Walker Spirit

by Bernadette Marie

  They watched as the crew moved items around the set and the cast that was filming repositioned and went through the motions before they rolled the camera. It was fascinating to see the costumed actors interact with others who were in green suits that would then become creatures when it was all edited together. It would be easy to get sucked into standing there all day to watch what was happening, and now she couldn’t wait for the movie to come out so she could see it.

  When they’d called cut, Gregory walked around the cameras and crew, each of them giving him a nod or a hello. It was then she saw the voluptuous and beautiful Sherri Post. She was in full costume or perhaps lack thereof. She figured the rendition was much like that of the bikini-clad Princess Leia, which had men swooning for the past forty-some years.

  People moved to her, touched up her makeup, fussed with her costume, showed her script pages, held her out a snack. Audrey was feeling a bit claustrophobic just watching how they hovered. But then Sherri saw Gregory and moved to him swiftly.

  “Hel-lo, handsome,” she said enthusiastically, and Audrey’s insides twisted into a knot. But when the woman knelt down to Black Sabbath’s level, the knot untied. “God, you’re one handsome pup. I sure love that you came to visit.” She rubbed his head and then kissed him before standing up. “Hey, Greg. Can’t stay away?”

  He chuckled, seemingly immune to her charm. “I wanted to show Audrey the set.”

  “Oh, the woman of the hour,” she said, scanning a look over Audrey. “He told me all about you. You’re opening a salon?”

  “Yes. We should be open in a few weeks.”

  “Wonderful. Will you have pedicures? I’m going to need one once they finish putting this gold crap all over my skin.” She fanned her hands down her body to emphasize the gold body paint that adorned her hands and feet.

  Audrey swallowed the lump of terror that had formed in her throat. “Yes. Of course, we will have them. I don’t have a card to give you but…”

  Sherri rested a hand on Gregory’s shoulder. “He can keep me in the loop. Kent is your brother-in-law, right?”

  “Yes.” The simple word squeaked out.

  “He’s a genius. Although I think he’s watched Star Wars too many times,” she said, indicating her outfit again. “Genius.” She emphasized again before she was called away.

  “You told her about me?” Audrey leaned in toward Gregory and whispered.

  “You’ve occupied a lot of my thoughts this week. Is there a problem with that?”

  She shook her head slowly. No problem at all, she thought. She just couldn’t imagine why.

  19

  Gregory introduced Audrey to everyone that approached them. He’d handed off the leash to her. Black Sabbath walked dutifully between them. He’d never done that with any other woman, Gregory thought. It wasn’t unusual for him to wrap himself around their legs and try to make them fall. He liked Audrey, and so did Gregory.

  “Lieutenant Price.” He heard the sultry voice call to him by reference to his character’s name. Both he and Audrey turned to see the intern, her clipboard to her chest, her hair piled messily atop her head, and her glasses sliding down her nose. “I thought you had the day off. Did you stop by just to see me?”

  Black Sabbath moved in front of Audrey, his ears pointed up, and he watched the exchange. Yeah, Gregory didn’t like her either. Sensing the dog’s resentment of the intern, he reached for Audrey’s hand and squeezed it.

  “We’re just visiting,” he said.

  “You must be Audrey Walker,” the intern said as she stuck out a hand and Audrey shook it. “Salon owner.”

  He saw the twitch in Audrey’s brow. “Yes.”

  “Pepper Dawson,” the intern said, and Gregory was glad she had. He couldn’t have come up with her name to save his soul. But he noticed she wasn’t letting go of Audrey. “Scoping out the talent, huh?”

  She ran her gaze the length of Gregory’s body, bit down on her lip, then released Audrey’s hand. A casual look was given in Black Sabbath’s direction, but Gregory figured that Pepper wasn’t dumb enough to try this charm thing on him. It was evident the dog didn’t like her.

  Pepper looked at her clipboard. “You’re not on the schedule until tomorrow.”

  “Just showing Audrey around. So, I think we’ll continue our tour.”

