Page 41 of Sensing Selma
“Major Cooper,” I said, eager to go find Damen. “No. Not tonight. I have other things to tend to. Very important things to do. I do apologize.”
Before he could say anything more, I hurried past him, and out to the garden.
“Holly?”
This time I knew it was the voice I longed to hear. I turned to him, once again enchanted by his very being.
“Damen,” I said, quickly closing the space between us. “I’ve spent the rest of this afternoon going over and over what I went through at the pond. And I went over and over your part in it. I truly wish to repay you. You must allow me to show you my gratitude.”
He smiled and looked up and down the length of me.
Wearing a long-sleeved red sweater and a flowing white cotton skirt, I felt pretty, elegant, and refreshed.The sweater showed off my figure, but the long skirt was demure, modest, yet feminine with enough sheerness to be a bit intriguing.
“I must admit, it’s nice to see you dry and looking so wonderful,” he said. “I was worried you may have a caught a cold or something, you were shivering like a leaf.I regret not giving you a coat or a blanket to warm you up or take you to see a doctor.”
“I assure you, there was no need for that. A nice hot shower and I’m as good as new...and wishing to show you my gratitude.”
“Oh. Yes. Yes. Your gratitude. Tell me, what do you have in mind?”
Oh, gee. I hadn’t thought that far. I couldn’t very well offer to prepare him dinner. Not only did Moon Manor take care of that, but I hardly knew how to cook. Truth be told, all I wanted was to spend more time with him; a chance to get to know him a little better.
He grabbed my hand. “How about a stroll through the garden? I think I could accept that as gratitude.”
I smiled, nodded, blushed. “That would be lovely.”
We walked slowly, our arms occasionally brushing up against one another.
“I’m to meet with a few of the actresses for a scene later.Word has it we’ll be shooting that one soon.”
“It must be so exciting. Mind if I watch?”
He clasped my hand in his and patted it with the other hand. “I think I would like that very much.I could use a bit of support.Jane Austen isn’t really more forte, but all the actors who appeared in a Keely Lee Jane Austen film end up winning an award or getting better roles.It’s a real step up for any actor’s career.”
“Oh!” I squeezed his hand, such was my excitement. “Yes. I want to watch you, and cheer you on.I’m sure you’ll be great in this role.I want to see you become this character in this movie.”
“Willoughby is the name,” he said with a jaunty tilt of his head. “At your service, Madame.”
“Willoughby?”I remembered that name before.“I readSense and Sensibilitya while ago in school, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I’m a bit fuzzy at the moment with the names of each character.Must be my traumatic near-drowning experience earlier today,” I said blinking into his eyes.
He touched my forehead with the back of his hand and said, “Or you do have a bit of a temperature.Perhaps it’ll be better to get you back inside where it’s warmer.”
“Yes,” I said, letting him lead the way, my head floating like a cloud.
