Page 59 of Fragile Heart

CHAPTER23

Hudson

I never imaginedQuinn in my house, but now that she’s here, I never want her to leave. We spend most of our first day here completely naked, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

We order food from one of my favorite local spots and eat it wrapped in towels on the pool chairs while we watch the sunset. If she’s disappointed that we stay in all day, she doesn’t mention it. In fact, she looks just as happy, if not happier, than she always does. Which is saying something because she’s almost always got a smile on her face.

The next morning, I wake up earlier than I would’ve liked. My meeting with Omega isn’t until later, but I’m up with the sunrise. I forgot to close the curtains on the wall of windows in my bedroom, so Quinn gets a wake-up call from the sun, too.

She rolls into me and plants a gentle kiss on my bare chest. “Good morning.”

“Morning, beautiful.” I kiss her head. “How’d you sleep?”

She stretches her naked body against me. “So good. This bed is amazing. I’ve made it my life’s goal to buy one for my apartment.”

“Or you could just stay in this one.” My comment is the closest we’ve come to discussing our future after my time in Georgia is up. I could never ask her to leave her life in Georgia, and I know she won’t ask me to leave my life here. But I’m starting to think I would gladly give up this big-ass house with way too much space for me to live in a tiny, cramped apartment with thrift store furniture.

Quinn is right. This place is blah.

It’s a house but not a home.

Eventually, we’ll have to talk about it, but today isn’t that day. “I plan to stay in here all day while you’re out there making your dreams come true.”

“I don’t mind that one bit.” In fact, it makes my morning wood stand up even straighter, picturing the things a naked Quinn might do in my bed all day. “Just make sure you send me dirty pics. Or better yet, be waiting with your legs spread wide for me when I get home.”

Her hips rock against my leg. “Hmm. I think that might be possible.” She nips at my neck.

“Hey, have you thought any more about your bakery?” She mentioned me living my dreams, but I want that for her too, and I refuse to let her forget her dreams because she’s scared.

“Yeah, actually. I think I’m going to do it. I’ve started researching business plans. I’ve already reached out to my bank about a loan. And I created an online mood board for what I want the interior to look like.” She’s acting shy about this, but I can tell how much it excites her.

“Baby, that’s so awesome. I’m so damn proud of you.”

“Well, I have you to thank. You got me back on track. Gave me the push I needed.” I’ve never been that for someone. I’m usually the one who needs the extra motivation to get anything done. It makes me feel strangely fulfilled.

“Any time, babe.” I kiss her once more before I shower and get ready for my meeting. Quinn is surprisingly able to pull together a decent breakfast with the bare minimum food I have in the house.

By the time I’m ready to leave, she’s hyped me up so much that I’m feeling more prepared for this meeting than I’ve ever felt for anything in my life.

Even with the LA traffic—something I certainly haven’t missed—I make it to the Omega headquarters with my agent, Max, just shy of ten minutes early. We’re immediately pulled into a room where several people are seated at a table.

“Hudson Porter,” the man closest to us says as he stands to shake my hand. “Graham Lisden, head casting director for Omega Studios.”

I take his outstretched hand. “Thanks for having me.”

He introduces me to the rest of the people around the table, all of them sizing me up to make their judgments, which I guess is their job as part of the casting industry. It still puts me on edge a little.

“So, I’m sure you’re anxious for more details,” Graham starts. “We brought you here today to see if you’d be a good fit for an upcoming movie. Several people threw your name around, including the director we have lined up for this movie.”

“Wow, I’m honored,” I tell him, truly meaning the words.

“So a little background on the character. . .” Graham tells me which character they want me for and how this could turn into appearances in multiple future movies.

After we chat for a little longer, they take me into a different room for a quick screen test, and they give me a rough draft of a sample script to read from. As I’m acting out the words, I notice that the initial judgmental gazes from the casting crew have turned into full-on smiles.

I feel like I’m the perfect fit for this role, and I hope they’re seeing that as well.

We do a few different run-throughs before they call it a day. Before I leave, Graham pulls me to the side and, in a low voice, tells me, “Good job today, Hudson. We’ll be in touch with Max next week, but I think it’s pretty safe to say you should be expecting a contract from us. I hope we’ll be able to officially welcome you to the Omega team here soon.”

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