“Thank you for a wonderful weekend. I really needed this.”
“Oh, my pleasure, ma’am,” he said with a wink.
“Um, before I go I have something to tell you and maybe it’ll shed a little light on why I was uh—a little skittish at first.”
“Sure, what’s going on?”
“I’m not a writer. I’m an assistant.”
Confusion clouded Sam’s expression. Lying to him had been a big mistake. “I—I was embarrassed. It’s not an excuse. I should have told you from the beginning, but I just, I never thought we’d end up here. And I never thought I’d like you this much. And also, you’re Sam Pleasant.”
“Okay,” he said slowly.
“I would rather not say who I work for now, for a few reasons, including her privacy, but I do work for an actress. I understand if that fucks things between us, but I needed to tell you.”
Instead of telling her to hit the bricks, never to return, he set down his hat on the couch, then wrapped his strong fingers around her waist and pulled her closer. He rested his chin on her cleavage. Amanda’s body reacted immediately. If he didn’t cuss her out maybe they could have one more quick round before she had to get back on the road. He didn’t say a word though. He just looked up at her, expression open now, like he was waiting for her to go on.
“Helene got me into the party so I could blow off some steam—I don’t work for Helene, by the way.”
“I know. She would have told me.”
“You’re right. She would have. Helene doesn’t lie about stupid shit, like some people.” She laughed ruefully. “Anyway. I just wanted to wear something sparkly and have a good time and then when I saw you again, you being you, I didn’t want to tell you I was out grabbing someone’s lunch. I know full well how your half live and I know I will never be able to afford real estate there. But I do really like you.”
“You know how my grandparents met?” he asked.
Amanda shook her head.
“My grandpa was an assistant. He was the assistant to the head animal wrangler on Glory in the Night. He was the guy the horses actually listened to and really loved. Before they were my grandparents they were the only two Black people on a lonely, racist set. He was the only person who would talk to her when the cameras weren’t rolling. She was the only person who acknowledged him, but that wasn’t the reason why they fell in love.”
“If he was wearing a white cowboy hat you don’t need to explain any further.”
Sam chuckled a little. “Miss Leona saw how patient he was with the horses and how patient he was with her and she just knew. She could make a life with a man that was patient and kind in the face of all the shit they were dealing with on that set. She was the star and he saw that she needed a friend. He’s gone now, but my brothers and I, Lilah and our other million hundred cousins and now four great-grandkids are pretty good proof that their job titles on that set didn’t matter one bit. You don’t need to be a staff writer. You just need to be yourself.”
“Does this mean you want to marry me?”
“No.” They both couldn’t stop themselves from laughing. “Girl, we just met. I need you to relax.”
“Sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. My bad.”
“But it does mean that I know what this industry is like and I know that I’ve found myself in rooms where this bullshit world and this bullshit industry made me feel ashamed for just being myself. I get it.”
An uncomfortable heat spread through Amanda’s chest as the mere thought of Dru and the rest of her reality outside of this ranch with its amazing spa and delicious desserts suddenly spiked her anxiety. She swallowed and actually struggled against a sudden sting of tears.
“I need this job. I—you know how things are. I have savings, but I do not have financial support from my parents and I’m not in a good enough place to just quit. Plus, there’s other stuff at play. Stuff again I’d rather not explain for her privacy.” Sam didn’t need to know what Dru’s mom was like or how Dru basically had no one to be there for her. She could be the biggest of assholes, but she was a person too. Kaidence had hired Amanda and kept her on for so long because she could handle her daughter and treat her with the kindness everyone else in their circles seemed to lack. She wouldn’t feel right just leaving her to the wolves.
“Is there any way I can help?” Sam asked.
“I’m sure there is, but no. It wouldn’t feel right calling in favors from you. It’s more than just a pride thing. I—I need to keep things separate. I don’t trust people enough to get me a gig as a solid to you and then not fire me if we split it. I know how jaded that sounds.”
“No, it sounds realistic ’cause that’s the kind of bullshit industry people do.”
“I can smell a real existential crisis coming for my ass any day now, but all of it, it’s just really complicated. But I promise from here on out: no more secrets.”
“Was this actress the reason why you were crying outside of Delightly that day?”
Amanda hesitated for a moment before she nodded.
“Be real. Is she fucking with you?”
“No. No. She’s just a lot and the job is really demanding. You have an assistant.”
“Yeah, but I don’t think I’ve made Walls cry in the middle of the street.”
“You probably haven’t. I really don’t want to talk about her.”
“Okay. Okay. Come here.” Sam stood and pulled her into a proper hug.
She let out a strained breath and squeezed him tighter, burying her face against his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m glad you told me. I don’t want you
