Fire and Temptation

by Melanie Shawn

  Her face grew more serious. “How are you feeling? Your mom said that you were doing a lot better.”

  “I am,” Evan assured her.

  “She said that you tried acupuncture and meditation.”

  “I did.” He’d tried quite a few alternative treatments.

  Her chuckle filled the space around them. “I would’ve loved to see that. Did you give the acupuncturist the death stare?”

  “She was spared.” Evan smiled. The infamous death stare. Evan’s older brothers had teased Evan of having it before he could even talk. There was a framed photograph in his parents’ living room featuring a one-year-old Evan staring directly into the camera and giving it the death stare. “My eyes were closed.”

  His family’s current running joke was that Eleven from Stranger Things had stolen her stare from him.

  “Good. Oh, and your mom also said that—” Noelle’s expression grew animated as she scooted forward in her chair and whispered, “Kyle Austen Reed was going to be filming a movie here in Hope Falls.” Her emerald eyes were sparkling with delight. “Have you met him? Does Eli know him?”

  “Eli’s known him for years. I met him last week.”

  Kyle had shadowed Evan’s crew on a field exercise and offered Evan a position as a technical consultant on the film which he turned down. He couldn’t accept the offer because later today he was going to be seeing his doctor and once he got cleared from any physical restrictions he’d be back with his crew full-time.

  “What’s he like?” She whispered again. “Is he normal? Down to earth?”

  Evan had to laugh at those descriptions.

  “No. Those would not be the words I would use to describe him. The man introduces himself to everyone using all three of his names.”

  “He does?”

  “Yes. He says, ‘Hello, I’m Kyle Austen Reed,’ but that sounds worse than it is. He’s not being pretentious. It’s just…him. He’s the real-life version of Jon Hamm in that episode of 30 Rock. He’s in the bubble, but, he seems like a really good guy.”

  “That’s good. You know I’ve always loved him.”

  “Really?” Evan faked ignorance.

  “Shut up.” She rolled her eyes and grinned.

  Vivien materialized beside them, but this time he’d clocked her several tables away. She set down his usual, which was plain old coffee, black and then placed a drink that looked to have more whipped cream than liquid in front of Noelle. “Here you go.”

  “Thank you.” Noelle took a sip and closed her eyes as she hummed, mmm.

  “It’s good, right?” Vivien cosigned as Noelle nodded her head. “I had to limit myself to one a week because I put on five pounds the first two weeks we started serving it. I was having two a day. Oh!” She turned to Evan and pointed at him. “I just heard that Shayne Fox is going to be in Kyle’s movie. Is it true?”

  “Shayne Fox?!” Noelle’s eyes bounced from Vivien to Evan expectantly.

  “I don’t know who he is.” His response had both women looking at him like he’d grown another head. “What?”

  “Shayne is a she, not a he,” Vivien emphasized.

  “Oh.” Evan knew that there was a female hotshot in the movie, but he had no idea who was going to be playing the role.

  “She was Mindy Reader,” Noelle said as if that would clear things up.

  Evan still had no clue.

  “Teenage mind reader who solves crimes,” Vivien filled in the basics. “It was bigger than Hannah Montana.”

  “Oh, she’s dating Blane Freely. He’s the young cop on Boys in Blue.” Noelle looked hopeful that would ring a bell.

  It didn’t.

  “She’s also known for being a party girl. A bunch of stories just came out about her being in rehab,” Vivien said matter-of-factly.

  Noelle and Evan exchanged a weighted look. It’d been ten years since he’d completed his second stint in rehab. He rarely talked about it, and most people that weren’t in his life then had no idea that he’d ever had an issue with it. But the people that did, knew it wasn’t his favorite topic.

  Vivien, entirely oblivious to the moment that passed between Evan and Noelle continued trying to spark some recognition. “She’s in that movie that’s out now, Unsolicited.”

  “Yeah,” Noelle nodded her head. “It’s a psychological thriller.”

  He hadn’t been to the movies since the Star Wars prequels came out.

  “Oh and she was Marilyn Monroe in that biopic…what was it called?” Vivien waved her hand as she tried to remember.

  “Discovering Marilyn.” Noelle clapped her hands together.

  That got his attention, not because he had any idea who Shayne Fox was but because of his longtime affection for the fifties icon. His parents had always been Marilyn fans. His mom had the famous shot of her in a white-dress standing over a grate hanging in their family room. He’d always been drawn to it and he’d gained a new appreciation for it during his formative years.

  His ex’s enthusiasm continued as she explained, “She was so good in it. She even got nominated for an Oscar.”

  “She should’ve won.” Vivien declared before glancing over her shoulder. “I better get back. You guys enjoy.”

  When she walked away, there was a beat of silence before Noelle said, “Jazzy loves Shayne Fox. Molly has to bribe her so that she can wash her Mindy Reader shirt.”

  Evan had always gotten along with Noelle’s older sister Molly, and since none of his brothers had any kids, six-year-old Jasmine was the closest thing that he had to a niece.

  “If she does end up being in the movie, you should bring Jazzy up to meet her.” Evan offered before his brain had time to process what he was saying.

