Chapter 6
TASHA
Tasha grimaced as she heard Riley swear at the woman playing his love interest in the series.
Yet again he was directing focus away from his own laziness learning his lines to the debut actress’s brief hesitation before replying to what he’d just said.
No one would have noticed, Tasha seethed, certain even Riley wouldn’t have done if he hadn’t needed someone to blame for how badly today’s filming was going. Again.
It hadn’t taken him long to forget how much he needed this series to work, or how desperately he needed to do all he could to save what little respect he had left in the business.
‘That’s enough, Riley,’ the director snapped. He turned to the pink-faced actress. ‘We’ll go one more time. And Ruby, if you could speak your line as soon as Riley has finished speaking, that should do it.’
‘Yes,’ Riley sneered. ‘The conversation is supposed to be punchy, not drawn out.’
One of these days someone was going to stand up to Riley, Tasha thought, hoping she wouldn’t have too long to wait for that to happen.
‘Right, let’s do this, then we can call it a day.’ The director gave Ruby a sympathetic smile.
Unable to stand another moment of Riley’s bullying, Tasha walked off set back to the dressing room to tidy up, ready for them to make a hasty exit.
This was her first time on the island and she loved it.
Well, she’d loved what she had managed to see of the place, being at Riley’s beck and call twenty-four-seven.
She might not like the idea of leaving her job but she wasn’t sure how long she could stand working for him.
It wasn’t only her that felt this way about him.
The tension among the rest of the cast and most of the crew was palpable and increasing by the day, and the delay in completing filming was costing the production more each day.
Tasha sensed an undeniable undercurrent whenever she was on set and had a horrible feeling something bad was about to happen.
Then again, she wasn’t ready to admit that her parents’ reservations about her leaving her role as a PA to the chairman of the bank to take the position working for Riley had been valid.
Her argument with them the night she had broken the news of her resignation and why she was leaving the bank had caused the strain between them and, as much as it saddened her, she hated to admit she might have been a little too hasty to drop everything to chase a dream.
No, she decided. That wasn’t true. It might be an ordeal working for Riley sometimes but she loved travelling with him, being on film and TV sets and watching the creative process.
She even enjoyed helping him learn his lines, though he could be lazy and often wanted to put off doing them until the last minute.
Anyway, where would she go if she did leave him?
She had lost touch with most of her friends over the past three years, not having time to meet up with them much, until one by one they had stopped inviting her to parties to celebrate engagements, weddings, or even christenings when one of them had had a baby.
Tasha knew some of her friendship group thought she had changed because they’d ghosted her, or due to sarcastic comments in chat groups.
She had noticed a few months ago that no one seemed to leave messages in their group chat any longer and suspected a new one had been set up that hadn’t included her.
The realisation hurt, but she couldn’t blame them.
She had been absent from their lives for too long now.
Surely though, just because she was away a lot and in a different place to them relationship-wise, that didn’t mean they didn’t matter to her. She had been thinking more often about contacting one or two of them and arranging a visit back to Sussex to catch up with them again. But when?
Each time she broached the subject with Riley, and Tasha started to try and work out dates, something had come up, or his filming schedule had changed, until in the end she had realised that to arrange something only to have to pull out at the last minute would be far worse than not doing anything.
She hoped that when she did have time for a decent visit home she could make it up to them.
She lost track of time folding Riley’s expensive clothes, which he had dropped onto the floor, and tidying away others from the wardrobe department.
Standing with her hands on her hips, Tasha stared at the mess of cups, half-drunk glasses of water, bottles of vitamins and glass flasks half filled with green shakes he insisted on being brought in to him each morning, only to take a couple of sips and declare it disgusting before demanding a different one.
How did his dressing room always end up being so messy?
The man was becoming a nightmare. Correction, she mused, he was already that. He was becoming impossible and as much as she liked what she did for a living she decided that as soon as an opening became available working for someone, no, anyone else, she would apply for it.
The door burst open, crashing against the wall behind her and only just missing Tasha’s elbow.
Riley marched in, his face puce with temper. ‘Grab my things.’
‘What’s wrong?’ She hurriedly zipped up the nearest bag, deciding there wasn’t time to discard all the detritus from his day. Tasha was used to his rages but whatever had just happened it was clear Riley was only just managing to contain himself before really losing his temper.
‘I’ve just overheard one of the runners chatting to the caterer and moaning how it’s my fault we need to stay here for an extra two weeks.’ He leant closer to her. ‘My fault,’ he screamed in her face. ‘As if.’ He stomped out of his dressing room and down the corridor in the direction of the exit.
If only Riley wasn’t so delusional when it came to himself, she mused. The man was always highly critical of others, demanding perfection from them, and for some reason always assumed that was what he gave, which he rarely did now.
