A Stallion Dream
Page 19
Mrs. Fairbanks whirled around, then stood. “Goodness. It’s happening.”
The gaggle of bodies by the door parted long enough for two women to make their way through to the counter. The cameras were trained on them, recording their every step.
Campbell watched them, too. The tall, youthful one with the red purse was attractive, and looked somewhat familiar. He knew some of the cast, just from interacting with them. The island wasn’t terribly large, so he’d met a number of them. That’s, uh, what was her name? Megan? Martha?
He shifted his focus to the more petite woman. Sierra Dandridge, the famed actress, didn’t require an introduction. The newest, and possibly the most famous cast member of The Shores, she’d only recently arrived on the island. A formfitting black dress with long sleeves hugged her shapely, compact frame, and she stood confidently on a pair of tall, impossibly narrow black stilettos. She wore her hair in long waves down her back, and it was currently dyed a silvery lavender. The color of her hair, along with her closed-off stance, perfectly fit the “Ice Queen” image the press ascribed to her. Still, Campbell couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen anyone so strikingly beautiful. He’d had a crush on her since he’d seen her in the spy thriller Waltz at Midnight several years ago. It amazed him that she was just as gorgeous in person as she was on screen.
Mrs. Fairbanks, vibrating with excitement, stared in the direction of the cast and crew. “I’m not going to go over there. I know better than to interrupt the filming. But this is so exciting!”
Campbell chuckled. He’d managed to avoid the filming for most of the three months it had been going on. But his turn to be a part of the madness had apparently come around.
Once he got Mrs. Fairbanks to sit back down, he scheduled an appointment with her for later in the week. By then, Sierra and her costar were in a booth on the far side of the room, with the show’s crew clustered around them to capture their conversation. That freed up the front entrance, making a much appreciated path of escape.
He stood, extending his hand toward Mrs. Fairbanks. “It was lovely talking to you, and I look forward to our meeting.”
“Thank you, Mr. Monroe.” She barely took her eyes off the hubbub near the booth. “Are you really rushing off? Don’t you want to watch the filming?”
He shook his head. “Nah. I’m not really into that sort of thing. Besides, I have a ton of work waiting on my desk.”
“Okay, then. Have a good day. I’m gonna stay, and see if I can get some autographs when they finish!” The giddiness came through in her voice.
“Best of luck.” With a chuckle, Campbell turned and walked away. With a parting wave to Della and her staff, he swung open the door and stepped out into the humid afternoon air.
As he climbed into his black-on-black convertible, his mind strayed again to his beautiful celebrity crush, currently sitting less than fifty yards away from him.
With a wry smile, he dropped the top and started the engine.
So close, and yet so far.
Copyright © 2018 by Eboni Manning
ISBN-13: 9781488081835
A Stallion Dream
Copyright © 2018 by Deborah Fletcher Mello
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