Grady isn’t one for talking about feelings, so I take that comment to heart. I step into the guest house. I’ve been out at the pool Grady has in his backyard, but I never stepped foot in this little house. It’s light and airy, with an open floor concept, and a small kitchen overlooking a living area. There is no dining area, just a bar in the kitchen, but it’s perfect for the size. There are two doors and I watch as Syd and Nancy go into one of them, I assume is the bedroom.
“If you want me to talk with Nancy, you have to get my sister out of this house.”
“Easier said than done,” he says sardonically. “Sydney, we need to get to bed.”
“Suck it, Hawthorne,” she calls out from the bedroom.
I expect him to get mad, but he just smiles.
“What am I missing here?”
“She wouldn’t be so sassy if she wasn’t calm. Your sister was falling apart until we got to the ER. Don’t tell her I told you though. She doesn’t want you to know just how much she was worried about both of you.”
“I really want to take a shower, Syd,” Nancy says as I approach the bedroom door.
“Are you sure? I still think you should come to the main house so you can call out if you need me.”
I roll my eyes at that statement. Nancy sees me and smiles.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Travis will take care of me.”
Syd glances over her shoulder, then looks back at Nancy. “Text me on the hour.”
“No.”
“What?”
“No. I want to sleep. You need to sleep. We all need to sleep. I’ll text you when I wake up.”
“Fine,” Syd says in a tone that says she’s not fine at all. She gives Nancy another hug, then comes for me. I expect her to give me orders on how to care for Nancy, but instead, she looks up at me, looking unlike the older sister who was more of a parental influence than a sister. “Take care of her. And yourself.”
She wraps her arms around me, and I hug her. I look over at Grady, who has a smug smile. I have to accept now that my boss and hers knows Syd better than I do, but I guess that’s the way of life.
“I will.”
She leans back. “And if you don’t, I will kick your ass.”
There’s the Syd I know and love. “Of course.”
“Come along, Sydney,” Grady says, grabbing her hand and tugging her out of the room. I follow them and then lock the door behind them. The security at Grady’s place is stellar, but I need that extra lock. I have a feeling both Nancy and I do. Also, I wouldn’t put it past my sister to come barging in here if it isn’t locked.
I walk back into the bedroom, grabbing Nancy’s bag on the way. She’s sitting on the bed, kind of spacing out from the looks of it. She’s exhausted, and the stress of the evening has worn her down.
“Come on,” I say, setting the bag down next to her. I pull out a shirt and a pair of panties. She hasn’t moved.
“Nancy?”
She blinks and looks up at me. “What?”
“You need a shower, then you can sleep.”
She nods and takes my hand. I take her into the bathroom.
I smile as I set her clothes on the vanity. “Let’s unwrap your wrist.”
She nods as I step in front of her. She keeps her head down as I undo the Ace bandage around her wrist.
“How does it feel?”
She shrugs. “Eh, it’s okay. A little sore. Doc said I could leave that off if I wanted to.”
I nod. “You need anything else from me?”
She says something I miss. It’s odd because the woman is so damned loud most of the time. Her head is down, and she’s mumbling. That is so not like the woman I love.
“What?”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
She looks up at me and my heart breaks. Tears fill her eyes. Just that look makes me want to drive back to Juniper and beat the shit out of Garrett Howard.
“I’m sorry about the fight.”
I swallow around the lump in my throat. Of course, she’s thinking of me. She always thinks of me first, but I am changing that, at least with the show. That can wait though. Right now, it is about Nancy and making her feel better.
“I am too. We’ll talk about it when you’re finished with the shower.”
She opens her mouth, but I stop her by kissing the breath out of her. I pull back and rest my forehead on hers. My hands are on her hips, and I want nothing more than to take that shower with her, but I know she needs this. “You need a little down time, then we can talk.”
“Okay.”
I give her another kiss—this time on the forehead—then I leave her alone, shutting the door behind me. I hear the shower start up. I pace around the small bedroom for a couple of minutes, then I go out into the kitchen. I get both of us some water, then return to the bedroom. I still feel antsy, so I take off my shoes and socks, then sit back on the bed. Ten minutes later, I hear the water cut off, and just a few minutes after, she opens the door. She stands in the doorway wearing one of our Flipping Texas t-shirts that looks like it would be big on me. She licks her lips, a sure sign she’s nervous.
“What are you thinking?” The moment I ask the question, I regret it. Nancy can be brutally honest. It’s one of the things I admire the most about her.
“I…” her voice trails off. It takes her a second to gather her thoughts. “I wanted to know if you really want me for me.”
I lean forward and grab her hand, then tug her forward until she’s standing between my legs. I release her hand, then cup her face in both of my hands. Her skin is soft.
“I want to talk about that, but let’s wrap your wrist first.”
She nods and hands me the bandage. As I go through the motions, I start to talk.
“First things first, I want you back on the show, but that’s not all I want.”
“Okay.”
I look up to find her frowning down at me.
“Let me get this out of the way first. I’ve told Grady to offer you the title of executive producer.”
“We both are that now.”
I shake my head. “No. I want you to be the sole executive producer.”
Her eyes widen. “Why?”
“Because, you came up with the idea for the show, Nancy. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be where we are.”
There’s a long moment of silence as if she’s trying to digest what I just said. “I don’t know what to say.”
I lift my gaze to hers and then drop the next bomb. “Also, I’m taking a pay cut.”
She blinks at me. “What?”
“Listen, you are the show. Oh, I help make it good and let’s face it, I am a sexy mother fucker.”
She snorts and rolls her eyes. My heart turns over. God, this woman. I want her giving me crap for the rest of our lives.
“I want everyone to know, from the At Home Network to the people on the set, and anyone else on this earth: You are the one who makes it all possible. You have more control over the show, and I am absolutely fine with it.”
“You did that? For me?” The disbelief in her voice makes me feel even lower. I never let her know how important she is to me and to the show. I should have. Every day I should have let her know just how important she was to me and to the entire show. It makes me feel even worse thinking about the last few months and how horrible I was. She has no idea just how important she is to me and that’s my fault.