JAMIE SPENT THE FIRST week leading up to Nerea’s arrival feeling like it was years away and the second in a state of rapidly intensifying anxiety. He was careful to hide that anxiety from Callum, lest the man think he was unable to navigate the reality of the situation. But the stakes were high, and Jamie felt overwhelmed. If he wanted to stay in Callum’s life, he needed to land himself in Callum’s wife’s good graces. He just had no idea how to do that.
By the day of Nerea’s arrival, Jamie had moved from anxiety to a state of near-panic. He was able to focus when he was working, but only barely. He was far too nervous to eat lunch. During breaks he hid in the makeup trailer and tried to entertain himself with games on his mobile but kept zoning out to think about Nerea’s imminent arrival.
