“I would rather not say who I work for now, for a few reasons, including her privacy, but I do work for an actress. I understand if that fucks things between us, but I needed to tell you.”

Instead of telling her to hit the bricks, never to return, he set down his hat on the couch, then wrapped his strong fingers around her waist and pulled her closer. He rested his chin on her cleavage. Amanda’s body reacted immediately. If he didn’t cuss her out maybe they could have one more quick round before she had to get back on the road. He didn’t say a word though. He just looked up at her, expression open now, like he was waiting for her to go on.

“Helene got me into the party so I could blow off some steam—I don’t work for Helene, by the way.”

“I know. She would have told me.”

“You’re right. She would have. Helene doesn’t lie about stupid shit, like some people.” She laughed ruefully. “Anyway. I just wanted to wear something sparkly and have a good time and then when I saw you again, you being you, I didn’t want to tell you I was out grabbing someone’s lunch. I know full well how your half live and I know I will never be able to afford real estate there. But I do really like you.”

“You know how my grandparents met?” he asked.

Amanda shook her head.

“My grandpa was an assistant. He was the assistant to the head animal wrangler on Glory in the Night. He was the guy the horses actually listened to and really loved. Before they were my grandparents they were the only two Black people on a lonely, racist set. He was the only person who would talk to her when the cameras weren’t rolling. She was the only person who acknowledged him, but that wasn’t the reason why they fell in love.”

“If he was wearing a white cowboy hat you don’t need to explain any further.”

Sam chuckled a little. “Miss Leona saw how patient he was with the horses and how patient he was with her and she just knew. She could make a life with a man that was patient and kind in the face of all the shit they were dealing with on that set. She was the star and he saw that she needed a friend. He’s gone now, but my brothers and I, Lilah and our other million hundred cousins and now four great-grandkids are pretty good proof that their job titles on that set didn’t matter one bit. You don’t need to be a staff writer. You just need to be yourself.”

“Does this mean you want to marry me?”

“No.” They both couldn’t stop themselves from laughing. “Girl, we just met. I need you to relax.”