Page 32 of Good Enough

His smile was sad. “The problem is, you’re so used to fighting your own battles you assume no one will stand beside you. But I’ve watched everyone around you, and I see a very different story. The people who work for you… they love you. You build them up instead of tearing them down. You show them they’re important and that what they do matters to you and, by extension, others. You protect them by putting yourself in the line of fire for them, and you keep getting up each time you’re shot at, too stubborn to lie down and take it.

“But you’re not bulletproof, Kubrick. You can only take so much punishment before, eventually, the damage will become too great to rally. When that day comes, you’ll need to lean on those people. You have an army you aren’t even aware of. They’ll heal the wounds you suffer, and they’ll do it gladly, without question.”

“You sound like you’ve been there.”

His eyes seemed to go far away for a brief moment so that he wasn’t really looking at her but at something past. “That’s because I have. I have my tribe to hold me up when things seem darkest.” Then, he was back to the present moment. “Learning to accept the help of others is one of the most difficult things to learn. Asking for that help is the only thing more humbling.”

His forehead to hers, he reassured her, “You are good enough. More than good enough. A force to be reckoned with. I’m proud to work at your side.”

Smiling with gratitude, she asked, “Why are you so fucking perfect? It’s not fair.”

“Not even close to perfect,” he admitted. “But thank you for stroking my ego.”

His irises seemed to flare, and then ever so gently, his forehead was replaced by a soft touch of his lips, where they lingered for just a second too long. He followed with a nuzzle of his nose tip to hers, then, as if realizing he might have crossed a line, he stepped back two steps from her.

Clearing his throat, he said, “I should go.” His voice was only a step above a whisper. “Be careful not to micromanage here tonight. Just put all those papers in the file folders I laid out and into the Backpack of Death. I’ll see you in the morning. Go home,” he emphasized the last two words. “Pack. Get some sleep.”

He walked to the door, but after he opened it, he looked back at her. “Don’t forget. Fierce. A force. So much more than good enough.” Then he left, reluctantly it seemed, shutting the door behind him.

Well, what the hell do I do with that?

She slid off the counter and crossed over to the table he had vacated, a smile on her lips at the neatness and order he left behind. Her face froze in thought.

He left behind… He left.

Waters broke one of his own rules. Rule five. One of his nonnegotiable rules.

“Huh. Interesting.”

12

FEBRUARY 14TH

Waters

Well, what the hell do I do with that?

It was currently just after four. He had to leave Kubrick’s trailer before he made an even bigger mistake than the comforting kiss, but now he had to worry about her getting home since his dumb ass broke one of his own rules. What the hell was wrong with him? He didn’t break rules. Ever.

First things first. Find a place to watch from until Steel arrives.

The studio was way too busy for him to use his normal space, and his truck was too recognizable even if he moved it, so he needed to come up with something else. The semi-trucks were gearing up to pull out and head to the airport with all of the freight for the cargo planes, along with crew leads and their builders. The actors were arriving throughout the day, starting the day after tomorrow, from their various locations around the globe, with an orientation the day after that and training beginning the day after. The rest of the crew would be heading to Roatán in waves over the next four weeks, depending on what they did and when their services were about a week out from being needed. There wasn’t anything for Waters to do other than help Kubrick to keep herself from micromanaging all the paperwork on the table.

She’s probably totally confused right now about what you just did, and that paperwork will now be her coping mechanism to ignore the issue. Smooth move.

He stood at the bottom of the steps from her trailer door, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand that desperately wanted to smack himself upside the head. As he contemplated the merits of turning around and walking back into the trailer, his watch alarm went off with a double chime. Steel was checking in.

Please be here. Save me from myself.

Waters jogged lightly to his truck in the lot, a vantage point from where he could still see Kubrick’s trailer. Once inside his truck, he engaged the ignition and activated the communications system. When it came online, he entered all his codes and dialed Steel’s cell.

Steel picked up before the first ring had even finished. “Hola, Jefe.”

“Welcome home, Steel. Get any sun?”

His teammate grunted. “I hate sun. And heat. And humidity. The Caribbean sucks. You ready to be relieved?” Steel asked.

You have no idea.

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