“Most people can’t walk away like that,” he said. “I’m not sure I could walk away from my job.”
“I think it’s different. You get to take the uniform off and just be you when you leave. I could never just be me. People wanted me to be on all the time, or worse, they wanted me in character and I wasn’t nearly as perky and optimistic as that. I mean, a character is like that for half an hour an episode. People wanted me to be like that for years on end.”
He nodded. She had a feeling he had more to say on that but he kept quiet, and they finished up and headed back to the hotel.
“This was really nice,” she said to him as they weaved through the summer evening crowd. She noticed a couple of people register who she was, but luckily, no one approached her.
“It was.” His hand was back in the small of her back sending a nice cozy warmth through her body. It wasn’t electricity or fireworks, but it was a good feeling. It was a long time since she’d had that with a guy. “I was hoping for more than nice, but I’ll take it.”
They stepped through the revolving door into the hotel lobby. “I like you, Zach, but I’m kind of in a dating hiatus.”
“And yet we just went on a date,” he teased, tugging at the end on her hair.
She tilted her head sideways considering it. “A couple, food, drinks, I guess that kind of was a date. Well, I didn’t mean to go on a date with you, but I had a good time.”
He leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll call you and maybe we can do it again.”
“Maybe.”
He stepped back. “I’ll take maybe as yes.”
And then he was walking out of the lobby and Georgie was wondering if maybe she should have shut that right down, but she liked Zach and they had really had a nice night once they got past Liam showing up, and with their schedules, she couldn’t see it being more than causal anyway. No pressure. She let out a sigh.
AT LEAST HER date only kissed her on the cheek. Liam was sitting in the lobby bar waiting for her to return. He wasn’t stalking her exactly, after all he did have to eat. If this happened to be the most convenient place for him to get a burger and wait for her return, then that was just a happy coincidence.
Ever since he’d arrived and seen her heading out with her neighbor, he’d been out of sorts. He’d had a plan for how the evening was going to look, and it hadn’t involved her on a date with another man and him alone at the bar. In fact, to say that he was beyond frustrated was an understatement. He’d literally just upended his whole life to woo the woman and she was dating someone else, well only kind of if that kiss was any indication.
He sent her a text message as she crossed the lobby, and he saw her face light up when she read that he was in the bar. She did a one-eighty turn and walked over to him.
“Hey, you.” She leaned in and hugged him. The scent of her was all Georgie, all sunshine and citrus.
“Hey yourself. How was the date?”
She slid onto the stool beside him. “Nice. We had tapas. He feels really bad about the flood.”
“Wouldn’t anyone?” That didn’t exactly make him a saint. He had literally ruined her home.
“Yeah, but it was an accident.” She gave a shrug. She was taking the whole flood pretty well. Liam tried to imagine Cara in the same situation, and the level of drama would have been tenfold.
“True. Drink?”
He waved over the waiter, and she ordered a rosé.
“To your new life in New York,” she toasted.
May it be better from here on in. “To New York.”
“You’re early.”
“Yeah, it was supposed to be a fun surprise,” he said, aware that he sounded just a little petulant.
“It was.” She squeezed his hand. “It is. I haven’t been on a date in years. It was just bad timing.”
“Years?” Part of him was pleased to hear it, the possessive part that wanted her for himself, but it was a crying shame a beautiful, smart, sexy woman like Georgie spent so much time home alone.
“Well, you know since the breakup, it’s just been hard.” He knew all about the breakup and how her business had been entertainment show and magazine fodder for weeks. He also knew how humiliated and ashamed she’d been. Knowing that, it made him regret his possessive behavior earlier in the evening. Zach the pilot was not a bad guy.
“Well, I’m glad this date was pleasant, then.”
“Thanks. It’s so hard. I feel like I never really had normal dating experiences. I never know why people are interested in me.”
That just pulled at his heart. “Honey, have you not seen you? Smart, talented, beautiful. Any man not dating you for all those reasons is a fool.”
