Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
J anuary 17 was a lot colder than Blake had expected it to be, considering they were in Nevada. An unusual cold front had descended from Canada and swept across the state, leaving a bracing chill in the desert air that had everyone’s teeth chattering.
The first scenes they were going to shoot were in an abandoned building they’d converted to a bar, near a small, unincorporated town called Tonopah. It was halfway between Vegas and Reno, which meant it was hours away from everything.
The only things that existed for miles in any direction were cacti and this ghost town. It would make an excellent spot for a horror movie. He’d already sent pictures of it to his mother just in case she knew someone who needed this kind of setting.
They’d completely taken over three hotels in Tonopah for the entire month, which had made the people in town extremely excited, but there hadn’t been enough rooms to house everyone.
It had been Marshall’s idea to set up a trailer park like they’d had on his last movie to house the cast, which had been a logistical nightmare to set up, but now Blake had to admit it had been worth the headaches and fees.
Sixty-two RVs now clustered around a recently installed pad that supplied water and electricity. It looked like they were hosting the next Woodstock, but at least everyone was always close by and ready at a moment’s notice.
The only bright lights out here came from the neon sign they’d created for the bar, their own spotlights, and the stars.
That was probably why it was so cold. There was nothing to stop the wind. He swore it made even the cactus shiver.
He’d sent his assistant into town, an hour away, to buy all the blankets she could find just to keep the crew warm between takes, but she wasn’t back yet. The food trucks had heroically supplied both hot coffee and hot chocolate, but they’d since run out of both.
It was eight in the morning on the first day of filming, and they were already sleep-deprived, freezing, and out of coffee.
“You two ready for this?” Piper asked. Her eyes shone as she watched the bustle going on around them.
“Hell yeah,” Marshall said. He clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “I love it when a plan comes together.”
“We didn’t plan on this weather,” Blake told him.
“It won’t last forever.” Marshall bared his teeth at the wind. “Could be worse. Could be—”
Blake held up a hand. “Don’t say it. You say the r-word and it’ll happen, and we don’t have time for that.”
“Why not? Today’s shoot is mostly inside. You worry too much,” Marshall said. “Besides, I maintain a little rain would enhance the mood.”
Blake stamped his feet to get circulation back into his toes. “Let’s get this party started.”
Marshall cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, “Thaw out the makeup, it’s time to paint! ”
Piper laughed. “I guess that’s my cue. I’ll be getting ready if you need me.”
They exchanged a look that said more than words ever could. “Glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” Piper smiled and walked off toward the hair and makeup trailer.
Two hours later, the blankets and coffee had arrived and the air was a little warmer, but they still hadn’t started shooting.
While they waited for the last of the extras to get ready and for a few technical glitches with the lights to be sorted out, Blake paced behind the row of chairs set up for the lead cast and directors, arguing on the phone with the human equivalent of a stone wall.
“We aren’t that far over budget. I don’t see what the panic is about. Budgets shift all the time, John. You of all people should know that.”
“The problem is,” a voice devoid of any human understanding whatsoever said, “yours is shifting in only one direction…up.”
John Edgerton was the head of accounting for the studio, and famous for being ruthless when it came to the studio’s budgets.
“We ran into a couple of hiccups. It’s no big deal.”
“The first hiccup, as you call it, is the choice of locations. You could have selected somewhere with actual running water instead of paying to pipe it in. I see here that added ten million to the budget. A budget, need I remind you, that was already over estimates by five million.”
“We’ll get some of that back when the town takes it over as an RV park. Besides, we’re shooting almost forty percent of the movie here. It’s saving money in the long run.”
“You appear to have increased the food budget by twenty thousand,” John countered.
“We have a lot of people out here, John, and I can’t ask them to eat cactus.” Blake glanced at the taco truck nearby. They were already gearing up for lunch. If he didn’t get off the phone soon, they wouldn’t start shooting until the afternoon, which wasn’t acceptable. They’d lose the light for the fight scene. “I have to go.”
“Mr. Ryan, the studio is also concerned that a novice with no background in this business is a weak choice that affects the quality of the final production. The suggested solution is to replace her with someone more suitable, especially for marketing purposes.”
