His pace rapid, he moved along the wide stone path bordered by pebbles and various drought-resistant plants. Once he disappeared through the front door to the castle, she set the alarm, stepped back from the window, and pulled the curtains shut against the darkness outside.
She should take a shower, unpack, and get to bed, but instead she wandered the house again, uncharacteristically restless. Even rubbing her cheek against the best toweling in the universe couldn’t ease that weird, empty pit in her stomach.
It was an odd feeling, to have Alex so far away at night.
A relief, obviously. Dealing with him took a lot of energy.
But the little guesthouse was very, very quiet without his oversized presence, or even his half-shouted, half-laughing conversations with Marcus on the other side of a thin wall.
She must simply be lonely for human contact, however aggravating. After her shower, she’d call Sionna.
Then this niggling feeling—like she’d forgotten something important, or left it somewhere it didn’t belong—would disappear. For good, she hoped.
MIMES AND MOONLIGHT
INT. ELEGANT PARISIAN RESTAURANT – EVENING
JOHNNY and ESMÉE are sitting across an intimate, candlelit table from one another, virtually alone in the restaurant. She looks distraught. Concerned, Johnny reaches for her hand.
JOHNNY
What’s wrong, Esmée?
Esmée pulls free from his grip and walks an imaginary dog. She points to the dog, then herself.
JOHNNY
I make you feel leashed? Like some kind of pet? But my darling, if you’d evertoldme—
She shakes her head sadly and pulls an imaginary rope, hand over hand, then cups her belly.
JOHNNY
No! Not our instructor from that ropes course! You can’t be having his baby!
She stands and bends backward, arms flailing, as if beset by a strong wind.
JOHNNY
Of course you’re off-balance right now! Let me help you, Esmée!
Esmée makes several indistinct movements. Johnny shakes his head in bewilderment. She becomes frustrated by her inability to find gestures to communicate what she wants to say. After a few more waves of her arms, she gives up with a shrug and speaks.
ESMÉE
With you, I’m trapped, Johnny. Like I’m in a box. And I could never find a way to tell you.
6
“THE GROUNDS ARE ALL YOURS, AND YOU CAN EXPLORE ATwill.” Squinting against the bright morning light, Alex donned his sunglasses and continued speaking, despite Lauren’s complete lack of response. “Other seating areas have spectacular views of downtown L.A., the Hills, and the Reservoir. On a really clear day, you can even see the Pacific.”
After downing his ADHD medication with a gulp of coffee, he set his mug on the teakwood table, poked a finger at his remaining cherry-cheese Danish, and grimaced.
Why did he sound like a real estate agent trying to unload a property on an unwilling buyer? This was way too undignified, dammit, even for a man who’d never considered dignity a particularly valuable commodity.
But he couldn’t seem to stop himself.
He pointed to a tree-studded area of his grounds. “You can pick your own oranges, Meyer lemons, and grapefruits. Avocados too.”
