Blurred Boundaries

by Lori Crawford

  “What about Eva?”

  “The complete opposite. Go figure. We have to beg her to go to her mom’s.”

  “Small favors.” Tam checked on Evan again. Vivian caught her and chuckled.

  “Yeah. You’re not into him at all.”

  “He’s in a strange state. By himself. I don’t want to lose him. Do you have any idea how screwed I’d be if I managed to misplace one of our show’s main stars?”

  “Of course that’s it.” Vivian paused. “Oh, my God! That is it.”

  Tam raised her brows at Vivian’s exclamation. “What is wrong with you?”

  “I just figured out why Evan looked so familiar.”

  Tam narrowed her eyes at Vivian. “You have seen the show, right? You said you watched my episode.”

  Her friend looked totally guilty and wouldn’t meet her eyes. “And I will. When I have time.”

  “Vivian! You totally lied to me.”

  “No. I said you rocked it. Which, knowing you, you did.”

  Tam clapped a hand to her forehead and fought a smile. Typical Vivian.

  “He’s familiar because Missy has a Fathead of him on her wall. She loves that thing.” Vivian gave Tam an evil grin. “She’s going to be devastated when she finds out he stayed in her house and she wasn’t there.”

  Tam hopped on board Vivian’s wicked train of thought. This was why they were besties. “What do you think about a little torture? Really make her pay for being such a little shit.”

  Vivian grinned Tam’s direction. “I think that this is why I’ve missed you.”

  chapter fifteen

  “Rehearsal’s up!” Tam focused her camera tight on the bottom corner of the giant Evan Josephs Fathead decal that nearly covered one entire wall of Missy’s room. While Evan scrawled his signature with an imaginary Sharpie, Tam slowly zoomed out. He finished signing before she got his face in the frame.

  “How was that?” He asked.

  She shook her head. “No good. I was too slow. Resetting.” Tam zoomed back in.

  “Should I sign faster?”

  “Nah. Let me work the zoom. I don’t want to risk changing your signature.” They tried the shot one more time. This time, she was too fast. “Darn it. I’m going to get this.”

  “I’m sure it’s fine,” Vivian chimed in from where she was watching in the doorway.

  Evan smiled at her. “We’re professionals. Anything less than perfect will not fly.”

  Tam was so grateful that Evan was embracing this crazy idea of hers with such gusto. A thirty second PSA from Evan on why she shouldn’t be a little shit would go a long way toward getting Missy to straighten up and act right. Or at least Tam hoped it would.

  “Rehearsal’s up!” This time, Evan and Tam were in perfect sync. She was happy with the shot and confident that she could do it live. “Let’s go for real.”

  Evan uncapped the Sharpie Vivian handed him and prepared to sign Missy’s prized Fathead. Tam looked at her friend who appeared more nervous than she did. Tam was not a camera person.

  “Action!”

  Evan signed the decal then faced the camera with his signature sexy smirk. The expression matched the one he was wearing on said decal. He delivered his lines.

  “I hope you don’t mind. That Fathead just felt like something was missing. I fixed it.”

  He capped the Sharpie and walked around the bed toward Tam. “You’re welcome.”

  He held out a hand to Vivian and pulled her into view. He slung a casual arm around her shoulders and she blushed beet red. Tam couldn’t help, but smile. Vivian hated taking pictures. Video had to be a gazillion times worse.

  “I bet you didn’t know that Vivian and I go way back. When I stopped by to hang with her, I found out that you’ve haven’t been the greatest daughter lately. That makes me sad.”

  He pulled an exaggerated frowny pouty face. “I don’t like it when people aren’t nice to my friends. So here’s the deal.” He and Vivian sat on Missy’s bed. “I’m going to check in with Vivian more often. Specifically to ask about you. If you’re being cool, you can come hang with me on set next season. If not, well. You won’t.

  “That means no more guys in here. No more smoking or alcohol. No more shirking your homework. The more A’s you get, the more friends you get to bring. Got it?

