Her eyes went soft in a way that belonged nowhere near Ed’s camera.
Caprice clapped again, softer this time. “We’re wrapped for filming. Nobody move until I say the sponsor has what they need.”
“I need you to say it fast,” Sunny said.
Caprice looked at her, then at me, then at the hand still on my chest. “The sponsor has what they need.”
Ed dropped the camera from his shoulder. “Thank God.”
Joelle lifted the tasting plates. “I’ll pack the leftovers. You two should probably go somewhere that doesn’t have witnesses.”
Sunny’s cheeks flushed.
Ed pointed his fork at my plate. “If those biscuits stay behind, I’m eating them in a dark corner like a raccoon.”
“I heard you,” I said, taking the plate.
I took Sunny’s hand.
No one argued.
The walk back to my truck took longer than it should’ve because every step away from the cameras made the air feel thinner. Sunny carried her scarf in one hand, her curls loosening around her face. I carried the leftover biscuits.
We didn’t talk much on the drive up to my cabin.
The ridge road climbed through pines streaked with evening shadow. Dust rose behind the truck. The last sun caught the windshield, then disappeared behind Fire Mountain, leaving the sky orange at the edges and blue above the trees.
Sunny sat beside me with one knee turned toward the console, her hand resting close to mine but not touching it. Every few seconds, her fingers shifted as if she was stopping herself.
I finally reached across and took her hand.
She let out a breath.
“Are you still in for the pop-up?” she asked.
“Yes, I’m in.”
“The feature too?”
“If you do, yes.”
“And the public garnish arguments?”
“That depends on what you put it on.”
“I meant food, Flint.”
“I wanted clarification.”
She laughed, then went quiet again.
I tightened my fingers around hers. “And us?”
Sunny looked over.
The truck bumped over a rut, and her curls swung against her cheek. “I’m in when you’re being noble. I’m in when you’re being impossible. I’m in when you’re making biscuits with suspiciously good plating. I’m in when you beat me, tie me, or stand there looking unfairly handsome while Caprice uses the word deliverables.”
I swallowed hard.
