Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open (Hollywood Legends #2)

by Mary J. Williams

  “It isn’t. Nate has the ability to scramble my brain. I don’t like it.”

  No. Paige wouldn’t like it. But Irene did. Paige was focused. They had that in common. She knew that the ability to look toward your goal, allowing no distractions, was a curse as well as a blessing. Irene had success. Prestige. Her bank account was nicely padded. And she was alone.

  Friends were nice. Better than nice. However, they weren’t there to hold you on a long, cold Montana night. Lately, she had uncharacteristic moments of wistfulness. If she had taken the time to look around once or twice on her journey, she might have that someone to wake up with every morning.

  Perhaps she was projecting her feelings onto Paige. Everyone was different. It wouldn’t hurt her friend to remove her blinders. Straight ahead was great. However, it did make her miss out on a big chunk of the world. Irene had some regrets. That was a part of living. There was nothing wrong with helping Paige avoid some of them.

  “You didn’t give him a chance to explain?”

  “No. I grabbed his puppy and ran.”

  “I’m flattered that you ran to me.” Irene squeezed Paige’s hand. “Would you like a piece of advice from someone who is older but not necessarily wiser?”

  “Always.”

  “Grab that man and have your way with him.”

  “What if he’s really changed his mind?”

  “Then change it back.”

  Paige’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t thought of doing that. I’m not sure I could.”

  Irene laughed. “He’s a man. He wants you. It isn’t rocket science, Paige.”

  Paige carried Beauty to her truck, her mind racing. Letting the puppy take care of her personal business, she praised her before setting her on the seat and climbing into the cab.

  Taking a deep breath, she started the engine.

  “It isn’t rocket science, Beauty.”

  As she pulled out of the driveway, her nerves starting to jangle. Science had never been her best subject. However, compared to getting Nate Landis into bed? It had been a piece of cake.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “I NEED THIS like I need a hole in the head.”

  “Your father always said that getting people interested in a project was half the battle.”

  Nate gave Chuck a rueful smile.

  “My father never dealt with a fan club of adoring teenage girls. Showing up with no warning because they want to help? I open my mouth and they act as though every word is the most fascinating proclamation since Moses came down Mt. Sinai.”

  “You could tell them to go home.”

  Nate noticed Chuck’s twitching lips. The man was lousy at hiding his amusement.

  “I tried. It was like kicking a bunch of overly perfumed kittens.”

  “They are… what’s the word? Fragrant?”

  “That’s a kind way of putting it. And an understatement.”

  Nate rubbed the back of his neck. Five days in and he had to admit, the shoot was going well. They had several scenes in the can. He wanted to start with some small, intimate moments that set the tone of the story.

  On the surface, the dialogue was straightforward. It was up to the actors to convey the subtext of a couple struggling to hold together a decaying marriage.

  Unlike newlyweds settling into a new life with all the adjustments that went with the first year, they were a middle-aged couple who had let the problems silently pile up. Chipping away. Eroding a once rock-solid foundation. Their children were grown and gone. The small farm had seen better days. When they looked at each other, they saw a mirror of themselves. Tired. Feeling the years. Wondering if there was anything left for which to fight.

  The unexpected arrival of their youngest daughter sparks the first real emotion between them in years. Over the course of three weeks, they slowly rebuild what seemed irretrievable.

  It was a gentle story mixed with moments of high emotion. A true character study. Going in, Nate had few expectations. However, the first scene had been an eye opener. His actors were raw and mostly untrained. They brought to their roles an honesty few seasoned veterans could achieve. Untainted honesty.

  What surprised Nate was the depth and power. He became caught up in the scene, almost forgetting to call cut. Delighted, he held his breath to see if that first scene was a fluke. It wasn’t. If they could maintain the quality, this was going to turn out better than he ever imagined.

  “Wilt and Edith?”

  “What about them?” Chuck asked, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

  There was a table laid out with enough food to feed three film crews. Salads, desserts. Three kinds of sandwiches and a crockpot full of beef barley soup. Nate ladled a spoonful into his mouth, sighing with pleasure.

