Naomi’s lips pursed. As if she had to think about that seriously. “I knew when I stopped wondering if I needed to be anyone else for him.”
Bea’s attention sharpened. “Explain.”
“I’m an actress, Bey,” she continued. “My life is a series of costume changes. But I do that because I love the artistry of it, the technique. I don’t do it because I actually want to be different people all the time.” She peered over. “I don’t have to play a role with Charles. I can be me, and it’s enough.”
They pulled up in front of Mayfield Hall, warm light spilling across the steps.
Bea didn’t move to get out of the car. “Do you ever worry…that one day you’ll wake up and just be Mrs. Charles Prescott?”
Naomi didn’t take offense. “Of course I worry.”
“But you’re still going to do it?”
“Mrs. Charles Prescott is still Naomi Amari. And I’ve spent twenty-four years making sure I won’t forget her.”
Bea smiled. That sounded right.
The only problem was, she wasn’t sure if she’d known this version of herself long enough to fight for her.
Naomi tilted her head, reading something in her face. “Is everything okay with Gage?”
“Yeah,” Bea said. “Just thinking.”
“You have that look sometimes, you know.”
“What look?”
“Like someone handed you a crown and forgot to tell you it was thirty pounds.”
“Ha. It’s not that dramatic.”
“Mm. Says the girl dating a King.”
She glanced at her. Naomi’s gaze was steady, but unblinking. Patient. Bea exhaled. “I think I’m just starting to feel it. The weight of everything.”
“Yeah. It creeps up on you. You think you’re dating a man, and then suddenly you realize,oh no, I’ve been drafted into a dynasty.”
“Exactly. I walk into a room and feel like I’m being appraised for durability.”
Naomi made a face. “Prescott family dinners are like that, too. Charles’ aunt once told me I had ‘a face made for ribbon cuttings.’ I’m still not sure if that was a compliment.”
Bea laughed, but there was tension in it. “I’m proud of him. I’m proud of being with him. I just… Sometimes it feels like I have to build myself faster. Just to keep up.”
“You don’t keep up with men like Charles or Gage. You love them. And you decide whether you can still see yourself clearly in the life he offers.”
Bea blinked hard.
Naomi reached over and took her hand. “He hasn’t asked yet. But when he does…make sure it’syourvoice saying yes.”
One thing Bea had learned from her London preview was that the coffee was decidedlynotbetter across the pond. The pastries,she was optimistic about. Cobbled markets, custard tarts, the butterfat content in everything.
But the coffee? No.
The coffee had tasted like filtered sorrow.
So she’d started yet another list in the Notes app on her phone. One that grew daily.
UR Countdown Coffee List
