Page 28 of Nothing Heals Me Like You Do

“Sure. Why not?” Sienna took a step inside but there wasn’t much space to maneuver. “My part inGimme Shelteris not as big as Alexis’s. I’m sure I can spare the time to spend a few hours here.” Without any qualms whatsoever, she looked Justine deep in the eye. “As long as you’re here.”

Justine wasn’t sure she should flirt back, but she also didn’t know how to stop herself. “If that’s the incentive you need, I’ll be here.”

“Hey, um, I talked to my dad.” Sienna leaned her shapely hip against the table. “He’s making a nice donation to the shelter.”

Justine eyes grew wide. “He is?” Her stomach tightened with excitement.

Sienna nodded. “There is one condition, though.”

“What’s that?” There wasn’t much Justine wouldn’t do to secure a ‘nice donation’.

“He insisted you come to dinner again at my place.” Sienna all but licked her lips.

“That really is a strange thing for your dad to insist on.”

“People are strange. I’m sure you know that.” Sienna chuckled. “My fridge is stocked and I’m free tonight.”

“You’re serious about this?”

Sienna shook her head. “Nah. He already made the transfer. The money will be in the shelter’s account soon.” She leaned over the table. “But I’d really, really,reallylike you to come over again.” She ran the tip of her tongue over her lips. “I have some other works of art I haven’t shown you yet.”

“Seriously though, Sienna. Thank you so much. I so appreciate it.” Justine wanted to check the shelter’s account now to see if the money had arrived yet. “All jokes and flirting aside. It means a lot.”

“I’ll be adding my fee for this movie as well. It’s outrageous that I get paid to play Rochelle, the co-founder of this place, while the shelter needs the money so much more than I ever could.”

Darrel had been right earlier. This movie was a blessing for the shelter—and so was Sienna.

“I’m truly lost for words,” Justine admitted. “And I would love to have dinner with you again.” It was a no-brainer now. Not because of the money Sienna had pledged, although, truth be told, money for the shelter was a good way to buy Justine’s affection any day of the week, but because of how Sienna, just like that, had made good on her word—on something Justine had believed to be a joke. And even more so because of what it said about who she was as a person—someone whose privilege didn’t stand in the way of her generosity. In her decades of fundraising for the shelter, Justine had met too many ultra-rich people who believed that the ever-growing amount of money in their bank account was far more important than helping unhoused queer kids. “Although I should be the one taking you to dinner.”

“It doesn’t matter to me.” Sienna beamed her a warm smile. “In case you missed it, I’m mostly interested in spending more time with you.”

Why? Justine wanted to ask, but this was not the time for that question. Instead, she said, “You’d best take me home then.”

Justine would rather sit in rush hour traffic for an hour than spend money on an Uber, but Sienna had talked her out of driving into downtown LA. They sat in the backseat of a car, that was just as stuck in traffic as Justine’s own car would have been, her phone burning a hole in her pocket—she was dying to find out how much Bobby Bright had donated to the shelter.

“I just need to check something,” she said, cursing herself for losing her cool as her cheeks flushed instantly.

“Sure.” Sienna shot her a knowing smile.

Justine fished her phone out of her bag and, hands trembling, consulted the shelter’s bank account. Sure enough. There it was. Bobby Bright’s name next to a much higher amount than Justine had been expecting.

“Oh my god.” She no longer saw the point in trying to hide from Sienna what she was doing. “Your father donated two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.” There were only two things in life that made Justine Blackburn well up. When a kid left the shelter and she knew, in her bones, that she and her team had put them on the right path. That they wouldn’t succumb to self-destructive behavior or turn to drugs or, sadly also too common, just give up on life altogether. When she knew that she’d made a difference. That, and a spontaneous huge donation to the shelter that would make the residents, the staff, the many volunteers they relied on, and her life so much easier for a little while. Enough money to give them a little space to breathe. She tried to swallow the emotion out of her throat, but her eyes didn’t cooperate and got all ridiculously watery.

“He’s nothing if not generous with his money,” Sienna said matter-of-factly. She probably didn’t have a clue of what that kind of money did for the shelter.

“I will send Bobby Bright a heartfelt thank-you letter and I should also give him a call.”

“I’ll give you his details, although I can take care of all that for you. I’m not saying he’s not interested in the shelter, but he did it because I asked him to. That’s just how he is with me and my sister, although he was a touch more generous than I thought he was going to be.” She shrugged. “Although what’s two hundred and fifty grand when you get paid millions for one single movie?”

“It’s a lot of fucking money.” It would be easy for Justine to be cynical about how this donation was a perfect illustration of the inequality in their country—and the world, for that matter—but for her own sanity, she refused to go down that route. “And I’m going to call him tomorrow to thank him for it.”

“Okay. He’ll like that, but, um…” Sienna painted on a devilish grin. “It would be wise not to tell him about tonight.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s my dad. Best he doesn’t know what I have in store for you.” Sienna’s confidence was reaching greater heights by the minute.

“That must be a very special dinner you have planned,” Justine said, her stomach flip-flopping with delight, and not just because she’d finally, among many other things, be able to replace her dying laptop, have the drab beige walls repainted, and perhaps even get that secondhand minibus she’d been dreaming of forever to take the kids out with.

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