“We’re already filming. I wouldn’t make that change even if I wanted to. Besides, she’s under contract.” He gripped the back of his director’s chair hard to keep himself from growling at the man.
Keep it calm, keep it polite, and above all…stand your ground. A lesson learned watching Mom on set.
“Contracts are broken every day, Mr. Ryan.”
“Not this one,” he said in a firm, authoritative tone he’d also learned from his mother.
He was not replacing Piper. End of discussion. Period. The end.
“If you cancel your deal with her and choose someone with more experience and a higher upside the studio would forgive a certain amount of overage.”
“Are you trying to bribe me, John? Because it sounds like a bribe.”
Marshall shouted something, and two of the extras jumped and split apart like they’d been caught doing something they shouldn’t.
He needed to get off the phone. The children were getting restless.
“It’s an offer of aid, not a bribe,” John said patiently. “Twenty million dollars is a lot of money, Mr. Ryan.”
“You don’t have to tell me that. I have my own money riding on this project too. ”
One of his assistants, a girl fresh out of college who worked for peanuts but tried very hard, rushed past him with a look of utter panic on her face.
What was that about?
He almost followed her, then reminded himself his job was directing the next scene, not chasing after assistants.
“The studio isn’t concerned with other funding sources you may have available unless they attach a lien on the property. What the studio is concerned with is a return on their investment. Either find your own money to replace what the studio has lost, or cancel Ms. Bellamy’s contract and get someone more appropriate, such as Rachel Morris. She contacted the studio to let us know her availability matches your shooting schedule.”
He clenched his jaw so hard his teeth hurt. “ That is not an option.”
“Fine. Then please send me the adjusted numbers showing how you plan to recoup the lost funds within the hour. The studio is expecting an update.”
John tapped something in the background.
Blake imagined it was the spreadsheet with his movie numbers displayed like accounting porn. “I can’t send the numbers until tonight. I’m literally on set right now.”
“Yo, Blake,” Wally Andrews, his director of photography, shouted. He was reed-thin, and dressed like a teenager in old jeans, worn-out T-shirts, and a Dodgers cap that he usually had on backward. “Ready when you are!”
Blake held up a finger to indicate he needed one more minute.
“What time tonight?” John asked in an efficient I’ll-put-that-on-the-calendar tone.
“If we don’t do it now, we have to break for lunch,” Marshall shouted.
“It’ll be late. ”
“Which is what time exactly?”
“Two. I’ll have them to you by two a.m.” He flipped the time out there without thinking. It was an asinine thing to say, but he had sixteen things pulling at his attention, and he was tired of being polite to the one trying to break him in half.
“Fine. Two a.m.,” John said.
Blake resisted the urge to swear, barely.
“Blake!” Marshall shouted again.
“Coming.” Blake gave him a thumbs-up. “Positions!”
“Places, everybody!” Wally called out to the group. “Remember you’re in a bar in Vegas, not a frat house in Jersey.”
“And, Mr. Ryan?” John cleared his throat, seeming to sense he didn’t have Blake’s undivided attention. “You should know that the deadline on this project is non-negotiable. If you do not get the final print to us by the first of March in time for a summer release push, I’m authorized to inform you that the studio will pull this project back into development, where it will remain indefinitely.”
“I don’t miss deadlines.” Blake picked up the table that had today’s shot list on it. They had two major scenes to do today, with four parts each. They were never leaving at this rate.
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Ryan.”
The call clicked off.
Blake made sure it was really disconnected, then stuffed the phone in his pocket with an exasperated sigh. Did his mother have to deal with crap like this? When he’d made the original deal with the studio last year, he’d had no idea it would come with this kind of puppet master.
It had seemed so easy, at the time.
Do the animated movie, get a studio’s marketing power, a movie budget, and shot at director.
It had been a no-brainer.
Right .
He never should have made that deal. They thought they owned him now.
“Who’s under contract?” Piper asked behind him.
He spun around, not realizing she’d been standing there. How much had she heard of the conversation? Most of it, he decided, if she heard the contract part.
