Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Erin paused again. “It’s okay not to leap into something with someone new. Sometimes you need a little time to adjust to how someone makes you feel. It can be overwhelming.”
This was why she’d called Erin. Already, she was feeling calmer. “Yeah, exactly. I needed to take a minute to think about it. But now I can’t stop thinking about him.”
Erin said, “You know, that’s good. I like that you’re not rushing into something. You know what you hardly ever get to experience in your love life?”
There wasn’t much. “What?”
“Anticipation.”
“Overrated.”
“I don’t think so. I think there’s something truly romantic in thinking about a person and wondering if he’s thinking about you and imagining when you’ll see him again and what you’ll be wearing, and what he’ll say and what you’ll say—”
“I’m not a character in your romance novel, Erin.”
Her sister refused to be distracted. “Maybe you should give taking things slowly a try. You might really like it.”
She let out a huff of breath. “I can’t stop thinking about him,” she admitted. “It’s driving me crazy.”
“Do you want to sleep over?”
She thought about it for a second. They did that sometimes. They’d sleep at one or the other’s house and talk into the night and share breakfast in the morning before going about their respective days. But she could tell Erin was already settled down for the night. “That’s okay. I think you helped.”
Mila ended the call, feeling relieved. Erin always helped her to make sense of things. But as she turned off the lamps in her home and made her way to bed, all she could think about was Hersch’s new mattress.
She could have helped him christen it tonight.
Chapter Eighteen
Hersch pounded down Scenic Drive, multimillion-dollar houses on his left and the ocean tormenting him on the right. He rounded the point, where beautiful sand stretched beneath him, and kids were playing, and people were picnicking, and a lifeguard tower was set up so lifeguards could keep an eye on the swimmers. It would be so easy to jog down those steps, run along the beach, and cool off in the water. Or it would have been so easy two years ago. Despite yesterday’s progress, he still didn’t feel confident about the water without Mila by his side. As hot as he was, he faced forward so that his view was asphalt rather than rolling ocean waves and the caramel-colored beach.
As he ran, Herschel couldn’t stop thinking about Mila. She had kissed him. So passionately it had almost knocked him over. Then she’d had to leave to go shopping? He’d barely slept all night thinking about her soft lips and her sexy body, and the way she made him feel like he could do anything. Anything! He had let himself succumb to her completely.
What had he been thinking? The truth was, he wasn’t a spontaneous man. He liked to think things through, and he’d always taken life seriously.
But maybe it was time to stop. He still held to his belief that he could never leave a woman he loved and a potential family behind while he did a dangerous job with no guarantee of a return. And if anyone ever needed proof of that, it was a guy who’d come within a hair’s breadth of drowning on his return from a mission.
However, Mila was both spontaneous and had been very clear that she wasn’t looking for marriage or commitments or ties. And maybe that made everything okay. Maybe if she could hold that attitude and get through her life perfectly well, he could too. Maybe he shouldn’t give up on her.
He knew one thing. He couldn’t keep going night after night dreaming of her beside him, especially now that he knew she was open to the idea of the two of them becoming intimate.
He ran faster than he should have, for longer than he’d intended, but at least he’d come to a decision.
He would have kept going if his phone hadn’t rung. He slowed to a halt, hoping it was Mila. But his screen showed a number he didn’t recognize.
“Herschel Greenfield,” he said.
“Herschel, it’s Jay Malone. The agent. What are you up to right now?”
Hersch grimaced. Hadn’t he made it very clear several times already that he wasn’t interested in having a movie made about his life?
“I’m out running,” Herschel replied.
“Ah, keeping fit. I like it,” Jay said. “Well, I hope you don’t mind me calling you out of the blue, but I’m at Archer Davenport’s place, and we wondered if you’d like to come over and discuss the movie.”
What movie? “That’s kind of you, but I don’t think there’s really anything to discuss.”
Jay laughed. “Once you get talking with Archer and see for yourself what a fantastic actor he is, I think you might change your mind.”
Hersch paused. Since Jay had murmured the word Davenport, his heartbeat had quickened again as if he were still running. He hated to admit it, but he was curious to meet one of Mila’s siblings. Was he curious enough to humor a meeting about a biopic?