Page 75 of One Kind Hand

She opened the sliding glass door and Berto immediately hopped out into the darkness and barked. “You’re pretty brave for a pint-sized pooch.” Charlie flicked on a floodlight by the door. It cast a nice white glow over a deck and a little stretch of grass surrounding it. She fished out her phone and a moment later, additional light shined down on Berto who was already straining against his leash. “Wow. He’s eager to explore.”

Austin followed Charlie and Berto off the deck, still wondering about black bears out there in the woods. “He’s got an adventurer’s heart. Summer took him everywhere so he has no fear of people, places, other animals. He’s ready to make friends with everyone.”

“Maybe he can give me a few tips,” Charlie said as she led them farther from the house.

Austin tapped his phone to give them more light. And so he could scan the tree line better. “Why? You have a lot of friends. I just met five of them tonight.”

“Having friends and being friendly are two separate skills.” She slowed to let Berto take a piss. “I’d say Isabel is responsible for me having the friends I have. She’s more outgoing and certainly a hell of a lot sweeter than I am. I tagged along for the ride. I’m glad I did, but it’s not like people find me approachable.”

“You let me approach.” He took her free hand as they walked again.

“I told you already. Things are different with you. I’m different with you.”

“I’m different with you too,” he said. “There’s no way in hell I’d walk in these woods in the dark otherwise.”

“Relax. I’ve been walking at night around here for years and I’m still in one piece. Seems to me your movie sets are more dangerous.”

“Good point.” He rubbed his arm where the healing scratches and bruises were. “Seriously though, I think maybe we’ve discovered a new layer to ourselves by meeting. We bring out these latent traits in each other.”

“Yeah. Isabel said I’m evolving.”

“That’s a great way to put it.” He knew he liked that Isabel. If it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t have met Charlie and there’d be no evolving happening.

No fabulous sex either.

They walked a bit more then turned back when Berto’s excitement appeared to slow down.

“Downside to having such tiny legs,” Austin said as he picked up his pup. “His stamina fizzles.”

“How old is Berto?” Charlie asked, uncoiling the leash from her hand and giving it to Austin.

“Seven.”

“Ah, a middle-aged lad.”

Austin shined his phone’s flashlight at Berto’s muzzle. “I’ve noticed a few additional white hairs around his nose and mouth.”

“It’ll only make him look distinguished.”

Charlie stepped onto her deck then held out her hand. “Oh, it’s snowing!” The glee in her voice was adorable. She pointed up to the floodlight, where the flakes were better illuminated. “Snowflakes falling through a beam of light like that are my favorite. There’s something . . . I don’t know . . . romantic and poetic about it.”

“Did we uncover another layer of Charlene Moyen?” Austin tugged her around to face him. “The romantic and poetic layer?”

“Perhaps.” She let them into the house, dusting snowflakes from Austin’s shoulders then closing the sliding glass door. “But the only layer we need to worry about next is the naked layer.”

He couldn’t argue with that.

****

After two weeks of wonderful nights full of orgasms and cuddles, Charlie prepped her chopper to fly Austin to Montpelier for today’s filming. It was finally time for her helicopter to dazzle the cameras. Austin stood nearby, looking at the Hunting Justice script on his phone and practicing his lines. He was crazy adorable as he acted out a few scenes and tried saying his lines with different emphasis on the words. It gave Charlie a window into his professional process and she found it fascinating how he was able to transform into his character. Like, he still looked like the Austin she’d gotten to know over the past two weeks, but he sounded like a whole other guy when he was in character. She supposed that was what actors did, but it was interesting to watch him become someone else.

She finished her prep then walked over to him. “Ready when you are, Mr. Rayhill.” She bowed a little and he cuffed her on the shoulder.

“Quit acting as if you work for me?”

“Don’t I? My chopper is going to be carting your ass around both to get to Montpelier and during filming today. I’m getting paid to fly in your movie. That sounds like working for you.”

Austin shook his head as he stuffed his phone into his pocket. “We’re riding together to a common destination and then you’re filming scenes with me, not for me.” He rested his hands on her hips and drew her in closer. “I prefer to think of us as partners.”