  “They’re talented.”

  “Surprised?”

  “Do I sound like a snob if I say yes?”

  “Nope.” Chuck handed Nate a cup of steaming coffee. “I’m surprised, too. I’ve been to every play they’ve been in. Fifteen years, fifteen productions. Like I said before, they have talent. What I’ve seen this week is something else. I can’t figure out where it’s coming from.”

  Nate sipped from the mug. He knew the basics of directing. And he had Garrett on speed dial if he started to feel like he was getting in over his head. A master, like his brother, could draw performances from his actors. Nate had no illusions. Whatever was going on with Wilt and Edith, he had nothing to do with it.

  “Do you believe in possession?”

  “No.” Nate laughed. “Not before now. Garrett says there have been times when nothing he does can fix a scene. For whatever reason, the actors can’t get their heads around the material. Suddenly, boom.” Nate snapped his fingers. “Magic. As though they channeled someone else.”

  “You think Katherine Hepburn pops down now and then — just to keep her hand in?”

  “Why not?” Nate winked.

  “On her way, she picked up Henry Fonda.” Chuck seemed to like the idea.

  “It’s a colorful explanation.” Knowing how this kind of thing could gain traction, Nate looked the other man in the eye. “Let’s keep it to ourselves, okay?”

  “Absolutely. Your newly formed fan club would be tweeting that we have ghosts before we could blink.”

  “Ghosts I could handle. If they asked who is Katherine Hepburn? I wouldn’t be responsible for my actions. I wouldn’t know whether to kick their texting butts off the set or cry for the state of today’s youth.”

  Chuck laughed. He enjoyed Nate. He was smart and had a quick, dry wit.

  “Nate?”

  “My lovely leading lady.”

  Nate put a hand on Edith Potter’s shoulder. Small in stature, the dark-haired woman had a big personality. Her brown eyes were sharp and intelligent with a bit of a twinkle. In many ways, she reminded him of his mother. She knew her mind and wasn’t afraid to speak it.

  “Anxious to check out the dailies?” Nate asked her. Like everything else, playing back footage of the day’s shoot was not done in a traditional manner. Homer connected the camera to Chuck’s TV and they gathered in the living room to watch.

  “Every morning, I wake up thinking this has to be a dream,” Edith said. “I barely knew what dailies were before we started. Now, watching them seems like the most natural thing in the world. Me. Starring in a movie? Who would have thought it possible?” The words were filled with pride and a touch of self-deprecation. Nate was already a little in love.

  “Was there something you needed?”

  Edith nodded. “It’s Wilt.” Then she threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, hell. I’m not sticking it all on him. I want to know, too.”

  “Know what?”

  “Are we making asses of ourselves? This is bigger than anything we’ve done, Nate. Erin’s script is good.” She reached over to squeeze Chuck’s hand. “Damn good. We want to do her proud.”

  “I won’t lie, Edith.” Nate met the woman’s steady gaze with this own. “I didn’t have a lot of
faith in you or Wilt. I took a wait and see approach.”

  “Well,” Edith demanded, her hands on her hips. “What do you see?”

  “Talent. Bone deep. This week I’ve seen something that can’t be taught. You and Wilt have a rhythm that comes from years of working together. You’re comfortable.”

  “Like old socks.”

  Nate smiled. “Like people who have lived. I can’t tell you why it’s working, Edith. However, I do have one piece of advice.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Keep doing it. If you do, we are going to have something special.”

  “She’ll be floating on your words for weeks. Months.”

  Nate watched Edith scamper back to her little group of friends. She whispered, making big gestures with her hands. Wilt Adair sat for a moment, his mouth agape. Then he silently punched the air before twirling Edith into an impromptu jig.

  Laughing, Nate took another drink of his coffee. He had been on sets where directors withheld praise of any kind. The idea was to keep everyone on pins and needles, wondering if they were doing a good job. Happy actors meant complacency. Complacency led to a loss of tension.

