“No, I think Talk to you later’ is the kind of thing you say to be polite; you don’t ask someone if you can call them. That’s genuine,” Missy countered. I had to admit she had a point. I stuffed more pancake into my mouth to avoid answering.

“So now what for the rest of the day?” asked Taylor as she idly spun the butter dish on the table.

Missy snickered. “Jack Harrington movie-fest?”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t need no stinkin’ movie-fest,” I said loftily. “I can talk to the real thing.”

They dissolved into laughter as I finished my pancakes.

JACK

THE STRESS THAT always accompanies the opening of a new movie had melted away after seeing the critics’ response to Destiny Awaits. Overall the press was positive, and I spent the next week basking in the glory of having made another hit. Box office returns so far were excellent, and I was receiving a number of scripts in the romantic comedy genre. I contemplated doing another after finishing Nine Lives.

But always in the back of my mind was Grace. It was the strangest thing: I admitted to myself now that I was definitely attracted to her, but it was something different that was truly drawing me to her. I had yet to put my finger on it. Seeing her in the company of people like Alexis and Madison highlighted how different she was from the women I was used to. It wasn’t just the fact that she wasn’t a celebrity or that she wasn’t fluent in the industry languages of schmoozing and flirting. There was something deeper that made her stand out compared to those other women. Damned if I could figure out what it was.

I’d asked her if I could call her, but now I wasn’t sure if I should. She’d been pretty brutal on the way home; maybe she wasn’t interested in seeing me again. Although, I reminded myself, she had been very apologetic. I could understand her point of view, but she didn’t understand what it was really like in this business. Not that she’d be expected to understand. But would she be willing to set aside her views? She didn’t seem like the compromising type, so I doubted she would. But if that had been the case, she could easily have declined my request to call. Unless she felt obligated.

This was giving me a headache. It wasn’t supposed to be this difficult. Did I like the woman or not? Was I going to make a move or not? Just make a decision and stick to it, I told myself.

Of course, there was also that whole God thing.