‘How long will that take?’
‘The closest hospital is in Thames. The round trip will be at least two hours. Probably more like three, what with handing him over and roadworks and things.’
‘Who’s going to cover the set, then?’ The director shook his head at the paramedic’s expression. ‘Nobody, obviously. That means we can’t film.’
‘Maybe one of the local doctors could come out for a bit.’
‘We’ve got weeks of filming ahead of us. We can’t afford this kind of hassle.’ He looked over his shoulder towards the unfortunate extra, who was sitting on a stretcher in the back of the ambulance, Kirsty beside him, offering comfort. ‘Go,’ he ordered wearily. ‘Get that poor guy sorted. I’m not going to make him wait.’ He raised his voice. ‘Kirsty? Can you come over here, please?’
‘We’ll have to hire independent medical cover,’ was Kirsty’s suggestion when she heard the tale of woe. ‘Someone who’s qualified to deal with any situation and give whatever treatment is needed until ground or air transport can get here. Someone who could live on site in the camping grounds with us and be available twenty-four seven.’
‘How on earth are we going to find someone like that?’
‘I don’t know,’ Kirsty admitted. ‘But we do, at least, have a personal contact with the ambulance service, thanks to Jake.’
‘I don’t have contact, exactly,’ Jake said. ‘I haven’t even spoken to Ellie since the rescue. The only contact was when I rang the base to see how she was a couple of weeks ago.’
It had been a last attempt to make some personal contact given that the mobile number had been such a failure. Had she really been unavailable or were her colleagues protecting her from a call from someone she didn’t want to speak to?
‘And how was she?’
‘Getting over the ankle injury, apparently, but only on light duties. Her boss said something about her preparing teaching material. She wasn’t on the base and she wouldn’t be back on active duty for some time but she was fine.’
It had been a relief to know she hadn’t been left with any lasting disability caused by the rescue of himself. Oddly disappointing to know that he’d have no more excuses to ask after her, though.
‘Sounds perfect,’ the director said. ‘She’s certainly qualified and not afraid of doing something different or challenging. Still got the number of her boss?’
‘I have,’ Kirsty said helpfully. ‘His name’s Smith.’
‘Get him on the blower. We need to talk.’
Jake watched them walk away. It was highly unlikely that Ellie would want to take such an unusual job, even if it could be arranged, but the flare of something curiously like excitement told him that he hoped she would.
That he would get the chance to see her again.
To talk to her.
The feeling intensified as the day ticked on. Because they couldn’t film without medical cover, there was too much time to think.
To feel bad that he had been less than honest with her about who he was. Had he really been worried that she might sell her story to the media? She hadn’t breathed a word. She hadn’t even taken the opportunity to bask in any glory associated with the dramatic rescue.
To feel frustrated, too, that he had never had the chance to try and explain anything. To apologise?
She hadn’t believed him when he’d told her how acting could help you deal with real life. Maybe if she saw what really went on, she would see that it wasn’t fake—not on an emotional level, anyway.
She might understand what he’d been trying to say when he’d told her something that he’d never told anybody else.
He had to admit that there was a longing there to have somebody who really understood. Ben understood his need for his career, but he still saw it all as play-acting. An escape from reality. He wasn’t ever going to get close enough to the action to really get it because he hated the whole industry with such a passion.
And yet Ben had reaped the benefits of his twin’s ability to act and make others believe in their early years. How often had he instigated a game that would take them away from what was happening around them?
Their lifestyle had had a veneer that was a dream to most people, but they didn’t know what it was really like. A father rich enough to seemingly own half of Manhattan. A heartbreakingly beautiful mother who was loved by millions but desperately unhappy in her marriage to a bully who resented her fame.
Play-acting had been a way to escape the fights and misery and lingering bitterness. If he and Ben were pirates and they were being forced to walk the plank, the screaming row their parents were having could seem like nothing more than seagulls overhead and circling sharks below and the two small boys could poke them in the eyes and swim to safety.
All Ben could see in the industry of play-acting was the damage it had done to their mother. Their family. No wonder he hated it. And no wonder he was sticking to his unspoken vow of never repeating history. Had he ever got even as close to a woman as he was currently feeling about Ellie?
Ellie would probably agree wholeheartedly with Ben about the negative side of the movie industry, but...what if he could change her mind?
If someone like her could understand and maybe even approve of what he did, it could validate what he did for a living. Make him feel like he was contributing to making the world a better place.
Like Ellie did?
* * *
‘That’s a crazy idea.’
‘A few weeks on the Coromandel Peninsula? In a nice little cabin in the camping grounds? Gorgeous weather. Probably still warm enough to swim and that would be as good for your ankle as the physiotherapy.’
‘There’s lots of people who’d jump at the opportunity. Why me?’
Gavin Smith grinned. ‘I guess you proved yourself by saving the star of the movie once already. Maybe he asked for you personally.’
Why did her heart skip a beat like that? Her mouth suddenly feel unaccountably dry? Could that be true? More importantly, did she want it to be true?
Had she proved her trustworthiness by not saying anything to reporters? Did Jake realise, without knowing why, how hurt she was at having been deceived?
