“No, no. I’m almost done.”
“Are you sure?”
It warms my heart that he’s concerned about me, especially after what he overheard. “Positive.”
“Grab a towel,” he says, nodding toward the closet behind me. “Kneel down.”
I grab one and set it on the floor. Grayson pulls Emma higher on his lap so he can spread his legs, and I drop to my knees. After a few seconds, Emma shifts, and as he squeezes his legs together to keep her from falling, his knees push into my waist, caging me against him.
“Sorry,” he whispers.
“It’s okay.” I don’t mind.
It feels good being this close to him. Too good. I wonder if he can hear how hard my heart is beating.
The final glob of gum falls out of Emma’s hair. I toss it in the trash and look up at the same time Grayson bends his head to inspect my work. Our faces are only a few inches apart. The air around us crackles. Grayson’s warm breath fans my face, and all I would have to do is tilt my chin and his lips would brush against mine.
His blue eyes are swirling with an unnamed emotion. His gaze drops to my lips, and I have the overwhelming urge to apologize.
“About what you overheard earlier—”
“How’s it going in here?”
I jerk back at the sound of Nick’s voice. Jessa is standing behind him with Henry on her hip and a concerned look on her face.
I drag in a ragged breath and turn to Grayson. “The gum is out, but you’ll have to wash her hair.”
He nods and stands up. “I’ll have Angela do it in the morning. Thank you,” he tells me, standing up and slipping past Nick and Jessa.
“You’re welcome.” And who is Angela?
Jessa waits until Nick is out of the bathroom, and then she whispers, “Not at all attracted to him, huh? I could’ve fried an egg using the heat between you two.”
I roll my eyes, but she stops me with a hand on my arm. “And in case you were wondering, Angela is the sitter.”
I shake my head. “I wasn’t.”
Jessa snorts and snuggles Henry. “Right.”
7
Nora
“Thanks, Jackson. I really appreciate it,” I say, gathering the notes I took during the phone meeting with my new agent.
“Anytime. I’m glad it worked out. Keep your head up and remember there’s more to life than bright lights, makeup artists, and ticket sales.”
“I’ll try. Tell Allie I said hi.”
“Will do.”
I hang up, toss my phone on the bed, and run a hand through my hair.
“Who were you talking to?” Jessa walks in and plops down on my bed.
She’s a nurse at the local hospital and works three twelve-hour shifts a week, which means when she’s off, we get to spend our days together.
“Jackson. He gave me the name of a manager he knows who he thought would be a good fit for me, and I think he was right. I talked to her earlier this morning, and we had a wonderful conversation. I called Jackson back to tell him thank you.”