Page 18 of The Love We Make

“I know.” Juan pats my knee.

I text back, safe in the knowledge there’s no subtext I’m missing.

Juan assures me that no engagement rings have been procured.

I glance over at Imani. “Are you ready to get back into the game, girl?”

“I don’t know. Maybe just for a fling. A bit of fun and attention. Have someone coo over me for a night.”

Juan shoots up and jumps into the pool, emerging next to Imani. “That’s what you have me for.”

“That’s very sweet of you, darling, but there are certain itches I have that you simply can’t scratch.”

Juan drapes his arm over Imani’s shoulders. These two. I don’t know what I’d do without them.

“Maybe Austin knows an eligible woman to cheer Imani up,” I offer.

Juan’s eyes go wide, as though he’s just had the most brilliant brainwave. “How about Mimi?” He fixes his gaze on Imani.

“Are you crazy?” Imani playfully pushes him away. “I’m not going on a date with your new plaything’s mother. What do you take me for?”

Juan holds up a finger. “Firstly, Austin’s not just my plaything.” He pauses. “But yeah, that would be weird. Let’s not do that. I got a little carried away. Sorry, darling.”

“Why don’t the four of us have dinner soon?” I ask. “If you’re going to marry this guy, I need to spend some time with him first.”

“That would be so nice, Nora, although he might want to marry you instead.” He turns to Imani. “Meanwhile, I will scour his friends for a suitable match for you, darling.”

I’m still holding my phone, which is remaining silent. No more messages from Mimi. She’s probably busy with all her children and grandchildren. But I have my chosen family here with me, and my three dogs lurking in the shade. I have everything I could possibly wish for.

CHAPTER8

MIMI

Although there’s nothing for me to actually do here, I love being on set. Especially the set of my favorite show,Unbreak My Heart. I marked the first day of shooting for the new season in my calendar weeks ago. The buzz is electrifying. There’s a nervous tension in the air that excites me. This is when the magic actually happens. All the work that has come before has led to this moment and what gets shot today will be the raw material for post-production. This is where our show gets made. This is the very essence of it.

Stella emerges from her trailer with her partner Kate in tow. Kate has their son strapped to her chest. It makes me think of my own son. Although Austin’s twenty-six years older than Stella and Kate’s, I sometimes still consider him my baby—and my baby is dating a man almost twenty years his senior. I wonder if I’ll run into Juan today. If not, Austin’s bringing him to Sunday brunch next weekend. Things are moving fast—I’ve even heard rumors of Austin having dinner with Nora Levine one of these days.

The intercom is calling Nora to the sound stage. Stella and Kate have joined me and we all watch, as though our gaze is pulled to her through sheer force of magic, as Nora rounds the corner and walks toward us. She’s dressed as her character, who is in business attire for the first scene. Nora looks smashing in Jessie’s navy pants suit. Her gaze halts on me for a moment as she spots me. She gives me the smallest of nods. I know better than to chitchat with an actor before they’re about to shoot a scene. I send her a warm smile. The director calls Stella and Nora over to discuss the upcoming scene.

“I had to be here today,” Kate says. “I wanted Silas to be here too, even though he won’t remember.” She fishes her phone out of her pocket. “Would you mind snapping a quick pic of me with Stella in the background? Just so that I have something to show my son when he questions whether he really was here.” Kate flashes me a dazzling smile. That reminds me that I still don’t know how she and Stella met. Maybe I should ask Nora—she seemed to find a lot of glee in referencing it that time we went to lunch.

“Sure.” Or maybe I can just ask Kate. I take a picture of her and Silas with Stella and Nora in the background.

“Thank you so much.”

“Don’t mention it.” I flash Kate my brightest smile. She really is a stunning woman. Maybe it’s only fair that I invite her and Stella to dinner at my house as well, but somehow, it feels less necessary than inviting Nora. For starters, there isn’t any air to clear between us. Although I could just do it for the sheer fun of it. For the vibe of having two lovely women come to my house with the singular purpose of having a good time. Kate could give me her professional opinion on how my house is decorated. If she can ever tear her gaze away from her son. In that respect, she reminds me of Heather, who had a successful career as a lawyer, but whose focus shifted entirely to her child months before Wyatt was even born. Wyatt is five now and Heather hasn’t once mentioned going back to work.

My knees go a little weak at the sight of Kate and Silas. At the way she looks at him as though, despite standing in the middle of a tv set with a million things going on around her, and her partner about to shoot her first scene of the season, her son is the only person that exists in the whole wide world. Even though my youngest is in his twenties now, I can still so easily tap into that intoxicating feeling, even just for a few moments.

“If only he would sleep like this at night,” Kate says. “I told him that his mama needed her beauty sleep, that she had a big day today, but this guy doesn’t care about any of that.”

I send her a knowing smile. “Would you and Stella like to come to dinner at my house some time? You can bring Silas, of course.”

“Oh.” Kate looks at me as though I just asked her to marry me instead of inviting her and Stella to dinner. “Yeah. Sure. Why not?”

“No pressure. I know it’s hard to get away when you have a little one.” I rest my gaze on her. “I like to get to know the people I’m working with and I had Nora over, so.”

“You had Nora over?” This seems to pique Kate’s interest.

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