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I laugh, relieved. “See, now you’re just being cocky.”
“Nope.” Josh grins, pulling me into his arms. “I just know better than to let a good thing go.”
He kisses my forehead, and slowly, my fears recede. “Dinner,” I repeat, reveling in the feel of him, solid and sure andright. “I can do that. Just as long as you remember two things.”
“I’m listening.”
“One, pizza in LA sucks,” I say with a smile. “And two… don’t forget about third base.”
21
HAZEL
Two months later…
HAZEL: How do you blow up a Prohibition-era bank vault?
JOSH: Very carefully?
I laugh– and then have to cover it with a cough.
“…Did you want to add something, Hazel?”
“No, you go ahead!” I exclaim, snapping back to the meeting. “You were saying…?”
“…About the explosives effect. Unless you build it out of solid concrete, the debris isn’t going to look the same…”
I try to focus. I’m back home in LA, stuck on a video conference call with the location scout, production manager, and explosives expert for Reeve’s upcoming movie, figuring out how to approach a tricky scene. My brother wants a big explosion during the bank heist, all I’m hearing are reasons why it absolutelycan’thappen, but my mind is miles away.
2,445 miles, to be exact. New York.
Josh.
True to his word, he’s has been traveling to LA every weekend to see me since the wedding: flying out after his last meeting on Fridays, and heading back Sunday night on the red-eye, to be in court bright and early Monday morning. Dinner dates have become movie marathons, and days out hiking all the fun local landmarks with Lottie; taking him to our favorite museums, and introducing him to the best taco trucks in the city. We’ve been getting to know each other slowly, just like he promised – and stealing breathless, sweaty hours in his hotel room, losing my mind with pleasure, over and over again.
The man is dedicated – in every way.
My phone buzzes again, and I discreetly check the message.
JOSH: Just heading into court now. See you tomorrow.
HAZEL: Lottie is sleeping over at Reeve’s this weekend. We’ll have the house to ourselves.
JOSH: Does this mean I finally get the full tour of your underwear drawer?
HAZEL: If you’re very, very good…
JOSH: ??
“…Hazel?”
I realize the other little squares on the video call are all waiting expectantly. I take a deep breath, check my notes, and explain that despite all their objections, Reeve wants the scene. “If we have to rebuild the vault on a soundstage, we can make the budget work for that,” I say briskly. “But these locations aren’t going to cut it. Which part of ‘historical preservation’ includes fluorescent light strips and neon exit signs?”
“I figured we could take those out, with visual effects.”
I give a wry smile. “Do you want to be the one to tell Reeve that?”
The location scout blinks. “Uh, maybe not.”
