The credits roll, and after another brutal negotiation to read three books before bed, Hazel is finally out, and I'm eager to talk to Sophia. I walk Sarah to the door, and she has that look on her face that she's worn since we were kids—the one that says she's about to drop some big-sister wisdom whether or not I want it.
"You know," she says softly, "Mom lost herself in grief because Dad was her whole world. But you, Grant? You've built this beautiful life, this career, this relationship with Hazel. You're already doing things differently."
She turns to leave but pauses at the threshold. "Life's going to hurt sometimes, little brother. That's a given. The question is whether you want to experience all the beautiful parts, too."
In the kitchen, I pour another drink. The bourbon burns as it slides down my throat, but it doesn't wash away Sarah's truth. Through the window, I spot Sophia in the pool, and I slip outside so we can finally talk.
It doesn't register that she's swimming until she's pulling herself up out of the pool and my eyes are drawn to her tiny bikini. Water is dripping over every bare piece of skin, and I jump when she speaks.
"Hey! How was your day?"
The smile that lights up her face takes my breath away.She's genuinely happy to see me, even though I was a total dick to her last night and have been avoiding her.
"Good. Same as always."
"Good."
"Yours was good?"
She walks over to the lounge chairs and motions for me to follow her before gesturing for me to take a seat beside her. I walk closer, but I don't think it's a good idea for me to get comfortable. I see a flash of hurt cross over her eyes, but she's a great actress and recovers easily. In fact, I may have been imagining the hurt. It's really hard to say.
"That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. There was a little incident on set today."
I rush over to sit next to her, worried that she is hurt or something worse.
"Are you ok? Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine. It's nothing physical. I actually overheard some gossip. Unfortunately, it was gossip about you and me."
I swallow my nerves. I'm not sure where she's going with this, but I'm hoping it's nothing serious.
"You and me?"
"Seems the only reason I'm producing and starring in this movie is because of some special favors I'm offering you."
"You're fucking kidding me. Who said that? I'll fire them tonight."
"It's just some gaffers. Really, it's not a big deal. People talk. And people love to talk about women even more. God forbid we might be smart and talented."
She laughs the insult off, and I'm in awe of her resilience. This woman is so talented and has managed to navigate andovercome the bullshit underbelly this business can harbor. She's only twenty-five years old. Jesus. She's so young. I think her maturity and ambition make me forget she's still a baby in this industry.
It feels wrong to try to make something with her work. She's got so much of her career and life ahead of her that she shouldn't even consider settling down. And she definitely doesn't need to step into a parenting role, especially one that isn't for her own child.
"You're handling it way better than I would. Than I am."
"I guess I just wanted to make sure we're being careful. I know there are some headlines. I know Lucas is probably aware there's something going on, and I appreciate his discretion, but I think maybe we need a plan."
She's laying the path I need to slow down whatever this is. I take advantage of the request.
"I agree. You'll be working up in Santa Clarita next week, so it shouldn't be a problem to tone it down a bit." I clear my throat and stand back up, pacing back and forth. I'm looking for the courage to say what I want to say to her. "Actually, it might be better if we tone it down anyway. I know we talked about seeing where this might go, but I worry that Hazel is getting too attached to you."
She stands; anger sparks in her eyes.
"What?"
"I didn't realize the two of you were spending so much time together."
She's mad. She pushes her hair behind her ears and crosses her arms in front of her.
