Chapter 6
Aaron pushed open the door to his home, the familiar sound of Madison’s chatter wrapping around him like a warm embrace. Malibu suited him. The house was a three-year-old purchase, a necessary fresh start after selling the Holmby Hills home he had shared with Scarlette.
That house had become unbearable after her death.
Everywhere he turned, he saw her—the dark wood furniture she had loved, the gilded mirrors that echoed old Hollywood, the velvet chairs, the crystal chandeliers, the oil paintings she had insisted on, even the framed photographs of them scattered in every room.
Each detail screamed Scarlette. He had fled in grief, leaving it all behind.
As he walked through the hallway, he deliberately turned his thoughts to other things, like his meeting with Camille earlier that evening.
He felt relieved that she had agreed to follow his direction but their truce had not erased the fact that they had to recover the ground which they had lost. This meant that filming on coming days could be grueling.
He was reminded of the Bible verse that told him that he should not be anxious about anything but instead, with prayer and supplication and thanksgiving make his requests known to God and the peace of God which passed all understanding would guard his heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
So he prayed now asking God to help him in the days ahead to be able to make up lost time without him stressing everyone and himself in the process. Rounding the corner to the family room, he welcomed the peace that God brought to him as he surrendered the situation into His capable hands.
“Daddy!” Madison’s voice rang out as she bounded up from the couch where she and her nanny, Maria, sat watching a cartoon.
Normally Madison would have been tucked away in bed since 8:00 p.m. but he had given permission for her to stay up as he would be returning home late. She looked forward to his bedtime stories.
“Hey, sweet pea.” Aaron knelt, catching Madison in his arms and inhaling the strawberry scent of her hair. Her blue eyes sparkled with stories waiting to burst free.
“Guess what! We made a dinosaur today!” she exclaimed. “And it is yellow! Can you believe that? Yellow!”
“That sounds amazing!” Aaron chuckled, pride softening his features. Yes, he could believe it given that Madison’s favorite color was yellow in any shade. “Can I see him?”
“Yes, but” she said eyes wide, hands splayed before him. “Auntie Maria says we have to let him dry so you can’t touch him.”
Aaron met Maria’s indulgent smile with one of his one.
Maria was a godsend. She was the same woman who had taken care of him and his siblings when they were children.
When the opportunity arose to baby sit his daughter whenever his mother wasn’t available she didn’t have to give it a second thought.
“We even gave it a name, Mr. Dino!”
“Mr. Dino, huh? I like it.” He ruffled her hair.
She looked so much like Scarlette—his Sweet Caroline as he nicknamed her since her middle name was Caroline. The memories came once again unbidden: her cheerleader smile, her easy laughter, her radiant presence.
And then his mind drifted to Camille. Camille was so different, exotic and enigmatic, worlds apart from Scarlette’s all-American glow. Yet, he found her so… appealing.
“Daddy, are you listening?” Madison’s voice tugged him from his reverie as she led him to the play room to see her creation.
“Of course, sweetheart. Tell me more about Mr. Dino.”
As she continued, Aaron held her little hand in his, savoring the simple purity of her joy. These moments were his anchor, his reminder that love lived in this house.
Selling the Holmby house had been the first step.
This new home, just down the road from his parents, was another.
His mother, Dana had been determined her granddaughter would not grow up in a cold bachelor pad.
With her guidance, decorators transformed the place.
The clean lines of modular furniture, the brown, blue and muted yellow décor, suited him.
And the views—man, the views. Patios on both levels overlooked the Pacific, the manicured grounds, and a thirty-foot pool that shimmered like glass. It was his haven. His retreat. His safe place with Madison, far from the chaos of sets and paparazzi.
It was also here that he’d chosen to walk away from secular filmmaking and pour his talents into what aligned with his faith.
Maybe that was why Camille intrigued him so deeply. People, even he at times, doubted her faith, dismissing her as a pop-culture princess chasing relevance. But Aaron remembered his own brokenness, how God had restored him. Who was he to withhold grace?
As Madison chattered on about Mr. Dino when they reached the play room, Aaron thought of the Bible study with Camille that lay ahead.
Bearing that in mind, he decided that he would enlist the help of his learned brother to help him understand any areas that were not clear.
After all, the guy hadn’t attended three years of seminary after completing his psychology degree for nothing.
