Page 43 of Beastly Mountain Man

“You talk about staying here as a decision, not as something that happened because you never got around to leaving.”

“That’s because I decided to stay.”

“I know.”

I checked the sausage.

After a moment, I asked, “Does television make staying anywhere difficult?”

“Sometimes. Television has a terrible habit of happening where the cameras are.”

“That seems inconsiderate.”

“I should probably file a complaint.”

I smiled.

“Some of what I do can happen anywhere with enough bandwidth. You’ve seen that. Development, reviews, scheduling, planning. But when we’re actively shooting and my job needs me on set, I need to be there.”

“You like that part too?”

“Yes.”

Her answer came fast enough that I knew she meant it.

“I like the set. I like the pace when everything is moving and fifty people are doing different jobs that all have to become one thing. I like seeing how one decision affects five others.”

“You’d hate a job that kept you quiet at a desk all year.”

“I would. Even if it made my life easier.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to choose something just because it was easier.”

Caprice looked at me over the rim of her mug.

“You really mean that.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

Her mouth softened.

I checked the waffle before it turned into charcoal.

Caprice laughed.

“Excellent timing. You showed less reverence toward pasta.”

“I respect breakfast. Pasta didn’t plug into the wall.”

“Apparently we’ve found your boundary.”

The first waffle came out crisp and browned. I spooned berries over one side, added whipped cream, then maple syrup.

Caprice watched the whipped cream pile grow.

“That’s aggressive.”

“You said you wanted it.”