Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88057 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88057 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“I meant I’m worried about everything else.” He sighed dramatically before his phone beeped a bunch of times. “And right on time, we’ve got a decent signal again. Guess I should stop fretting over us and check my email.”
“Us?” I frowned. That was what had him tied in knots?
“This…the real world. It could be harder than we think.”
“Or it could be easier,” I countered, but now he was making me worried too. We hadn’t even truly hit LA traffic yet, and he was already full of doubts? I’d thought the night before had been evidence enough that what we had was beyond special, but maybe world-altering sex and sweet, sleepy cuddles only went so far.
I’d always known he’d have to eventually return to his world, so I’d been trying to keep perspective, cling to the notion that some sort of ongoing friendship would be possible. We’d keep seeing each other, whatever that might mean. The whole dating thing was like wandering around without a map, a compass, or a hint of a destination. Frustrating and frightening, and I’d hoped he’d at least have some landmarks for us to look for, not a stack of worries that matched my own.
“I like the sound of easy,” he said tentatively. Too tentatively.
I was used to being the man with the plan, no matter what, so I tried to project confidence for both of us. “Doesn’t have to be difficult. Tomorrow, I’ll come pick up your dog, and I’ll give you a ride to the studio if you want. Then after, I’ll show back up with Hercules and some steaks, and we can grill and chill.”
“That sounds easy enough.” He nodded slowly, but he didn’t sound all the way convinced.
“I’ve never done this before, so I’m not sure how hard it’s supposed to be. But I know being around you feels easier than almost anything else I’ve done.”
His pleased noise and smile were more than reward enough for my finding the courage for that admission. “I love knowing that. Thank you. And I feel the same.”
His phone beeped a few more times, so I gestured at his lap, where the dog was getting increasingly grumpy. “Check your email, boss. We’re good.”
I hoped, at least. I had enough experience in life to know that wanting wasn’t enough to make things work out, and I knew better than to promise more than I could deliver. With Ambrose, though, I wanted to deliver the damn moon. Exhaling, I drummed my fingers against the steering wheel.
Ambrose cursed low under his breath, and my back tensed. “Not the best news. Cressida says she’ll meet me at the studio tomorrow, but she wanted to warn me that there’s a huge fan response to the news of possible cancellation. There’s even been protesters outside the studio.”
“I’m driving you.” I didn’t use my chief voice around him much, but I did then.
“I’m sure she’s overplaying the avalanche of angry messages and posts.”
“Overplaying?” I raised my eyebrows. Outside the car, traffic thickened. We’d hit rush hour, and my blood pressure rose as we slowed to a crawl. “This is the same sister who didn’t want to tell you about the hate mail? Or the cancellation. You really think she’s being dramatic? If she’s concerned enough to mention protesters, there are probably more, not less than she’s saying.”
“Oh, fine. Be right.” He groaned. “Apparently, it’s both sides too. I could have predicted the fans who want to save the show, but there’s also an outcry from groups who’d like to see it canceled. They don’t like our progressive message.”
“Which is precisely why it’s so needed. The world needs this show.” I believed that on a level I couldn’t precisely explain, even to him who’d created the damn thing. “No matter who Bishop ends up with, what the endgame relationships are, you’ve done something amazing, centering a network show around a pan hero. Not to mention his strong morals. He always does the right thing, even when it’s hard.”
“Wow. You sure you don’t want to come and make my pitch for me?” Ambrose patted my leg. Since we might as well be parked on the interstate for all we were moving, I captured his hand and squeezed it tight.
“Nah. I trust you, boss. You’ll do right by the show. And Bishop.”
“I want to do right by you too.” His eyes softened as our gazes met, and I might have managed to echo the thought, maybe even tell him some of what I’d realized up on the roof, but then his phone buzzed with an incoming call.
“Heck. It’s Cressida.”
“You can answer it. All we’re doing is killing time anyway.” I’d meant the traffic situation, but he frowned like I’d been stupidly rude as he answered the call. And by the time he’d managed to reassure his sister and absorb whatever pointers and lecture she wanted to toss out, whatever misstep I’d made was long forgotten.