Chapter 14
ANYA
I drag myself onto set the next day, bleary eyed and grumpy. The coffee I drank this morning is already wearing off and Claudette does not believe in travel mugs so it’s been a solid thirty minutes without a caffeine fix.
When I pass the burly security guard I greet him with a quiet “ Bonjour ” and he very enthusiastically responds. He must not have been here for the clusterfuck that was yesterday.
Shrugging it off, I head towards the craft table. Danny isn’t needed on set until noon but Sarah requested I be here for breakfast before picking him up. God knows why. To punish me probably.
When I get to the craft table I find an overflow of pastries, macaroons and the sweetest tarts. Standing at the end handing out croissants and biscuits, looking far too perky for a seven am call time, is Danny Covington.
I blink in surprise, convinced I’m still dreaming. But there Danny is, standing next to the caterer organizing treats and chatting to the crew.
Nothing at all like the man from yesterday.
Finally, he notices me staring at him. He smiles slightly and inclines his head. Passing the cheery crew I sidle over to him. He turns towards me and reaches under the table.
“I figured you’d be too tired to make it to the bakery this morning so I saved you some.” He hands me a cup of hot coffee and a little brown bag with a pain au chocolat inside.
I take both offerings silently. “What’s with the career change this morning?”
He gently touches my elbow, guiding me further away from prying eyes. “I thought a lot about what you said yesterday and you were right. I wasn’t thinking about it, everyone else who has to work longer and harder than me. And I wasn’t very nice.”
I raise my eyebrow.
“I was a stubborn prick,” he admits, a self-deprecating smile pulling the corner of his mouth. I smile into my coffee. “So I thought I’d do something nice for the crew. It’s not much but I wanted to do something.” A faint blush touches his cheeks as he dips his head.
“It’s nice,” I say softly. “You’ll probably have to do this for a while though so they know you’re sincere.”
He laughs, “I know. I might just open my own bakery now, to get ahead of the game.”
I sip my coffee. The harsh words of yesterday are not forgotten despite the warmth spreading through my belly — from the coffee and something else I refuse to acknowledge.
“I’m sorry that I’ve been hard on you. I get that you’re just doing your job.” He looks me in the eye. “I’ll do better.”
I bite my cheek and look away. “Well, thanks. And I am here, if you, you know, want to talk about anything.” I scuff my foot on the gravel.
“I know you are, freckles,” he says softly.
The earnest look on his face almost takes my breath away.
I purse my lips. “Make sure you wear a hairnet tomorrow. I don’t want to find a hair in my croissant.”
He laughs, “You got it.”
I shove him back towards the table where he’s welcomed with friendly jeers. I smile before slipping away.
Stepping into the makeup truck, I immediately spot Katie sitting in one of the chairs.
“Hey,” I say gently, nervous after yesterday’s debacle.
“Anya, hey,” Katie says brightly. “You alright?”
“Yeah, I just wanted to see if you were okay?” I didn’t expect to find her in floods of tears but I thought she’d still be a little shaken up.
“Oh, she’s more than okay,” Sally says, returning from the back of the truck. “She got a nice little pick me up this morning.”
Pink spreads across Katie’s cheeks.
“Oh?” I grin.
Katie’s eyes dart to a bouquet of flowers on the counter.
“A secret admirer?” I ask nearly squealing.
“No!” Katie protests blushing.
Sally laughs, “Your Danny knocked on the door first thing this morning with those and an apology for acting —what was it he said Kate?”
“Like a daft pillock,” Katie says with a giggle.
“That sounds about right.” I touch the pink petal gently, a soft pride settling in my chest at the thought of Danny surprising the trainee with a bunch of flowers.
My Danny.