Chapter 29
29
Over the next several days, Michelle busied herself with her normal routine. She hadn’t told anyone of her upcoming plans but knew how she would handle it that morning. She shied away from the MyPrivacy app. She told the CFO from Oklahoma that she was going to be out of pocket for a while. She had never been one to carry on with more than one guy at a time, so she didn’t feel comfortable talking with him and making plans with Keith at the same time. Careful, monogamous, those words described Michelle. Now, she could add spontaneous and daring to the list.
She spoke with Keith every night. He told her about his day. If the scene went off without any issues or whether someone did something wrong. The director seemed to be well liked. Keith had worked with him on a different project years ago, so this movie was a reunion of sorts for them. She told him about her day without revealing the next novel she was writing. They spoke of personal information to the point that Michelle felt like a schoolgirl again. But at the end of the day, how else would they learn something about each other if they didn’t ask? She felt confident with the course they set.
Instead of groaning and complaining when her alarm sounded, she sprang out of bed, ready to begin her day. A quick shower and light makeup made her feel refreshed. She put on comfortable clothes and then put a pod into the coffee maker. What’s the use to make a pot for one person?
As the coffee brewed, she sent a group text to her children: Going to Boone today to see a friend. I’ll be back tonight. I’ve got my phone with me. I’d like y’all to come over for dinner on Sunday if that works for everyone. Let me know.
The next text she sent would be to Jackie, which she almost dreaded. Michelle knew Jackie would call and wanted to be on the road when the call came through. Jackie would invite herself to tag along or talk Michelle out of going. When her coffee finished brewing, she poured it into a travel cup, grabbed her purse, and locked the door on her way out. As her Jeep idled, she sent Jackie a text with directions and a message: This is where I’ll be today if anything were to happen. I’ll talk to you when I get home.
Jackie didn’t disappoint. Michelle had barely left her neighborhood when her phone rang.
“Good morning, Jackie.”
“You’re out early and in a good mood. That can only mean one thing... you’re seeing Mr. Wonderful.”
Michelle laughed. “He invited me to the movie location when we spoke the other night. He wants me to watch him work.”
“So, you’re driving to Boone alone?”
“Yep, with my music turned up. If it were warm enough, I’d take the top off the Jeep.”
“Please keep me posted. You do have a hat that shields your face and sunglasses, right? Or are you ready for people to track you down?”
“I’m happy in the shadows, at least for now. Yes, I’ve got cover to hide my identity. By the way, I’ve told the kids that I’m going to Boone to see a friend. I haven’t told them who or where, so please keep that to yourself unless something happens to me.”
“When will you tell them you’ve met someone?”
“I’ve invited them to dinner Sunday night. But what I tell them will depend on how things go today.”
“Do you want me there for support?”
“No, you and Oscar have better things to do.”
“He knows we’re close and understands that sometimes I need to support you.”
“I’d like to hold those favors in case I need them later.”
Jackie laughed. “Are you falling for the movie star, Michelle?”
“When we’re together or even talk on the phone, I don’t see him as a movie star. He’s an attractive?—”
“Attractive?”
“All right, all right. He’s a sexy man with manners. He’s attentive. I feel like he’s wanting something... something more. A deeper connection, I guess. Does that make sense?”
“Why do you feel that way?”
“We’ve talked about the children, his and mine. He asked me things about Bill and explained things about his ex-wives. He even asked me what my favorite color was. Things like that. I feel young again, like I’m starting fresh. At my age, I never thought I’d feel this way. After losing Bill, I never thought I’d remotely want to feel like this again. But I do.”
“Have you told him any of this?”
“No, it’s too soon. I’m trying not to get my hopes up that we’ll be more than friends.”
“I’ve got a call beeping in, so I need to scoot. Be careful and call me when you get home.”
“Bye.”
Time seemed to melt away as music blared through her speakers, and she sang along. Before she knew it, she turned off the main road and pulled up to a gated driveway with several vehicles of different makes and models parked everywhere just as her GPS said, “You have arrived at your destination on the right.” The gate was open, so she drove through until a large man stood in the middle of the gravel driveway.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. This is a private residence, no visitors allowed.”
“Oh, um, Keith Mason invited me. He said to tell you that.”
The man pulled out a clipboard. “What’s your name?”
“M-Michelle Conroy.”
“Can I see your driver’s license?”
Michelle dug her license out of her purse and handed it over to the man. He scanned the paper and handed her license back. “I’m afraid you won’t be able to drive all the way to the film site. You can park under that tree, and someone will be down to pick you up momentarily.” He handed her a lanyard with a name tag on it. “You’ll need to wear this at all times while you’re here.”
