“Ask, sweets.I don’t have to answer, but you can ask.”
“How did you know I wanted to ask another one?”
Derek’s finger freed her bottom lip from where she’d been biting down.His tongue slid across his mouth, the barest of smiles.She swallowed hard at the sight.
“What’s your question?”
“What is your secret dream role?”
He laughed.“That’s classified.”
“I promise not to tell anyone ever, even if you do get to do it.”
“If I see a headline next week that says, ‘Derek Hartley secretly wants to play X in a movie,’ I’m gonna know it’s you.”
“Exactly, so there’s motivation for me to keep my mouth shut about it.”
He took a deep breath.“I’ll tell you, if you tell me a secret, too.”
“Assured mutual destruction.”
Derek nodded.“Exactly.”
“It could also be called mutual blackmail,” Abbie pointed out.
“Whatever term you prefer.”
Abbie thought about it, then nodded.“You have a deal.”She held out her hand and they shook on it, his large hand enveloping hers.
“My secret dream role is to be the lead in a romcom.One of those cheesy but classic movies that everyone says are terrible but secretly love.”
“LikeThe Proposal?”
“Yeah.”
Abbie sat up and stared at him.The chiseled jaw, the blue eyes, even his hair…he was made to be a romantic lead.She couldn’t believe he’d never done one.“You would be excellent as a romcom lead.Why have you not already been cast in a dozen of those movies?!”
Derek shrugged.“I audition, but nobody’s called.”
“Stupid movie execs.”
He gave her a nudge.“Okay, your turn.Tell me a secret.”
“Do you have any particular probing question in mind for me to answer?”
Derek looked away, then back at her.“I can’t think of anything, so you choose what secret you want to tell me.”
“Okay, let me think for a second.”Abbie wanted to be honest and give him a secret at least close in measure to the one he gave her.She went for a secret she’d never shared with anyone, not even her best friend, Megan.
Abbie looked down and picked at the blanket.“I’ve never been in love.”
“What do you mean?”
She shrugged.“I’ve had boyfriends and lovers, even one-night stands.I’ve cared about them, sure, but I was neverin lovewith any of them.Not the way the romance books and the movies make it seem.That all-consuming need to have someone in my life – it’s never happened.”
“Maybe it’ll happen soon.”
“Maybe.”She took another deep breath.Being vulnerable in front of people wasn’t something Abbie usually did, but Derek made space for her to do or say whatever she felt.He didn’t push, and always respected her boundaries.Abbie realized she was more comfortable with him than with a lot of people in her life.The two glasses of wine she’d had with dinner must have still been influencing her, but she went for complete honesty.
