“Hey, Matteo!” Leo waves at him. “I’m here in London with your dad. What’s up?”
Matteo waves back. “Hey, Leo! Hey, Jonas! Leo, when are you coming over?”
“Not this month, bud,” Leo says. “But in February or March pretty much whenever your dad says it’s OK.”
Matteo’s eyes widen with glee as a smile spreads across his face.
“Jonas?” he peers at the camera. “Are you there?”
I move into the frame. “I’m here. How about any date that suits Leo during your next school holiday?”
Matteo gives me a thumbs-up.
“Do you mind if we meet in Cannes and not at home?” I ask Leo. “That way, I can mix postproduction work at the studio with the pleasure of your company.”
“Sounds like we’ve got ourselves a plan,” Leo says.
With the deal concluded, we say our goodbyes and I end the call.
Leo gives me a gentle smile. “He’s a great kid.”
“Yes, he is.”
We focus on our half pints for a while.
Leo breaks the silence, “So, tell me, are you enjoying your first professional acting gig?”
“It’s hard work. But yeah, I love it.”
“My girlfriend adores your character, Mr. Darcy.” He rolls his eyes. “Beats me why.”
“Since when does a woman need a reason to be in love with Mr. Darcy?”
“Stop right there before this turns into another rant about women.”
“Are you in love?”
He shakes his head. “But I love women as a class. I won’t let you bad-mouth them.”
“I was just going to share my theory about Darcy.”
He nods.
“He’s a first-class brooder,” I say. “That’s half of the appeal. He rocks at brooding. The other half is that he’s über honorable.”
Leo winks. “The brooding part must be a piece of cake for you.”
“Sure. It’s the honorable part that I struggle with.”
“Cut that crap, will you?” He casts me a hooded look. “If you’re referring to the scandal, no one remembers it anymore.”
“Oh, but they do. And so do I. How could I ever forget?” Almost as an afterthought, I add, “There’s a glaring hole in my life without Stephen.”
The look on Leo’s face reminds me that I’ve hardly said my twin brother’s name in two years. Neither have Celeste or Mom. We still find it physically painful to utter his name. My sister and mother spend a lot of time at his gravesite, cleaning or adding flowers or just hanging. Not me. I haven’t been to Stephen’s grave since we buried him.
Leo sweeps a hand over his forehead. “Buddy, I’m not asking you to quit grieving for your twin brother and your father.”
“I’m not grieving for them.”