“Thank you.” She pulled under the tree and took the Jeep out of gear before applying lip balm and locking her purse in the glove box. A golf cart stopped beside her as she slipped on her jacket and baseball cap.
“Ms. Conroy?”
Michelle smiled. “Yes?”
“I’m Cassidy. Hop on and I’ll take you to where Mr. Mason is filming.”
“Hi, Cassidy,” Michelle said as she sat beside the young woman who had an earpiece nestled in her ear and a microphone dangling in front of her mouth. The girl pressed the accelerator, and the cart jerked to life. Michelle held the seat rails as the cart rocked and bounced over the rough driveway.
“There are a few rules,” Cassidy explained as she hung onto the steering wheel with each crevice they hit. “When the director calls action, you must be quiet. Do not try to get Mr. Mason’s attention. He knows you’re here and will find you as soon as the director yells cut.” Michelle nodded. “Stay where I put you. Do not wander around the premises.” Michelle agreed. “Mr. Mason has two more scenes to shoot today, plus a scene for the movie trailer that was added to the schedule this morning.”
“All right.”
“We’ll break for lunch around noon if they finish the scene they’re working on now.”
“Sounds good.” Michelle smiled.
The young woman whispered as she pointed out places once they stopped. A large bluish-gray log cabin stood off to one side behind a grove of trees. Blue-gray stones covered the basement and the lower half of the columns on the wraparound porch. The house was beautiful. “They’re using the main cabin today. Filming his first day on the job, which they’re currently working on. The first shots are the hardest with testing the sound and lights.” She shrugged. “Equipment checks take forever.” She pointed toward the horses on the side of the barn in the valley. “Mr. Mason will have a scene with one of the horses and in one of the smaller cabins too. The trailer will be back up here at the main house.”
“Thank you for explaining,” Michelle whispered.
“Let’s get you situated where you can see what’s going on.”
Michelle followed Cassidy to a chair where a man was watching a monitor with a headset on. He placed a finger vertically over his lips and handed Michelle a headset. Cassidy indicated for her to sit and watch the scene with the man beside her. Michelle moved as directed, and then Cassidy waved as she walked around to another group of people. Michelle followed Cassidy’s movements and noticed people turn toward her. She felt her face flush, knowing she was the hot topic for gossip today. Why did she agree to this?
Soon, she lost track of time and her surroundings as she became engrossed in the scene they were shooting. The director yelled cut, but Michelle didn’t move until the man next to her nudged her elbow. She mimicked the man taking off his headset.
“I’m Mike.”
“Hi, I’m Michelle.”
He pointed toward the monitor. “I take the different angles of the scenes they shoot and merge them for the best view and sound.”
“That’s cool.”
“Here comes Mr. Mason. I’ll meet you back here after lunch.”
“Thank you, Mike.”
Michelle stood just as Keith stepped in front of her.
“You made it.”
“It was an easy trip.”
“No issues?”
“Perfect day for a drive.” A broad smile stretched across her face.
“Come, let’s find lunch. We can eat someplace private.”
“Sounds wonderful.”
“I have something for you.”
“What? This is enough. I’ve never been on a movie set.”
He took her hand in his.
“Mr. Mason, we have your and Ms. Conroy’s lunch on the back deck as you requested.”
“Thank you, Cassidy.”
“Where are Chip and Max?”
“They’re around here somewhere. Why? Do you miss them?”
She squeezed his hand. “I’m not used to seeing you without them.”
“As long as I’m here, Max is free. I’m sure you’ll see Chip before the day is out.” He glanced down at her. “How long can you stay?”
“I’d like to miss rush hour traffic so I can leave at one or four.”
“Four seems like the best time to me.” He grinned.
She laughed. “Why is that?”
“We’re supposed to wrap around three.”
“That’ll be fast to film three more scenes.”
He held up two fingers. “Only two left.”
Michelle furrowed her brows. “Cassidy said a scene for the movie trailer was added to the schedule this morning.”
“I haven’t been told. They love springing those on me at the last minute. I’ll make time to see you before you leave.”
He pushed the door open and held his hand out for her to precede him. On the back deck of the main cabin was a bar style table overlooking the valley where the horses were, and the long-range views were spectacular. Plates of food awaited them with a long white box resting alongside her plate. Keith pulled out her chair and handed her the box.
“I wanted to get you a gift, but I also thought about you having to drive.” He opened the box. “Somehow a dozen roses seemed cumbersome, and I’ve always thought a single perfect red rose was a romantic gesture.”