Thankfully, she couldn’t hear what John had said, thanks to whoever invented headphones.
She was ready for the scene in jeans, a thin, white blouse that showed off her assets, and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She looked absolutely perfect for the girl next door he envisioned.
There was no way he’d cut her from this role, and no way he would tell her that’s what they wanted.
“Everybody. That was the studio accountant, John Edgerton. He’s known for slicing and dicing budgets. I held him off. Don’t worry about it.”
“You said you know it’s a lot of money.” She ran her hand over the back of the chair with her name on it in block white letters. “What’s a lot?”
He picked up his tablet to check the shot list. “We’re over twenty million. He says I have to cover it myself.”
“Ouch.” She winced. “Where will you get an extra twenty million dollars?”
“I’ll find it somewhere. I can get a mortgage on the house, or worst case I can sell it. I’ve had offers for a lot more than that.”
“You can’t sell your house,” she protested. “I love that house.”
He thought of her naked on the couch in the living room and realized there was no way he would sell the house. There were too many other places he wanted to explore with her, like the pool.
“Me too. It probably won’t come to that.”
Blake looked around at the hustle and bustle and expectant faces turned in his direction, waiting for him to yell the word action. There were a hundred and forty-six people on set at the moment. There’d be more later when they were doing the interior casino shots in the building next door.
If he didn’t pull this off, there would be a lot of disappointment, and possibly lawsuits. Everyone from his new assistant to those extras had given their time and effort here today. He couldn’t let them down.
He caught Piper watching him and tried to smooth out his expression.
“If you don’t sell the house, where else can you get that kind of cash?” Piper asked.
“Don’t worry about it. Let me worry about the finances. That’s my job.” He wanted her focused on her character today, not his budget. He gently guided her around the chairs toward the door of the partially renovated building. “You’re on this side of the director’s chair.”
“So are you. You’re in this scene, same as me, but okay. I’ll drop it for now, but we’re talking about this later.” She walked with him into the bar. “Where do you want me, on the stool, or standing?”
“On the stool. You’ve been in the bar for a while, having a drink and listening in to the scheming going on between Marshall and me. Remember, it’s all about facial expressions. We’ll shoot multiple angles while we’re doing our dialogue, then we’ll get some close-ups of just you.”
She looked around at the set like a kid looking in a candy store window. “This is so cool. I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“You look great,” he said in a low voice, just for her.
“Now, now. We have a deal. Don’t break it this early.” She flashed him a look that made him want to drop everything and drag her into the nearest closet.
He cleared his throat. “I would say that to anyone.”
“Right.” The look she gave him said she didn’t believe him for a hot second .
He gave a thumbs-up to Wally. “Let’s roll.”
It was after midnight when Blake, Marshall, and Piper got back to the three-bedroom house they were renting in Round Mountain, about a thirty-minute drive north of their shooting location. It wasn’t fancy, but it was comfortable, with a pool and plenty of space for the three of them to retreat to after a long day of shooting. It was also an excellent smoke screen for any paparazzi brazen enough to brave the desert since it looked like a bunch of people sharing living quarters, not a couple having a hookup.
Blake collapsed on the couch with his laptop and opened the main spreadsheet. Somehow, he had to make these numbers look better before word got out that they couldn’t pay some of their bills.
Marshall handed him a beer, then saluted. “I’m going for a quick swim. You better both be fully dressed when I come back in.”
Piper sat so close to him she was practically in his lap. “Is that the grand total?”
“Yeah, give or take a few line items.”
She grunted. “That’s a pretty big number.”
“And yet somehow not big enough.”
“Um-hmm.”
He clicked to the next sheet. It detailed the budget for each scene. If he cut one, maybe two, it might get him close to the number he needed.
“Blake,” Piper said.
“Hmm?” Every scene felt crucial. “I can’t cut one of these. It’s like cutting out a piece of flesh.”
“Blake,” Piper said a little more firmly.
He looked up.
“How do I become an investor? ”
It took two seconds to go from confusion to comprehension, and another two seconds for him to say, “You don’t.”
