I know. But maybe he’d consider moving to LA. Or maybe we could do the long-distance thing. I get time off between projects, and I could spend it here. Or even in Denver if he moves back there.
And not to be a Debbie Downer, but you’ve always been committed to dating men in the industry. Have you changed your mind?
This one gave Mia pause. Her mom had been crystal clear on the reasons why her marriage hadn’t worked out.
Mia wasn’t sure how to reconcile that with the way she felt about Levi. Truthfully, she didn’t want to think about it right now. She’d rather just remember the way it had felt to have his lips on hers, to have his hands pressing into the small of her back.
Another text came in from Brooke.
Sorry. Probably shouldn’t have said that.
You’re fine. Don’t know how I feel about that. All I know is that right now I just can’t seem to help myself.
No problem. And can I just say... you have great taste.
A knock sounded at her door. Mia shot Brooke a quick text to close out the conversation and went to the door, hoping it was Levi. When she pulled it open her heart was thumping against her ribs in anticipation.
But it was Grace. She was dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt that readSorry I’m late. I didn’t want to come. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she wore a sheepish look on her face.
“Hi, Grace.”
The girl took in Mia’s pajamas. “Oh, sorry to disturb you. It’s too late. Never mind, it can wait till morning.”
Mia grabbed her arm. “Wait. I was just piddling around on my phone. Come on in.”
Grace waffled a moment before following Mia into her room. Unlike Molly, her little sister had maintained a professional distance with Mia when they weren’t playing cards or eating together. This was the first time she’d been in Mia’s room, other than to clean it.
Mia sat on the bed and gestured toward the chaise. “Have a seat. You’ll have to move my clothes. I’m not very tidy—but I guess you’ve noticed that.”
“We’ve seen much worse, believe me.”
“I can only imagine.”
Grace worried her lip.
Mia suddenly wondered if Grace was concerned for her brother, given the budding relationship between him and Mia. She couldn’t imagine what else had brought Grace to her room unless she had aspirations of being an actress or something. Mia had mentored several younger girls, and Grace certainly had the looks for it. But there was a lot more to acting than good looks.
“What can I do for you, Grace?”
The girl met Mia’s gaze. “I know this is completely inappropriate, and Levi would have my head if he knew I was involving you, but I was kind of wanting an unbiased opinion about something.”
“Sure. Go for it.”
“Okay... In some of the reading I’ve done about you I noticed you went straight into acting out of high school.”
“Well, I actually did quite a bit of acting all the way through high school. I started very young with bit parts and commercials and such.”
“Right, well, what I mean is, you didn’t go to college, right? You don’t have some kind of degree?”
“No, I didn’t go to college. I pretty much had my heart set on an acting career, and I was getting regular parts by the time I graduated. Did you do any theater in high school?”
“What? No...”
“All right... Well, there are acting schools and even theater degrees where you could learn the ropes, and you could build your résumé by—”
“Oh no.” Grace made a face. “I don’t want to be an actor. I mean, no offense, but drama isn’t really my thing.”
“Oh!” Now she was completely confused. Mia chuckled. “Sorry, I guess I misunderstood.”
