She moans into my mouth, but pulls away.“The movie was exceptionally good.”Nic grins at me.“Just give me a minute, okay?I’ve had a day and a half.”
“God, yes.I’m sorry.”Although I’ve been thinking about her all the time, she’s probably been through hell informing her clients she can no longer be their therapist.“Let me take care of you.”
It’s the least I can do for her.My career is barely going to suffer from this.The studio executives grumbled at first, but as soon as it became obvious that the box office ofDeadline for Lovewas not affected by the news of my affair with Nic—on the contrary—they soon turned their focus elsewhere.
“In this case,” Leslie said, “all publicity is good publicity.”She also admitted that she might have overreacted to that TMZ breaking-news article because it featured a picture of her sister, which was something very new in my agent’s life.I can just ride out this storm, that has already turned into a mere gust of wind.It’s the opposite for Nic.
“Talk to me,” I say to Nic as I lead her to the couch—as though losing her license equals losing the ability to walk on her own.
Nic sighs as she puts her feet up.“I can’t go into personal details, obviously, but there’s someone that I’ve been counseling for more than a year and they took it really hard.Then there’s the fact that I slept with you.That I blurred that line with someone.It doesn’t help that it’s all over the internet.”
“I’m sorry.”I hate having to apologize for how things started between us.
“It’s all well and good to make decisions after a mind-blowing climax, but the aftermath—the reality of it—is not easy.”She pinches the bridge of her nose.
I feel out of my depth.The reality is also that our affair has been a massive whirlwind—a tornado rushing through our lives, leaving very visible traces of destruction.On top of that, we’ve only seen certain sides of each other and are only at the early stages of getting to know each other.
“Come here.”I tug lightly at her hand until she stretches toward me and her head lands in my lap.
I brush a strand of hair from her face and try not to fill the silence for once, to just let her sit—or lie in my lap—with the difficult emotions she has to process.It’s not my usual way of doing things, but this time, I force myself, because it’s Nic—and she has done so much for me.
“Would you like me to draw you a bath?”I ask.“Then bring you up a soothing cup of tea?Or a nice glass of wine?”I don’t suggest joining her in the bath, which is what I would like to do.But this isn’t about me.
Nic looks up at me, a small smile on her lips.“You’re very sweet.”Her hand finds mine and lingers, her fingers sliding between mine.Our palms rest together for a beat, then our fingertips start tracing idle patterns, brushing and curling against each other’s skin like they have all the time in the world.“And very pretty.”
I smile down at her, resisting the overwhelming urge to kiss her.My only job right now is to be there for her—to follow her cues.
“I’ll take that bath,” she says, finally.“But only if you join me.”
Nic doesn’t have to ask me twice.
Chapter34
Nic
Sienna is the only person of the group I know, albeit in a different context.It’s always strange to meet a former client outside of my practice.I’ve seen Stella on screen, and I loved the movie about Justine Blackburn’s life—and have nothing but respect for her work.
I haven’t met a new flame’s friends in decades and this particular situation has a lot of potential for tension because of the circumstances under which I met their friend.Yet it’s also interesting to meet Avery’s friends and to witness how she interacts with them, and vice versa.
We’ve gathered in Avery’s backyard.Justine sits opposite me, wearing an inquisitive—or possibly accusatory—frown that’s been there since she arrived.
“To Avery and Nic.”Sienna lifts her glass of champagne.“An even more unlikely couple than Justine and me.”
This makes Justine chuckle.
“I think Kate and I will always win when it comes to that,” Stella says.Kate used to be married to Stella’s brother, so there’s not much to argue with there.
“To three unlikely couples then.”Avery tilts her champagne flute filled with sparkling water toward me.
“How long have you been together?”I make sure to look Justine straight in her piercing blue eyes.
“Almost three years,” Justine says.
“Justine didn’t do relationships when she met me.”Sienna puts a hand on Justine’s shoulder.“But she soon realized the error of her ways.”
“I didn’t have time for them.”Justine smiles at Sienna and something seems to loosen in her body.
“I made her make time.”Sienna winks at her partner.
