9. Chapter Nine
Chapter Nine
June
I admit I was skeptical, but Jonah wasnt exaggerating when he said the makeup team is good at what they do. As I sit in a tent and stare at the unfamiliar face looking back at me in the mirror, Im starting to think this might work. If I had friends in town, they would probably recognize me, but I dont think any of my few casual acquaintances would know its me beneath the wrinkles and curly gray hair.
Im impressed, I tell Katie as she makes a couple last-minute adjustments to my face.
She scoffs. Of course you are. Either she doesnt like me, or shes mad the other makeup artist got to work with Jonah. Maybe its both. Dont touch your face, she says, squinting at me. And dont make out with Jonah under any circumstances.
Yeah, she definitely doesnt like me.
What if we have to create a distraction? I ask, poking a bear I shouldnt poke.
Katie narrows her eyes. Break a vase.
Is that my sweetheart I see? a croaky voice says behind me, pulling my attention to the old man hobbling inside. My eyes arent what they used to be. His eyes are the same golden brown eyes that stared at me so intently while we tag-teamed the dishes this morning. If not for my certainty that no one else could have the same spark in his gaze, I wouldnt recognize Jonah.
Seriously, are these makeup artists magicians? Not only has Jonah been aged up several decades, but hes also mostly bald, his bare head full of age spots. He stands slightly stooped, dressed in a colorful sweater and khaki slacks above scuffed white tennis shoes that look well loved. Even his hands holding the cane look old.
I cant stop staring.
Jonah holds a hand to his ear. Did you say something, dear?
Hi, I breathe. You look like you have one foot in the grave. I dont look as old as he does, though my floral muumuu certainly makes me feel old.
What can I say? I like younger women. But then he leans close and mock whispers, Thats not true. Im into older gals.
Blushing, I slip on the thin glasses that the costume design team left for me and get to my feet, doing my best to act the way I look. You are a shameless flirt, Jonah James.
He cracks up and stands straight, and its like his body suddenly reacquires all the muscle hiding under that sweater. Without stooping, he wont be able to hide his fit physique. Okay, he says in his regular, clear voice, were going to have to work on your acting skills before we hit the town. My three-year-old niece is better at playing a granny.
I roll my eyes. Believe it or not, I generally like to be honest.
He presses a hand to his heart. Are you calling me a liar?
Thats your entire job description.
Fair enough. He twists his lips, studying me with a thoughtful look in his eyes. Youve read McAllisters book, right?
I raise an eyebrow. Wheres he going with this? Ive read all his books.
Okay, overachiever. He smirks at me, wrinkles twisting with his smile. So you know how the character Im playing, Logan, turns out to be in on the plot all along, and its easy to see looking back on it but not while youre in the thick of the book for the first time?
I shrug, not sure what this has to do with pretending to be old. Also, does this mean he has read Hanks book? More than once? When filming started, he hadnt even read the whole script, though he did offer a good explanation for that when he mentioned hanging out with his sick mom. There is something wildly attractive about a man willing to put in the work. Sure.
Hes acting the whole time, and the reason Gabrielleand the audiencebelieves him is because everything he does is subtle. So you dont want to be all wobbly and wiggly. He demonstrates, hunching over his cane and shimmying his body as he steps toward me. He looks ridiculous, though I would have done that exact thing. No, see, its going to be smaller than that. Grinning, he adjusts his hold and takes another few shuffling steps toward me. You have tired and unreliable limbs, so your steps are heavy and uncertain. Your arm strength isnt there so most of your support is in your back.
As he reaches me, his free hand shakily traces my jaw with a featherlight touch. A shiver runs through me, and his voice turns gruff. Youve lived a whole lifetime, he murmurs. Done all the things you wanted to do. Made mistakes, had triumphs, suffered heartbreaking loss and experienced overwhelming joy. But deep down youre still the woman who befriends cranky cats and endures overconfident actors and makes my heart beat entirely for you whenever Im near you.
Is this still part of the acting lesson? Because Jonah is gazing at me with so much intensity that I think I might catch fire. No matter what Katie the makeup artist does or doesnt want me to do, Im likely to kiss this man if he doesnt blink or look away.
