I stared at her, unable to believe that she, in her southern drawl, was mothering me as if I was about to go out of control on set.
"It was a figure of speech," I said. "I wasn't really going to cheer. I know we need to stay out of the way."
I picked up the paperback novel that was on the seat next to me. "That's why I'm bringing this. I'm sure we'll be lucky if we can even get close enough to see what's going on."
London studied me for a few seconds. "Well, I guess just wear whatever you want then," she said, looking down her nose at me.
I smiled. "Thanks," I said. "I will."
She flashed me an overly-sweet, fake smile before heading toward her room again. "Suit yourself," she said shrugging as she walked away. "We're gonna be leaving here in about an hour."
"I'm ready when you are," I said, knowing that would push her buttons.
She didn't bother responding.
Chapter 3
The scene was being filmed at a bar on the outskirts of town. It was up on a hillside, and had a beautiful view of the city and ocean. I'd been living in L.A. since I was 17, and I'd never been to Santa Barbara. I decided I liked it, and would return some other time without London.
There were vehicles parked along the side of the road as we approached, and I pulled her rented Mercedes behind one of them. "What are you doing?" she asked, looking at me as if I was crazy.
I gestured at the car in front of me. "I'm parking."
She looked at the GPS on the dash. "The address says it's way up there."
"I know, but everybody seems to be parking right here." I motioned again to the parked car in front of me. "I'm sure they have the actual parking lot barricaded off since they're filming a scene right there."
She rolled down her window and craned her neck out to try to see down the street. "I think we can get closer than this," she said. "Don't you?"
"Not really, or I wouldn't have parked here. But I'll drive you up there if you want."
"I do," she said, without hesitation.
I pulled onto the road and slowly approached the address. We passed about thirty cars before making our way to the driveway, which was blocked off. The building was set back off the road a little ways, but we could see it, along with people, trailers, cameras, and tons of other equipment. It was exciting.
"Dang," she said, dazedly. Then she smiled at me. "How about you just drop me off?"
I didn't mind that idea at all. In fact, I'd probably take my time parking the car and walking back up there. I smiled. "Sure," I said. I pulled into the driveway just far enough to turn around and head back the way I came.
It took about fifteen minutes for me to make my way back to the entrance on foot, and I approached tentatively since I technically had no business being there. There were tons of people milling around the outskirts of the parking lot, but I couldn't seem to locate London.
"I'm sorry ma'am, it's a closed set if you don't have one of these," a man said. He had approached from the side of me, so I was caught off guard, which made me instantly nervous and probably suspicious looking. I turned to face him with a smile that I hoped seemed natural. He was holding up some sort of card that was hanging around his neck by a lanyard.
"I'm, uh, here with my friend who's here with Logan Ritchie. I think I'm maybe supposed to have one of those," I said, almost apologetically.
"She's with me," I heard London call from a distance.
We both turned to find her approaching with a lanyard around her neck and another in her hand. There was a guy walking with her, but I knew it wasn't Logan Ritchie—unless he had a ton of makeup on and had lost about fifty pounds. The person walking with her was a super skinny Asian guy. He was dressed in all black, high fashion clothes, and he walked with a purpose.
London pulled back when I shifted my attention to her. She pointed at the Asian guy's back with an intense expression on her face and mouthed some words to me. It wasn’t just one word, either. She was trying to make me discern a whole sentence. She must have thought I was a champion lip reader or something. I just made a confused expression that said I wasn't even close to understanding what she was saying. She quit trying and rolled her eyes at me.
The guy in black crossed to say something to the person who'd been questioning me, and London marched right up to me. "He can make me an extra!" she whispered frantically. It was all she had time to get out before the guy in black finished what he was saying to the questioner and came to stand with us.
"Are you ready?" he asked in a no-nonsense way, staring at London.
"I'm gonna run an errand with Kai," she informed me. "The director forgot something and we have to pick it up." She smiled at Kai. "Kai's the director's assistant," she said proudly in that slow, sweet, southern accent. She shifted her attention to me and handed me the extra lanyard. "I told him you would just sit in the picnic area and not bother anybody."
I grabbed the lanyard with the same hand that I was using to hold my book. I took it between two of my fingers and then wiggled the whole handful at her. "Nobody will even know I'm here," I said, smiling.
"We better go," he said.
"I have a convertible if you want to take that," she said.
Kai cocked his head at her as if considering the possibilities.
She pointed at me, searching me with her eyes for the keys. "It's a Mercedes. We just pulled up here and turned around in it a little while ago. It's super nice. It's brand new."
"Can I drive it?" he asked, smiling for the first time at the thought.
She beamed at his enthusiasm. I could tell she loved the idea of pleasing him, especially when he evidently had the power to make her an extra in the movie.
"You most certainly can!" She snapped her fingers at me. "She has the keys," she said, still smiling at Kai. I fished into my back pocket and pulled them out.
Kai reached out for them, but she put out a hand to stop him and smiled at me. "Would you mind bringing it around for us?" she asked, in a syrupy sweet tone. She gave me pleading eyes. "Neither of us wore good shoes for walking down that big hill."
