Page 8 of Nothing Heals Me Like You Do
“It’s good that you make time for flirting in your busy life, though.”
“Thank you for being such a good sport about it.” Justine caught a piece of kimchi between her chopsticks.
“Who says I’m just being a good sport about it?” Sienna pulled her lips into the kind of half-smile that had driven many a woman crazy—her own success rate with flirting and certain outcomes was much higher than fifty percent, especially since her first movie appearance. “Who says I’m not thoroughly enjoying it instead?” Should she or should she not? Why the hell not? “With a certain outcome in mind?”
Chapter4
If Justine believed in anything, especially after a deliciously cold bottle of Korean beer, it was finishing what she started. In fact, she prided herself on it. No half-truths and certainly no half measures.
“In that case,” Justine said. “I might just have to invite you to my messy house.” That smile on Sienna’s face was entirely impossible to resist and when it came to things like this, Justine was not one to overthink. Sienna Bright responding like this was not an opportunity she was going to ruin by imagining future regret—or possible reprimands.
“Shall we get the rest of the food to go?” Sienna finished her beer and put the bottle on the table with a slow, controlled gesture, all the while keeping her gaze trained on Justine.
Justine nodded and tried to find Min-ji. She was busy welcoming a sizable group of customers, but another server rushed to their table at the mere sight of her looking around, probably under strict instructions from Min-ji to swiftly cater to Justine’s every wish. It was always like this when Justine came here—and why she kept on returning.
“Can you box this up to go, please?” Justine asked.
“Of course.” The server made quick work of wrapping up the food. Justine couldn’t decide if the turmoil in her stomach was hunger or because of what was about to happen. Was she really taking Sienna Bright home with her?
“Leaving already?” Despite being rushed off her feet, Min-ji always kept track of everything happening at each table. She might be busy and, as she had repeated many a time, forever in Justine’s debt, but that didn’t stop her from giving Justine a puzzled look—or was that pure judgment in her glance? Justine brushed off the thought. Min-ji was certainly clever, but she was not clairvoyant. “I told you I wouldn’t tolerate leftovers.” She followed up with a knowing grin. “Make sure Justine eats all of it,” she said to Sienna. Maybe she did have a touch of the clairvoyant about her then.
Also as usual, Min-ji refused payment, despite both Justine and Sienna’s insistence to pay for their meal.
“Give the money to the Rainbow Shelter instead,” Min-ji said. “A generous tip included.”
“Deal.” Sienna rose from her chair. “Thank you so much for all of this. Judging by the queue outside you don’t need the extra promo, but I’ll tell everyone I know about your amazing restaurant.”
Min-ji hugged them both goodbye and a few minutes later Sienna and Justine were walking back to Justine’s car. The shelter’s parking lot wasn’t far, but there was plenty of time to inquire further.
“Are you sure you want to see my untidy house?” Justine asked, the paper bag with food dangling from her hand.
“Truth be told, it’s not your house that interests me, Justine.” Sienna glanced at her sideways.
Now that they were out in the open and the fresh air cleared her head, Justine must be second-guessing herself, because she asked, “Is this part of your process somehow?”
“My process?” Sienna bumped her shoulder lightly against Justine’s. “My acting process, you mean?” She slid her fingers under Justine’s arm. “Of course not, although I’ve never played a real person before.” She chuckled. “But I believe in seizing special moments that present themselves. I believe in the magic of spontaneity. In serendipity, if you will. I also quite like you.” She gave Justine’s arm a light squeeze.
“Quite, huh? That sounds pretty good.”
Sienna stopped walking and turned her body to face Justine, dropping her hand. “Of course it’s totally okay if you want to rescind your invitation. Just say the word and I’ll get a car home.”
“Are you crazy?” Justine reached for Sienna’s hand. “Iquitelike you, too.”
And so Justine found herself driving Sienna to her house, which was located between the shelter and Rochelle’s house. The ride didn’t take very long. As she unlocked the door, she tried to remember the state of her lounge—and her bedroom. Justine wasn’t a very good housekeeper even though, for far too long, she hadn’t had a house to live in. It was messy and, perhaps to someone like Sienna rather shabby as well, but this washerhouse. The furniture was all secondhand and the kitchen could surely do with a revamp, but it served its most important purpose without being glitzy or trendy. The house had Justine’s name on the deed. It was her home, the first and only one she’d ever owned. And plenty of women had passed through without much complaint. Although as far as Justine could remember, Sienna was the first bona fide movie star to cross its threshold—and not one who had grown up in squalor until she’d made it, either.
Bobby Bright still fetched ludicrous amounts of money—multiple millions—for the movies he made and from Rochelle, Justine knew that Maxine Brewster had signed a multi-million streamer deal—whatever that was—a few years ago.
“It’s cute,” Sienna said and Justine opted to not look for condescendence in her tone. Sienna might as well mean it, although Justine would never think of her house as cute, more as functional.
Sienna’s gaze was drawn to a picture on the sideboard . “Is that you with Raffo Shah?”
“It is.” Justine pointed at a painting of an improbably feathered heart in deep rainbow colors above the non-used fireplace. “That’s one of hers.”
“No effing way.” As if pulled by an invisible thread, Sienna strode toward the painting. “I have two Raffo Shahs at my place. She’s so out of this world fantastic. That’s one of my favorites of hers. I tried to buy it, in fact, but I was told it wasn’t for sale.”
“She made it for me.”
Sienna turned away from the painting. “Did Raffo also stay at the shelter?”