  “I know you don’t hear it when Vivian says it, but she loves you and wants you to have an awesome life, Missy. Let’s say we get started on that. Today.”

  “Cut.” Tam smiled. “That was fantastic. We’ll shoot some more B roll then cut it together.”

  Evan nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

  The next few hours flew by while Tam and Evan played around with different shots and angles. Tam knew they were putting way too much effort into a simple “Stop being a little shit” video for Missy, but she was having a great time working with Evan. Maybe she should go ahead and accept his offer to work on that film with him. She had to admit, it was flattering that he trusted her enough to do it since it would be his directorial debut.

  When they were ready to start cutting, Vivian set them up in her dining room since Peter’s home office was more junk room than office. Despite having quite a bit of space, Evan sat shoulder to shoulder with her to share his computer screen. She tapped her pen on the hastily written pages and watched him work. All the while trying not to focus on how good he smelled or how warm he was next to her.

  When he viewed the footage of him signing the Fathead, he nodded and smiled. “Nice job.”

  “I was just following instructions. Sorry it took so long to get the timing right.”

  He turned those gorgeous blue eyes on her. It was so tempting just to leap in them and drown so she lowered her gaze just a bit. Big mistake. Because now she was focused on his stubbled jaw that was oh so near his lips. She could not win.

  “You know how this works. It takes as long as it takes to get the shot. And you got the shot.”

  She smiled and nodded. It was a terrible idea to accept his job offer on the film. One massive unrequited crush in a lifetime was more than plenty. Besides, the timing was terrible. She’d finally made a nice forward move in her career. No way was she going to jeopardize that by crushing on some two bit actor. Except that was part of the problem. Evan wasn’t just a two bit actor. It would almost be easier if he were. She would find him nowhere near as appealing.

  She needed a distraction. Then she remembered that he was supposed to be her distraction from her parents. He was doing a great job because now she needed a distraction from him. Perhaps Teddy Craig would fit the bill. Teddy Craig would distract her from Evan who was distracting her from her parents. Sure. Oh boy. This was getting convoluted.

  She realized he was waiting for her to respond. She nodded. “I got the shot.”

  “This is going to be great.” He returned his attention to the screen for a moment to load the footage in his editing program. He gave her an inquisitive look. “Think we can talk Vivian into filming Missy’s reaction to seeing this?”

  “That’s genius. Yes! It’ll be hilarious.” Tam smirked. “I bet this is the last time Missy decides to use her mother as a weapon against Vivian.”

  “You got that right.” He treated her to a wicked grin before turning his attention back to the screen.

  Tam couldn’t help herself. She put her hand on his arm. When he looked at her, she said, “Thank you for doing this.”

  He looked like he was about to give her a snappy comeback, but thought better of it. Instead, he just nodded and squeezed her hand. “You’re welcome.”

  Tam got all warm and tingly inside under his kind gaze. Was he really seeing her? As in Tamara the woman, not Tam the writer? According to Vivian, that was not so farfetched. Yet, Tam just could not see how that was even possible? A more dangerous question was did she want him to see her? Talk about the world going topsy-turvey.

  She’d spent all these years wondering what could have been with Teddy Craig if she’d just had the cou
rage to kiss him that night. Now that she was on the brink of finding out if that spark might still be there, here she was catching feelings for someone else. A completely inappropriate someone else because he was far too tied to the career she’d also spent the last twenty years trying to build. How stupid would it be for her to put all of that at risk? Time to nip it in the bud.

  “Do I need a whip to crack? Get back to work,” she teased.

  “Yes, ma’am!” She thought she saw a flicker of disappointment, but he refocused on the footage. It wasn’t long before they settled into a comfortable rhythm that made it seem like they’d been doing this for years. Well, if Tam had her way, they would be. She just had to keep herself from getting sidetracked. Not the easiest thing to do, but she would find a way.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Vivian tried to keep her amused smile under wraps even though neither Evan nor Tam was paying her the slightest bit of attention at the moment. She quickly washed the peppers she needed to slice in her restaurant grade kitchen and brought them back to the counter that gave her the best view of the couple working at her dining room table. They’d been at it for hours. She couldn’t imagine that a tiny little video required all that work, but then again, they were the professionals. Not her. She was more than content to live a Hollywood life vicariously through her best friend.