“You think I’m smart, funny, and beautiful?”
Maybe he’d never told her that, well at least not for a long time, and that made him feel worse. He’d spent so much time guarding his heart so that Georgie wouldn’t break it, so much time keeping their friendship strictly platonic, that he’d forgotten to show her how amazing she was.
“Seriously, Georgie, you’re amazing in every way.”
Pink crept up her neck, across her cheeks, to her hairline. For someone who’d lived their life in the spotlight, she sure didn’t know how to take a compliment.
“Thanks, Liam. I think you’re amazing too. And we’re going to have the most amazing time living together.”
Yes, they were because he was going to make certain of it.
CHAPTER 4
A t least Tapioca seemed happy, Georgie thought as she waited for her makeup to be touched up again. Moving was hard enough, but she hadn’t factored in the camera crew needing to get them doing things more than once and from more than one angle.
She was pleased she’d talked Liam out of allowing himself to be filmed today. It was evident he and Alvaro were not going to be best buddies, which meant Liam was scowling, and while she found the gruff side of him kind of sexy, she wasn’t sure the viewers would. Also, she didn’t want to be caught on camera looking at him as if she had those kinds of feelings for him because those kinds of feelings were not allowed between her and her best friend and now roommate.
Meanwhile, Alvaro seemed to be trying to stake out his territory with her, still. As one of the Executive Producers on the show she could just fire him. She’d have her colleague Marnie tell him to back off in the next few days, and if he didn’t, she wasn’t going to have much choice. If they were filming here, Alvaro and Liam would be in close quarters on occasion and she couldn’t have Liam feeling uncomfortable in his home.
The man in question walked toward her with a tray of coffees from the deli on the corner and offered both her and Meg, the makeup assistant, one. Meg batted her eyes and thanked him profusely. It was possible Meg had a little crush. Liam looked so sexy with his two-day scruff, sweatpants, and tight-fitting T-shirt she could hardly blame Meg for being attracted to him. The woman had a pulse.
“Thanks, Liam. I’m sorry this is so . . . slow.” Slow wasn’t the word she wanted to use, but she was a professional and moaning in front of Meg was anything but.
“Don’t worry about it. I would have made coffee, but heaven forbid, I actually use the kitchen.” He was teasing, she knew that, but she felt bad. They had the world’s fanciest coffee maker sitting on the counter. It did seem crazy he’d had to go out for his caffeine fix.
“I’m sorry. I’ll make sure we work future filming out so it doesn’t inconvenience you.”
He shook his head and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in for a half hug. She loved the feel of his warm muscular body pressed up against hers. “Don’t worry about it, Georgie. This is part of why we chose this house, remember? Anyway, it’s good for me to see how you work. It’s been a while since I have been on the set of your shows, and this is a little bit different from the old days.”
She laughed. “No studio audience for a start.”
“Maybe not but we do have an audience.” He tipped his head to
ward Meg who was standing staring at him, her eyes full of love, and Alvaro who was glaring from across the room.
“Right.” She sipped her coffee as if to fortify herself. “Well, let me go unpack my stand mixer with a look of wonder for the fourth time, and hopefully we can get this done and dusted.”
“Will you actually be cooking anything today? Like maybe my favorite strawberry muffins just like your mama makes.”
“We might not have the ingredients,” she replied.
“I think you’ll find we do,” he said, releasing her so that when she crossed over to the kitchen she saw the fridge had been stocked with a variety of foods, including strawberries. Well, maybe she could throw a quick batch in the oven while they filmed. She didn’t usually go off script, but maybe today she’d make an exception. At the end of the take where she looked excited about unpacking her stand mixer, she added an extra line. “But what I’m about to make for the crew helping me move in today doesn’t need a mixer at all, just a bowl and a wooden spoon.”
“Cut. What are you doing?” Alvaro glared.