  Pepper nodded as she pushed up her glasses. “Of course.” She gave a curt nod to Audrey and the dog, then reached a hand out to Gregory and stroked it down his chest. “I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early.”

  With a small wave, Pepper disappeared behind one of the huge curtains.

  Gregory took in a deep breath and let it out slowly before shifting his look to Audrey, who of course stood there with eyes wide.

  “Wardrobe is this way,” he said as he raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

  Audrey nodded but didn’t say a word as they walked toward the room set up with costumes.

  Luckily, that seemed to have piqued her interest, because the worrisome look disappeared, and wonder lit in her eyes when she saw the hundreds of costumes hanging in the room.

  “Wow,” was all she said, and Gregory chuckled.

  “Impressive, huh?”

  “I can’t sew a hem straight. To think someone designed and made all of these is the impressive part.”

  “Hey, Greg,” Priscilla said as she hoisted a battle-torn suit over her arm. “I don’t have you for a fitting today, do I?” she asked as she pulled her phone from her pocket and scanned through it.

  “No. Just showing Audrey the set,” he offered, and Priscilla turned to Audrey as if she hadn’t even seen her standing there.

  “Oh, hi.” From beneath the outfit on her arm, she extended a hand to Audrey. “Priscilla. Costume design. Fixer of popped seams.”

  Audrey’s smile widened. “Audrey. Doer of hair,” she joked, and Priscilla laughed.

  “You’re doing hair on set?”

  Audrey’s eyes widened again. “No, no. I’m opening a salon in town.”

  “Nice.” Priscilla’s phone buzzed in her hand. “Feel free to show her around. I have to get this on set. It was nice to meet you.”

  They watched as Priscilla hurried out of the room.

  “Want to see what I’m wearing tomorrow?” Gregory asked as he pulled her toward a rack with multiple similar suits on it.

  He pulled one off the rack that was ripped and bloodstained. There was a tag on the hanger that had the date and scene written on it.

  Audrey moved her hand to touch the garment but quickly pulled back as if afraid of it. “I forgot that Lieutenant Price gets shot and dies.”

  “He comes back. Technology and alien know-how.” He grinned.

  “That’s not until the last half of the book. You just started shooting.”

  “Not everything is shot in order. So I die tomorrow and come back to life on Tuesday in a fresh suit before our ship crashes.”

  Now she reached out and touched the suit. “That blood looks real.”

  “It’s supposed to. You’re supposed to want to cry when I die.”

  Audrey retracted her hand and clasped it with the other in front of her. “I cried when I read the book.” She lifted her eyes to meet his. “Now I’m not sure I can watch the movie. That might be a bit devastating to watch you die.”

  Gregory reached for her hand and pulled her to him. “How about you attend the premiere with me. Then you can watch me die while holding my hand.”

  “You want me to be your date?”

  He nodded as he raised his hand to her cheek. “I do. Have you ever walked a red carpet?”

  “No.”

  “You’ll love it. Besides, your sister will be there. It’ll be a family event.”

  “That’s a long time from now. You’ll be immersed in that movie in Hawaii by the time this one is ready to release. You might not want me around by then. What if you meet someone in Hawaii?”

  The room seemed to grow cold with her
comment, and the pain of her words hit him right in the heart. Why wouldn’t it be expected that she would say that? If Audrey wanted to pull names out of a hat, she could run him over the coals for all the brief affairs and relationships he’d had with women over the years. Usually, they were tied to a movie.

  Right there in wardrobe, he pulled her to him, his hand tangled in her hair. Moving his mouth to hers, he kissed her, deeply and completely. She hesitated for a moment, then wrapped her arms around his neck as he drew her in tighter.

  He didn’t want it any other way. In all those past relationships, he didn’t think about tomorrow—and sometimes tomorrow never came. But with Audrey, it was different. He didn’t even want to think of her going to bed without him that night, but at the moment he couldn’t count on that either.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” the voice came from behind them and had Audrey pulling back from Gregory.

