Page 20 of Finding Happily Ever After
The other woman blushed, and Stephanie felt a little bad for putting her on the spot.
Natalie waved her fingers. “Hi.”
“Oh, I wish I was there to give you a hug.” Steph bounced up and down and called over her shoulder. “Bella, it’s Natalie!”
“Is Bella there?” Katie asked from somewhere outside the video frame. “I want to say hi.”
A moment later, Bella, who was sharing a condo in Los Angeles with Steph, popped her head down next to her and waved. “I can’t talk long. I need to go chat with Jeremy. But hi all. I miss you, girls!”
Bella blew a kiss to the screen and then was gone again.
Steph knew she had her own video chat with her fiancé, Jeremy, to get to. They were religious about making time for each other, which was probably a good thing because in Steph’s experience, relationships in show business were hard.Veryhard. But Jeremy and Bella seemed determined to make a go of it. And if anyone had a chance, it was the two of them. Their love for each other was inspiring.
“Natalie,” Steph put the attention back on the firefighter, “I can’t thank you enough.”
“All of us,” Faith said from behind the camera. “It was all so incredible, Nat. Seriously.”
Steph nodded. “I’m so glad you were there, Natalie. We’ll celebrate when I get back there, okay?”
The other woman nodded, clearly uncomfortable with the attention. “I’m just glad mom and baby are doing well.”
“Show us pictures!” Sarah demanded off-camera.
A moment later, Faith flipped the phone around so she was staring at her sister. “The ladies want pictures, sis. I gotta let you go.”
Steph smiled. Despite her disappointment, she understood. It had been so long since she’d felt such a sense of belonging the way she did in Glacier Falls, with all of the people there, that it made her heart ache to be away. But it was only temporary. As soon as filming was done, she’d be back. It was a balancing act between the career she loved and the new home she was falling in love with a little more each day.
“I get it.” She blew Faith a kiss. “Thank you for being my eyes. Love you, sis.”
“Talk soon.” Faith blew a kiss back and then, she was gone.
The screen went blank. Steph stared at the dark screen for a second and was just about to tuck her phone away and pick up her script when it lit up again with an incoming call.
“Nick!” She answered the video call. “I just got off with Faith and the girls. What a nice surprise. What are you up to?”
“Packing.” Her friend’s handsome face filled the screen. His eyes, framed by his signature thick black frames, looked tired and his dark hair stood up oddly in the front, but he looked good. Happy. Being a new father, no matter how it had come to be for him, suited him. “We’re moving in a few weeks.”
“I’m so happy you decided to go back to Glacier Falls.”
“Well, it’s not like I was ever reallythere,” he said with a bashful grin.
It was true. Nick Newton had only ever visited Glacier Falls, even if it had turned into an extended visit after coming to town for Damon’s wedding to Katie. Together, Nick and Damon had invented some sort of microchip that Steph didn’t fully understand, before selling it for millions of dollars. The two of them were ridiculously wealthy, but also some of the nicest men Steph had ever met. Wealthy or not.
For a time, Steph had wondered whether maybe something could work out with her and Nick. But as much as she liked him and enjoyed spending time with him, there was no spark and they’d settled into an easy and solid friendship.
“Still,” she said. “I’m really happy you’re going back. Glacier Falls will be the perfect place for you to raise Amelia.”
His smile dipped a little and he ran a hand through his hair, making it stand up in entirely different directions.
“What?” Concern for her friend filled her. “What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing.” He shook his head. “Really. I’m not going to worry about anything until there’s something to worry about. Besides, that’s not why I’m calling.”
Steph knew that she could push him on it, but she wouldn’t get anywhere. Nick was stubborn. It was part of what had made him so successful in his line of work. He knew when to lock in and once he decided on something, there was no point pushing it. “What?” she teased. “You didn’t call to see my beautiful face?”
He laughed. “You know I love seeing your beautiful face. But no, that’s not it either.”
“Whatever it is you need, you know I’ll help.”