He instantly regretted the tone of voice he used, but not the message.
“Why not? I have the money, and I believe in this project. I want to invest. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.” She watched him with concern and challenge in her eyes.
“Because I like you too much.”
“You like me too much,” she repeated. “What’s that even mean? How can you like someone too much?”
He rubbed his face, willing blood circulation and inspiration to strike. “You know how they say the number-one cause of divorce is money issues?”
“That, and cheating. So? We aren’t married, in case you haven’t noticed. And what’s that have to do with me investing in your movie?”
They weren’t married yet, but he could envision a future that involved an altar and her in a white dress. It was just a flash right now, and it was way too soon to think about that. Hell, they hadn’t even said the word love yet.
“I like spending time with you. You’re playing an important role in the story. If you invested money in it too, and it went south, it would always be a sore spot between us, and that’s the last thing I want.”
She had the cutest wrinkles on her forehead when she looked at him like he was nuts. “You think I’ll be mad at you if I invest in the movie, and then it tanks?”
“I’ve seen it before. Nothing breaks up a relationship or a friendship faster than a project that fails, especially when large amounts of money are on the line. I don’t want to risk it.”
She glanced at the back door. “What about Marshall? He invested. Aren’t you worried about ruining your friendship?”
“That’s different. We’ve known each other since we were four. We cooked this story up together ten years ago in my backyard. Not to mention I’m not sleeping with Marshall. Besides, I couldn’t get rid of him if I tried. He’s like a brother or an annoying cousin.”
She stood up and paced across the floor. “What a load of crap.”
He’d never seen that spark of fire in her eyes directed at anyone, let alone him. “You’re mad at me.”
“Yes!” She glared at him. “What are you really afraid of? You think a girl investing in your boy movie will taint it somehow?”
She could project her voice to the back of a stadium filled with people, and it showed.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” His voice rose to match hers.
“Hey, you two trying to wake the neighbors?” Marshall asked from the patio door. Water dripped down his bare chest onto the dining room floor.
“We don’t have any neighbors,” Blake retorted.
“Tell him he’s being a stubborn ass,” Piper said. “Turning down money from a friend just because we might fight about it later is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, and I grew up with Della.”
Marshall glanced from Blake to Piper. “Um, maybe I should stay out of this.”
Blake rubbed the back of his neck, trying to relieve the growing tension. It was late. He was tired, and he didn’t want to fight.
Especially with Piper.
“No, you need to hear this. It’s business.”
Marshall grabbed his towel and came inside. “What’s up?”
“I spoke with John Edgerton today. He says we have to clear the overage or they’ll shelve the project. ”
Marshall plopped into the nearest dining room chair. “Okay…when?”
Blake checked the time. “About an hour, though I’m sure I can get an extension until the banks open. He was posturing.”
“John the Edge? I doubt it.” Marshall snorted. “Still. It’s a bastard move.”
“That’s the studios for you.” He glanced at the laptop. “My mother would never put up with it. As a matter of fact, I know exactly what she would do.”
“Your mom would cut off his balls,” Marshall said matter-of-factly.
“No she wouldn’t. She’d leverage her power. We have enough firepower to either make them back down or craft a deal with another studio. I’ll do what I did before. I’ll play this project off a future one. Which means I don’t need money from Piper, or anybody else.”
She huffed out an impatient sound. “That would take weeks to make happen. You have an hour.”
“It could work,” Marshall said. “Just the threat is enough. He doesn’t have to actually go through with it. I like it. Yes. Tell them I’m in too. Two stars for the price of a few points on a future gig, if they leave off harassing us on this one.”
“You don’t have to do that. What is it with men?” Piper shouted a sound of frustration. “I want to invest. I’m the third lead, it makes perfect sense, and a producer credit would be a pretty cool thing for me to have.”
Marshall looked thoughtful. “True. It’s not unheard of. Besides, I’m pretty sure she has a lot more money than we do. She probably made twenty million before she was eighteen years old.”
