Elayna hadn’t responded yet, but he’d run out of things to say. He studied her face tentatively. “What do you think?”
“Well…”
He watched her sway a little on her feet and felt immediately guilty. “I’m sorry, do you need to lie down?” He noticed a thin layer of perspiration along her hairline, and her cheeks were becoming flushed.
“Well,” she repeated, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead briefly. “I’ll do it, it sounds great. But yeah, I think I need to sit down.”
To his surprise she opened the door and reached for his arm, nearly collapsing. He caught her before her knees could hit the ground, and she gripped him with both hands weakly.
“I should have just called,” he said quietly, ignoring the way she shook her head and tried to walk on her own. He kept a steady hold on her small frame, surprised at just how petite she really was. The incredibly tall heels she usually wore did a good job of hiding it. And as concerned as he was for her, he was also reeling at holding her so near. It sent a jolt of electricity straight through him, and he inched her a tiny bit closer.
“I’m okay,” she said as he lowered her to the couch. “I just got a little dizzy, sorry.”
She looked embarrassed, and he stood awkwardly by her couch for a few quiet seconds. But he couldn’t leave. Something had changed in that small moment of having her in his arms, and suddenly he wanted to confess his plans to her, tell her everything. The fight he was in to save his job, and the lies he’d told her while insisting to himself that it was nothing. It definitely felt like something now. Something awful. A poison in the pit of his stomach that would surely kill him the longer he kept it from her.
In a slow movement, she looked up at him and studied his face. Her dark eyes had settled on him so softly, he felt locked in her gaze. The world spun so slowly as the whisper of a smile lifted her lips, and instantly it became a whole different story.
“Look, Elayna,” he started, feeling sick at the thought of telling her, but he had to.
Her delicate brows lifted in question, and he stumbled over the words.
“I—hadn’t thought anything of it, but now I know it was wrong of me…” He adjusted his suit coat, suddenly wondering why he’d worn a suit in the first place. “I…” His eyes settled on hers, and in the silence, she reached out and took his hand.
Her grip was soft and comfortable, perfectly tangled with his. It stopped the words in his throat.
“I have a script written up,” he choked out, with his heart suddenly racing.
What was he doing?
Abandoning everything, that’s what. He couldn’t tell her, not when she was looking at him like that.
“A script?” she asked, tracing her thumb along his hand.
His heart jumped to his throat, and he tried to calm his shaking words. “Yeah, sorry I didn’t tell you. I think we should keep to a script, and now that we have a television interview it might work out perfectly. You know, force us to stay on schedule.”
She released his hand and yawned. “That’s a great idea. Maybe give me a call tomorrow and we can talk about it?”
He grinned at the sudden comfort she seemed to feel around him…and especially at the thought of calling her tomorrow.
“Okay, get some rest,” He hesitated before brushing a wild strand of hair out of her eyes. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Mmm-hmm,” she mumbled, sinking into a pillow.
He glanced back at her with his pulse still racing, in awe that she seemed to feel something for him. How had that happened?
But, at least he’d thought of a script. That way, there wouldn’t be any chance of straying off-topic. He could give a copy to Mandy too, and after the interview, he could finally tell Elayna the truth. He would tell Elayna the truth.
He would.
Chapter 12
Elayna wasn’t sure if she’d slept at all that night. Once her fever calmed down and the pain medicine kicked in, all she was able to think of was Kayson’s arms around her. It had felt entirely too therapeutic. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from holding his hand, from reaching out for him again just to feel that connection.
It was awful! Instead of protecting herself from him and his possible split personality, she’d collapsed all over him.
She paced her house in denim shorts with freshly washed hair dripping onto her shoulders. He was going to be calling her today, and she had to set things straight. Maybe apologize for how ill she’d been and claim not to remember a thing?
Ugh.
Her phone rang and she flinched, snatching it up from the table.
“ ’Lo?” she rushed, taking a silent breath in an attempt to relax.
“Hey, honey!”
“Oh, Mom…” Elayna pulled her phone back and glanced at the screen. “Is this a new number?”
“Yeah, I was getting too many spam calls with the last one, so I had to switch. Thought I’d call you and let you know.”
“Oh, great.” Thoughts of the bridal shower chipped away at her memory. “Sorry I had to run out last night. How’d the rest of the party go?”
“Well, it’s fine, you know.” A gust of breath blew into the phone. “Alise was the life of the party.” She laughed. “And I understand about you being busy, Elayna. Why didn’t you tell me? You just always seem to have an open schedule, and I don’t like to think about you alone at home when you could be with family. It makes me antsy, like I’m not taking good care of you.”
Elayna smiled, feeling warm at her mother’s confession, and finally seeing her in a new light. All this time, all the favors and events… They were an expression of her love and concern. Suddenly, saying no didn’t feel like anything difficult or even relevant. She only needed to worry about living.
“Actually, Mom, I have a lot going on right now. I even have a television interview for that new lens I told you about, remember?”
“Oh, Elayna, that’s incredible!”
Another call beeped in Elayna’s ear. But it might as well have been a clash of symbols the way her pulse raced. She glanced at the screen to see Kayson’s name.
“I’ve got another call, can we chat later?”
“Sure, just don’t forget to tell me when your interview will be on! I don’t want to miss it.”
“I will, Mom, love you. Bye.”
She clicked over to the new call and tried to say hello in her most business-like tone.
“Hello, Elayna,”
He sounded professional too. Good.
“I just wanted to give you the details for our interview next week,” he said.
His voice was so deep and even, it had Elayna feeling like curling up on the couch with a blanket. How did he do that?
She refocused on what he was saying.
“…Wednesday at noon. They have hair and makeup on set, and wardrobe as well, so no worrying about that.” He paused. “We fly to LA Tuesday evening and our rooms are booked at the Hilton Seaview Inn. Anything else you can think of that I might’ve missed?”
Elayna was lost in imagining a flight and hotel with Kayson. And a seaside suite. Suddenly, it didn’t feel like work, but she shook the thought away, forcing back the words from his memo. What if this trip was the opportune time for him to make some scene and get it all over the news?