Page 16 of One Kind Hand

Must be the sauce on this sandwich. Too spicy.

“When’s the last time you and your friend, Isabel, had such a movie marathon?” Austin jiggled the ice in his glass with his straw, but his blue eyes were focused on her.

“Umm . . .” Charlie looked down at her sandwich and considered lying to him, but that didn’t feel right. “Like . . . maybe this past weekend.” She sat up straighter. “After Janice called to say my chopper had been chosen, it made sense to review your work.”

“Right. Sure.” He nodded, but a slight grin graced his lips. “Like doing a little homework in preparation.”

“Exactly. So I can better fulfill my role as pilot for your new movie.”

“Thorough,” he said. “I appreciate such dedication.”

Charlie went back to studying her sandwich. She wanted to dive right into it as she normally would, but that would no doubt end with sauce on her lap or something. She didn’t want to look like a slob. Grabbing the knife the waitress had supplied, she cut the sandwich into four smaller pieces that were more manageable.

Austin did the same and they both ate, but Charlie’s mind was whirling for something to talk about with him. She didn’t want silence to make things awkward or for him to think she wasn’t interested in having a conversation with him.

Because she was. She was interested in way more than conversation.

“Is this your first movie filmed in this area?” Still keeping it business related. That was safe and hopefully would keep her from asking if he wanted to lick mayo off her boobs.

“Yes. Typically we film in California, but Flicka Entertainment is a Boston-based company trying to bring more filming opportunities to the East Coast.”

“Do you live in California then?” And now she was straying from business, wasn’t she?

Austin wiped his hands on a napkin after taking a bite of his sandwich. “I have a place there, but I consider New York my home. I was born there and my sisters live in New York too.”

“How many sisters do you have?” How many personal questions could she sneak in before she sounded like someone interviewing him for an entertainment rag?

He paused with his drink halfway to his mouth. When he set the glass back down without taking a sip, Charlie wondered if she’d gotten too personal too soon.

Dammit. But what were they supposed to talk about? Movie stuff was fun conversation, but surely this man sitting across from her had more dimensions to explore. And didn’t he probably get sick of talking about movie stuff? Charlie also wanted to see if she was interested in him beyond the fact that he was famous. And gorgeous. To do that, she needed to get to know the guy himself.

Austin drew in a deep breath then exhaled slowly. “I have three sisters now. One of them—the youngest—died a few months back.”

“Oh.” Charlie’s hand automatically covered his on the table. She left it there for a second then snapped it away as if she’d touched something hot. What am I doing? “I’m . . . I’m sorry for your loss.” She frowned, wondering why neither she nor Isabel had seen anything about his sister’s passing online. They’d searched his name enough times in the last few days that the internet bots should have suggested such a story to both of them.

“You’re confused as to why this isn’t public knowledge, aren’t you?”

She met his gaze. “A little.”

He shook his head. “I try to keep them protected as much as I can. When Summer died, we kept it quiet, but you may have heard about the death of singer Reesa Hill.”

“Yeah. Drug overdose, right?”

Austin winced. “Yeah. Reesa Hill was Summer’s professional name for her music career.”

“Oh. Wow. Isabel and I are also fans of Reesa Hill. She was so talented. Again, I’m so sorry, Austin.” God, she wanted to go to his side of the table and gather the man in a hug and she didn’t traditionally go around hugging strangers.

But Austin doesn’t feel like a stranger. Probably because she’d seen him a million times on the big screen. That didn’t mean she knew the guy though. Obviously. She’d had no idea his youngest sister had died or that he was related to Reesa Hill.

“Thanks.” Austin drew in another deep breath. “It’s been a tough couple of months since Summer died. My remaining sisters took it hard. Being girls, they were all tight.”

“How close in age are they?”

“Well, the sisters I have left are triplets so they are all twenty-eight. Summer was four years younger and I’m the oldest at thirty-two.” He shifted in his seat. “What about you? Any siblings?”

Charlie shook her head. “No official ones, but Isabel is my sister in every way that counts.” She’d missed Isabel when her friend was living in Pennsylvania, but having her back in Vermont was wonderful. Even if Charlie had to share Isabel with Jackson. “I’ll go ahead and tell you that I’m thirty-one so you don’t have to feel rude asking.” She shot him a little smile, encouraged when he grinned back. She didn’t like seeing the sadness talking about Summer had painted on his beautiful face.

“How did you and Isabel meet?”