“You’ve definitely improved. It’s not juicy.”
Paige laughed. “You got jokes. I’ll never live that down.”
Andrew remembered the first time Paige had made lasagna for him, as a reward for a contract he’d negotiated. It was early on in their friendship, about twelve years ago. At that time, Paige hadn’t cooked much on her own, so it turned out soupy. It was so bad she’d tossed the entire pan out and ordered a pizza. Then she’d enrolled in a cooking class.
“Nah.” He kissed her. “But you’re pretty amazing now.”
“Thank you.”
They ate mostly in comfortable silence, each of them focused on their food. After a few minutes, she looked at him. “I’ve been thinking about something.”
He eyed her silently, waiting for her to continue.
“I want to shift some things in my career a little,” she said.
Raising a brow, he asked, “How so?”
“Maybe spend some time behind the camera.”
He smiled. “Wow. I didn’t know you were considering a change. You want to direct.”
“Not really. I want to do more production work. I actually enjoyed the process and I think I’ve made some connections. What do you think?”
“I think you’re amazing.”
Paige eyed him skeptically. “Seriously?”
“Oh yeah. I can help you with that. Set up a few meetings, figure out what projects you might want to work on.”
A shaky laugh burst from her lips. “I’d like that. Remember I told you about that book I read?” He nodded. “I really want to do something with it, if it’s possible.”
“We can try.”
“I want you to read it.” She beamed. “I think you’ll like it. It’s about a family of assassins, escaping into a lair five floors underground. Fast-paced. I loved it.”
“I’ll take a look,” he offered. “Is it in your room?”
“Yep.” She stood and ran up the stairs. A few moments later, she returned with the book and handed it to him. “I earmarked several passages that stuck out to me. What’s awesome is the author is from Michigan. Isn’t that cool?”
Andrew eyed the mysterious cover and read the blurb on the back of the book. “Looks interesting. We can definitely talk about this.”
“I know you’re on a leave now, but maybe we can touch base once you’re back to work.”
Andrew had taken family care leave when his mother fell and injured herself, but he’d done some things remotely. “We don’t have to wait. I’m here with you.”
“On a leave,” she reiterated. “This can wait. But I’m glad I brought it up. I’m excited. Now, finish eating so we can have dessert.”
“I hope dessert involves you naked with a slice of pie.”
Since he’d missed the first apple pie, Paige had baked another one, so he could try it out. The scent of apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon filled the entire kitchen while she’d baked the pie that afternoon. And when she’d pulled it out of the oven, she’d warned him not to touch it until he ate his dinner.
“Dessert includes me, pie, and ice cream.”
“Sounds like my kind of treat.” He pulled her to him and planted a kiss on her mouth. “We can skip to that if you want.”
“Not a chance.” She cut into her lasagna. “I talked to Skye.”
He paused, fork midair. “Really?”
