“You know, we really need to figure out a way to get our schedules to work. I feel like I hardly see you when we’re away from the set,” Adam said.
“That’s because we don’t see each other away from the set. Why don’t we talk about this later?”
“It looks like we’re going to have a long lunch break today while they shoot some of the extra scenes. We can talk then.”
“Maybe,” Sienna said noncommittally. Feeling a bit claustrophobic, she took a step toward the window.
“Everyone on their marks,” Marcus called out.
Though she was normally quick to take direction, Sienna hesitated, needing a moment to clear her head. Adam had already reached his mark and had turned back toward her.
“Come on, Sienna.” Adam stepped closer to her, reaching out his hand.
A creak sounded above them, and a split second later, metal and glass crashed to the floor right where Adam had been standing. Adam yelled out. Sienna gasped. The rest of the cast and crew had reactions varying between the two.
Sienna barely had time to register that one of the huge overhead lights had nearly hit them before Carter rushed forward a step ahead of George. He grabbed Sienna by both arms. “Are you okay?”
Sienna’s hand came up to rest over her pounding heart. “Yeah.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” George asked.
“I think so.” Her eyes lifted to the heavy cable that had supported the light until just a moment before. The cable vibrated but appeared to still be intact. Yet somehow, whatever held the light in place had failed to do its job. “That was scary. A second later and Adam and I would have been standing right under that.”
“Very scary,” Carter agreed. “You’re shaking. Come on. Let’s go sit down for a minute.”
A tremble worked through her, and she felt like her head was spinning a foot off her shoulders. “Yeah. That’s a good idea.”
“What in the world happened?” Marcus asked.
“I don’t know,” one of the crew members responded. “We check the equipment every night. Everything looked fine.”
“I want it all checked again,” Marcus demanded. “Now.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sienna lowered herself onto the sofa that was part of the living room set. She looked over at the crew members who were scrambling to check the remaining lighting and Adam, who was now sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, apparently also unharmed. Sienna took a deep breath. “I’ve never seen anything like that happen before.”
“Me neither. And I’ve been around the business a lot longer than you,” Carter said. “I can tell you one thing though.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t think either of us has to imagine what it feels like to be scared to death now.”
“Isn’t that the truth.”
* * *
Craig checked his e-mail, hoping for a response to the last one he had sent Sienna. They had been writing back and forth since the communications blackout was lifted onboard the USS Enterprise almost a week ago, each letter growing longer than the last. They had progressed beyond chatting about their previous time spent together. Now they were telling each other about their families and friends and even sometimes daring to share their dreams for the future.
For so many years, Craig had aspired to become a Navy SEAL. Now he pondered what else he wanted in life. When Sienna had opened the door into her dating struggles, specifically about how hard it was to be in the spotlight while also holding on to her LDS standards, Craig wondered if they could make this relationship work. He didn’t have any answers except a resolve that he wanted to try.
He was disappointed but not surprised when he saw she hadn’t written back yet. With the time difference, she had likely been sleeping since he had last e-mailed her. After spending three days on board an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, they had finally arrived in port in Naples. That was four days ago.
Debriefings, skills training, PT. The days had passed in a blur, and each night he had closed his eyes and tried to guide his dreams away from the memories of Abolstan and toward happier times when he had been with Sienna. He opened his sketchbook and flipped past his recent drawings of the Italian countryside until he reached one of Sienna. He stared at it, a warm rush of emotion flowing through him.
How was it possible that he could feel so much closer to her now even though they were thousands of miles away? Maybe the shrink was right. Maybe he was delusional.
Craig stared at the sketch a moment longer before putting his pad away, then dressed for morning PT and headed for the weight room, where he was supposed to meet his squad. When he arrived, he glanced at his watch to see he was ten minutes early. Only Brent had arrived before him.
Craig closed the distance between them, lowering himself onto the weight bench beside where Brent was currently stretching his arms above his head to loosen his shoulders. “Do you know how much longer we’re staying in Italy?”
Brent let his arms drop back to his sides and looked down at him. “Are you in a hurry to get home?”
Craig started to deny it but didn’t see the point. “A little.”
“Me too.” Brent crossed his left arm over his chest and continued his stretching routine. “That’s why I put in our transport request yesterday. We’re waiting to see when they can get us out of here, but it looks like they’re sending us home tomorrow or the next day.”
“What’s the plan until then?”
“We’re going to spend some time in the Italian countryside.”
Brent’s tone told Craig the commander wasn’t talking about sightseeing. “And what are we going to do in the Italian countryside?”
“Run,” Brent told him. “I figure after we hit the fifteen-mile mark, we’ll all be ready to sit on a plane for eight hours.”
“Makes sense to me.”
The rest of the squad filtered into the room.
Quinn was the first to speak. “Is it time to go home yet?”
“Quinn, you aren’t going to believe this, but you weren’t the first person to ask this time.” Brent jerked a thumb at Craig. “He was.”