  Nate understood it — in theory. It was his experience a relaxed set yielded the same results without teeth gnashing and nail biting. Making a movie was a naturally stressful experience. Nate refused to add to it.

  “The kitchen scene is short and easy. Unless something unforeseen occurs, we should get it in a few takes.”

  “Then we wrap for the day?”

  Nate nodded. “Here is the shooting schedule for the rest of the week. If anyone can’t make it, let me know. We’ll work around them.”

  He doubted that this was the first movie ever made that catered to the actors’ day jobs. However, until now, Nate had never encountered one. The good part was, everyone wanted to make it work. And somehow, they would.

  “I’ll take this in the house and run off some copies.” Chuck picked up his plate and mug. “Nate?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here.”

  “You’d have managed.”

  “No.” Chuck shook his head. “I thought I could do it. Watching you makes it clear I was living in a dream world. I’m going to call your father tonight and thank him for sending you. Paige didn’t know it at the time, but writing him saved the movie.”

  Paige. She was avoiding him. Which wasn’t easy considering they shared a house. However, she managed to keep her distance. They exchanged pleasantries at dinner, but he rarely saw her the rest of the time. With Chuck busy with the movie, she spent her time out on the ranch.

  During the day, he was too busy to think about her. Though, if he were honest, she was never far from his thoughts.

  Had he been wrong when he suggested putting on the breaks? He was thinking of her, not himself. A selfish man would have taken her to bed and damn the consequences. Why was taking her into consideration a bad thing?

  “Any ideas?”

  Beauty gave him the same adoring look she always wore when he was around. Why couldn’t all relationships be this easy and uncomplicated?

  “You think I’m perfect.” Nate picked the puppy up. “Every man should have a woman like you in his life.”

  “Because human women expect more than a tummy rub and the occasional juicy bone.” Lottie tilted her head to the side, her lips pursed in thought. “Check that. All women need an occasional juicy bone.”

  Lottie had been a surprise. One of the many volunteers, Nate expected her to lobby him to be on screen. She had the kind of face the camera loved. Beauty didn’t always transfer to the big screen. A pretty face could come off as blank and one dimensional if the actor didn’t have the personality to back it up. Lottie had vibrancy to burn. Her energy and enthusiasm were unflagging.

  Surprisingly, Lottie was happy to stay behind the scenes. She helped wherever she was needed. Moving equipment. Setting out food. Running errands. All the while lightly flirting with every man in her path.

  Everyone took Lottie for who she was. Friendly and, for the most part, harmless. She didn’t make a play for other women’s men. Nate appreciated that. Though he would have regretted it, if her flirting started causing friction, he wouldn’t hesitate to ban Paige’s best friend from the set.

  “How are you today, Lottie?”

  Smiling, Lottie stood before him, beckoning with her finger for him to lean down to her level. Curious, Nate set Beauty on the ground. Instead of standing to his full height, he stopped when his eyes met Lottie’s. A second later, he was sorry. Sweet as can be, Lottie flicked her index finger against his forehead. Hard.

  “Hey.” Nate rubbed the area, surprised by the gesture and the pain it caused. “What the hell was that for?”

  “Be glad I didn’t box your ears.” For good measure, Lottie stood on her toes and flicked him again. This time, she hit his nose.

  “Do you want me to knock you on your ass, Lottie?”

  “Please,” Lottie scoffed. “You wouldn’t raise a finger to a woman.”

  Nate frowned. He crossed his eyes, trying to see if the end of his nose was as red as it felt.

  “What makes you so certain?” Now, he wasn’t feeling terribly chivalrous.

  “It’s written all over your gorgeous face. Besides, if I thought you had it in you, I wouldn’t have stepped aside for Paige.”

  “Stepped aside for…?” Nate shook his head in disbelief. “Let me make this perfectly clear, Lottie. I was never interested in you.”

  “You would have been.” When Nate opened his mouth to protest, Lottie cut him off. “Be honest. If you had never met Paige, you would have taken me for a spin by now.”