Michelle took the rose out of the box and smelled it. “It’s beautiful.” She gazed into his eyes. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”
“You didn’t have to buy my breakfast.” As she tried to look away, he placed the tip of his finger under her chin and directed her attention back to him. “That’s not why I did it. I simply wanted to do something special for you. If I remember correctly, most women like roses, right?”
“Most do, yes.”
“But not you?”
“I like roses.”
“Not your favorite.” It was more of a statement than a question.
She crinkled her nose. “Sorry.”
“Then what is?”
“Tulips.”
“I’ll remember that from now on.”
“Please don’t misunderstand. I love the single rose. I’ve always found it romantic too.”
Keith whispered into her ear. “I want to know all your favorites, Michelle. Everything.”
Good bumps ran down her flesh. “And I, yours.”
Keith sat beside her. “Sounds like we’re going to have intimate conversations.” A mischievous grin pulled at his lips.
Michelle licked hers. “Sounds like.”
“Are you flirting with me again?”
“Do you want me to be?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’m flirting with you.” Her eyes danced.
Keith shifted in his seat and cleared his throat at the same time Chip called, “Keith!”
He dragged his eyes away from Michelle. “Yes?”
“Sorry to interrupt.” Chip glanced in Michelle’s direction. “Hello again, Michelle.” He turned back to Keith. “They’ve added a scene today.”
“I’ve heard.”
“Who told you?”
Keith nodded toward Michelle. “Cassidy was preparing her for the day and told her.”
“Yeah, okay. We’ll talk about it after lunch.”
“See you later.”
Chip waved as he walked off.
“Sorry about that,” Keith said.
“Why? You’re working. I’m the one invading your day.”
“You aren’t invading. You were invited.”
“Thank you, by the way.”
Keith waved off the comment. “Where were we?” He stared into Michelle’s eyes. “Oh, yeah, you were flirting with me.”
Her smile grew bigger. “You better eat while you have the chance. It sounds like your afternoon is going to be hectic.”
“I’ll make them take a break later so that I can see you.”
“It’s been fun watching with Mike.”
She picked up her fork, and Keith did the same. She wasn’t about to eat without him. Rotisserie chicken, salad, and fruit made up their delicious meal.
“Lunches are light around here. No one wants to work with a food baby resting in their gut. Plus, the cameras wouldn’t be friendly.”
“That’s smart. I don’t think I could do that either.” She took a bite of her food. “Are you going to ride the horses today?”
“If I remember the script correctly, the horse is skittish. I’m brought in to tame him, break him if you will.”
Her eyes widened. “But he’s a trained horse to act that way, right? I mean, you aren’t really going to break an untrained horse.”
He chuckled. “He’s trained. The stunt guy will do the hard part. You know when the horse is bucking. I get the easy part. To ride him when he’s calm. Today’s scene is with the owner introducing me to the horse.” He took a sip of water. “Can we talk about something other than my work?”
“What would you like to talk about?”
“You.”
“What about me?”
“Have you mentioned me to your children?”
“We’re having dinner Sunday night. I’m ready to tell them that I’ve met someone, just not who yet.”
“Why not?”
“It’s only been a few days, Keith. Have you told your sons?”
“I’ve told my oldest Kevin that I’ve met someone that isn’t in show business. Sam wasn’t available. Some kind of freshman function at school.”
“What was Kevin’s reaction?”
“He asked me who you were, and I gave him your first name. He wanted to know how we met. I told him. He questioned if you were a groupie. I laughed and told him far from it. I told him that you’re nice and beautiful, like no one I’ve ever met before. He asked if that included his mother, and I told him that it did. He asked if I was happy, which I told him I was.”
“You really said all that?”
“Why would I lie to you?”
“I pray that you won’t.”
“Prayer answered. I won’t lie to you.”
They were nibbling on the fruit when Chip came back around the corner. “Lunch is over.”
“Coming,” Keith said as he slid his chair back.
Michelle wiped her hands on the napkin and pushed back her chair. Keith held the back of it with one hand while his other offered to help her. She took the rose box and walked with him to the front of the house where the cast and crew were gathered.
Michelle took up residence in the chair beside Mike as the cast and part of the crew moved toward the barn. “We won’t move with them, but we’ll be able to hear and see everything from here,” he said.
“Great.”
Michelle watched the monitor intently as the next scenes were filmed. She observed Keith’s calmness when he stepped toward the horse, and it reared up. Her heart raced, realizing she was caught up in the moment of the scene. Even though she saw all the equipment moving around the actors, she was lost in the movie once again, much like when she proofreads her books. If the storyline was good, it pulled her right in. And the filming of the movie was fascinating.
