Page 72 of The Kitchen Contract

She rolls her lips in and presses them together to stop the flow of anxious questions. “You’re right. We’ll just have to trust each other.”

I pull the folder out of her hand and toss it on the bed beside me. There’ll be time to sign and date it later, which I definitely plan to do. Right now, I’m focused on the thing I’ve wanted to do since I saw Nora in the lobby hours ago.

I slide off the bed to kneel in front of her and cup her face in my hands, inviting her to lean in. My skin tingles as her hands come to rest on my shoulders, her thumbs brushing the sides of my neck, and when our lips meet, I think I feel the same level of relief that Nora did when her shoes came off. The kiss starts off slow and tentative, but it quickly grows in intensity and urgency. Suddenly, my suit coat feels entirely too hot and tight.

I pull away, leaning back on my heels to catch a breath. “I guess I should go down and see about getting my own room, huh?”

She nods, licking her lips and pushing her hair back behind her ears. Somehow it all managed to escape its containment in the last few minutes and now hangs in long blond and lilac waves around her shoulders. “That would be good.”

I release my grip on her and rise slowly. “I’ll text you my room number,” I say as I grab my backpack and the shopping bag of clothes from earlier. “Maybe we could get some dinner?”

She stands and straightens her jacket with a smile. “That sounds wonderful. I’ll get changed into something a little more casual while you’re gone.”

“It’s a date.”

40

NORA

“So you still haven’t heard anything? It’s been, what, six weeks?”

I shake my head and smile at Maddy’s impatient tone. More like eight weeks, but I don’t think correcting her would be helpful. “Not a word. Miles keeps trying to tell me that the TV industry can move slowly sometimes, but I’m starting to wonder if anything is going to happen at this point.”

I bounce Ileigh on my knee, occupying her so that Maddy has a chance to snuggle three-week-old Edie for a few minutes. Annie sips a cup of decaf from her place on the other side of the kitchen table, enjoying a well-deserved break from mom duties, though she’ll be the first to tell you that she likes being a mom way better than being pregnant.

The men and the older kids are in Maddy’s backyard having a water balloon fight, which the three of us declined to participate in, even if the October afternoon is unseasonably warm. The sound of their shouts and laughter makes me smile.

“It just seems like it wouldn’t be that hard to give you some kind of update. Like, are they still working on it or have they decided to pass?”

I smile and shrug before leaning in to blow a raspberry on Ileigh’s neck.

On some level I agree, it would be nice to know one way or another, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t truly matter. The last two months since Alex and I returned from California have been the happiest of my life. We quickly settled into a routine of shooting videos and hanging out with each other and our families. Our channel and the blog have continued to show steady growth, including a couple of substantial sponsorships from a cookware company and a seasonings company. The combined income of the sponsorships along with the ad revenue is enough that I went down to part-time at the restaurant, filling in where needed and keeping the steady paycheck, but giving me more time to work on my business.

The night we made up, we discussed what was next for the show over dinner. Ultimately, we agreed that it was a waste of time trying to make any kind of decision without knowing what opportunities would be on the table. The network had thrown out so many different possibilities that I couldn’t even keep up, and it was no use strategizing before we knew what they were going to offer, so we decided to proceed as we had been until then.

But as the days have gone by without a word from them, I’ve realized that I can be content even if that dream doesn’t come to be. There are always more dreams to pursue, and I don’t want to limit myself to one pet dream that will make or break me. As long as I have my people, the rest of it is negotiable. A long stream of drool drips from one of my littlest people onto my leg, making a round, dark, wet spot on my jeans.

“Yuck, Ileigh!” She giggles as I dap her mouth with her bib.

On the table, my phone starts to buzz with an incoming call. I lean over and check the screen. Speak of the devil…

“It’s Miles!”

“Here.” Annie plunks down her mug and reaches for Ileigh. “You have to take it. Maddy can’t hold out any longer without knowing.” She winks at Maddy, who rolls her eyes but can’t hide her excitement.

I grab the phone and swipe, tapping to put it on speakerphone as I stand. “Hello?”

“Nora, I just forwarded you a very exciting email from the network. They’re in! Depending on how quickly you and Alex respond, we can get the ball rolling and perhaps start filming as soon as the first of the year.”

“Wow, that’s…that’s great news.” I take a few steps, pacing in Maddy’s kitchen. “So it’s a good offer?”

“It’s good,” he says. “Of course, you’ll want to have your own attorney look over it and advise you if there’s anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

“Right, of course. We’ll look at the email this afternoon and go from there. Thanks for calling, Miles.”

I turn around to look at the girls after we hang up. Maddy squeals and bounces on her toes, careful to keep from jostling Edie.

“You’re going to be a TV star!”

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