Page 52 of Even After This
“What are you doing?” he asks with some concern.
“I think this will be easier if I say this with my eyes closed.”
“Say what?” Now he sounds amused.
“I think we need to break things off.”
“Because you saw me without my shirt on?” Still amused. He runs his knuckles down my arm. I don’t think he’s on board with what I’m saying.
“I didn’t think this part through.”
“Meredith.” He chuckles, then brushes his knuckles gently down my cheek. “Open your eyes.”
When I look at him, he cups my face in one hand and wraps his other arm around my waist. “If it bothers you that much, I’ll ask my agent for a part where I have to gain weight.”
“Is that a thing?”
“Sure. She’ll find a script that has a man in a midlife crisis. She’ll put a clause in my contract insisting I gain thirty pounds for the part and that the makeup crew make me look like I’m balding.”
“But I like your hair.” So do my hands, which is why they’ve crept up his neck and slid into his soft waves.
He’s definitely not on board with breaking things off. Then again, with his thumb slowly grazing the small of my back, I don’t think I’m on board with it either.
“Okay. We’ll leave the hair as is and just insist on the weight gain.” He pulls me in, and now his face is all I can see, his breath against my lips all I can feel.
“Thirty pounds isn’t going to be enough,” I whisper. “Make it fifty.”
He looks at my lips. “Done.”
I pull back and blink. “You’d agree to gain fifty pounds for me? There’s not one person on the planet I’d agree to do that for.”
“Meredith.” His shoulders shake with silent laughter.
“Yes?” I lean into him and place my hands on his chest.
His eyes darken. “It’s later,” he murmurs against my lips.
“It’s later,” I say on a smile right before he kisses me good night.
12
Thenext morning,all giddy memories of Harlan’s good night kiss vanish during a call with my sister. Trying to control my anger, I squeeze my eyes shut. I all but growl into my cell. “Forget I brought it up, Molly.”
While my sister drones on about things that aren’t her business, I pull the phone away from my ear and glance at the screen. Instead of 5:25 a.m., my phone should just say Crack of Dawn. I let Molly talk to the air for a few more seconds.
“Meredith, what if Stanley is the one for you?”
The multi-offensive comment shoots through my heart. “Enough.” I bite out my response while shaking my head.
“Why do you sound upset? You’re the one who mentioned him.”
The early-morning call to my sister is a disaster of epic proportions.
“Did you catch the part where he has left me six messages this week? That’s not normal.” I cross my hotel room and peer out the window. “I only said something to you about it because I wanted to make sure he’s all right. When someone calls that often, you’re either in a relationship or something’s wrong.”
She huffs. “What I’m saying is, as far as I know, everything’s fine. And because everything’s fine, I think you need to consider Stanley. His interest in you isn’t a secret now.”
“You don’t find this creepy at all?”
