help him, he was in so much trouble.
ON THE FLIGHT down to Virginia, Grace once more had Liam with his foot propped up, shoe off and a cold pack placed over those injured ligaments.
It seemed she’d no sooner settled herself in her dress than they were out of the plane and in a limo.
It all happened so fast. They stopped at the curbside where the carpet started, and when Liam had his cane in position and her on his other arm, he moved her forward.
People, screaming and cheering, lined both sides. Flashes came from all directions. A quaint refurbished theater with gilded fixtures on tall, heavy doors awaited them after a blessedly short carpet walk. Liam shook hands as they went, posed for pictures, took a couple selfies with a fan, then a number of group selfies with cameras Grace funneled toward him and then back to the crowd.
And then they were inside the theater, a manager leading them through to a back exit where the limo waited.
Grace couldn’t swear she’d even taken a single breath before it was all over and they were back at the airport, with her once more settling a cold pack on his ankle.
“You all right?” Liam asked.
When she looked at him, he nodded to the seat beside him. “They want us buckled in so we can get back into the air.”
“Right. Right...” She gathered her dress as best she could to prevent wrinkling, and sat down.
“You look shell-shocked, Gracie. Want something to drink?”
“No. I’m fine. I just... That was... A lot.”
“Not to scare you but that was small. The next one will be much bigger. But it was overwhelming to you because it was your first. That’s over. You’ve done it now, and we won’t be in such a rush to get through the next one. Just lean back and breathe.”
Breathe. She didn’t really have anything to do but make sure Liam didn’t walk all over the place. And she was very good at walking.
* * *
“Do you always go from one right to another one?” Grace asked Liam, sitting by the door in the back of the limo as it spirited them through crowded evening streets toward the New York theater.
“It’s not unheard of, but not usually. We were on location in Virginia for three months, and the film was based on a book written by a local author, who’s like a hometown hero to them. So that’s why it was scheduled.”
“I get that,” she said, “But why have two on one day?”
“Sometimes they hold the theater launch back until after the premiere. Though it’s pretty common to have more than one, and they don’t want to hold the film any longer than necessary. It’s all decided by the marketing people for best impact. I just go where they tell me.”
He scooted a little closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him. “You thought it was all fancy parties where everyone stood around telling each other how amazing they looked, and drinking too much.”
“Actually, I thought you all got dressed up, but then behaved like it was a frat party, with gobs of public nudity and body shots,” she filled in, grinning at him. His heat felt good at her side. It was still summer, and the Virginia carpet had been hot, but the air-conditioning on both the jet and in the cars had been high enough to chill her.
Liam looked at her, the fondness in his eyes cutting through some of the chill too. Enough that she didn’t know how to respond again. He’d done that to her earlier too, when he’d said she was beautiful.
“Why are you looking like that?” she asked, needing him to stop before he confused her again.
Not that he stopped, he just smiled too. “Because you finally smiled.”
“Didn’t I smile enough in Virginia?”
“You did. But you weren’t smiling at me until now.”
She felt her cheeks going pink and forced herself to look down. He’d said she was beautiful earlier, and now he’d looked at her like she was sunshine. In one day. What her earlier self would’ve given to hear those sweet words from him.
Even so, she couldn’t keep the smile from her face right now, though she tried to edge back to the earlier subject. “My real mental image was that it was all about the after-party with champagne and wild behavior. If it is, I’d like you to keep that from me. I much prefer this, even if I’m really tired of posing for pictures.”
He let her get back to it without doing anything else that might make her emotions go haywire. “We’re skipping the after-party.”
“Oh, thank God.” That would be less time in the dress and less time with him on that foot.
“This time it will start the second we step out of the car. Hope your cheeks aren’t too sore from the last round.”
Half a block in front of them crowds had gathered, and police stood in front of barricades, directing traffic—regular traffic in one direction, and them another.
They’d just done this a couple hours ago, but he’d been sitting still since then. And when you did that with an injury... “Remember to use the cane more when you first put your weight on the leg. It’s been resting for a while, so that pain is going to scream through your leg when you first—”
“I know. I’ve figured that part out.” His hand moved to cup her bare shoulder, the pad of his thumb stroking the front curve.
The car stopped and her stomach lurched with it.
“You’ve already done this once,” he said, obviously picking up on her discomfort. “You’re the belle of the ball, Grace. Just remember to smile.”
The door opened and she had to make herself move. “I’m the belle of the ball,” she whispered to herself as she accepted a hand out from the man who’d opened the door. “Thank you.” She stepped to the side, reminding herself to smile as she made room for Liam.
As soon as his handsome head appeared above the door, so many flashes went off that as she turned to look at him and check his balance, all she could see were spots in her vision.
“I’m okay, Grace,” he said, before she could ask, then slipped his hand into hers and steered her around the door so they could make the walk. “Just follow my lead. Stop when I stop. Pose and smile. Just like before. Only with more stops this time. We’ll also make a wide zig-zag path down the carpet.”
“How many zigs?” She stopped when he did and turned slightly toward him, her heel butting against the center of the other foot, just like Tom had told her to stand.
Pause. Smile. Walk.
“I don’t know. Ten.”
“Two,” she countered. “The more you zig, the more you