  Vivian slowly sliced the peppers. She was in no hurry to finish her task because that would mean that she had no reason to stand here and watch Tam fall in love. And with a seriously decent guy, too. The fact that he’d gone along with this whole video message for Missy gained him a lifetime supply of cool points where Vivian was concerned.

  “Yum! What smells so good?” Vivian jumped at Peter’s voice behind her. He closed the back door with his hip because his hands were full with his customary two briefcases. She whirled and shushed him. Tam was leaning on Evan’s shoulder, presumably to get a better look at whatever he was doing on the laptop and she didn’t want anything to upset that tenuous connection.

  Peter gave her a questioning look, but lowered his voice. “What?”

  “We have guests.” Vivian nodded toward the dining room. Peter looked toward Evan and Tam. “Don’t disturb—”

  “Oh. Hey!” Vivian rolled her eyes as Peter did the exact opposite of what she wanted. He dropped his briefcase and went to give Tam a big hug. “You made it. Good trip?”

  “The best.”

  “Vivian didn’t mention that you were bringing a date.” Evan stood and shook Peter’s hand.

  Vivian smacked her palm to her forehead. She gave Tam an apologetic look. Peter remained oblivious.

  “Actually—” she began, but Evan cut her off.

  “It was a last minute thing. I just kind of tagged along.”

  “It’s a work thing,” Tam interjected. The men ignored her.

  “Thank God you did. I thought I was going to be outnumbered for the next few days.” Peter clapped Evan on the shoulder. “I like a level playing field.”

  And just like that, the conversation deteriorated into sports. When her mortification wore off, Vivian noticed that Evan hadn’t been in any hurry to correct Peter’s assumption. Interesting. Despite all Tam’s protests, Vivian had been on point with her earlier observations.

  Tam gave up and joined Vivian in the kitchen. “Sorry about that.”

  Tam shrugged. “It’s not like you didn’t jump to the same conclusion.” Too bad Tam didn’t understand that Vivian was apologizing for the interruption, not the assumption. Tam leaned against the counter and swiped a sliced carrot from next to the peppers that Vivian had resumed chopping. This time, her movements were quick and efficient. Chef-like.

  “I never get tired of watching you do that,” Tam said. “I’d lose a finger for sure.”

  “Vegetables are what you want to talk about right now?”

  Tam gave her a puzzled look. “What else is there?”

  Vivian heaved a frustrated sigh. “Evan. As for instance.”

  Tam shrugged. “What’s there to talk about? Except, the video is going to be everything. You have to get Missy’s reaction on camera and send it to us.”

  Vivian couldn’t help, but smirk at Tam’s use of the word “us.” Maybe her friend would get there. Sooner hopefully rather than later. If Evan didn’t want to be alone, he was not the kind of guy who had no options. Still, she knew better than to push Tam. It would only have the reverse effect and send her running in the opposite direction. Most likely to the smarmy arms of Teddy Craig. To this day, Vivian could not understand her friend’s obsession with him.

  Vivian nodded. “I will definitely film her reaction. She’s going to freak out.” Vivian dumped the chopped veggies in a bowl full of lettuce. “If only you got how obsessed she is with him. The fact that he was in her bedroom when she wasn’t here is going to kill her. It’s going to be awesome!”

  The oven timer beeped signaling that the lasagna had finished cooking. Vivian donned her oven mitts and pulled the dish from the oven. “Now to let it set.”

  “I think I’m going to take the job.” Tam said, quietly. It took Vivian a moment to remember to which job she was referring. “At this point in my career, I really shouldn’t be turning anything down.”

  Vivian gave her a hard look. “Is that the only thing you don’t want to turn down?”

  Tam slanted her an annoyed look. “Please don’t start up with that again.” She gestured toward the dining room where the men were getting on like gangbusters. “Surely, you’ve now seen for yourself that we’re just friends.” Tam shrugged so casually that Vivian knew better than to believe her.