“I’m going to make some muffins, and then we’ll eat them.”
“It’s not scripted.”
“I don’t need a script to make muffins, Alvaro.” She instructed the guys on camera to stay in place. Russ and Phil were seasoned pros, they could probably film her cooking in their sleep.
And then she did her thing and whipped up a batch of muffins. “I’m making these strawberry muffins because my mama always makes these, and they taste like home. So what better way to christen my new kitchen on moving day than with these sweet treats.”
For the first time all day as she mixed the batter and added the berries, she felt relaxed and natural. She had a feeling that when they got to the edits the shots of her telling people where to put boxes and her loading the shelves would be severely reduced in favor of this ad lib. In fact, everyone looked happy, including Liam who was grinning like a Cheshire cat as he watched. Well, everyone except Alvaro who still wore a sour expression, but everyone else was happy and even more so when the muffins were pulled from the oven.
SHE’D MADE him the muffins. Liam couldn’t keep the goofy grin off his face. He hadn’t actually expected her to do it, but he was thrilled that she had. It made him feel like maybe the deep connection they had was more than one way. After she’d handed them on camera to the moving guys, she walked over to him with the plate.
“A muffin, young man?” That was what her mother always said to him when he’d come in on his way to school to walk with Georgie. Connie knew full well that down the street in the run-down trailer he called home his breakfast consisted of generic cereal, which he’d shopped for, carried home, and served himself and some days not even that. There was no smiling woman with warm baked goods making sure he ate well or had a packed lunch.
“Thank you, if you’re sure there are enough.” That had always been his standard answer.
“Of course, there are, there’s always enough for you.”
He wasn’t a sentimental guy, but he felt a tear prick the corner of one eye. “I miss your mama and her muffins.”
“Me too. I called her this week. She’s going to come stay in a few weeks. Prepare to be spoiled rotten.”
“I can’t wait!” He took a bite of the warm muffin and felt that blanket of security wrap around him. Just like he had as a boy, he felt safe as the cinnamon and berries tickled his taste buds. She was right, they tasted like home. “Mmm, thanks, Georgie. I think our living together is going to work out just fine.”
“Even with the TV crew?” she asked, her face full of expectation.
“Even with,” he conceded, although when that bossy South American director barked her name again he was less sure. “Go. Do your thing. I’m heading upstairs.”
He took his muffin and made his escape to his room. The brownstone was three levels plus the finished basement, which was in reality a one-bedroom apartment he and Georgie would use for guests. The ground floor where the chaos of television was currently occurring had a kitchen, living room, and dining room and a small courtyard out back. Knowing his new roommate, it would be planted out with edible varieties within a week. The middle level was his and housed a bedroom, a study, and a bathroom. Georgie’s floor was the same and led up to a rooftop garden that they could use to entertain. Well, likely she would. Apart from his new work colleagues, he didn’t know anyone else much in New York. A couple of old college buddies were here, but he wasn’t so great at keeping in touch, and truthfully, he hadn’t been the best friend at college either. Being dirt poor and working two jobs to get by hadn’t left much time for socializing and neither had his grueling work schedule since. Still, he might invite them over. Maybe Georgie could invite some friends and they’d have a housewarming.
He pulled some books out of a box and loaded them onto a shelf. The idea of a party began to appeal to him. He’d only ever had one party in his life and that had been back when he was twenty-one and it hadn’t been an especially civilized affair.
Now, though, he was a successful guy with a beautiful woman to impress. Yeah, a party might be just the thing to get him settled into New York and help him get to know the people in Georgie’s life. Somehow over the past few years he hadn’t met too many of her friends. When she’d been on the show he’d visited often and known everyone, but then life had intervened.
This was the time to change that. He tossed the last bite of the final muffin in his mouth. Yes, they were making a home together, so they needed a housewarming party, and even if she didn’t know it yet, he hoped they’d be living together and not just as friends for the rest of their lives. This was definitely an occasion worth marking.
