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I have a million questions; I feel like I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. Talk about being careful what you ask for. I haven’t had much time to prepare or get ready. I’m grateful he’s telling me all of this. I know he wants the film to do well. But I can tell he wants me to do well, too.
I know Reece is watching me. My brain spins as I try to make sense of everything that is happening and I don’t want him to see all of that. So, I just say, “Not right now. Thank you. It’s a lot to absorb, but I’ll do my best to not let you down.”
He walks to stand in front of me, so that we’re just a few inches shy of toe-to-toe. Besides this morning in the pool, it’s probably the closest I’ve been to him. I can feel the energy radiating from him. It’s magnetic—and it takes real effort to resist the pull of it. I just want to lean forward a little . . .
Oh God. This isn’t good. I can’t be into the man I work for and who’s made it clear that he’s not into me.
“Lucía, don’t worry about letting me down.” He puts his hands on my shoulders. I stifle my gasp at the nearly electric charge that his touch sends through me. It’s too much. I step out of his grasp as casually as I can and grab my coffee from the counter. He picks his up, too. But he only holds it as he continues to speak. His eyes never leaving mine.
“Focus on yourself. This is your dream. You wrote that book. You want to bring this story to life. Don’t let anything get in the way of that. It’s not going to be easy. But, I’ll help you, if you let me. I’m not saying we need to be best friends. But us getting along would make all of this easier.”
I take all of this in and I try to reconcile it with what I thought he’d be like, and I can’t. This display of graciousness has thrown me for a loop. He’s . . . nice.
“Reece. Thank you. I know I’m not the easiest person in the world. But I promise, I’ll work hard—”
“And that’s all I ask, Luc.” His voice is gentle as he cuts me off and I’m actually relieved. I feel like I was about to reveal more of myself than I’m really ready to.
Suddenly he snaps his fingers and points at me. “You need to learn how to swim,” he says excitedly.
“What?” I ask.
“I can teach you how to swim. Kill two birds with one stone. You can learn how to swim and it’s a great trust building exercise,” he says with a shrug.
I can’t suppress the shocked bark of laughter. “Oh, no. I don’t want to learn how to swim. I’ve gone twenty-three years without knowing how and I don’t want to learn now.”
Reece laughs, too. “Are you serious? I saw you looking at the water. You wanted to get in. Don’t let your fear stop you.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“You absolutely are. Why else would you say no?”
“Aren’t we going to be busy? When will we even have time?”
“We’ll do it in the mornings. You only need thirty minutes a session. Come on. When will you ever get the chance to take lessons from an Olympic swimming champion?”
I regard him. He looks sincere, despite the teasing note in his voice. He’s right. I do want to get into the water. I hate that I don’t know how to swim. I’ve always wanted to learn and haven’t ever had the chance. Spending time with him might be awkward at first, but I’m sure I’ll get over this silly crush. And it would be a good way to get to know each other. “Okay. That’s fine, but let me return the favor and give you some yoga lessons.”
He leans back and groans.
“I’m too big for yoga. Can’t you teach me to crochet or bake banana muffins? Something useful?” he says with a pained look on his face.
“I can’t bake or crochet. And yoga is useful. It centers me and helps me get ready for each day.” I grin up at him as I pat my stomach. “It’s the reason I have such incredible core strength.”
He stills and I worry that I’ve said something wrong. “What’s wrong? I mean, if you really don’t want to learn yoga, we can skip it.”
He shakes his head, a slow smile spreading on his face, revealing that dimple again. “No, it’s not that. You smiled at me. Sincerely and with all your teeth. That’s a first. So, if yoga makes you feel like that, then hell, you can teach me yoga. We can even start with the yoga. Four weeks of yoga, four weeks of swimming.”
“Okay . . .” I’m so surprised by his words that I can’t think of anything to say in return.
He stands up, gathering his phone and keys and starts toward the front door. “Take the golf cart behind the house. The keys are in the ignition. Ride up the red brick path until you get to the third building with the huge parking lot on the side. You can’t miss it. Your team’s meeting room is on the second floor. They’ll be there in thirty minutes.”
“Where are you going?” I ask, sad that he’s leaving just as the conversation was getting good.
“To work. Where you should be going, too. I’ve got to change before I head in.” He gestures to his casual clothes with his hands. “I’ll see you later, Luc. Remember: you’re the leader.” And with that he turns around and walks out the door.
I watch him go and try to collect my chaotic thoughts. It’s only eight in the morning and it already feels like I’ve had a full day. Reece surprised, confused and excited me this morning. And if it’s any indication of what the next few months will be like, I’m going to need to keep my wits about me. I look down at myself and head back to my bedroom to change. This is the first day of the rest of my life, and I want my team to know I’m serious and ready to work. I’ll save my cut offs for tomorrow.
8