‘I can’t believe they can just click their fingers and get someone from the service who’s that qualified just to sit around in case something happens.’
‘New Zealand’s getting a reputation as a great place to make movies. The government’s keen to support the industry. The word’s come from on high to provide the best we can.’ Gavin raised his eyebrows encouragingly. ‘That’s you, Ellie.’
It was impossible not to imagine what it would be like to see Jake again. Their time together was too tangled in emotions that were partly due to the traumatic situation they’d been in. Maybe she’d get there and find that it had been nothing more than a reaction to the circumstances and that there wasn’t any real attraction on either side.
And, if that was the case, maybe she could finally put the whole, disturbing episode behind her and get on with the rest of her life. It wouldn’t be nibbling away at her peace of mind as it had done ever since she’d had that time with Jake.
Gavin was saying something about her being able to carry on with her current project of writing lectures about aeromedical transportation. About providing her with an extensive enough kit that she would be able to cope with any emergency with ease. That by the time she got back she’d be fully recovered and they could decide about what she wanted to do next in her career.
But all Ellie could think about was being close to Jake again. Would he look at her again the way he had in that moment before they’d almost kissed?
‘Okay...’ Her voice came out in a whisper. ‘I’ll do it.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE DRIVE FROM Auckland to the Coromandel township of Whitianga only took two and half hours, but it was enough time for Ellie to have a good think about how she was going to handle the moment when she and Jake met again.
It
was ironic that she was joining a film crew and would be on set while a movie was being filmed because the only way she was going to be able to cope with this was to become something of an actress herself.
Well...she could hardly reveal to the world that she—an ordinary Kiwi girl—had some kind of mixed-up crush on a famous movie star, could she? How humiliating would that be?
And she had been humiliated before. She wasn’t going there again.
Funny how Jake’s words kept echoing in her head during that drive. And it was definitely motivating to imagine watching herself on the big screen here. Cheering herself on. Facing obstacles and overcoming them.
Practising being the best person she could be, even if it felt like the skin didn’t fit yet.
She would be pleased to see him—as she would be to catch up on any of the patients she’d rescued during her career. Keen to do something so different. Excited, even, to be part of a totally new world.
She would realise that the crush was no more than the aftermath of an overly emotional situation and that there was nothing real to hang any fantasies on. She would reaffirm her faith that dealing with reality was preferable to trying to escape and then she would go back to her own life, with her head held high, to do exactly that.
The autumn weather was stunning as she wound her way through over the mountain range and through the small township of Tairua. Beneath a cloudless blue sky, the lush native forest looked cool and green and the glimpses of ocean a bottomless blue. The main holiday season was well over so Whitianga was quiet, but there was a buzz of excitement in the air that Ellie noticed when she stopped for a few supplies and directions to the camping grounds. That, and her uniform, earned her a curious glance from the shopkeeper.
‘Someone been hurt again?’
‘Again?’ The pang of concern that it could be Jake came from nowhere and the way Ellie could feel her eyes widening was disturbing. She’d never make an actress if she couldn’t keep her reactions under better control.
‘Someone broke their arm a couple of days ago. Or was it their shoulder? Anyway...they had to stop filming for a day. Did you know they’re doing a movie here? Have you seen the boat at the marina?’
‘I did. It’s beautiful.’
‘They’re going to do a shipwreck scene round at Cathedral Cove in the next week or two. There’s places that people are allowed to go and watch.’
‘Sounds fun.’
Her items were being slotted into a carrier bag. ‘So no one else has been hurt, then?’
‘Not that I know of.’
‘But that’s why you’re here?’
‘I’m here to give some first-aid cover.’ Ellie practised the kind of smile she would use for a reporter, perhaps, who wanted information. ‘Hopefully just as an insurance policy. Can you tell me where the local ambulance station is, too? I’ll drop in and say hi on my way.’
* * *
She was here.
The SUV painted in ambulance insignia, with the beacon strip on its roof, stood out as clearly as if the lights had been flashing, when Jake emerged from the makeup caravan. The director, Steve, was obviously showing her around the camping ground, along with Kirsty and the camp manager.
Jake could feel his heart rate pick up. The kind of warmth in his chest that he’d only ever noticed when he saw his brother after a longer than usual period apart.
Relief, that’s what it was. Mixed with joy. And...hope?
She looked very professional in a crisp, white shirt that had epaulettes and patches on the sleeves. Dark trousers and a belt that had things clipped to it, like a pair of shears and some sort of radio or phone. Her black boots were shining. So was the rope of neatly plaited hair that hung down her back.
Another image flashed into his head. Ellie, sitting in front of the fire, in shapeless trackpants and a checkered woollen shirt, her hair loose and tumbling as she raked her fingers through it.
He preferred that image...
He wished he wasn’t in full costume and makeup himself because he was going to look as different to Ellie as she did to him and it felt...wrong.
She didn’t even seem to recognise him as her gaze swept around and past where he was standing motionless. But then Steve spotted him.
