now?”
“Nearly thirteen years. We made it official right after graduation. You didn’t stick around to help us celebrate.”
A hot spiral of desire wound through her. One she wouldn’t think about. Being reminded of that night wasn’t something she needed to deal with right now. She felt bad enough as it was about her shortcomings. No need to exacerbate the problem. “Wow. Congratulations. That’s fabulous.” And quite the feat in today’s society. She held out her glass to toast their achievement, but Saint’s mouth twisted into a frown.
“Not always.”
“Everything all right?”
Saint’s gaze focused briefly on the far wall again. “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but Boyce enlisted in the military shortly after graduation.”
The alumni newsletter certainly hadn’t mentioned Boyce’s service. But the news didn’t surprised Grae. “He talked about it enough.”
“Yeah, he did.” Saint grew quiet for a moment before continuing. “Took him a while to find his groove, but when he did— hooboy . To say his job was his passion was an understatement.” Pride rang true in Saint’s voice.
“A little too much, perhaps?”
“You always were perceptive.” Saint rose and returned from the kitchen with a fresh bottle of wine. One of those conversations. She’d have to slow down on the drink consumption if she wanted to maintain coherency. “Boyce was blowing shit up and taking names. He was never on the front lines—”
“But you still worried.”
“Who wouldn’t? I never worried about him until...” Saint cleared his throat. “I’m babbling about the two of us. I said I wanted to hear about what you’ve been up to since graduation and I meant it. Besides your high-power movie job. You had to do some living in there.”
Grae snorted. “Moved around a lot. Couldn’t seem to get comfortable in any one spot for long. Never really set down stakes long enough to make more than passing friendships. No romantic attachments.”
“That’s the Navy brat in you talking. You get used to that nomadic pattern, and it becomes your way of life. Whether you like it or not.”
Wasn’t that the truth? Her childhood had been a parade of Navy towns. Each one more depressing than the last. Different cities. Different drunk sailors decorating the lawn each morning. Same boring life. “As much as I hated it as a kid, I never thought I’d crave it as an adult. Been in Los Angles for a few years now.” And probably the longest she’d lived in one area since she’d been at college.
“Know any famous movie stars?”
“Oh, sure. Brad and Angelina are at my house all the time. Just last weekend we had George over too.” Grae rolled her eyes. “I wish that was my life. I’m more likely to hear from the studios than from the actors. Studios worried about their investment. Or how I’m making the actors look. Good or bad. Usually bad. Can’t have a hair out of place. Or an eyebrow not arched seamlessly.” She still hadn’t gotten those abs perfected enough for her taste. Though her fingers were itching to get back to her work, she knew this was more important.
“There’s a lot of work for you then?”
“Computer graphics can make or break a movie in today’s market. Audiences are savvy enough to know when corners are cut for the sake of budget. And thanks to social media, they’re very vocal about sharing their thoughts.”
“That is a lot of stress riding on your shoulders.”
“Grae?”
She looked over to find Boyce standing on the far side of the room. Like Saint, Boyce wore sweatpants that were slung low around his hips, no shirt, and bare feet. Dark rings shadowed the skin under his blue eyes, highlighting a redness that could be from crying or lack of sleep.
Emotion socked Grae in the gut, stealing her breath. Saint had been downplaying Boyce’s emotional state. But with Boyce in the room, there was no way to mistake something was wrong. She set her glass on the table, rose,
Misty Evans, Amy Manemann