"We can walk," Kai said.
"She doesn't mind, and it'll only take her a minute," London said. She pointed at my shoes. "She has her sneakers on."
"I don't mind," I said, before Kai had the chance to refuse again. I took off toward the car at a faster pace than when I was on my way up there a few minutes earlier. Part of me felt embarrassed that London had treated me like her valet in front of that guy, but the other part of me was just glad to be rid of her for a little while, and was happy to bring them the car if it meant she'd be disappearing in it.
I pulled into the driveway and got out of the car, handing the keys to Kai. He had the decency to thank me when he took them out of my hand.
"Logan's in a meeting," London said in that same warning, motherly tone she'd been using earlier. "So don't try to look for him or anything. You'll find the picnic area past those trailers. Just stay over there out of the way."
I picked up my book and shot her a smile that was likely not sincere at all. "Thanks," I said.
She smiled. "Have fun!"
"You too," I said as I turned to walk away.
She and Kai were both making giddy exclamations as they sat in the car. I didn't look back, but I could hear them.
The picnic area was easy to find. It was a huge tent set up on the far side of the trailers. I thought people might question my presence, but no one seemed to notice me. A few people glanced at me, but we just smiled like we assumed each other should be there. There were ten or fifteen picnic tables lined up underneath the tent, but it was a beautiful day, so some people were scattered around outside the tent in the nearby grass and woods.
I almost went directly into the woods, but I decided to try to find a spot at one of the picnic tables since I promised London that I'd stay there. All of the tables were occupied, but a few of them only had a couple of people. I went to one of the tables that was sparsely occupied, and stood a
t the empty end of it. There were two people sitting at the other end having a conversation. The tables were huge, and there was no way I could hear what they were saying, so I assumed they wouldn't mind if I took a seat on the far end. I carefully sat on the very edge of the bench, which made them both look at me.
"Do you guys mind if I sit here?" I asked.
I held up my book, indicating that I'd be busy doing my own thing and wouldn't pay attention to them.
They looked at each other before looking back at me in a reluctant but snobby way. "We're kind of having a private conversation right now," one of them said slowly.
What followed was the most awkward ten seconds of my life, even more awkward than London treating me like her servant. I smiled like I thought they were joking, but they didn't smile back. The tables were huge, and there was no way I could hear them. I wasn't even interested in hearing them. I quickly realized they were dead serious. They were telling me I couldn’t sit there. Wow. My heart started racing, and blood rose to my cheeks. I hated confrontations—especially really embarrassing ones. I was already sitting down by the time what they were saying sunk in, and I got back to my feet, feeling a bit like I was in a dream. Forget this… There was no way I was trying another table.
I numbly made my way out of the tent to the wooded area nearby. I'd sit by a tree. Trees never told anyone they were having a private conversation. I found a perfect spot near a tree with a flat rock just big enough for me to sit comfortably.
"Looks like you got a good spot," I heard a guy's voice say from behind me as I dusted off the rock. I turned to find Logan Ritchie smiling at me.
I was still all shook up from the table snobs, and his presence had me feeling breathless. He was wearing khakis and a vintage black T-shirt with a few stripes across the chest. He had on skater shoes, and I caught myself wondering if that was his wardrobe for the movie or his own clothes. What had he even said, anyway?
"I'm sorry, what?" I asked as calmly as I could.
Every second felt like a lifetime. I had all sorts of thoughts, one after another. Don't stare, just smile, act natural, that's Logan Ritchie standing right there in front of you. He's just a regular guy—a normal guy, like your brother.
His smile broadened at what I assumed was my stunned expression. Snap out of it, I told myself.
"I said it looks like you got the best seat in the house up here," he said. He pointed at me with a casual flick of his hand. "I saw you under the tent. I was trying to catch up with you, but you ran up here."
"I ran?" I asked.
He smiled and shrugged. "You walked quickly," he said. "And I was by my trailer when I first saw you, so I had some catching up to do.
I stared at him, wondering the obvious. "You might have me confused with someone else," I said. "Because we've never met."
"I assumed you were Rachel," he said. He pointed at my shirt, and I looked down to find the lanyard. "They're color coded to tell why you're here. All my guests have the green ones. That tells me you're here with me, so I did the math."
He was still smiling. It was so warm and inviting that I smiled right back at him. His was the friendliest face I'd seen so far on the set, and I was thankful for the warm welcome.
Logan was much better looking in person than he was in movies. Talk about brown eyes that could look straight through you. Maybe it was just that being himself looked good on him. I smiled at the thought that even though I'd seen him in a few movies, I'd never seen the real him. The guy standing in front of me was the real Logan Ritchie, and I was instantly drawn to him. I felt no need to explain my presence or that I would be quiet and stay out of the way. His smile told me I didn't need to bother with that stuff.
"What are you smiling at?" he asked.
"I was just thinking about all the characters you've played, and how this one's just the plain old you."
He held out his hands. "I'm playing me right now," he said, smiling.
"You seem nice," I said.