I dont think hell mind.
Ahem. Speaking of Katie She waits until we both look at herI forgot she was still hereand then she bats her eyes and coyly says, Do you need anything else, Mr. James?
Though Jonah lets out a heavy sigh, he shakes his head at Katie. He waits until she leaves before turning back to me, a sparkle in his eyes. Hopefully she was nice to you. I try to avoid her when I can.
I shouldnt love that knowledge after the way she just flirted with him, but I do. Are you sure its okay that we used the production team for this? Katie spent more than two hours making me look old, and Im wearing one of the outfits worn by Gabrielles elderly neighbor in the film.
Jonah chuckles. More than okay. When I told Beckett we were going to try to stop the saboteur, he practically burst into tears and told me to use whatever I need. He offers his arm to me. You ready? The sooner we figure out this problem, the sooner we can turn our attention to His eyes darken as he looks at me. More important activities.
My goodness, this man is going to make me combust before the day is through.
So whats our plan? I ask as we leave the tent arm in arm. I obviously didnt ask the right questions when I was talking to people in town before.
Jonah hums as we join several crew members heading into town for the days filming. Ill admit Im a little rusty on examining witnesses, so I was hoping youd be the expert here.
I didnt think of it that way. And now my gears are turning, flipping the situation into trying to get the truth out of a prosecution case. I left most of the court proceedings to others, but often I was the one coming up with the right questions.
We should work on our backstory, Jonah says. Id say weve been married for He looks at me, head tilted to the side. Sixty years?
I scoff. Was I a child bride or something? I dont look that old.
High school sweethearts. Met when you were a freshman, I was a senior. He kisses my cheek. I spent a couple of years in Vietnam, and you dutifully waited for me.
Rolling my eyes, I point an age-spotted finger at him. I dated all the time while you were gone, but your letters were so sweet that I couldnt bring myself to give up on you.
Jonahs eyes sparkle as he looks down at me, and he pulls me to a stop, stepping off to the side of the crews path. I wrote you a letter every day I was gone.
And I kept them under my bed.
He shifts closer, taking my hand between both of his and holding it against his chest. I carried your picture in my breast pocket.
I cant help but move in closer, mesmerized by his warm eyes and the thought of someone carrying my picture with him like that. Iuh I swallow and try again. I turned down Bobby Flemings proposal only a week before you got home.
He gasps and pulls me flush against his solid body. His what?
His proposal! Im overheating again, but I refuse to look away from Jonahs intense gaze. Im a catch, and so was Bobby Fleming.
I hate Bobby Fleming. Jonah leans in, lips brushing mine in the barest of touches.
Jonah? Dexters voice is dissonant and overly loud. Or maybe Im just annoyed by the interruption. Wow, they did a good job on you two.
Theres no sign of irritation in Jonahs eyes, but he does look like he might laugh as he pulls away to look at his assistant. Did you need something, Dex?
Turning red, Dexter hunches his shoulders and shakes his head. Well, yes. Sort of. Richie wants me to trail you guys since you wont let him come with you into town.
I furrow my brow. Wont people recognize you as Jonahs assistant? Thats why were making Richie keep his distance, much to his irritation. But the mans too big to disguise.
Dexter shrugs. Ill stay out of the way.
I dont think we have a choice, Jonah murmurs before I can keep arguing. Occupational hazardIm never alone.
I dont know how much I love that aspect of his life. Doesnt he ever want some privacy? It would drive me crazy to always have someone watching me. Its why I barely kissed him on our first date, knowing Richie was only a few steps behind.
Jonahs gaze grows heavy as he glances between Dexter and me, and I cant help but wonder if he knows what Im thinking about. Okay, heres the plan, he says, clapping his hands together. Dex, youre going to stay as far as you can while still keeping us in your line of sight so you can appease Richie. June, you and I are going to have that first date I promised you at the diner; itll be a great chance to charm people into talking to us and giving us some leads.
Frowning, I try to imagine interacting with people from town without being recognized. Im no actor, and makeup can only go so far. What if I cant do that?
Jonah lifts an eyebrow. What if you cant talk to people? I think we both know youre more than capable of holding a conversation.
What if I cant be charming?
