Page 28 of Blindsided

Excitement bubbles in my chest at knowing she’ll be here in a few hours. I finish shopping, stopping at a second store to grab some other groceries while I’m here, along with a cooler. Then I head to the airport. The timing works out perfectly for me to pick her up when her flight lands.

Well, perfectly isn’t exactly true. I have to wait in the parking lot for almost an hour. My book keeps me distracted until her text comes through that she’s here. I tell her not to order a car and then drive to theArrivalsarea. I find her on the edge of the sidewalk, her eyebrows furrowed as she stares at the road.

When I park in front of her, her eyes light up, and a smile stretches across her face.

Fuck, she’s beautiful.

Even with her brown hair pulled up into a messy knot on the top of her head and wearing a slouchy sweater, she looks like she just walked off a photo shoot.

I jump out of the car and dash around the front to scoop her up in my arms. When she wraps her arms around my neck, I spin around, making her laugh.

“I’m so glad you made it.” I grin at her as I put her back on the ground.

“Are you sure you’re okay with me staying for a while?” The worry in her eyes has me cupping her cheeks.

“More than. As weird as it sounds, I’ve missed you. And keeping you safe is my biggest priority.”

Her shoulders soften, a smile tipping up the corner of her mouth. I find myself falling deep into her whiskey-colored gaze. Not a single video call did the color of her eyes justice. Those gold flecks have never shown up the way they are right now. And how the hell did I miss the perfect bow shape of her lips?

A car horn startles us both, and we separate as if we just got caught making out. I laugh, embarrassed by the direction my thoughts went. “Is this everything?” I ask, moving to grab her large suitcase and the cat carrier. When Tilly asked if Sergio could come, too, I immediately said yes. Now that he’s here and grumbling at me, I’m a little less sure.

“Yeah.” She clears her throat. “That’s it.”

I get her stuff loaded into the trunk of my car, and we both get in. The silence stretches between us, a little awkward now that I made an ass of myself.

“Are you hungry? We can stop on the way home,” I offer.

“No, I ate in New York. Although, if you’re hungry, I wouldn’t say no to an iced tea.”

“I happen to be starving.” I wink at her. Starving is a stretch, but I’ve never had a problem eating when I’m not hungry.

We both relax, our conversation going back to the ease we had before. I’ve never been able to talk with someone like I can Tilly. We don’t talk about anything important, but our conversations are continuous, no matter if we’re face-to-face or on the phone.

“Are designers really as eccentric as the movies make them seem?” I ask.

“Some absolutely are. I worked with a new one when I was in London. He kept screaming, ‘Fabulous!’ Keeping a straight face throughout the fitting was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”

“You’re stronger than I am. I would have never been able to keep from laughing. Is your time off going to mess anything up for you?”

“I don’t think so. Well… I’m hopeful it won’t. I’ve made some great connections in this business, so I’ve got a couple of people helping to share what’s going on with other designers and photographers. The goal is to make it obvious I’m not being a diva right now. Veronica should also help with that, too.”

“Good. I don’t want you to suffer because of some deranged asshole.”

“I’m not sure it would be that bad if I couldn’t go back,” Tilly murmurs.

“Do you want to go back?” I keep my tone gentle. I don’t want her to feel like I’m questioning her choices.

“The answer to that question changes every day.”

“After everything that’s happened to you over the past month, I can’t blame you. Things like this tend to make you reevaluate your life.”

“So, it’s not crazy to be wondering if modeling is even what I want anymore?”

“Not at all. Can I ask you a question that’s going to sound judgmental, but I’m seriously just curious?”

Tilly laughs. “Sure. Ask away.”

“Why do you like modeling? From what you’ve said, it sounds hectic, exhausting, and demanding. Not a single one of those things are positives in my book.”

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