If that and his work as a pastor at the Hill Point Baptist church did not mean something well it was all over.
As soon as he was finished reading Madison her bedtime story and tucking her off to bed, he reached for his phone and dialed Adam.
“Hey. What’s up?” Adam answered.
“I need a crash course in the Book of Esther.”
“What do you mean? Didn’t you study the text in preparation for the movie?”
“I did. But I’m aiming to go a little deeper with a member of the crew.”
“Which member?”
Aaron paused. “Camille.”
“Ahh…”
“What does that mean?”
“What?”
“That long ahh. Like you have received some great revelation.”
Adam laughed. “I just find it curious that you, in particular, need to do bible study with her. Can’t you get her set up with a Biblical teacher or something. You are always telling me how swamped you are these days. How is it that you suddenly can find time for a bible study?”
“Well, I happen to think it’s important enough to make time. You should be happy. You keep inviting me to Bible study. Well, now I’m going to do Bible study.”
“Hmm.”
“I’m going to pop you, I swear.”
Adam gave a bark of laughter. “You need to chill, dude. Look, I’m happy to give you a crash course in Esther. In fact, it would be an honor. When’s good for you?”
“How about tomorrow around lunch time.”
“Nope.”
“What do you mean ‘nope’?”
“That never works out. Whenever you ask me to meet you on the set at lunch time to discuss this or that I end up waiting around forever for you to take a break and when you finally do you are super distracted so no. I’m not doing that. How about when you wrap up for the evening?”
“That might be late in the evening, though. I’m going to be pushing the crew hard in the coming days.”
“What’s a good time to come over tomorrow, then? I’ve got a meeting in the late afternoon but I should be through by five.”
“Umm let’s try for six but I’ll message you and let you know if that changes.”
~*~*~*~
The courtyard shimmered with torchlight, stone pillars rising like silent sentinels. Camille stood in Esther’s robes, the fabric whispering against her skin, the weight of a golden circlet pressing on her brow. She felt the hush of the set, the air thick with expectation.
Aaron’s voice came low but firm from behind the camera. “Remember, Camille—silence speaks louder here. No defiance in the eyes yet. It’s obedience first, not defiance. Hold back.”
She gave the smallest nod. Yesterday, she would have bristled, trusting her instincts over anyone else’s. Esther, to her mind, burned with quiet defiance even from the start. But she had promised Aaron she would trust his lead, lean into his vision, even when it grated against her own.
Robert Cortelli, as Mordecai, began his measured pacing across the courtyard. Camille lifted her gaze toward him, her instinct urging her to let longing and defiance flash openly in her eyes. But she checked herself, swallowing the urge. Not my way. His way.
The camera closed in on her face. She let her lashes fall, her expression softening into obedience—obedience layered with concealed strength.
“Perfect,” Aaron murmured from behind the monitor.
The scene ended. Camille exhaled, the weight of Esther slipping from her shoulders as she blinked against the glare of the set lights.
She turned toward Aaron, careful, respectful.
“I understand what you’re asking for, and it does work—Esther’s obedience is essential.
But—” she hesitated, choosing her words with care, “if we keep her entirely subdued, the audience might miss the ember beneath the ash. Perhaps… just a flicker of resistance? Not enough to break obedience, but enough to hint at what will one day blaze.”
Aaron studied her, arms crossed, eyes narrowing not in irritation but in thought.
The silence stretched, then his mouth curved slightly.
“You’re right. The ember should be there, or the fire later feels unearned.
Let’s shoot it both ways—mine first, then yours.
If your way works, it’ll be in the edit. ”
Camille inclined her head, a quiet smile tugging at her lips. She had surrendered to his leading, and in that surrender found the opportunity to offer her opinion—not in rebellion, but in partnership.
When the day wrapped, he found her. “You were incredible today,” he said, his admiration plain. “Thank you for keeping your word.”
She smiled. “And thank you for keeping yours.”
He nodded. “Sure.” He glanced at his watch then seemed to remember something, “Listen, about the Bible study.”
She met his gaze. “Yes?”
“We hadn’t discussed when we would start. How’s next Wednesday evening sound?”
She thought about it for a moment. “It sounds fine. Maybe you could come to Bel Air? It’s only half an hour from here. I’ll make supper,” she added with a smile.
Aaron studied her face, seeming to weigh her intent.