  Probably, Nate thought. He gave Lottie the once over. Curvy. Pretty. Uncomplicated. Okay. Definitely. She was exactly his type. How many Lotties had there been in his life? Not that he regretted a single one.

  Nate never played unless everyone knew the rules. In that way, he and Lottie were kindred spirits. They liked things light and easy.

  Then there was Paige. It always came back to her. She filled his thoughts like no woman before her. She knew the rules. He made them clear up front. That was where the similarities ended. He planned on walking away from Paige. Easy? Somehow, Nate knew the answer to that. It was a big, fat no.

  When Lottie raised her hand, Nate stepped back.

  “I swear. Flick me again and I’ll kick you off the set.”

  “No, you won’t,” Lottie said smugly.

  “Don’t make the mistake of thinking you know me, Lottie. I have a streak of mean in me. It takes a lot to get to it, but push me enough and I’m a ruthless bastard when I need to be.” Nate scooped up Beauty and headed for the house.

  “I’m sorry.” Lottie hurried to keep up. “You want Paige. Paige wants you. What’s the problem?”

  “This is none of your business.”

  “Hello. Best friend here.” Lottie was about to rap on his arm with her fist. The look he gave her made her think better of it. “Sorry. I have Paige’s best interests at heart.”

  “What did Paige say when you asked her?”

  “She was frustratingly evasive.” Lottie stamped her foot in frustration. “She never keeps things from me so I know you did something.”

  Nate might have taken pity on her if the subject wasn’t such a personal one. Paige chose to keep the details to herself. So did he.

  “You’re going to have to stay on the sidelines, Lottie. Whatever happens is between Paige and me until she decides otherwise. I have nothing to say. Except, you were right. I would never intentionally hurt her.”

  “What about unintentionally?”

  Without another word, Nate entered the house. He took Beauty into the mudroom, setting her down by her food and water bowls. He poured some kibble from the bag. Leaning back against the washing machine, watching absently as she dug in.

  Nate hadn’t let Lottie in on his feelings. That didn’t mean her words had no ef
fect. Paige wasn’t talking to her best friend? Why? Nothing had happened that warranted secrecy — not when it was someone with whom you always shared the major moments of your life.

  Maybe he was making too much of this. Nate frowned. He wasn’t keen on the idea. If Paige wasn’t upset, that meant she didn’t care. Was he in this alone? He cared? Paige didn’t? Shit. How fucked up would that be?

  “Nate?”

  Nate looked up happy for the distraction. Homer hung on the mudroom door, half in, half out.

  “What’s up?”

  “You better come. We have a problem.”

  “WHAT DID HE say?”

  Lottie pulled herself into the cab of Paige’s truck, adjusting the hem of her short flirty skirt. Paired with the eye-popping cleavage she displayed, any man would have a hard time carrying on a reasonable conversation. Nate hadn’t glanced at her boobs. The man was either inhuman or so far gone he didn’t see anyone but Paige. Lottie smiled. She knew the answer even if he didn’t.

  “You’re smiling.” Paige turned in her seat. “Why? What’s going on?”

  “I can’t believe I let you talk me into that.” Secretly, Lottie loved every second. However, there was no reason to let Paige know. “Sending your best friend to find out if a boy likes you? It is so high school. Except we never did that in high school. We were too cool for this kind of shit.”

  “I didn’t ask you to do that,” Paige exclaimed. “Please tell me you didn’t ask him if he likes me?”

  “I asked him why he wasn’t screwing your brains out,” Lottie said.

  “Not using those exact words. Right? Lottie?”

  “Relax. Boy, do you need to get laid. It does wonders for your nerves. And before you blow a gasket, I was much more circumspect.”

  Paige let out a relieved breath. “So?”

  “He’s a gentleman.”

  Paige wanted to scream. Lottie loved to draw out a story. Normally, Paige enjoyed the telling. Not today. She wanted details. Now!

  “He’s a gentleman. What does that mean?”

  “What happens when his pants are off stays between him and his partner. Wait.” Lottie thoughtfully tapped her chin. “You haven’t seen him with his pants off.”