  What she saw was Tam’s fear of admitting anything. Even to herself. Vivian sighed and decided not to push. She knew how stubborn Tam could be. Evan certainly had his work cut out for him. Vivian would do whatever was necessary to help him out.

  chapter sixteen

  Evan stretched and rolled over. He fully expected Tam to still be sprawled beside him, but her side of the bed was empty. He was tempted to rush off in search of her, but figured that would be pushing his luck just a bit too far.

  He hadn’t been able to believe his good fortune when Vivian had shown both him and Tam to “their” room. He wouldn’t have to come up with any lame excuses to stick close to her. He thought about the smirk he’d glimpsed on Vivian’s face when she’d directed Peter to bring their bags up here. Perhaps the territory wasn’t as hostile as he’d first feared.

  Of course, the video he and Tam had shot to help her with Missy may have something to do with the goodwill Vivian was lobbing his way. Either way, he didn’t care. Not as long as he got to hang around Tam as much as possible. Especially since his plan to win her over relied so heavily upon making his being underfoot seem so normal.

  He sat up and stroked his jaw. Without the constant shaving he had to do when he was Drew, his beard was coming in full and thick. He’d whack it off in time for the formal dance that was part of the reunion festivities, but for now, he was curious to see how she’d react to seeing the real him.

  After a quick shower, he dressed and wandered downstairs. Tam and Vivian’s voices sounded from the direction of the kitchen. He let his ears lead the way.

  Sure enough, the women sat chatting at the kitchen table. The remains of a pretty impressive breakfast was on the stove. He sniffed appreciatively.

  “That smells delightful.”

  They both jumped and looked his way. He frowned. Had they been that deep in conversation to not notice his arrival? He was not used to walking in any room unobserved. He kind of liked it. It meant that he didn’t need to be “on” all the time.

  Vivian was the first to recover. She smiled. “Good morning. I thought sure you’d sleep the day away.” She stood and went to the stove. “Can I get you a plate?”

  “I can do it. I don’t want to interrupt.” His tone was magnanimous, but the only thing he wanted to do was interrupt.

  “Nonsense. Sit down. I’ll put in some more biscuits. They�
��re Tam’s secret recipe.”

  He raised his brows when he looked Tam’s way. She never took her gaze off of him when he made his way over to sit next to her. “You cooked?”

  “It’s actually my dad’s secret recipe.” She continued to eye him. It went on for so long that he was starting to get uncomfortable. He’d wanted her attention, but he’d also wanted a clue as to what she was thinking while giving him that attention.

  Just when he was reaching his breaking point, she reached over and stroked his jaw. “That is really different.”

  That she’d initiated such intimate contact made his heart soar. Maybe he was on the right track after all. “I enjoy not being Drew every once in a while.”

  “It suits you.” Her smile was soft.

  “Thanks.” Right track, he had arrived. Now, all he had to do was scope out this Teddy Craig fellow and neutralize his competition. Piece of cake. He hoped.

  Vivian placed a heaping plate of bacon, eggs, cooked apples and steaming biscuits in front of him. He inhaled the wonderful aroma. “My trainer is going to demand a raise when I get home, but it’s going to be so worth it.” He said a quick grace then dug in. The food was every bit as delicious as the aroma had promised.

  While he ate, the women kept talking. Another good sign. They didn’t feel the need to clam up around him.

  “Why not go straight to the bowling alley? I’ll have Peter drive me up. You don’t want to come all the way back here just to turn around and go back, do you?”

  “I’m okay skipping out on things tonight. I’m feeling kind of lazy today.” Tam shrugged. “Jet lag, maybe.”

  There was sad note in her voice that Evan had not heard before. He looked at her without being too intrusive. He’d seen her tired before. This wasn’t it. He didn’t know what it was. He did know that he itched to pull her close into the protective hug she looked like she needed. But he didn’t dare. He continued eating and acted like he was minding his own business. It was the hardest acting job he’d ever done.