  Pepper moved toward him, a piece of paper in her hand. “Robert heard you were on set and wanted to see you.” She turned toward Audrey. “He’s the director,” she said, snidely, before turning back to Gregory and resting a hand on his arm. “You might want to go to him alone. He’s in one of his moods and all.”

  Pepper turned and left them alone in the room.

  “I’ll call a cab,” Audrey pulled her phone from her pocket, and Gregory covered it with his hand.

  “No. It’s not as bad as she makes it seem. Let me get you and Black Sabbath set up in my trailer. I’ll go talk to Robert, and then we’ll get out of here.”

  He saw the hesitation in her eyes, but she agreed.

  As they walked back out to the lot, he wondered if it had been a mistake to bring her to the set. He’d been so excited to have her see it, but he hadn’t figured on her running into people.

  “There’s food and drinks in the fridge. The TVs are fully functioning. If the dog needs let out, there’s a grass pad on the other side of the trailer for him.” He pulled her to him, just as he had in the wardrobe room and kissed her. “I’ll be just a few minutes. I promise. Don’t go anywhere.”

  She promised to be there when he got back, but he wasn’t so sure she would be.

  20

  It had been nearly an hour since Gregory had left her in the trailer.

  Audrey had managed to find the remote and work the TV. She’d helped herself to a bottle of water, and Black Sabbath had led her to the grass patch out behind the trailer.

  Without touching anything, she’d walked through the trailer, happy to note that the only personal effects were pictures of Gregory and his dog and one of his family. There was no doubt that the people in the photo were his mother, father, sister, and brother. It did make her mind wander to the ex-girlfriend that hadn’t gotten to name the dog what she’d wanted to. Was that a thing with Gregory—always getting his way? That was a trait her father had, and it wasn’t one she particularly admired.

  Audrey sat down on the sofa, and Black Sabbath jumped up next to her, resting his head in her lap.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were doing your part to keep me cooped up in here. You knew I was thinking about leaving, didn’t you?”

  “I certainly was worried about it,” Gregory’s voice came from the door as he stepped into the trailer. “I’m glad to see he kept you here.”

  “That took a long time,” she said as she rubbed the dog’s head.

  “Yeah, well, it looks like my showing up was a bad idea. They need me for a retake before they change out the set.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket. “Why don’t you take the truck back to your place. I’ll stop by later and pick it up.”

  Black Sabbath jumped up from his position on the sofa and hurried to the door.

  “I think he wants to go with you,” Gregory insisted as he took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Would you mind?”

  Audrey took the keys he offered and looked at the dog, whose tail wagged with anticipation. “Are you sure he should go with me?”

  Gregory pulled her in and pressed his mouth to her neck. Her knees went weak as the sensation of his lips on her skin traveled throughout her body. She lifted her arms to his neck.

  “Yes, I’m sure,” he mumbled into her hair. “I’ll try not to be too late. And this way, I’m positive you’ll open the door for me then and not pretend you’re not home.”

  Audrey eased back and pressed her forehead to his. “I don’t understand why you want to be with me,” she admitted and hated herself for it. “I’m not the right person for you.”

  “Not your call,” he combatted, and then took her mouth in a kiss that sealed the deal that she’d be there when he came. “Go home. I’ll be along in a few hours.” He brushed a strand of hair back from her face and lingered his thumb on her cheek. “I’ll bring dinner.”

  “I’ll make dinner,” she countered. “Bring an overnight bag with you.”

  She moved out from his embrace and took the leash from its hook by the door. When she turned back to him, he watched her in stunned silence.

  “You can do that, can’t you? Or is there a policy that you have to check into your hotel by a certain time?”

  Gregory shook his head. “No. I can come and go as I like. I’ll bring a bag. Are you sure?”