Assuming Riley was making his way to the car that had brought them to and from the studio yesterday, she swept the rest of his belongings into the largest bag and, tucking her own bag under her shoulder, grabbed both the other bags and followed him.
At least they had a beautiful house to return to and relax overnight.
No one spoke to her as she left, which was a relief.
She was becoming more embarrassed every day, and it wasn’t as if she was the one treating everyone badly.
She shouldered the door open and squinted as she stepped back into the bright sunshine, relieved when two strong hands took the larger bags from her.
‘We’re parked just over here,’ Bill, their driver, explained. He lowered his voice as they walked. ‘Himself is already in the car. Sulking, he is. Gawd knows what’s happened to upset him this time.’
‘People are moaning about having to film for another two weeks.’ She wondered whether the change in schedule affected Bill’s life in any way.
‘I’m sorry if it puts you in a difficult position with your next job.
’ A thought occurred to her. ‘You’re not going to be replaced by another driver, are you?
’ Bill never seemed fazed by Riley’s rudeness but she wasn’t so sure other drivers would take too kindly to his snappiness.
Bill sighed. They reached the car, and he opened the boot, giving her a cheeky smile. ‘I shouldn’t be bothered. I can soon find someone to step in for me with the next job. I’m happy to keep looking after the pair of you for another couple of weeks.’
She smiled, relieved.
Tasha got into the car and tuned out Riley’s rants.
She was yet to hear back from the property manager and hoped the owners would agree to her and Riley extending their stay at the cottage.
Cottage, she thought with amusement. This was the grandest, largest cottage she had ever seen.
She and Riley had driven past the manor house further up the driveway each time they had arrived or left this place and had noticed cleaners appearing to get it ready for new guests.
She decided to change the subject. ‘I wonder who’s moving into the manor house?’
Riley groaned. ‘I wish it was staying vacant. Or that we could have stayed there instead of here.’
‘You know it was already booked up when we found this place.’
He mumbled something under his breath, then added, ‘As long as they keep to themselves and don’t start coming down here and pestering me for autographs and selfies.’
‘I’m sure they won’t.’ She hoped not. She was busy enough looking after him without having to police the cottage gardens against eager fans.
‘As always, I booked this place under my name so that you can stay here anonymously,’ she said, hoping to reassure him.
‘Whatever.’
She closed her eyes as he moaned yet again about the poor young actress who had initially been over the moon to be cast opposite him.
Tasha wondered what she thought of him now.
She hoped the girl’s experience filming her first series wouldn’t be ruined by Riley’s nastiness and that she knew enough about filming to be aware that Riley’s behaviour was not all that typical.
He was the worst person Tasha had worked for, but also the most successful, giving her the chance to see countries and stay in suites at the most prominent hotels in the world.
Other assistants she knew who worked for celebrities were often sent to basic nearby accommodation, and most of the time that’s what she had done too, but while they were on the island it made sense for her and Riley to both stay at the cottage.
He liked having her on call, whenever he needed her to help him go through his lines, order in food, or any other job he could think of to give her.
She thought of her studio flat in Clapham, which she’d given up before coming to Jersey.
It hadn’t ever truly felt like the home she had intended to make it.
Probably because she was rarely there for very long with all the travelling to locations she had done with Riley.
She wondered if she might feel like she had roots somewhere if she was in a relationship with someone, but again how would that be possible when working for Riley took up so much of her time?
The only man she had dated since working for Riley had soon become jealous of her lack of free time, even though she and Riley had never been more than boss and employee to each other.
Regardless of the benefits she had gleaned during the past three years, she was becoming more aware that by working with Riley, she was often found guilty by association among the cast and crew of shows he worked in, and the sooner she found somewhere else to work the better as far as she was concerned.
Not that she had much free time to apply for anything else right now.
Tasha decided that as soon as she had changed their flights home, she would look for other accommodation for herself on the island.
There was a lull in Riley’s moaning, and Bill took the chance to change the subject.
‘How did the radio interview go yesterday, Mr Sharp? I forgot to ask.’
‘It could have been worse, I suppose.’
‘I thought it went very well,’ Tasha said, thinking how good Callum was at his job.
‘Maybe.’
He really was in a bad mood, Tasha thought miserably. She hoped he snapped out of it soon, otherwise the evening ahead was going to drag.
‘Hey,’ Riley said, frowning. ‘Did you pick up my phone yesterday?’
‘Your phone?’ She tried to recall when she might have last seen it. Riley was always leaving it somewhere.
‘Yes. I’ve been racking my brains to think when I had it last, and I think it was at the studio.’
Tasha closed her eyes. ‘Are you sure?’
‘I said so, didn’t I?’
Not quite, she thought, but kept her response to herself. Aware that his next comment would be for her to retrieve it for him, she took her phone from her pocket and found Callum’s number. He didn’t answer her call so she sent him a text. ‘I’ll get it back as soon as I can.’