words. And if she’d misinterpreted her mother’s words, that changed everything—every single thing in her life.
She’d lived by the rules outlined in that book. She’d been so careful to turn into the woman her mother would’ve wanted her to be.
Had she misunderstood everything?
“Emily.” He reached across the blanket and took her hand. “It’s okay to want a simple life.”
“No,” she said. “It’s not what I want.”
“I’ve seen you, Em. Not just today, but at auditions, with that little girl . . .”
She pulled her hand from his and hugged her knees to her chest. The little girl—Marta—had been one of five she’d talked off the ledge, and each time she made a connection, each time the child faced their fears, Emily had beamed with pride, as if she could take part in their victory.
She hadn’t told a soul how any of that made her feel. How did Hollis know?
“The way you rushed in, calmed her right down—the way you instantly connected with Jolie . . .” Hollis regarded her for a moment. “You’ve got a gift, Emily.”
She waved him off, along with thoughts of Colin, thankful Hollis couldn’t add him to his arsenal of proof. “Your right arm is a gift. That was just—” What? What was it? Certainly not a gift.
“You can downplay it all you want, Em, but not everyone can do what you did in there. I sure couldn’t.” He took his sandwich wrapper and balled it up, then put it back in the bag. “You have the right to your own dreams. Don’t you think that’s what your mom would want for you?”
Was it? She didn’t know. For the first time ever, she doubted that she knew her mother’s wishes, wishes she’d originally thought had been crystal clear. She didn’t like it.
But she couldn’t deny how much she’d loved running rehearsal today. She loved the thought of helping these kids tap into their creativity, of giving them a safe space to fail gloriously and without judgment, just as she’d been given that so many years ago. She’d already imagined their curtain call, the way that post-show adrenaline would kick in and bring with it so much unfiltered joy. She wanted that for each one of these kids.
She’d even entertained the idea of next summer’s show, something she most definitely would not be involved with, but still there it was.
And somehow it all made the failures in her past feel a lot farther away, almost like they didn’t matter so much anymore.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
Emily looked away. She couldn’t say. She couldn’t admit that there was a chance Hollis was right.
Never mind that his words had spoken to the deepest part of her soul. His dream for simplicity—it stirred something inside her. He’d described a life she’d always coveted and never had. A life she never would have.
And considering even for a moment that maybe, just maybe, she had a purpose on this planet—a purpose that amounted to more than flitting around from place to place with a bottomless trust fund to back her up . . . She couldn’t say what that did to her insides.
What if she was made for more? Emily, the girl whose father didn’t want her? The girl who’d screwed up more times than she could count? The girl who wouldn’t let anyone get close to her because she had to protect her heart?
Could that girl have something to offer?
She desperately wanted to believe it, but if she did, she’d be setting herself up for a heartache greater than any she’d suffered before.
She wasn’t the small-town, picket-fence kind of girl. She was consumed with wanderlust—it was who she’d always been, and a few words from a handsome baseball player wouldn’t change that.
No matter how much she wished they could.
“I should go.” Abrupt, yes, but she needed a clean getaway.
He watched her as she packed up her garbage, sticking it all back in the bag. “Did I upset you?”
Was it that obvious? She thought she was a better actor than that.
“No, of course not,” she said. “I just remembered my grandma is here, and I probably need to face her sooner rather than later.”
Liar. Liar. Liar.
“Okay,” Hollis said. “So we’ll talk about sets tomorrow?”
She grinned. “I’m not sure you’re ready for what I have planned.”
He groaned, but she could tell he was joking. They started walking toward the path that led back to the houses.
“Picture a giant tree with a slide coming out of it and a swing and all