"So do you." He held eye contact with me for a long while after that, so long that I finally broke it and glanced at my feet before looking at him again with a smile.
"I thought London would be with you," he said.
"She ran an errand with the director's assistant," I said. "I think she thought you'd be tied up for a while. She's gonna be sad she missed you."
"She's the one who's gonna be tied up," he said.
"Why's that?"
"Because Kai had to go back to L.A. to pick up something John left behind."
"Back to L.A.?" I asked.
He smiled. "Yeah."
"I don't think London knew that," I said.
He shrugged. "They'll probably be gone for four or five hours depending on traffic."
I put my hand over my mouth, wondering how London would react when she found out. I had to think she wouldn't be pleased, but one never knew with that girl.
"You wanna go for a walk?" he asked.
I was lost in thought about London, and his question made me tilt my head at him. "Me?"
He smiled. "Yeah."
"I was just planning on reading a little bit."
"You got something against walks?" he asked with a teasing grin.
I smiled. "Not really, I just promised I'd stay out of the way. I'm good just sitting here reading. You don't need to entertain me or anything. I know you have work to do."
"I'm actually just trying to entertain myself," he said, looking around. "We can't do anything until Kai gets back with John's stuff. That's what our meeting was about."
"So you're set back four or five hours?" I asked.
He let out a humorless laugh as he stretched. "That's nothing. We have delays all the time. My whole life's a series of delays."
I smiled and squinted at him. "Somehow I doubt that."
He let out a final groan as he finished his stretch. His shirt had come up while his arms were in the air, exposing the bottom portion of his perfect male abdomen. I tried not to look, but it was literally impossible. I had to squeeze in a tiny glance.
"You're life's pretty exciting, too, from what I hear," he said. He smiled at me and I answered with a confused expression that made him continue. "London told us all about you when we were at lunch the other day."
"She did?" I asked. My expression must have been comically confused because Logan laughed. "She said your parents were missionaries and you grew up helping them in their orphanage. Now you're a dentist and you're saving the world in your spare time. She thinks the world of you."
"She said all that?" I asked, feeling like I was in some other reality. I was staring blankly at his face, trying to associate the London I knew with the one who said all those kind things about me.
"I feel like I should brush my teeth right now," he said, using his hand to shield his mouth.
"Because I'm a dentist?" I asked, smiling.
"Yeah," he said. "It's kind of intimidating."
"Well, here's two things to make you feel better… one is that I'm not quite a dentist yet. I still have a few months to go, and two, you're teeth are obviously perfect. You get an A-plus from me on first impressions."
He had dropped his hand, and I could clearly see his teeth as he smiled.
I shook my head. "They're literally perfect," I said, inspecting them. "I'm a fan of your work."
He cracked up laughing at that. "You're a fan of my teeth-brushing skills?" he asked.
I nodded and smiled.
"I have to say, that's a first."
Chapter 4
I was standing in a fairly secluded area talking to Logan for about five minutes before a guy walked up to us. He had on a green lanyard that was exactly the same as mine, so I deduced that he, like me, was here as a guest of Logan.
"What are you doing?" he asked Logan in a matter of fact tone.
Logan gestured to me. "I'm talking."
The guy looked me over as if trying to figure out who I was.
"Nico, this is Rachel, she's London's
friend," Logan said.
I had the strong urge to defend myself by saying something like, "We're not really all that close," but I didn't. I knew that would be rude—especially after she apparently up-sold me already. I just smiled and waved, and Nico returned the gesture before shifting his attention to Logan again.
"What do you wanna do for the next few hours?" Nico asked.
"I'd like to stay out here and get some fresh air since it's so nice," Logan said, gesturing around him to indicate their surroundings.
"I'm probably just gonna hang out with Phillip in the trailer."
"Why'd you come out here then?" Logan asked in that teasing way guys who are good friends talk to each other.
Nico shrugged. "Cuz I thought you might want to go somewhere since you have a break."
"I'm good," Logan said. He looked at me. "Unless you want to go somewhere."
I put a hand to my chest instinctually. "Me?"
He looked over my shoulder at the empty space behind me, giving me a hard time. I smiled at his silliness, but shook my head in answer to his question. "I'll probably just hang out over here and read, unless I'm needed for something else."
Logan's wide mouth curved upward in an easy, confident grin. It was no wonder he was a famous movie star. He had that extra something. Magnetism. "I believe you are needed for something else," he said, seeming entertained.
"What is it?"
"A walk with me."
"A walk?" Nico asked, seeming bored. He turned and waved at us. "I'll be in the trailer if you need me."
"Nice meeting you!" I called.
He turned and smiled. "You too."
Logan looked at me. "So?"
"So what?"
"You coming?"
"Are you sure you want to…" I trailed off, not really knowing what I wanted to ask.
"Why don't you want to take a walk with me?" I glanced over his shoulder at the groups of people standing around. "I just didn't know if you could take a walk. You know with everything going on here and stuff."
He laughed, which made me look at him. Our eyes locked as he continued smiling. "I'm the one who works here," he said. "I know when I have to be back."
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