Page 54 of As They Are
“She might run the show, but you’re still a person. Which means some level of control.”
She nodded. “You’re right. Or at least you should be.” Her lips curved upward. “Thank you. I needed that reminder. How long are you staying?”
I thought about it. I could only mentally handle a few minutes. I was used to my schedule of being alone on the weekend.
But it wasWren.
“Let’s get this started!” Jude called. He pumped his arms at the crowd watching.
Only Kerry clapped. Silence then followed.
Jude’s smile fell and he loudly grumbled, “Tough crowd.”
“How long do you want me to stay?” I asked.
“I’m sure you’re busy.”
“I can make time.”
She bit her lip before answering. “Four hours. Can we talk after it? I’ll buy you dinner.”
“Yeah. Of course.”
“Thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”
She rejoined the director and Jude, only giving him a shallow wave. I stood there like a fool before walking over with everyone else.
“She’s not even giving him the time of day,” Marjorie said. “Good for her.”
“I hate that she has to do this at all,” I muttered.
“Ooooh, protective.”
“Not you too.”
“I can’t help that I have eyes and live for annoying people. But if it makes you feel any better, I didn’t get in on the bet.”
“Oh, please.” Henrietta rolled her eyes. “You were in the bathroom when everyone was talking about it. Otherwise you would have joined in too.”
Marjorie shushed her and I shook my head. I was glad the town was having fun, but they would be proven wrong when Wren made it look like she was dating Jude.
My fists clenched again at the mere thought. I hadn’t realized it at the time, but I’d avoided the topic of filming not only because of the chaos, but because I wasn’t sure I could watch her be with him.
But she’d asked me to stay. And I would.
Wren didn’t smile or even hug him the first time they interacted. She was focused solely on the camera. I heard Madison bark something about Wren running to Jude, but she only shook her head in response.
Good. She deserved to be able to say no.
They did multiple versions of the reunion before the woman behind the camera threw her hands up and told them to go inside, presumably to film the tours.
I couldn’t help but smile.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen those doors open,” Marjorie said. “Oh, I can’t wait to run that place again.”
I turned to her. “You’d be coming out of retirement?”
“Me and Henrietta both. We started our life in that building. We might as well be back there.”