  “Seriously?” Her face lit up. “Can you do that?”

  He nodded. “I think so. Kyle shadowed the hotshot crew and said that we were all welcome on set and we could bring our families.”

  The moment the word families left his mouth his heart sank. That wasn’t the relationship he and Noelle had anymore.

  A genuine smile spread across her face. “Thanks.”

  Knowing it was the right thing to do, he said, “You should bring Tate.”

  “Really? Are you sure.”

  No. “Yeah.”

  “Thanks.” Emotion caused a tremor in the word. She stared at him for a moment before she began, “Evan, I…”

  When she didn’t continue, he leaned his forearms on the table and knew it was time to boomerang the conversation back to the original topic. He felt his stomach turn as he stared down at his hands for a moment before looking back up and asking the only question that really mattered. “Are you happy?”

  The smile that spread across her face was the only answer he needed, but she confirmed it by saying, “Yes.”

  “Then, I’m happy for you.”

  Tears filled her bottom lids. “You are?”

  “You know that’s all I’ve ever wanted for you. To be happy.”

  She nodded as a single tear fell down her cheek.

  “You deserve the best, and if even half of what my mom has said about your fiancé is true, then that’s what you got.”

  “Thank you.” He could see the relief that his well wishes had given her. “The wedding is in ten weeks.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah, it’s a shotgun wedding,” she laughed. “We wanted to wait until…” Her chin dropped as her hand rested on her belly. “Until I was a little bit farther along, but we both want to be married before the baby comes.” When she lifted her head again, he saw that there was still uncertainty in her eyes. “And, um, I would love for you to be there. I understand if you don’t want to be. I know it’s a lot to ask, and you don’t have to answer now. I just wanted you to know that I want you there. But, as I said, I would completely understa—”

  “I’ll be there.” He didn’t make promises because he hated disappointing people. And with her wedding falling right in the middle of his fire season, he knew that this was
the last thing he should be doing now. But this was Noelle. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  Her head nodded as another tear dropped down her cheek. She wiped it and smiled. “I’m sorry. It’s just hormones. Thank you, Evan. You know that no matter what, I’ll always lo—”

  “I know.” He cut her off. “I know.”

  He couldn’t hear her say the words. Not today. Maybe someday. But not today.

  Chapter 2

  ‡

  “Welcome back to Good Morning Sacramento Live. We’ve been talking to Shayne Fox, who just celebrated her twenty-fourth birthday, about walking away from the role that had made her a household name, Mindy Reader. And another role that led to an Oscar nomination, which was her spellbinding portrayal of Marilyn Monroe. So tell us Shayne, what’s next for you?” Marty Spears plastered on a broad, fake smile that was a prerequisite in his line of work as he asked what most people would take as the perfect set-up.

  Shayne Fox was not most people. When she saw the glint in the talk show host’s eye as he posed what should be a straightforward set-up for her to introduce the subject of her new project, all of her internal warning bells were going off. He was up to something, she just wasn’t sure what yet.

  Growing up in the foster care system, she’d honed several vital skills that had served her well in her career and life. One was the ability to mask any and every emotion that could be read as a weakness. Another was the art of communication, she could talk her way out of anything. And the last, the one she valued the most, was her keen ability to read people and their intentions.

  It was a hidden talent. A gift that some had called intuition, others labeled street smarts, but she referred to as survival. It had served her well during her less than ideal childhood and even more so as an adult in an industry that chews people up and spits them out. It had saved her from dangerous situations more times than she could count and may have even been the foot that had gotten her into the door of Hollywood.

  Her big break had been on the show Mindy Reader and it had changed her life. From nineteen to twenty-two she’d played a teenage telepath that used her ability to solve crimes. During her last audition, one of the executives had asked her to “pretend” to read each of the suits’ minds. She went around the room and quickly deducted semi-personal traits and habits using her finely-tuned skill. They never confirmed that she’d been correct, but by the time she was leaving the lot, her manager called with the good news that she’d booked the role.

  Today, since the moment she’d sat down in front of the bright lights on the living room set, she’d felt like the other shoe was about to drop. She just had no idea if it was a flip-flop or a steel-toed boot.

  Her brain was busily calculating where his leading question was actually going when she smiled and replied, “I’m very excited to be working on an incredible project with Kyle Austen Reed.”

  “Oh, Kyle Austen Reed. I know he’s a viewer favorite. Tell us a little bit about it.”

  “It’s called Red Card Warning. And it’s a story that follows a hotshot crew during a particularly harrowing fire season. It will be Kyle’s directorial debut.”

  She left out that she was a producer on the film or that it was a script that she’d bought the rights to and had been the one to send it to Kyle after she’d found out that he was interested in working with her.

  She’d optioned it after reading it and recognizing that it was the role of a lifetime. It had taken her four grueling years to get it made, but it was finally happening. Once the movie came out, she’d be happy to take credit for her larger role in the production, but until then she didn’t want the extra scrutiny and prejudgment that her involvement as anything more than an actress would bring.

  “And will you be Kyle Austen Reed’s love interest?”

  “My character, Josephine Norris is a hotshot firefighter.”

