38. Sierra
SIERRA
“ O kay,” Ro said, rubbing her hands together as she walked into the costume shop at the Hart of Gold Productions lot. “I’m ready to be wowed!”
I took her hands in mine as she reached my side. It was the official first day of preproduction on Some Kind of Chemistry , and after accepting the position of costume designer—which Finn had left open all this time, hoping I’d change my mind—I’d knuckled down, prepping costume inspo for today.
“This actually feels a little surreal, doesn’t it? This is your movie. Like a big summer blockbuster rom-com.”
“I’m still pinching myself,” Ro said. She tilted her head, giving me a funny look. “And it’s our movie.”
“Well, mostly your movie.” I grinned. We’d only been waiting half our lives for this moment, and we’d been handed the eighties rom-com of our dreams. Working with X had been amazing, but working with Ro…nothing compared to building something from the ground up with your best friend .
“So, Ro Gilmore, director extraordinaire, thank you for making the time to meet with me today.”
Ro snorted. “I’ve been trying to get costume details out of you for weeks. You’re lucky I didn’t break into Finn’s condo to spy on your notes.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I definitely considered it. Trust me. Brenna had to talk me down.”
I smirked, leading her through the shop and into my office.
“So…” Ro said, trotting along at my heels. “Are we thinking power suits and shoulder pads? Or like leather jackets with a punk influence? Either way, I want big hair and all the accessories.”
“Don’t worry. I already put Paisley on scrunchie duty,” I said. Luckily, I’d managed to get the full team back from the Every Day shoot, so it was practically a family reunion.
“Is Finn coming?” Ro asked.
“He said he’d be here this morning. Probably just got hung up in a meeting.” I turned one of the boards around as Ro plopped herself on the couch. “Okay, this is what I’m thinking so far.” I held my hands out in a ta-da fashion, letting Ro take in all the neon I’d added to my sketches.
“Oh. My. God.” Her eyes widened. “I freaking love it!”
“Yeah?”
Ro jumped to her feet to take a closer look at the sketches and fabric swatches. “Is this our leading lady?”
I nodded. “I think we should really lean into the bold, playful color blocking,” I said, walking her through my design ideas. “And for the leading man…” I grabbed the other board, turning it around just as?—
“Knock, knock.” Brenna popped her head into the office. At her shoulder were two very attractive people with glowing skin, silky hair, and picture-perfect smiles. “Ro, you’ve already met Jenn and Michael, but Sierra, I wanted to officially introduce you to our new leads.”
“Hello,” I said, smiling as Brenna made the introductions. This was our first in-person meeting, but the moment I came onto the project, I’d done my research on both leads so I could start thinking through the costume design. “Why don’t we get you started with initial measurements?”
Jenn and Michael followed me to the fitting platforms in front of the bank of mirrors while Paisley, Trin, and Carter got to work.
I bounced between them, comparing fabric samples against them as Ro chattered excitedly about a dance club sequence with leg warmers and fingerless gloves.
I darted back to my office to grab my notebook when a pair of arms wrapped around me from behind.
“Hello, you…”
Lips caressed my neck, breath warm against my skin, and I tilted my head slightly, a rush of desire surging through me. I bit my lip, turning in Finn’s arms. “You’re supposed to behave at work,” I warned him.
“I said I’d be good,” he murmured, low and gravelly. “I never promised to be a saint.” He flashed me a cheeky grin as a pair of delivery men crossed through the shop behind him, carrying pallets of canned drinks.
“What’s all this?” I asked, slipping past him to get a better look at what they were piling on the cutting table .
“Special delivery,” Finn said. I glanced over my shoulder where he’d leaned against the doorframe of my office, arms crossed, a smirk on his lips showing that he was up to no good.
My eyes narrowed. “What kind of delivery?” I locked in on the logo on the boxes. “What the hell is Tastea?”
“I’ve invested in a tea company,” he said. “All-natural energy without those horrible chemicals that are going to kill you.”
“You’re taking my RevX?”
“Oh, it’s long gone, Cinderella.” He took my hand, tugging me into the circle of his arms. “I told you I was going to get you off that crap, and I meant it. I need to keep you around for a good long time, Sierra Banks. For reasons .”
“Reasons?” I stared up at him, my heart fluttering in my chest as his gaze softened.
“Yes, purely selfish reasons,” he whispered, pecking me on the lips.
“You’re sure they shouldn’t be your leads?” Michael joked to Ro, gesturing at Finn and me as he finished up with his measurements.
“Ugh,” Ro said, fighting off a fake shiver. “Then I’d have to watch them make out through my camera lens for months. That’s a hard pass. Bad enough I have to see it in public as it is.”
I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at her complaining. I still remembered when she’d wanted to blow up that cover of Finn and me on US Weekly and hang it on the wall.
“That should probably qualify for hazard pay,” Michael said, looking down at Ro with what could only be called a twinkle in his eye.
“Right!” Ro declared .
Hmm …I thought, noticing the way she grinned back at him. I turned back to Finn as the delivery guys unloaded more cases of Tastea. Bells started going off in my head. “Now when you say you invested in the company?—”
“Did I say invest?” Finn corrected. “I meant bought.” He kissed me on the cheek. “I’m not messing around.”
I pursed my lips, trying not to smile at his ridiculous gesture. “Your dedication is noted, but I don’t need you out here just buying up companies.”
“I’m diversifying my portfolio,” he said, tapping my nose with his finger. “Now, how’s the shop? Have everything you need?”
“It’s almost perfect,” I said.
“Almost?”
“What happened to Merle?”
“Oh, did I forget the best part?” he said, giving me a sly grin before popping back into the hall and rolling Merle in on a dolly. The mannequin was now clad in a Hawaiian shirt similar to what Paisley always wore.
The can of RevX formerly taped to his hand had been replaced with a cardboard sign that read: DO NOT GIVE THE COSTUME DESIGNER ENERGY DRINKS. RULE brEAKERS WILL BE VOLUNTOLD FOR LAUNDRY DUTY.
I gave him a flat look. “Really?”
“I’ve got a lot of years of RevX damage to undo,” he said. “And I take my job very seriously. Because you’re very important to me.”
“You’re gonna make Ro apply for hazard pay if you’re not careful,” I said .
Finn cupped my jaw, running his thumb over my cheek. “Hate to break it to you, but Ro’s not paying any attention to us.”
A bubble of laughter rippled through the room, and I glanced over at Ro, her cheeks bright red as she laughed at something Michael had said.
Hmmm …I thought again. “On-set romance?” I asked Finn.
He leaned in close and groaned against the side of my head. “God, I hope not. We just got the new audio equipment set up, and I don’t even want to know what kind of shenanigans that’ll pick up. I can’t handle another messy X-and-Mom type of incident.”
“Maybe you’re the one who’s gonna need the hazard pay then,” I said, and we both broke into laughter. “But a little mess can be a good thing.”
His gaze softened as he stared down at me, his arms wrapping around my waist. “The best thing of all.”