‘Here’s someone you’ll remember,’ he heard the director say. ‘Not that there’s much time for a catch-up. I’m sorry. We’re due to head down to the ship in a couple of minutes.’
‘Jake...’ Ellie’s smile was wide and friendly. She was holding out her hand and when he caught it, the handshake was firm and brief. ‘It’s so good to see you again.’ The smile was directed at the others in the group now. ‘It’s a bonus you don’t often get in my job—catching up with the patients that get rescued.’
Jake blinked. He was a patient? Just one of the dozens—or possibly hundreds—that Ellie had rescued in her career?
‘Great that you could come,’ he heard himself saying. ‘I didn’t think we’d be lucky enough to get our first choice.’ He was smiling, too. He wanted Ellie to know that he’d wanted it to be her. Had wanted to see her again.
‘How could I say no?’ The smile hadn’t dimmed. In fact, it got wider. ‘This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. How many people get the chance to be part of what’s no doubt going to be a blockbuster movie? I’m hoping you’re all going to stay nice and safe and it’ll work out as a holiday treat for me.’
‘Hear! Hear!’ Steve muttered.
‘Not that I’m not fully equipped to deal with any emergency,’ Ellie added hastily. ‘My car is full to the brim with everything from sticky plasters to a portable ventilator.’
‘And with your connection to the helicopter service, I’m sure we’d get priority treatment.’ Kirsty nodded.
Ellie’s smile faded only a notch. ‘Doesn’t work like that, I’m afraid. No preferential treatment because of who you are.’
Jake couldn’t read the glance flicked in his direction, but it had been impersonal and there was something about the inflection in her words that struck a cool enough note to send a tiny shiver down his spine.
And then it hit him.
This wasn’t Ellie talking. Not the real Ellie.
She was...acting, dammit. Saying the things that were presenting the image she’d chosen to present.
The way he had the last time they’d been breathing the same air, at that media conference in The Cloud? When he’d been putting all that warmth and gratitude into his pretty little speech about how good the New Zealand rescue services were and about one paramedic in particular? Had he really gushed on about his ‘real-life heroine’?
This felt like a slap in the face. Payback.
But that wasn’t Ellie either. Not the Ellie he remembered, anyway.
‘Come on, Jake. Time to get to work.’ Steve thumped him on the shoulder as he headed off. ‘Kirsty will bring Ellie down to the set once she’s had a look at her cabin and got herself sorted.’
With a nod at the women, Jake was happy to comply. Maybe it had been a mistake, getting Ellie here.
He certainly wasn’t feeling any of that warmth or joy or hope of special moments to come anymore. The emotion he was left with after that little reunion was more like wariness. Dread, even, that Ellie might have more planned as some kind of revenge.
No. Someone as open and honest and caring as Ellie wouldn’t even think like that. He knew her better than that.
Didn’t he?
* * *
He’d seen straight through her.
And Ellie felt ashamed of herself.
The warmth in Jake’s eyes when he’d seen her had been genuine, but Ellie had already been locked into her role as the caring and professional medic who just happened to have rescued one of the stars of this movie and she had been unable to find any middle ground between that image and the stupid, starstruck teenager with a crush she’d been scared of revealing.
She’d seen the moment he’d twigged that she was acting. Had seen his surprise and the
n the flash of something that had looked remarkably like hurt.
So now she felt bad.
It didn’t take long for the camp manager to show her the tiny cabin that would be hers for the duration of her stay. Or to give her a bag of coins and explain about the showers.
‘You get five minutes of hot water for one dollar. Just put another coin in if you need longer. The company’s paying all those costs so I’ve got lots of coins available.’
Ellie nodded.
‘The caterers have taken over the main kitchen areas and they’ve been putting on some amazing barbecues. You’ll get well fed.’
‘Excellent.’ Ellie managed another smile but the churning sensation in her gut made her think she might never feel hungry again.
‘Well, I won’t hold you up. You probably can’t wait to get down to the set and see what’s going on. I’d kill for a chance to spend my day watching Jake Logan.’ The middle-aged woman grinned at Ellie. ‘If I was twenty years younger, he wouldn’t stand a chance. Okay...make that thirty years. But you know what I’m saying?’
Ellie nodded politely.
‘I’d be in a long queue, mind you. And it’s not as if anything lasts in Tinseltown, but it would sure be fun for a while, wouldn’t it?’
‘Mmm.’ Ellie couldn’t manage to sound remotely enthusiastic. Of course Jake would have a queue of women happy to take their turn, even knowing how temporary that would be.
She wouldn’t be joining any queue.
The camp manager gave up on having a girlie chat. ‘Just knock on the office door, love, if you need anything.’
‘Okay. Thank you.’
She wasn’t in as much of a hurry to get to the set as the camp manager had assumed, however. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to be near Jake again so soon. She’d snuffed out the warmth she’d seen in his face in that reunion.
There was no use dressing it up as self-protection. The truth was she’d snubbed him and he’d known. Someone like Jake Logan didn’t have to bother with people who snubbed him. He could just pick one of those willing women in the queue. If she never saw even a hint of that warmth again, she only had herself to blame.
The Maverick Millionaire Page 9