“Yeah, you’re going to fit in here just fine.”
“Glad to hear it,” Craig said, though he wasn’t nearly as glad as he had been to hear they were heading back to Virginia.
19
“Wouldn’t you know it? Craig said he’s headed back any day, and I have to leave for California,” Sienna complained over the phone to her sister, flopping onto the bed in her hotel room.
“It’s only for the weekend,” Kendra reminded her. “And I’m glad you’re coming to California. It will be good to see you.”
“You saw me a couple weeks ago at your wedding.”
“Yeah, but we spent most of that time trying to keep secrets. This weekend we’ll be able to spend some time together.”
“Kendra, I fly in on Saturday afternoon, go to the awards show on Sunday, and fly back on Monday morning. Not exactly a lot of time to spare.”
“We’re getting our nails done together on Saturday night,” Kendra said.
“I guess that’s better than nothing.” Sienna kicked her shoes off and debated whether she had the energy to change into her pajamas or if she was going to sleep in her clothes. Again. “And I am glad you’re going to be there, especially since I got cornered into being Adam Pratt’s date.”
“What’s the deal with you two? I’ve seen a couple shots of you together holding hands. For you, that usually means the guy is boyfriend material.”
“Adam is definitely not boyfriend material,” Sienna insisted. “Craig, on the other hand . . .”
“I see,” Kendra said. “Charlie and I were thinking about coming to Virginia to surprise his mom on Mothers’ Day weekend. Maybe we can all get together then. I’d love to get to know Craig better.”
“That makes two of us.”
* * *
Craig texted Sienna the moment the plane touched d
own in Virginia Beach. He looked at his watch for the fifth time in less than ten minutes, confirming that it wasn’t quite nine o’clock on Sunday night.
He hadn’t received any e-mails from Sienna since yesterday. She had said something about going out of town for a couple days, and he remembered her mentioning something about Sunday. He hoped she was back by now.
He felt a little foolish making a woman his top priority after returning home from his first mission, but when he glanced at the rest of his teammates, he saw he wasn’t the only one.
Just as when they had departed, everyone had their phones up to their ears, speaking quietly to the people most important to them.
Craig looked at his watch again, checked the blank screen on his phone, and gave up on waiting. He dialed Sienna’s number.
Her phone rang only once before it went to voice mail. He let out a frustrated sigh and waited for the beep. “Sienna, it’s Craig. I’m back in town. Give me a call when you have a minute.”
He hung up and stared at his phone again. Where could she be on a Sunday night?
* * *
Cameras flashed, gowns sparkled, and stars abounded. Fans of all ages lined the red carpet leading into the Oscars, a scene that would make it onto any number of news and social-media sites before the night was out.
Best dressed. Worst dressed. Who arrived with whom. Reporters would write all of those articles, many of them overshadowing why everyone was here in the first place: to find out who would win the many awards presented tonight.
Sienna had a single nomination tonight for her supporting role in a romantic comedy. Predictions were already running against her, but her agent and her parents had all told her she needed to make an appearance.
Adam stepped out of their limousine first and held a hand out to her. She pasted on her best smile, anticipating the increased attention they would get by arriving together, and forced herself to put her hand in his.
The questions were instant, “How long have you been dating?” being the most common.
They stopped together for one of several prearranged interviews as they made their way toward the entrance of the Staples Center, where the awards ceremony was being held tonight.
A reporter in her late twenties spoke into the microphone she held. “Sienna, this new project is a departure for you. How different is it filming an action movie?”
“The rehearsals are a lot more physically demanding, but I’m enjoying the new challenge,” Sienna responded with a smile.
The reporter shifted her attention to Adam. “Adam, you’ve played opposite so many of Hollywood’s top stars. How is the chemistry between Sienna and you? Is it as strong on-screen as it is off?”
Adam flashed his most charming smile, and for a brief moment, Sienna could almost believe he was someone she would consider dating. “Working with Sienna is everything I’d hoped it would be. Dating her is a dream come true.”
The reporter turned to the camera, her own smile beaming. “You heard it here first, everyone. Adam Pratt and Sienna Blake: a couple off screen as well as on.”
Only her years of media training prevented Sienna from disputing Adam’s claim, but immediately her mind started spinning. Normally she wouldn’t care if rumors started, especially if it meant garnering more interest in her movie, but now that she had someone else she cared about, she was charting new territory.
What would Craig think if he saw the news clip? Could she explain that publicity was part of the job, a part she wished she could do without?
She forced herself to keep moving forward to the next prearranged interview. What was she worrying about? Craig was still overseas somewhere, and it was doubtful he would see anything about this. As soon as she got back to her parents’ house tonight, she would e-mail Craig and tell him exactly what had happened and why the headlines were so far from the truth.
* * *
Craig stared at his computer screen, a ball of lead in his stomach. Up until ten seconds ago, he had liked Adam Pratt as an actor. Now that the image of him with his arm around Sienna was staring him in the face, Craig couldn’t stand the guy. So much for the idea of Sienna Blake dating someone outside the social circles of Hollywood.
