Chapter 7 #2
“We prepped the shot the day before. A dozen people passed the area and stopped to watch. That’s what happens when we have open rehearsals.”
“What about the harness?”
“Larry already apologized for that. He didn’t check it as closely as he should have.”
“Bullshit.”
Roscoe’s eyes narrowed. “Look, kid, I’m grateful Emily’s okay. I’m also grateful she’s not suing. None of that changes the fact that we’re carrying on.”
“So next time someone greases a rock, you don’t care that your leading actress could end up in the hospital? Hell, maybe she’ll end up in a coma like your last one.”
Every fucking part of him recoiled at that idea, but this asshole wasn’t getting it. The forest wasn’t a controlled set. Someone had coated that rock in grease and tampered with the harness, and it was a damn miracle Emily was okay.
The director stood. “Larry will do a better job at checking these things from now on. Now back off.”
Then the guy just sat back down like that was it. The end of the conversation.
Shit, Ryan had never wanted to hit someone so badly.
From across the room, Emily stood. She didn’t glance his way as she headed toward the door. Not once.
“Take my food to base,” he said over his shoulder to Connor, before following Emily outside. It took him three long strides along the sidewalk to catch up with her.
She didn’t look at him. But he saw the flickers of awareness. The thinning of her lips. The tensing of her shoulders.
“Are you ignoring me, Emi?”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because we kissed.”
She gasped, grinding to a halt as she looked at him. “Shh! People might hear you!”
“Scared they’ll know you’re not really with Ken?”
Her eyes narrowed. “It’s Preston. And maybe I am with him.”
“You’re not.”
“How do you know?”
“Because you wouldn’t date a guy whose ego needs its own trailer.”
“Maybe I would. Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do, Ryan.”
No. He didn’t. Over the last two weeks of watching her do her scenes, he’d seen something that hadn’t been there five years ago—sadness. She hid it well, with that fake smile and the camera-ready facade, but he saw through the mask.
“Maybe we should change that.”
It was a stupid thing to say. Because where could any kind of relationship between the two of them go? She had a home outside of Deep River. A job that consumed most of her life. And he had a responsibility to his team and this town.
Emotions flickered in through her expression. So many it was hard to pick one. Confusion. That familiar sadness. And maybe a bit of hope.
Then she shook her head and stepped back. “No. We kissed and you didn’t…”
“I didn’t what?”
Her lips parted, and she looked like she was about to tell him exactly how he’d screwed up.
Then a camera flashed.
Emily cursed under her breath. Ryan turned to see a man with a camera pointed right at them.
The fuck? “What the hell are you doing?”
“Who’s the guy, Emily?” the guy called.
Emily rolled her eyes. “Not today, Shaun.”
Shaun? She knew this guy?
“I thought you were dating Preston Painter? Or do you just let people believe that to sell tickets to your movies?”
Emily looked back at Ryan. “I’m leaving. Don’t follow me.”
She crossed the road toward the gazebo. The guy with the camera started to follow, but Ryan stepped into his path and grabbed a fistful of his shirt.
“What the hell?” He glanced down at his shirt, then back up at Ryan. “Let go of me!”
“No.”
“No?” The guy, at least a head shorter than Ryan, spluttered. “Get your damn hand off me before I call the sheriff.”
“You obviously haven’t met our sheriff. He wouldn’t even pull over for this.”
The guy looked across the patch of green in the direction Emily had gone before huffing. “I’m going to lose her!”
“Exactly.”
New suspicion crept into the man’s gray eyes. “You her boyfriend?”
“I’m the guy who’s going to break that camera if you so much as breathe in her direction again.” This time, Ryan cast a glance over his shoulder to see Emily had disappeared.
Good.
He released the guy, who immediately straightened his clothes. “I’m a reporter.”
“Didn’t think reporters took photos.”
“Well, I do. You touch me like that again and you won’t like what happens.”
He’d no sooner stepped away than Ryan’s phone rang, Nora’s name on the screen. Even though he wasn’t in the mood to talk, he answered it. He’d always answer a call from his sister if he could.
“Hey.”
“You busy?”
“I just finished threatening someone, so I’m all free now.”
“Do I want to know?”
“No.” When Shaun slipped into a white van, Ryan gave Nora his full attention. “Everything okay?”
“I need you to tell me something, and I need you to be honest.”
His brows flickered. “What?”
“Tell me I’m not crazy.”
“You’re not crazy.”
“You haven’t even heard my reasoning.”
“I don’t need to. You’re not crazy.” They did have someone in the family who suffered from mental illness, but that person was not Nora.
“A sixteen-year-old boy just told me I’m a psycho. And I’m fully medicated today.”
“You take anxiety medication. That doesn’t make you a psycho. And you work in a high school. Those kids call each other psycho. It could even be a compliment.”
Nora sighed. “Tell me something to distract me.”
“I kissed Emi.”
Nora gasped. “You did what?”
“Or she kissed me, I can’t remember. But we kissed.”
“When? How?”
“In my house a week ago—”
“A week ago? And you’re only just telling me now?”
“You’re a school counselor. Aren’t you supposed to be calm in situations like these?”
“You’re my brother and a full-ass adult. You need a different kind of counseling. Plus, this is huge.”
“Really? Because Emi can still barely look at me.”
“Why? What did you do?”
“Why do you assume I did something?”
“Ryan.” There was warning in his sister’s voice.
“I didn’t do anything. She pushed me away mid-kiss and we haven’t spoken since.”
“Did you go and talk to her about it the next day? Did you tell her you made the biggest mistake of your life five years ago?”
“No. Because I didn’t. She wouldn’t have any of what she has now if I hadn’t ended our relationship.”
“No, she’d lead a completely different life. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
The sadness in Emily’s eyes ran through his mind again.
He shook his head. No. She was living the life she’d always dreamed of. She’d told him this was what she wanted too many times for him to think otherwise. “I’ve got to go.”
“Because you can’t handle your little sister’s honest advice?”
“Bye, Nora.”
“You tell me immediately after the next kiss!”
“There won’t be a next kiss.”
Nora laughed. “When Emi’s involved, all cards are off the table.”