“Are they mad?”
“At you? No. At me? A little. I told them the truth about getting fired too. They were more upset that I’d kept it from them than that it had happened.” He sighed a heavy breath into the dark. With the house lights dim, it was only the glowing pool and the torches lighting the yard. The camera crew was long gone.
“I’m sorry, Chuck.”
He shrugged with another sigh. “I mean, they were going to find out eventually when the movie comes out and I’m not in it.”
She spooned another bite of dessert. “I’m sorry I left dinner. I’m trying to be better about running away, but it’s overwhelming how much they love you sometimes. And I—” Her voice cracked with a watery sob that she couldn’t control. She dashed tears from her eyes. “Sorry.”
He turned to her with his face painted in sympathy. “Olivia, you don’t have to apologize. My parents love you. They think you’re a saint for going on a TV show to win money to pay for your grandmother’s care, and they already thought highly of you before that. You didn’t do anything wrong by tellingthem.” He paused and swept a hand through his hair. His voice came back quieter. “And the only reasonIdidn’t tell them sooner was because I didn’t want them to know I let you get away.”
The gravity of his words settled over her with a profound weight, and she sobbed again. While the reason for his omission was meaningful in complicated ways that she’d have to think about later, it wasn’t the reason she was crying. “No, it’s not that.” She wiped her eyes once more and took a shuddering breath.
“Then what is it?”
She looked at him in the dark, his face carved into beautiful shadows, and confessed something she’d only just admitted to herself. “You know how you said you’re envious of my parents? Well, their legacy? I think I’m envious ofyourparents. Of what you have with them. Because I never—” Her voice cracked with another hard sob. Her shoulders shook. She set her bowl down and wiped her eyes with both sleeves of her hoodie. “Sorry.”
“Come here.”
She heard his voice, low and firm, on the other side of the thick mask of her sleeves. At the same time, it ached with longing. She dropped her hands to see him sitting with his arms open, welcoming her. More than anything, she wanted to fold herself into them. To sink into his embrace and hold her face against his warm, steady heartbeat. She swiped at a stray tear and sniffled. “We can’t, Chuck. It’s going to lose us money.”
“I don’t care,” he said with a resolute shake of his head. “I’ll pay you back whatever it is. Come here.”
Needing his touch like a balm for her aching heart, she climbed off her chair and onto his. She settled between hislegs and curled into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her like a cage and kissed her head. At the warm tenderness of his touch, the feel of his heart beating so close, her tears returned.
He held her while she cried, softly stroking her hair and gently rocking. When her tears finally stopped flowing and turned into intermittent hiccups, she mumbled into his chest.
“You’re so lucky. That they love you that much. Even when they are mad at you, they’re still there for you.”
He kissed her head again. “I know I am lucky. And I’m sure your parents loved you just the same.”
Another shuddering sob punched out of her. “You know, you might be right. I talked to my grandma earlier, and she brought up the tabloid article and told me things I never knew. I always thought I was the product of a toxic affair, but apparently, they were madly in love.”
“Really?” he asked in surprise.
“Yeah. And get this. They—” She stopped when she remembered they were close enough to the house to be on camera.
“They what?” Chuck asked.
She hesitated, wanting to tell him more but not wanting anyone to hear. She considered dragging him back to the pantry for privacy, but that would only lead to things they might regret. Getting interrupted earlier had been for the best.
“I’ll tell you some other time,” she said, and nodded at the nearest camera mounted on the patio ceiling.
Chuck nodded like he understood.
“But it did change things,” she said, wanting to share at least some of her feelings.
“Oh yeah? What did it change?”
She tilted her head to look up at him. His jaw cut a dramaticsilhouette against the night sky. Flickering flames danced across his face. “The truth. I know it now, and I think…I think I might be ready to talk about it.”
He reeled back as far as he could go against the chair. His eyes popped and a small smile curved his lips. “Well, now I’mreallyintrigued.”
Olivia quietly laughed and curled back into him. “Like I said: some other time.”
He tightened his arms with a contented sigh. “I’ll be ready when you are.”
She settled against him and listened to his heartbeat. Steady. Strong. He was so warm and sturdy, she wanted to melt straight into him. “Can I stay here all night?” she half joked.