The words core me like an apple.
The hole they leave behind fills with heartache. We haven’t really talked about what will happen when I finish the movie, but every day that passes brings us closer to that turning point, and I can’t pretend I’m not afraid.
I’m terrified of losing him.
I wonder what he would say if I asked him to come back to L.A. with me. I know it sounds crazy. It’s way too soon. But I keep picturing him with me, and it’s a picture I like.
My heart swims high up in my chest as I type.
Me: What part of you will you give me to hold onto?
I wait for his response and try to finish the second half of my salad, but now that my heart is lodged under my collarbone, I think my stomach has left the building.
Beau: Pretty sure you’ll be taking my heart with you.
Tears spring to my eyes. I don’t type it, but if we can’t work something out, I’m pretty sure I’ll be leaving mine here.
* * *
The following week,I’m so excited, I could levitate. I have good news. The studio is giving Beau the part. Lisa worked it all out. I get to dance with him for the movie, and I can’t wait to tell him.
When Ramon, Sally, and I step into the kitchen at the dance studio, my eyes lock on his. It’s been like this since the storm. Like the completion of an electric circuit. Automatic. Energetic. Stunning. And it takes me a second to realize other people are in the room.
Along with Beau, his uncle and a woman I don’t know, stand at the table crowded with dishes. Rich, almost buttery aromas swirl in the air.
“Hi,” I blurt a startled greeting.
The woman smiles wide at me, her twinkling eyes a bright blue. “Well, aren’t you just the most adorable little thing,” she purrs, coming toward me with an outstretched hand. I take it, but not before I flit my gaze to Beau and find him watching me with amusement dancing in his eyes.
“I’m Aunt Lorraine,” the woman says, pumping my hand. Her grip is strong, and I remember Beau describing his aunt as a force of nature. She is that. And beautiful besides. Her hair is a kind of faded gold that—along with the blue of her eyes—makes me think she’s used to commanding attention. “So nice to finally meet you.”
While Mr. Hebert introduces Sally and Ramon, my eyes dart to the full table and then back to Beau for an explanation, but he’s just wearing a self-satisfied grin.
Lorraine clasps her hands together and pitches her voice above the pleasantries. “Beau told me he feeds y’all before class, and when I asked him what he’d been makin’, he said finger food.” Lorraine wrinkles her nose on the last words before throwing her hands up. “Well, I thought it would just be a shame for you to be here and not try some real Cajun cookin’, so I whipped up a few things.”
Three covered dishes and a basket draped in a white cloth line the length of the table. Nothing here was justwhipped up.The feast before us took hours to assemble, and it smells so good, my mouth waters.
I’m speechless. And a little intimidated.
“Oh my gosh,” I manage. Ray and Sally murmur their own awe, but, led by his nose, Ramon steps closer. I really have no idea what to say. “Wow… I’m overwhelmed. It smells wonderful, but you didn’t—”
Lorraine lifts a prohibiting hand. “No-no. Don’t you dare say I didn’t have to do it. I’m sixty years old. I know I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do, which means I always get my way.” She says this fast and kind of sharp, but with good humor. I look at Beau and see he’s holding back a laugh.
Mr. Hebert closes the distance between them and slides his now cast-free arm around Lorraine’s ample hips. He eyes her with what looks like affection and real appreciation.
“Lorraine is one helluva cook. I know that better than anyone,” he says proudly. The look in his eyes makes me smile. It’s clear just seeing them together that they have history. And chemistry. “And I can vouch that the only thing she loves better than cooking is watching the people around her enjoy what she’s made.”
“Oh, hush, David,” she says, flapping her hand in a way that I think everyone knows is just for show because her eyes sparkle at him. Lorraine turns her bright gaze to me. “Besides, I have never heard my nephew carry on about someone the way he’s talked about you.”
All eyes land on me, and I feel like the sum of my secrets is on display. As though all of them can read the truth in my heart—the words I haven’t even confessed to Beau.
My face heats, but when I look to Beau for rescue, I see I’m not the only one blushing.
In a moment, he’s at my side, pressing a kiss to my cheek.
“Cajun families live to embarrass each other,” he whispers in my ear. And then, “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve missed you all day.”
My heart squeezes, and if my skin is still hot, it’s not from embarrassment. “You too.” I lay my hand over his heart before he draws back. I’ve waited all day to be in his arms.
