Chapter 28
28
Keith laid his head on the cushioned leather headrest in the armchair facing the fireplace. He’d built a fire before going outside to speak with Michelle. Now, it roared and warmed the house. His mind’s eye brought her face into focus as he stared into the flames lapping at the logs. What was he going to do about Michelle? It had been a long time since he’d chased a woman. Maybe he was out of practice. He knew what to expect from the women who threw themselves at him. They wanted to be seen. They wanted him to spend money on them. They wanted their names to be attached to his. Michelle didn’t want any of that. How was he going to win her over?
A hard knock sounded on the door before Chip walked in. He rubbed his hands together as he made his way to the fireplace. “Shooting first scenes tomorrow. You ready?”
“For the most part, yeah.”
Chip cocked his eyebrow. “What’s going on?”
“Michelle paid for breakfast.”
“What? Really? She didn’t say anything.”
“Yeah, she was being sneaky.”
“How did you find out?”
“I asked her.”
“When?”
“A few minutes ago.”
“Why would she do that?”
“It was a personal growth moment for her.”
“Personal growth?”
“Until recently, she’d never paid for a date, not even with her husband.” He retold the story Michelle had shared with him.
“First, those were some dick moves for the guys.” Chip shrugged. “I’ve gone Dutch before and even had a lady pay.” He saw Keith’s surprised expression. “Not my idea, mind you. She insisted because it was one of the producers of one of your movies. It was a power play for her. I think she was trying to make sure that even though I was your assistant, I still knew who held the clout in the situation. It only happened once.”
“You should have told me before you went to dinner with any of the suits involved with any of my movies.”
“I get that now, but I didn’t then. It was several years ago. Initially, I thought it was a business meeting. You know, scheduling PR events, that sort of thing. I soon found out she wanted to flaunt that she was out with a much younger man.” He held up his hands. “Nothing happened more than rubbing elbows with Hollywood elite. I did meet the producer of your last movie that night though.” Chip grinned. “I say that to let you know I understand how awkward you feel.”
“But if my feeling awkward helps her grow, then I need to suck it up and deal with it. Don’t you think?”
“I know you. This won’t be a regular occurrence.”
“Only for my birthday, which she doesn’t even know.”
“Keith, your birthday has been public knowledge for the last thirty years.” Chip laughed. “She knows. Hell, every female on the planet knows.”
Keith scrubbed his hand down his face. “My career is going to be a hindrance, isn’t it?”
“Only if you let it.”
“What do I have to give her?”
“Are you fucking kidding me right now? You can give her the world.”
Keith waved his hand in the air as if pushing the thought away. “Not that. I know I have that, but she has her own money. Remember the dating app? I’m talking about me. I have nothing personal to give her. My life is on the world’s stage, and she’ll have to share me with the world. I don’t know if that’s something she’d want.”
“Let’s rein that horse back in a minute. You’re looking too far down the road, man. She just walked into your life and you into hers. How do you know there will be a next week, much less a next year? Slow down, Keith. You’ve got so much ground to cover. Why don’t you try learning things about her, like her birthday, favorite color, food? You met her, hit the accelerator, and haven’t looked back.”
Keith paced around the den, reeling in his emotions. “You’re right. She’s just... just... so different from anyone I’ve met in thirty years.”
“So, you’ve said. You keep this up, and it’ll be you who gets your heart broken.”
Keith’s lips tilted into a sad grin. “My heart’s been broken plenty.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah.”
“Have you told the boys?”
“Not yet. I’ll call them this week.”
“When are you planning to see her? The shooting schedule looks busy for the next couple of weeks.”
“You’ve seen it?”
Chip pulled a rolled-up set of papers out of his back pocket. “Right here.”
“Give it to me. I’ve asked her to come up one day while we’re filming. I need to send her a few dates to choose from.”
They sat on the sofa and compared the schedule to the script to see what scenes would be filmed when. Keith sent a quick text with a mid-week date and the following weekend.
Within minutes, he received a response: With the leaves turning, the weekend traffic will be horrible. I’d rather come up during the week.
Keith replied: I forgot about your gym day.
His phone dinged: I’ll skip . . . for you.
His face lit up like a Christmas tree. “She’s coming this week.”
“I’m happy for you, Keith.”
“Make sure she’s cleared to come on set.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Chip said as he stood. “I’m getting out of here so you can go over your lines. Please try to stay focused on work. I don’t want this one scene taking all morning.”
“I’m a professional. I’ve got this.” Keith smiled.
“Riiight.”
When the door clicked shut, Keith pulled out his phone and stared at the last text message from Michelle, especially the last two words. Again, she was doing something for him. What had he done for her? Bought her a couple lousy drinks. He needed to reciprocate with something nice. He thought about what women liked. He thought about her driving. He simply thought about her. With an idea in mind, he sent Chip a text with what he wanted.
Finally, he concentrated on work, delivering his lines. He’d done this so many times that it was second nature. He’d run the lines a few times with Diane, who played the female lead Robin, before the camera rolled to ensure they were in sync. It was later than he thought when he went to bed, knowing the next day would be busy.