“She sure does,” Julian said in a gruff tone.“She’s gorgeous.”
She smoothed her hands over the long skirt.“In this old thing?”
“I’ve never seen anything or anyone more beautiful.”
“That’s surely not true.”
He hooked an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek.“It’s absolutely true.”
“Oh my,” Mrs.V said when she came into the foyer, holding Mila.“Look at you two.You’re gorgeous.”
“Will you take a photo for us?”Julian asked her.“I want to remember this forever.”
“Of course.”
Mrs.V put Mila down and took Julian’s phone from him to take the picture of them and then another with each of them holding one of the kids.“I hope you two have a wonderful time.We’ll see you in the morning.”
He’d booked a room for them at the Beverly Hills Hotel to make a full night of their first, official, Hollywood date night.
Isla hugged and kissed her kids and then hugged Mrs.V.“Love you all.”
“Love you, too, Mommy, and you, too, Mr.Julian,” Theo said.
Julian leaned down to hug the little boy.“Aw, love you, buddy.Sleep tight.”
“Tomorrow, we go to the park,” Theo said.
“That sounds like fun,” Julian replied.“Will you show me around the park?I haven’t been in a long time.”
“You’re so silly, Mr.Julian.”
He ran off to play with Mila.
“Get while the getting is good,” Mrs.V said.
Julian picked up Isla’s overnight bag and put his hand on her lower back.“We’re going.”
Outside, she gasped when she saw the Bentley and Ernie in a black suit, standing by the back door and waiting to open it for them.
“Isla, this is my friend Ernie.Ernie, meet Isla.”
“Ma’am.You look lovely.”
“Thank you, Ernie.It’s nice to meet you.I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Uh-oh.”
“It’s all good, except how you hate driving in Laurel Canyon.”
“I hate driving a Bentley in Laurel Canyon the most.”
“Then let’s get out of here,” Julian said, amused by him as always.
Isla was enchantedby every aspect of the premiere, from the red carpet that stretched through multiple blocks in the heart of Hollywood, not that far from where she’d lived as a child, to the celebrities she’d admired from afar, especially Natalie and Flynn Godfrey, who greeted Julian with a bro hug.When Julian introduced him to Isla as Denny Clarkson’s younger sister, Flynn said it was nice to meet her and that Denny was an old friend.
She was so tongue-tied at meeting him and Natalie that she could barely squeak out a reply.“I so admire you,” she said to Natalie, who was resplendent in a slinky silver sequined gown.
“That’s so kind of you to say.My sister has done an incredible job of bringing my story to life on the screen.And my husband and his colleagues at Quantum did, too.”
