Is it hot in here?
I tugged on the collar of my dress, and Grayson’s eyes followed my hand. Embarrassed, I dropped it immediately, but his eyes stayed.
Oh no, do I have a stain on my clothes?
He swallowed audibly, and I watched as he tugged on his tie.
I shot him a wobbly smile. “Good. Busy. You know how it is.”
I couldn’t get more polite if I tried. This was terrible.
How did we get here?
Oh, yes, that’s right. I lied to him and ran from what we could have become.
“That’s good.” His response was as stifled as mine, and I cringed.
Nope, this definitely won’t work.
He sat down next to me, and I nearly jumped out of my chair. He grabbed a piece of paper out of a stack and held it out to me. “I’m the production company’s lawyer. I’m supposed to talk everyone through the addition to their contract.”
“You’re an entertainment lawyer?” I couldn’t keep the disbelief out of my voice. He’d always wanted to go into criminal law.
“Have been for a few years.” He pointed at the paper he’d handed me, changing the topic. “Now the contract is pretty straightforward, but they want me to talk to everyone to avoid any issues later on.”
He kept talking, explaining all the things they’d added, but I had no hope of following anything. I was too busy watching his mouth move, his full lips bringing back memories of a time I wanted to forget as much as I longed to go back to.
“Do you have any questions?”
Since I had no idea what he’d been saying, I certainly had nothing to add. “No questions.”
My chest hurt, and I leaned forward, trying to alleviate the pressure. But since it had nothing to do with how I was sitting, the force crushing my chest didn’t let up.
Grayson cleared his throat, and I looked up. “Rayna, can we—”
The door finally opened, and I shot up from my chair as Philipa came out, grateful for the interruption. “How did it go?”
“All good. You’ll be fine. He’s nice and didn’t ask weird questions.” Philipa glanced at Grayson. “Are you the lawyer I’m supposed to talk to?”
“I am. Do you want to stay here or come to my office?”
“Let’s do it here.”
I straightened my clothes, an automatic movement, and noticed I was still wearing my apron. I undid the bow at the back and pulled it off. It left me in my puffy A-line dress with a ruffled hem. The skirt swished back and forth with each step, the silky green material shimmering in the light. It was a beautiful dress, but unpractical for baking.
Brushing a nonexistent crease out of the bodice, I took a deep breath and stole one last glimpse of Grayson before going inside. The room was light, big picture windows lining the wall in front of me. There was a couch to my right with a glass coffee table.
A camera sat off to the side of a vast mahogany desk, and two people were bent over the coffee table, going through papers. I recognized one of the assistants; she had bright-blue hair and was hard to miss. I guessed the other person was the cameraman.
“Rayna,” Pascal greeted me. I hadn’t noticed him sitting at the desk. “Take a seat.”
“Let’s do this.” I infused my voice with a false cheer that I was most definitely not feeling.
Pascal leaned forward. “Yes, let’s. I’ll ask you a few questions, and all you have to do is look at the camera and answer. Pretend I’m not even here. We’ll use parts of it in your introduction and throughout the first episode.”
I nodded and sat up straighter. This was what I’d signed up for, after all. Grayson being here was only a slight complication. We’d hardly have anything to do with each other, since he was the company’s lawyer.
The assistant came over and brushed powder on my face while murmuring something about taking the shine away. She then tugged in any wayward strands that had escaped my braid.