Again, I dont think that will be a problem.
He has a lot more faith in me than I have in myself. I think I scratch my arm, wishing I had a fraction of Jonahs confidence. I think I should let you do most of the talking, no matter what. I dont want to mess things up when this was your idea.
That gets a chuckle out of him. One, we should never trust my ideas to be solid because Im not as smart as I pretend to be. And two, no matter how this goes, my main goal is to enjoy my time with you. If we catch a saboteur, all the better, but Im not hiding my primary motivator for all of this. He leans down and kisses my gray wig. Im in this because youre in this, June Harper.
How in the world is this man still single? Offering a grateful smile, I lift my hand and gently pat his wrinkled cheek. And here I thought you were trying to be selfless and save the rest of the crew from the terror of Laketown.
He snorts. I have never been accused of being selfless.
Maybe not, but the man slept on my floor last night to keep me from being afraid. I think he is seriously downplaying his good heart, and the more I learn about him, the less certain I am that our interactions are harmless flirting. As I look up into his eyes, meeting his smile with my own, I cant help but wonder what it might be like to date a guy like Jonah James. He lives in LA, which isnt exactly nearby, but surely he gets breaks in between movies and can go wherever he wants. With the way hes looking at me so intently, I have to wonder if hes thinking something similar.
Would he come visit me in Laketown during his breaks?
Dexter clears his throat, pulling us apart. Sorry, he mutters. Just thought maybe youd want to get started at some point.
Right. Jonah drops my hand and nods. We need code names.
Shoving my fantasies down deep, I revert back to the sarcasm that has served me well so far when it comes to Jonah. Aww, but Jonah and June sound so cute together.
Im not going to argue, he says with a smirk, but if were going to get information, we dont want to raise suspicion.
We could use your real name, I suggest, snickering when Dexter takes a step closer in interest.
Jonah notices too and shakes his head, still grinning. Nah, you still havent earned that one. Im feeling like a Cecil.
Cecil, I repeat, testing the name on my tongue. Whats your last name, Cecil?
Whatever yours is, Delilah.
Delilah?
He nods with mock seriousness. Cecil and Delilah. Has a nice ring to it, dont you think?
I dont, actually. I take a step back so I can get a better look at the man in front of me. Jonah James has such a strong presence most of the time, but in his old man getup, hes so much softer. I dont think he can ever be without that confident glint in his eyes, though, so he needs a name that reflects those two sides of him. Soft but strong. I think youre a Harlowe.
Jonah folds his arms. Do you? Then whats your name, my darling wife?
I havent gotten that far, but now hes looking at me with feigned impatienceat least I think its feignedand putting me under pressure. Um. Midge.
He raises an eyebrow. Harlowe and Midge?
I groan. Okay, thats way worse than the names you came up with. Why is this so hard?
Humming, he trails his eyes over me for a second, then looks over at Dexter. What if I use my middle name?
I perk up. Really? Youll tell me your middle name?
If you tell me yours.
That might work, and I am almost desperate for even a part of Jonahs real name. Deal.
You first.
I shake my head. It was your idea, Jonah James. Whats your middle name?
His smile shifts into something softer as he holds out his hand for a handshake. Martin.
Taking his hand, I let the name wash over me before I say, Margaret.
Jonahs eyes sparkle. Martin and Maggie. I like it. And our last name?
Much as I like the idea of coming up with something fun, we might as well keep things as simple as we can. Smith.
Something like surprise flickers across Jonahs face, lifting his eyebrows. Smith? Really?
Lets not complicate things.
Yes, maam. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, reporting for duty. He salutes Dexter and offers his arm to me once more, directing me toward town.
Neither of us says anything as we make our approach, Dexter several paces behind us, but I sense a shift between us. As soon as were within sight of town, were going to have to pretend to be a long-married couple. Jonah told me how to act old, but I dont think his quick little lesson is going to help me act in love.
Then again, as I look over and meet Jonahs gaze as Laketown comes into sight, a burst of warmth rushes through me, leaving me with a burning sensation in my chest. Its like sitting in front of a crackling fire in the dead of winter. Warm, peaceful, perfect.
Maybe being Jonahs wife wont be as difficult as I fear.