“THAT WAS A DAY!” Georgie said, kicking off her shoes as her butt hit the sofa. Only Marnie was left from the TV and moving crew, the rest had left not five minutes earlier and it was almost seven.
Marnie was in a leather wing chair that had come from Liam’s collection, and she looked as exhausted as Georgie felt. “I’ll say. Please don’t move again anytime soon.”
“If I do, we will not be filming it.”
Liam came from the kitchen with Tapioca trotting behind him, they were firm friends it seemed. Liam handed them each a glass of champagne that he’d just uncorked. “Here you go, ladies, you’ve certainly earned it.”
“Thanks, Liam,” they replied simultaneously. He sat himself at the opposite end of her sofa with his own glass, and Tapioca hopped up to sit beside Liam. Unlike Georgie and Marnie, the man was showered and wearing clean clothes. A crisp white shirt and jeans. He hadn’t shaved, so he still had a dark mysterious quality to him, unlike the Liam she usually saw.
“You’ve more than earned it. That was crazy-town.”
“It’s not usually like that,” Marnie said. “It feels like tensions were running a little higher than usual.”
“Hot day, new location,” Georgie said after sipping her drink and letting the tiny bubbles dance across her tongue.
“Hot-headed director more like it. He sure had a bee in his bonnet,” Marnie grumbled.
“It’s because he has a thing for Georgie,” Liam said. Clearly Georgie wasn’t the only one who had noticed.
“And he knows I don’t date co-workers,” she said. “I’ve told him more than once.”
“Is he bothering you?” Liam sat forward full of concern, his forearms resting on his knees.
“Not like that.” She smiled at him. He had always been so protective of her, which was sweet usually and definitely in this case. “It’s bothering me that it’s affecting the mood on the set.”
“I’ll talk to him. Tell him to tone it down,” Marnie assured her. “Otherwise, he’s on an episode-by-episode basis so he’ll have to go. Let’s be real, just about everyone we meet on the road is a male chef or restaurant owner. If he’s going to have a problem with that and act all possessive, it’s just unworkable.”
It seemed like Alvaro had more of a problem with Z
ach and Liam than the guys in the field, but either way, Marnie was right. That wasn’t okay either.
“This must happen on set a bit,” Liam said from where he was sitting.
“It happens to Georgie, that’s for sure. I mean, it has since the beginning. It doesn’t happen to me so much, but there’s something about a bit of fame. Not that I’m saying men wouldn’t be fawning over her anyway, but it amps things up. You must get that as well, Liam.”
He laughed. “Why would you say that, Marnie?”
“First of all, you’re hot, so it’s a given.” Georgie could not believe Marnie had blurted that out. Well, actually she could. Marnie was a straight shooter.
“Oh yeah, and secondly?”
“Secondly, well that first reason is enough, but also you’re a decent guy and that’s attractive to women.”
He scowled. “I thought women liked bad boys.”
“That’s true.” She bit her lip, considering that. “You kind of straddle the line because you’re all gruff and brooding and you have that slight self-made man edge to you, but it’s also clear that beyond that you’re a good guy.”
“Thanks, I think.” He laughed. Actually, Marnie had totally nailed it. That was exactly who he was. Georgie couldn’t help but wonder if Marnie had a thing for him, and the thought of now that they saw each other more they might date gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“You should thank me, that was definitely a compliment. I mean, case in point, you were clearly annoyed we were all here this morning, but you were hovering around Georgie and you brought the team coffee.”
Had he been hovering? That was just Liam.
“I wouldn’t say I hovered. I was observing.”
She rolled her eyes at him as if to say, “Whatever.” She downed her champagne in one gulp and stood. “Okay, I have a date with a guy called Mario who lives with his mother and loves laser tag.”
“Why?” Georgie asked.
“Because unlike you I don’t have men fighting over me.”
No Time for Temptation (The No Brides Club Book 4) Page 4