Impossible.
Mabel crept up beside him, silent as a shadow. “We need more ofthat.”
He reluctantly moved farther behind the wall so they wouldn’t have to whisper. “I know.”
“Thenactlike it! It’s been two weeks! We need more of her, especially with you.” Mabel massaged the space between her eyebrows with a shaking hand. Her temper was shorter in the afternoon because she’d recently quit vaping. “I’ve seen the footage. Whatever you’re doing in that bungalow, which you won’t even let us fucking film, must be incredible because every morning she looks like she’s had the best night of her life. At most, we get an hour of her being a damn Disney Princess in that garden before she clams up faster than a chastity belt. Where is thehugging? Where is thekissing? The people demandcuddlingandsweet nothings, Alfie!”
Jordan suppressed a laugh. “She’s just having a hard time. It’s not exactly easy being here.”
“I don’t care, okay?Shepromised us Sweetheart. I need her to love you out loud, out here, and charm everyone in this damn house the way she just has with Damon. She’s gotta give me something to work with.”
“We will.”
“If your boring-ass performance is the reason this season tanks, that makes you directly responsible for putting Sadie at risk. If you give the people what they want, we get what we want. Understand?”
“Sadie will be fine,” he assured her, refusing to relinquish his newly acquired good mood. “I’ll talk to Zinnia.”
“You said she was a star.” Mabel leveled him with a doubtful glare. “You didn’t hear this from me, but you’re running out of storyline time to prove it.”
Chapter 13
Jordan
Mabel argued thatfilming in the bungalow was necessary because the more the viewers saw them, the easier it’d be to get attached. He disagreed. Leaving blanks in their storyline gave it room to breathe. Conversation and speculation were sure to follow as long as they planted the right seeds.
Jordan propped open the white patio doors and sat in one of the plush outdoor recliners. The bungalow’s sunroom faced the sunset. They sat out there every evening, basking in the fading heat, casually planning their date night, and waiting for the crickets to serenade them inside. He checked his Tantivy email while waiting for Zinnia to join him.
Coco and Phil were thriving as directors for their respective stores and sent daily reports. His real-life cover story was pretty close to the truth: an extended family emergency. He had a plan for how to break his identity news to his friends and staff before the trailer aired, but he knew his life was never going to be the same. As much as he loved being in-store, his days working Tantivy shifts were over—he couldn’t risk viewers showing up there to see him. His employees had to come first.
To fill the work void, he shifted his focus to opening a thirdstore. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect for this expansion. Two Realtors had already gotten back to him with future touring dates.
“Finished.” Zinnia firmly closed the patio door behind her. She really had a thing about bugs getting into the house.
“What’s the plan? What sounds good? What are you in the mood for?” And he had a thing for stealing her lines to see if she’d notice.
