Always Means Forever. Deborah Fletcher Mello
smile beaming over his audience. “So, let me show you how it’s done!” he chimed warmly.
“And that’s a wrap!” someone else shouted amidst a wave of applause. A team of technicians suddenly moved to prepare the space for the next filming.
Darwin waved in her direction and Bridget found herself waving back, her excitement bubbling over.
“Hi!” he said, moving quickly to her side. “I thought you’d stood me up.”
“Not at all. I apologize, but I was held up in court. I called but they said you had to go on set and couldn’t take any calls. I hope I’m not intruding.”
“Not at all,” he said, squeezing her hand beneath his palms. “I’m glad you came.”
He smiled again and Bridget could feel her resolve melting like ice under a summer sun. She’d spent the entire ride over insisting to herself that she would not let Darwin have any effect on her and here she was, standing like soft butter before him.
A tall woman with a mane of auburn hair that skimmed the crest of her buttocks suddenly pulled at Darwin’s elbow. The voice was deep and thick like molasses as she purred the man’s name.
“Darwin. That was absolutely perfect. If you do that every time we are sure to have a hit on our hands.” The woman’s gaze moved from Darwin to Bridget. She extended a limp hand. “Hello, I’m Ella Scott, Darwin’s producer and the associate station manager here.”
Bridget returned the greeting. “Bridget Hinton. Mr. Tolliver’s attorney.”
The woman smiled, seemingly content with Bridget’s response. “It’s very nice to meet you. Have you been in practice long?” Ella asked.
“A while now.”
“So, you’re from Seattle originally?”
“Born and raised. You?”
“I’m fairly new to the area. I was born and raised in a very small town a few hours from here.”
“I love small towns. Is it one I know?”
“Coulee City?”
Bridget nodded. “That’s near Colville and the Indian Reservation, correct?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a lovely community.”
Ella shrugged, then resumed her conversation with Darwin. “Darwin, I have some suggestions that we should discuss later. But I loved the show. Just loved it.”
“Thank you, Ella. I appreciate that.”
“Well, if you two will excuse me, I’m going to see if I can sneak me a little taste of that meal you prepared before the crew eats it all up. We can meet at three o’clock, Darwin,” she said, not bothering to wait for a response. “It was nice meeting you, Ms. Hinton.”
They watched as Ella rushed off in the other direction. Darwin pressed a palm against Bridget’s elbow. “Let’s go to my office,” he said, leading her back toward the maze of offices.
As they entered his personal space, he closed the door behind them, gesturing for her to take a seat on a plush leather sofa that lined one of the walls. Darwin pulled up a chair directly in front of her, leaning forward with his elbows against his thighs, his hands clasped together in front of him. For a brief moment he sat staring at her, oblivious to the time that ticked too quickly away.
He’d noticed her the moment she’d walked into the studio. His heart had skipped one beat, and then a second, and he had barely been able to pull his baked dish from the oven without dropping it. It felt like puppy love and he was enjoying every minute of it. He hadn’t felt anything like this since high school and the homecoming queen, Cassandra Tripp, who’d been his date to the senior prom.
Bridget wore a sharkskin denim blazer with a chic white blouse beneath it and dark slacks. Her hair was pulled back into a slick ponytail that hung just below her shoulders. As always, he was taken aback by her bright eyes, the slight dimple in her full cheeks and the most intoxicating mouth he imagined any woman ever possessing. As he sat staring he could see the flush that suddenly flamed her face.
Bridget eyed him curiously. “Are you okay? You’re staring.”
Darwin could feel himself blush. “Sorry. I…” he stammered, searching for the words to ease the moment.
Bridget shook her head. “There’s nothing caught in my teeth, is there?”
Darwin laughed. “No. Your teeth are perfect. Absolutely beautiful, in fact. The prettiest smile I’ve ever seen.”
Bridget rolled her eyes, smirking.
“Don’t pay me any attention. I get stupid around beautiful women.” He chuckled.
“Then I’m scared,” she responded coyly. “From what I hear you’ve made being around beautiful women a personal mission.”
“Has my brother been talking out of turn again?”
She shrugged and then they both burst out laughing. Bridget shifted the conversation. “Do you want to talk about your contracts?”
Darwin shook his head. “Not really. Were there any problems?”
“Just a few items I think need to be clarified.”
“I’ll tell you what. Call the attorney here, do that lawyer thing you guys do, and when it’s fixed where you like it, I’ll sign.”
“Don’t you want to know what the issues are?”
“No. I trust your judgment. I know you’ll take care of me.”
“What makes you so sure?”
Darwin leaned in closer, his hand falling against her knee. “Well, we’re almost family, aren’t we? Sort of like kissing cousins or something.”
She eyed him warily. “Kissing cousins? I don’t think so.”
A smug smirk crossed his face. “Okay, we’ll leave out the cousins part, but the kissing…”
“Like you kissed my best friend?”
Darwin was only slightly taken aback by the comment. He cleared his throat before responding. “For the record, your friend kissed me. I did not kiss her.”
“That’s not what it looked like. In fact, it looked like the two of you were getting quite cozy with one another.”
Darwin shook his head, his smile still full and wide. “Am I in trouble? Because I don’t think I should be. Your friend was flirting with me. It was absolutely shameless!” he said, his tone teasing. “And it happened how many years ago? Don’t I get a reprieve for good behavior or something?”
She studied him carefully, noting the gleam of mischief that flickered in his eyes. “That depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether or not you plan to go around kissing my best friend again.”
His head moved from side to side. “Never. But I do hope I get to kiss you. I really would like to kiss you. Someday. Someday soon, maybe?”
Bridget eyed him with amusement. “Darwin Tolliver, are you flirting with me?” she asked playfully.
A wide grin filled his face again. “I’m trying. I hope you don’t mind.”
Bridget placed her hand over his and gently moved it from her leg back to his own lap. His touch had been burning, sending a shiver up and down the length of her spine.
“You don’t need to tease me, Darwin Tolliver. Like you said, we’re almost family, so you can trust that I’ll represent your interests. Besides, I thought we considered each other friends.”
“But I can’t flirt?”
“That