What had he been thinking, that someone like her would really want to spend her free time with someone like him? Obviously she chose her friends from people who were easily available to her, who wouldn’t have to worry about the government sending them out at a moment’s notice every time a crisis occurred.
His room in the barracks suddenly felt too small. He closed his laptop, locked it in his lockbox, and stuffed his cell phone in his pocket. He was halfway down the hall when his phone rang.
He wanted to ignore it, not feeling able to deal with anyone right now, but in this career, he didn’t have that luxury. He pulled it free of his pocket and saw his mom’s name illuminated on the screen. Concerned that she was calling him at seven in the morning, he pressed the talk button and prepared to test his own acting abilities.
“Hi, Mom.”
His mother’s voice came over the line, bright and cheerful. “Hi, sweetie. What’s wrong?”
Craig rolled his eyes. How was it that mothers could sense something wrong from a thousand miles away? “Nothing. Just tired. I got to bed later than I should have last night.”
“I’ve been worried about you. I haven’t talked to you in a couple weeks. Is everything going okay?”
The image of gunshots hitting inches from him popped into his mind with a clarity he wished he could forget, but he wasn’t about to tell his mother about that. “Everything’s fine. How is old man Standen’s new foal doing?”
“He’s a beauty.”
Craig stepped outside into the cool morning air. When a gust of wind whipped through him, he wished he had remembered to grab a jacket. Without a specific location in mind, he started toward the mess hall, even though his appetite had been squashed the moment he’d seen the image of Adam and Sienna. Dutifully, Craig asked his mom about her friends and neighbors, prepared to give her a few minutes before apologizing for being out of reach over the past two weeks.
After talking about her closest friends, she said, “By the way, I wanted to ask you something.”
“What’s that?”
“Do you know the actress Sienna Blake?”
Craig swallowed. “What? Why do you ask that?”
“Oh, Maggie was telling me about some photos she saw online from Kendra Blake’s wedding. You know, the singer.”
“Yeah, I know who Kendra Blake is,” Craig said.
“Anyway, Maggie said she saw a photo of Sienna Blake with a handsome young man who looked just like you. Said he was the spitting image.”
Craig stopped walking, torn about what to say. He didn’t want to lie to his mother, but he certainly didn’t want his name associated with Sienna’s, especially now that she was dating someone else.
He attempted to dance the line between truth and fabrication. “This isn’t something I really want you telling people, but I did meet her. It wasn’t a big deal. She was just at a party where I was helping with security.”
His mother’s pitch went up an octave. “You met Sienna Blake and didn’t tell me?”
Craig held the phone away from his ear for a moment, hoping there wasn’t any permanent damage to his eardrum. “Mom, you just screamed in my ear. Can you blame me for not mentioning it? Besides, I don’t want to be the local gossip. It isn’t good for my career.”
“Oh, honey. That’s not what I meant. It’s just, she’s one of my favorite actresses. And of course I’ve watched just about everything her dad has ever starred in.”
Craig let her ramble for a moment. When she finally came up for air, he asked, “Mom, can I trust you to keep this to yourself?”
“Surely I can tell your aunt Jessie.”
“If you tell Aunt Jessie, you might as well take out an ad in the newspaper and announce it.”
He heard his mother sigh. “You’re taking all
the fun out of this, you know.”
“Yeah, I know.” Craig managed a small smile. “I’m a terrible son. I don’t know how you put up with me.”
“Let me tell you. It’s a challenge.”
“So you keep saying.” Craig reached the door to the mess hall. “Hey, Mom. I’ve gotta get going. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Craig hung up the phone and stepped in out of the cold, his mood lighter after bantering with his mom.
He breathed in the scent of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausage. His stomach growled, but he wasn’t sure if it was from hunger or protest at the thought of eating. He hoped it was the former.
After loading his tray, he found Damian at a table with Kevin, one of the guys who lived in their barracks. Damian gave Craig a pitying look.
“I’m really sorry, Craig.”
Craig straightened his shoulders. “I gather you’ve been surfing the Internet this morning.”
“It was kind of hard to miss it.”
“Miss what?” Kevin asked.
“Nothing,” Craig said before Damian could air his personal business in front of anyone else. “There’s nothing to talk about, okay?”
“Sorry,” Damian mumbled and took another bite of his eggs.
Craig scooped some eggs onto one of his pancakes, rolled it up, and took a bite. When he found both the pancake and eggs colder than he liked, he dropped it back onto his plate and stood. “I think I’m going to head over to the office. I’ll see you later.”
“Aren’t you going to eat more than that?”
“Not hungry.” Craig took a step back. Before Damian could make the assumption that Sienna had caused his lack of appetite, he added, “I must not have adjusted to this time zone yet.”
Damian simply nodded. “I’ll see you later.”
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