“Not quite, but close.” She flashed a quick smile at Marshall. “I can get the process started as soon as my broker wakes up and have it wired wherever in three days. ”
“Nice,” Marshall said with two thumbs up. “You’re all right, Piper Bellamy.”
“No,” Blake said. His stubborn streak stood up and bared its teeth. “You’ll get a producer credit someday, but not on a movie I’m directing that you’re starring in.”
“Why the hell not?” Piper asked.
He caught Piper’s angry gaze with his own. “Because I don’t want to risk the relationship I have with my girlfriend over a measly twenty million dollars. You’re worth more to me than that.”
Marshall’s eyes widened. He looked back and forth from Piper to Blake like he was watching a really good tennis match. “Wow.”
“Girlfriend,” Piper said.
It wasn’t a question or a statement. It was more like a concept she was trying to wrap her head around.
“Yeah, this is where I tap out.” Marshall held up both hands in surrender. “No way I’m getting in between a man and his twenty-million-dollar girlfriend . I’ll just be out in the pool, pretending I’m not here. Feel free to shout. I’m sure the coyotes won’t mind.”
He left, pulling the door shut behind him.
Silence stretched while the expression on Piper’s face did somersaults. She still seemed pissed off, but there was a hint of pleased surprise too, and maybe a dash of something else.
Something more.
His heart pounded. Now that he’d put the idea out in the open, it felt like a truth he’d always known. Like they didn’t even have to spell it out; it was just there.
Piper Bellamy was his girlfriend.
Do you love her? He heard his mother’s voice echo in his head. The last time he thought he was in love he was seventeen. Rachel had screwed his head around so much he’d never even tried to get that close to anyone else.
Until now.
“You think I’m your girlfriend?” All the heat had gone out of her voice, leaving her sounding a little breathless.
His shoulders sagged. He was so tired, and getting this off his chest left him feeling a little deflated but also at peace. “Yes. If you don’t feel the same, I’ll back off.”
“I hadn’t really thought about it.” Piper shook her head like she was having an argument with herself. “That’s not true. I kept telling myself we were just friends, you know? With benefits.”
“I think we moved past that over Christmas.” A smile crept onto his face at the memory of a certain phone call. “I’ve never had phone sex before.”
Her lips quirked up, and a ghost of the dimple he loved so much appeared. “Me either. I wouldn’t mind doing it again though.”
“Me either.”
She bit her lip and glared at the wall, then looked back at him. “You think I’m worth twenty million dollars?”
“More than.” He pulled her into his arms. She didn’t resist, though she didn’t melt into him either. “I know you think I’m being a boneheaded idiot, but I grew up in Hollywood and I watched plenty of relationships fall apart over stupid shit like who gives money to who, and who gets what part. I can make deals, and I can get more money, but I won’t ever find another you.”
Her lips twisted as she considered him. “True.”
He kissed her gently on the cheek, then worked his way over to her lips.
She turned her head away before he could get more than a quick taste. “We’re not done with this. It’s not the end of the world if my investment doesn’t pan out.”
“No, but it could be the end of your acting career. It’s not worth the risk. When we show up at the premiere, it’ll give the rags enough to chew on. They don’t need the extra fuel.”
A smile crept onto her face. “We’re going together?”
“I hope so,” he murmured. “I want to see what you’re wearing, and then I want to take it off you.”
Her eyes flashed with desire. “You’re trying to distract me.”
“Is it working?” He nuzzled her earlobe.
“Maybe.” She let out a long breath. “This won’t be the last time I get mad at you. People get mad. It happens. If I can forgive Della for splitting up our family, I can forgive you if the movie fails.”
“It took you six years to forgive your sister,” he pointed out, then brushed his lips across hers.
Her shoulders relaxed, and she returned his kiss, lingering just long enough to get his blood flowing south before she broke it off. “It’s late. We need sleep. We can talk about this later.”
“I’ll be right there. I need to send a snotty text to John first.”
“Okay.” She started down the hallway, then paused. “Be sure to tell him I’ll mobilize the Bellamy Babe Brigade if he doesn’t back off. If he’s got any sense, he’ll leave you alone. My fans can be brutal when provoked.”