The director’s voice came through her headset. Before she could take her headset off, she saw the camera catch Keith and Chip talking off to the side. Keith didn’t look happy. What could have happened? She realized she was witnessing something that had nothing to do with her. Mike turned off the monitor when she heard someone call her name. Michelle turned to see Cassidy walking toward her.
“Hi. We’re moving inside for the PR scene. You must be tired of sitting there. Want to walk with me?”
“It’ll feel good to stretch my legs before I make the drive back.”
“You’re leaving tonight?”
Michelle pulled her phone out of her hip pocket. “In about an hour.”
“This shouldn’t take long. Diane and Keith have filmed so many of these shots, it’ll be old hat for them.”
Michelle followed Cassidy into the main house. She stood in a back corner, out of the way of everyone but with a view of the whole room. A fire roaring in the fireplace. A bearskin rug was laid out on the floor that Michelle didn’t recall being there when she and Keith walked through on their way to lunch. A wine bottle and two wine glasses sat on the floor beside the rug. Michelle’s head started spinning as the romantic staging hit her like a gut punch. She inhaled when Diane Garner walked into the room, appearing to wear nothing but a bathrobe, confirming Michelle’s thoughts. Her stomach dropped. She didn’t want to see Keith with another woman, pretend or not. She kept telling herself that she wouldn’t be clingy, and he promised to invite her only when these scenes weren’t being filmed. She needed to leave. She scanned the room, looking for an easy way out. The throng of people made it impossible to leave without causing a scene. Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes, remembering the scene was added this morning, and Keith didn’t know until lunch. Still, she didn’t want to see it, not today.
“Where is she?” Keith’s voice boomed from somewhere outside. “Where the hell is she?” Michelle opened her eyes in time to see him rush through the front door, wide eyed and frantic. He scanned the room until his gaze locked with hers.
“Keith, just in time,” a guy with a brush and spray can said.
“Keith, we need you in wardrobe,” said a woman pushing her hair away from her face.
“Keith, we’re rolling in five. I need you in makeup,” said someone Michelle assumed was the director’s assistant.
He pushed people aside, waved them off, and scowled at the assistant. “Not now. I need some time. Give me fifteen.” He never broke eye contact or stopped on his way to Michelle. Without a preamble, he took her hand and pulled her back through the crowd gathered in the living room. He didn’t stop walking until they were away from the house and behind a tree. “I didn’t know.”
“I know,” she softly said, looking at the ground between them. “I’m the one who told you about the movie trailer.”
“Doesn’t matter, I promised we wouldn’t film this kind of scene while you were here. I’m sorry,” he said, pointing back toward the cabin.
She shrugged. “It’s your job.”
“Then why won’t you look at me?”
Why wouldn’t she? Today had been a perfect day. She had no claim to him. He owed her nothing. They were friends... with a chance of more . There couldn’t be more if she couldn’t handle this part of his job.
For the second time today, he brought her back to him with just the tip of his finger under her chin. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she blinked them away. “Talk to me,” he whispered.
“I was caught off guard. That’s all.”
“That’s not all. We have a deal. No secrets.”
She nodded. “I didn’t expect to feel so... so angry about watching you be with another woman. That’s not who I am or who I want to be.” She held her hands out to the side. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Don’t say that.”
“Keith!” Chip called as he walked toward them.
Keith looked over her shoulder. “Not now!”
“Yes, now! We’ve got a schedule to keep.”
Keith narrowed his eyes. “Trust me when I tell you that if I don’t get this resolved, they won’t want me doing that trailer. It’ll be a bigger waste of everyone’s time.”
Michelle placed her hand on his chest. “You’ve got a job to do, and I need to head home.”
“You can’t leave like this. Chip will take you upstairs to the room I’m using. You can wait for me there. I won’t be long, I promise.”
“I can’t. I need to go.”
“Will you let me know when you get home?”
“Sure.” She steeled herself. “I’d like to get my box before I leave if that’s all right.”
“Where is it?”
“In the chair where I sat with Mike.”
Keith looked at Chip. “Would you get Michelle’s box? It’s where she was earlier.”
As soon as Chip turned away, Keith cupped Michelle’s face with both hands. “Don’t do this.”
“Do what?”
“Walk away.”
“If I can’t handle you filming love scenes, how can I handle your career?”
“It’s because we’re new.”
“And how will I know that I’m different?”
“Different?”
“From all the other women you’ve kissed, touched.”
“You’ll know. I’ll make sure of it.”
“I need to go,” she whispered.
He gently laid his lips over hers. “Please call me. It’ll drive me crazy until I know you’re home.”
“Keith,” Chip said as he handed Michelle the box.
“Thank you,” she said to Chip. “I’ll call. Go back to work before your director hates me.”
Keith kissed her once more before watching her walk away.