  No, she wasn’t sure, but for some reason, she thought it was the only way to truly know what was going on between them. She might change her mind in the next few hours, especially since she had decided to go home and Google the hell out of his name. A part of her wanted to find nothing, and make something of this crazy adventure she was on. Another part wanted to learn that he was a troll and it would be easier to cut him loose. She just wasn’t sure which possibility she wanted to win.

  Audrey clipped the dog’s leash to his collar, and they started for the old pickup, which she was familiar with. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she’d be driving it away from a movie set with some movie star’s dog next to her. But it seemed natural enough.

  Black Sabbath climbed into the cab when she opened the door. She climbed in after him and started the old beast. Looking back at the trailer she watched as Gregory locked the door and started toward the warehouse, just as a hurried Pepper headed toward his trailer. Audrey slowed the truck and watched in the review mirror as he evasively moved around the woman and walked into the building.

  There was something about Pepper Dawson she didn’t like. A bubble of fear crept up into her chest. Perhaps she didn’t want to search him on Google too much. What if the name Pepper Dawson showed up? Something told her she’d be devastated.

  * * *

  As she pulled up to her building, Audrey noticed her sisters’ cars were parked out front, but neither Pearl nor Bethany seemed to be around. This spoke intervention.

  Just as she suspected, as she entered her condo, with the dog, her sisters both walked out of the kitchen. They each held a glass of wine in one hand, and Bethany held out another to her.

  “And why are you both in my house?” she asked as she took the leash from the dog and reached for the offered glass of wine.

  Bethany sipped from her glass. “My husband said you could probably use some company.”

  Pearl adjusted her bracelets, which dangled from her wrist. “He said you got stood up for the rest of your date.”

  “And that’s all?”

  Bethany shrugged. “Should there be more?” She looked at the dog that had sat alert at Audrey’s feet. “Is he your guard dog now?”

  Audrey rubbed his head, and he flattened to his belly and quickly fell asleep. “He’s taken a liking to me.”

  Pearl turned and walked toward the back door. “Let’s sit on the balcony.”

  Audrey toed off her shoes before following her sisters out to the balcony. They each took a seat, and Audrey kicked her feet up onto the table as Bethany tucked hers up under her.

  “Why did Kent send you over here?” she asked, aiming her question toward Bethany.

  “He’s working stupidly long hours, and he’s tr
ying to keep me busy,” she said.

  “I love you, but I don’t think you’re telling me the truth.”

  Bethany studied her for a moment. “He’s worried about you. When people get involved in a movie, and they’re secluded with those people in an intimate situation, things happen. Relationships build and tear down quickly. He just doesn’t want you to get your heart broken. You have a lot going on.”

  Audrey sipped her wine. “I’m a grown woman. I can handle myself.”

  Audrey figured it was true. She was a grown woman who could take care of herself. After all, she’d been doing it for years.

  Her father had never been much help, except to cause more problems in town. It never was a blessing to be Byron Walker's daughter. And of course, her mother, while that was an entirely different story, she was needy. Oh, so needy.

  Pearl was always more diplomatic than Audrey was. Audrey flew by the seat of her pants, perhaps that is why she was opening her salon. Had she not flown off the handle when she found out about the sale of the salon where she’d worked, and had planned buy, she might still work there.

  But then, where was the adventure in being calm, and pleasant? Audrey was on an adventure. She thought of it as Walkers’ spirit. Walkers did what they wanted to do, and tried not to get in anybody else’s way. Except for her father.

  * * *

  Her sisters had stayed perhaps an hour. It had been a nice visit, but she’d rather have been alone. With the dog at her heels, all she could think about was the moment that Gregory arrived.

  Would she tell him that she saw Pepper Dawson go to his trailer? Admittedly, he looked to be avoiding her. But there was something about the woman, she thought. The way she talked to him. The way she looked at him. The way she had touched him.

  Hadn’t she been telling herself all week not to worry about it? He was going to Hawaii to film another movie. He was leaving. That needed to be the end of it. She didn’t want it to be. She wanted to feel out this new adventure. Even if it was for only a few more weeks.