Felix waltzed back to his chair, his words traveling throughout the studio. “Now you get to see your little lady in action. You’re in for a treat, Luke.”
Zoe rolled her eyes at the your little lady reference.
“I’ve already seen her in action,” she heard Luke say.
Several people in the room laughed. Zoe’s cheeks grew warm.
She shot him a warning look and pointed a finger in his direction. “Don’t start rumors.”
He made a motion as if he were locking his lips together and winked.
“Okay, everyone . . . quiet on set. Camera two on Zoe. Camera one, take the profile, and three, be ready to zoom in on her hands.”
Zoe glanced at Luke one last time before Felix put her into action.
Eight hours later, Zoe managed to fill five overflowing dessert trays with all the colors of the Christmas rainbow. They would film one dish, then clear the kitchen to film another. She insisted on easy holiday recipes that popped with color and texture and that any homemaker could manage with a little patience.
When she returned from her dressing room after changing out of her winter clothes, she found Luke hovering over the finished goodies with the rest of the crew, sampling her treats.
She caught Luke midbite. “Good?” she asked.
“Oh, my God . . . these are those caramel things you used to make for Miss Gina.”
He waved the candy at her. She leaned in and took a bite. “Mmm. Yep.”
“They taste even better than I remember.”
His praise meant more than it should. “I hope so. I’m a little more talented than when I cooked at the inn.”
“What inn is this?” Felix licked part of one of her peppermint shortbread cookies off his fingers.
“Miss Gina’s. It’s a bed-and-breakfast in my hometown.”
September pushed into the conversation. “Isn’t that the place you want us to go and help with your friend’s wedding?”
“In Oregon, yeah.”
“Do they wear cowboy boots in Oregon?” Felix asked.
Zoe stopped chewing and narrowed her gaze at her director.
Airport good-byes were starting to weigh her smile down. Luke felt the gravity of him leaving on the drive into Dallas Fort Worth International.
“When I get home, I’ll book the hotels in Vegas,” he said from the passenger seat of Zoe’s car.
“I plan on getting Mel a lap dance. So make sure you guys are far away.”
“I’d like to see that.”
“Stand in line.”
“When will you be back in town?”
It was her turn to visit, and with the wedding to plan, she had more than one excuse to go. “Two weeks. Now that the holiday filming is over, I need to renegotiate my contracts, which only leaves the restaurant.” The restaurant she was seriously considering leaving. Saying it out loud, even to Luke, felt permanent. She wanted to wait for some kind of sign that she was doing the right thing. What happened if the ratings on her holiday specials didn’t do well? What if her film days were behind her? She might need the day job.
How had she become so cautious? She’d jumped when she was a kid, now she dipped her toe in the water slowly to measure the temperature before taking a step.
“I have a confession to make,” Luke said.
She looked over the rim of her sunglasses.
“While you were working yesterday, I interviewed at a couple of shops.”
“Interviewed? Here?” She had to force her eyes toward the road.
“There’s a specialty motorcycle garage in Cedars and a domestic shop downtown looking for help.”
Oh, damn . . . that wasn’t what she expected to hear. She had no idea how to respond. “Luke, I . . .”
“You don’t like the idea.”
She hid behind her sunglasses. “It’s unexpected. I thought your dad would retire and you’d take over his shop.”
“My dad is years away from retirement.”
“But you live in River Bend.”
He turned to stare out the window. Her reaction had upset him. “Never mind.”
“Luke . . . it’s . . . we just got back together.”
He leaned his head back.
“Moving to Texas is a huge step.”
“I’m testing the waters, Zoe. Relax. I haven’t put my house on the market.”
She hadn’t heard the hint of anger in his voice for a long time. Hearing it now, and knowing she was the cause, made her heart ache.
They were silent the few remaining miles to the airport. He suggested she drop him off at the curb, but she parked the car instead.
They sat looking out the parked car window in quiet agony. “Luke, I—”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
“Yes I do. You’re mad.”
“I thought you might be excited.”
She forced a smile. “At seeing you more, of course . . . but moving here for me . . . for us. It’s too soon, Luke. What if you hate it? What if we don’t work out?” What if I suck at long-term? What if I’m the wrong woman for you?
“What if I don’t . . . and what if we do?” He turned her words around.
Fear rolled over her skin in waves. She glanced at her hands and noticed them shaking. “I can take a lot of hits, Luke, but you changing your whole life for me isn’t something I want to be responsible for. Not yet.”
He reached over and covered her hands with one of his.