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Tears literally pop into my eyes. “You’re my hero, Landon.” I scoop pasta into my mouth, savor the tangy sauce and nutty parmesan cheese, and then dive into a meatball. When I come up for air, Landon is still watching me. His grin does naughty things to me.
“Hungry?”
“Starved. I didn’t see you earlier. Honestly, I avoided noticing anyone. I’m not exactly at my best.” I have no idea why I’m telling him this.
He shrugs. “You look as beautiful as ever. It’s the holidays. Everyone gets out of sorts.”
I only have ten minutes left before I need to be back behind my camera. “I didn’t think you did the serving anymore. Don’t you have people for that now that you own the catering service?”
“I gave them all the holiday off. This came up last minute, so here I am.” He takes my empty plate and pops it into the dishwasher. “I’m serving dinner as well, but I know you’ll have to finish up with the rushes. Would you like to grab a bite after that?”
My heart beats faster. I like Landon, and he’s so good to look at. We met two years ago and went on a date. It was the best date ever. We talked and laughed. Everything a girl could want from a first date, complete with a walk down by the beach. For months after, our schedules never melded, and we never had a second date. “I’m surprised you would want to take me out.”
“It wasn’t your fault we couldn’t work it out before. We were both starting out and had to work a lot.” He wipes his hand on a dishtowel, then cleans the countertop.
“It might be pretty late. I don’t want to keep you waiting on me.” Why can’t I just say yes? He’s the only man I’ve met in California who I ever wanted a second date with, and I’m standing here turning him down like an idiot.
Coward.
His smile doesn’t reach his bright blue eyes, and he runs his hand through his sandy blond hair. “I know how it works. I’d wait for you. I usually have a lot of cleaning up after dinner service. But if you’d rather not…”
“No. I mean. I’d like to.” Being around Landon reduces me to a teenage girl with a bad crush on the football star. I really need to get over that.
Now, that smile I admire so much spreads, showing off his straight white teeth and making his stunning eyes shine. “I’ll meet you here.”
There’s so much more to say, but the assistant director starts calling for places.
“I’ve got to go.” There’s no reason to say it. He knows. I just want one more moment of conversation.
Landon walks over and runs his knuckles along my cheek. “It’s really good to see you, Grace. Seeing you makes me wish I had tried harder two years ago.”
His voice sends a shockwave through my body that rockets directly to my pussy. Another call for places, and my cheeks are on fire. I take his hands and squeeze them. “See you later?”
I don’t wait for a reply. I run through the studio, grab my camera, and quickly set up for the afternoon scene.
Somehow the holly and fake snow aren’t quite as offensive.
Two
LANDON
Grace Lane brings both joy and regret to my heart. I’m packing up my van with all the chafing dishes and service ware. I’ve got the industrial refrigerator stocked with fruit, yogurt, and granola for tomorrow. The bakery will bring the rest at seven in the morning.
The last of the cast and crew left about nine o’clock. The editor, director, and Grace usually take an hour or so to go over the day’s filming to see if any scenes need a retake.
I don’t mind eating late if I can spend an hour with Grace. Even after two years, the minute I saw her, my heart beat faster, and I was on fire for her. I’ve never been as attracted to anyone—or had a harder time trying to arrange a second date.
Back in the break room, I empty the dishwasher and stack everything for the morning. Under normal circumstances, I have a two-person crew for a job like this. I stay in my kitchen and office, coordinating everything. But the people who work for me have families, and I promised them the time off.
I’ve never been happier to have to revert to manual labor. Actually, I hate office work, but I own the catering company and a restaurant, so I’ve got to do it. It’s nice to get out and meetcasts and crews again. Maybe I need to work that back into my schedule.
“Hi.” Out of breath and radiantly beautiful, Grace stands on the threshold.
“All done for the night?” I put the last of the flatware in trays on the counter.
“Yup. I just need to get my purse from the set, and I’ll be ready.” Watching me, she looks unsure.
“Do you want a rain check, Grace?” I hold my breath.