  Yes, her character also ends up with Kyle’s character, but that wasn’t what the movie is about and she refused to marginalize it for a soundbite.

  “So the movie is not a love story, then?”

  “It has a little bit of something for everyone. It’s a dramedy, action, romance. At its core, it is about love. Not necessarily in the romantic sense. It’s about the love of family, friendship, and the unbreakable bond that develops between a crew of people who put their lives on the line for each other and those they’ve sworn to protect.”

  “Action? Wow, that’s something we’ve never seen from Shayne Fox.”

  “I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

  “Will you be doing your own stunts?”

  “As many as they’ll let me, Marty.” She’d actually taken out special insurance so that she and Kyle would be permitted to go through the rigorous training that hotshots are required to do and also do many of their own stunts.

  “Switching gears, I know this is a sensitive subject, but I feel that it must be addressed….” Marty leaned in as he spoke. There was a pregnant pause, and Shayne knew this was the segue that she’d been bracing herself for. She could see in Marty’s eyes this was the kill shot. “Shayne, would you like to comment on the rumors that you’ve just completed thirty days at a rehab facility for drug and alcohol abuse?”

  Shayne stared at the morning talk show host and counted backward from a hundred in her head as she tried to calm down while plotting ways to murder her manager who she knew had spun this story. She’d spent ten days in a therapeutic treatment center for some anxiety issues she’d been having, not for substance abuse, but that was not as glamorous as drugs and alcohol.

  Since this was live television, there was only time to get to ninety-eight before she needed to respond. If she said no comment, everyone would believe the rumors, which were false. If she denied the rumors, people would probably believe them anyway.

  Knowing that her answer would be dissected by various entertainment gossip outlets, she knew that her response had to be peppered with just the right amount of charm, grace, and a little humor. Believable, relatable, and most of all, vulnerable. If people thought she was trying to protect herself, they would attack. It was a sad truth, but a truth nonetheless.

  Rule one of acting: if you feel it, the camera can see it. So instead of trying to hide what she was truly feeling, she drew up sincerity and genuine amusement as her lips lifted into a sparkling, engaging grin. “All I have to say is don’t believe everything you read.”

  She saw the indecision in Marty’s stare as he decided whether or not to follow up and press the issue. No doubt there was a producer in his earpiece pushing him. This was a live broadcast, though, and his choice had to be made in a split second. “There’s also been news that you ended your two-year relationship with Blane Freely. Do you want to comment on that?”

  There were a lot of stories in the press about her and Blane’s relationship and ninety-nine point nine percent of them were not true, but this one was. Making sure to keep her tone light and her good-natured grin firmly in place, she said, “That is something I can confirm.”

  “And I know that this might be hard to talk about…”

  Shayne hated that preface. If it were coming from Katie Couric, Barbara Walters, or Oprah, it would be fine. Those women were true entertainment journalists. But when it was coming from a regional morning talk show host trying to get clips for national coverage, it was never good.

  “But I have to ask, was your sobriety a factor in the split?”

  He had to ask? No. He didn’t.

  He wanted to ask and he crafted the question in such a way that Shayne could easily incriminate herself. Depending on how she answered it, she would be admitting that sobriety was a factor in her own life. Which it wasn’t.

  “The only factor in our decision was distance. Our schedules kept us apart for months at a time.” Which, in truth, was the best part of their relationship. She’d agreed to date—and she used that term lightly—the actor when she’d been pressured into doing so by her management team. He’d tur
ned out to be an asshole of epic proportions and last week after she’d left the treatment center, she’d finally put her foot down and refused to carry on the charade. “Blane and I mutually agreed that we were better off as friends.”

  “That’s a shame. You two seemed like you were made for each other.”

  The host’s mock sympathy wasn’t the only thing that caused her stomach to turn, it was also hearing that she and Blane Freely were made for each other. They had nothing in common. Except that they were both actors and had the same publicist and manager. That was where their similarities ended.

  He continued, “I think I can safely speak for myself and our viewers that we will all be mourning the loss of Foxly.”

  She inwardly cringed at the moniker that the media had coined for her and Blane that combined their last names.

  “You and Blane were hashtag-relationship-goals. Right?” He waved his hand out to a non-existent studio audience and the pre-recorded applause played through speakers.

  “Well, Shayne Fox, thank you so much for stopping by our studios. We’ll be looking forward to seeing what you have in store for us in the future.” There was more canned cheering.

  “Thank you so much for having me, Marty,” she said sweetly.

  “Next up, we have local chef Penelope Roberts showing us how to make your summer barbeque the hottest in town. And then, can running do more harm than good? Our in-house doctor will be here to answer all of your questions.”

  “And we’re clear.” An assistant director called out, and the room was instantly filled with people hustling to get set-up for the next segment.

  Shayne stood as the sound woman removed her microphone from beneath her shirt. “I loved you in Discovering Marilyn. When you were on the beach, staring out and he’s standing behind you, but you don’t know.” Her eyes started welling up with emotion. “When you turn and see him, I lose it. Every time.”

  “Thanks, Marina.” Shayne could see the excitement in the sound tech’s eyes that she’d remembered her name.