Chapter Ten #2
‘Aw, shit,’ Josh muttered, shaking his head.
Before I knew it, he was standing between the two of them.
‘Say, Darcy, we can figure this out, can’t we?
’ She looked at him, a hand on her hip. ‘I’m sure there’s a steaming new pot of coffee waiting for you on the table right now, and I’m sure .
. .’ He turned to the runner. ‘What’s your name? ’
‘Madison,’ she whispered, awestruck by his intervention.
‘I’m sure Madison didn’t let it go cold on purpose, right?’
‘Right.’ Madison nodded like she was drowning and had just been thrown a life vest. ‘I’ll be really careful in future, I promise.’
‘Well, that’s great,’ Josh said, before turning to Darcy. ‘It’s just coffee, right, Darce?’ She looked taken aback, like she hadn’t been expecting to be challenged.
‘I guess,’ she said, warily.
He clapped them both on the shoulder at the same time. ‘Glad we cleared that one up!’ Everyone resumed their conversations, and, blow-up averted, Josh came back to finish our conversation.
‘She should get her own coffee if she’s that bothered about it . . .’ I said under my breath, not wanting to be the next person on the receiving end of Darcy.
‘Oh, she’s all right really.’
I rolled my eyes. ‘Come on, it’s day one and she’s already bullying the runners. But you handled that pretty well.’ I hated giving Josh any kind of compliment but it seemed like it might be due.
‘Well, I know things can escalate when people go unchecked for too long,’ he said with a knowing smile.
‘Anyway,’ I inhaled, ready to tackle the main event. ‘Show it to me.’
‘Awfully bold for so early in the morning,’ Josh widened his eyes, pretending I meant . . . something else, which I most definitely did not mean.
‘Josh! You know what I’m talking about,’ I said, nodding in the direction of his left bicep while trying not to blush too deeply.
‘Oh, you mean this little thing?’ He grinned, yanking up the sleeve of his T-shirt to reveal, exactly as Courtney had described, a huge roaring lion head. ‘Cool, huh?’
Whether I wanted to encourage him or not, I couldn’t help but laugh at the sheer scale and audacity of the tattoo.
This was the problem with Josh: he was like a naughty schoolboy, and even if he drove you insane, once in a while you just had to give it to him despite yourself. ‘Josh! It’s enormous!’
‘That’s what she said,’ he quipped, pulling his sleeve down again, and I rolled my eyes.
‘What possessed you to do it?’
‘It looks sick as hell, and don’t you pretend it doesn’t, Squirt.’
Just then, we were interrupted by Carrie tapping me on the shoulder. ‘Juliet wants you in makeup.’
‘Juliet?’ I frowned at her. ‘Juliet isn’t my makeup artist. I’ve always had Edith.’ I would assume that Carrie had made a mistake but this wasn’t the kind of mistake Carrie would make.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, swallowing. ‘I don’t know what to tell you other than that Juliet is asking for you.’
‘No, of course.’ I said before heading off to the hair and makeup department.
‘See ya around.’ Josh nodded at me before throwing the last of his pastry into his mouth and catching it like a performing seal.
I made my way to the hair and makeup department, a sense of unease in my chest and any amusement over Josh’s tattoo quickly evaporating as I heard footsteps approaching me around a corner from the opposite direction. I knew before she even turned the corner that it would be—
‘Oh, hey,’ Darcy drawled.
‘Hi again,’ I said, trying to keep the nerves out of my voice.
‘Wait, did we . . . ?’ She squinted at me through bloodshot, hungover eyes.
‘We met last night at the party,’ I reminded her.
‘Oh, sure, of course we did,’ she said with a throaty laugh. ‘I have a memory like a sieve.’
I shrugged. ‘No problem. I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.’
‘You’re in a house, right? Not in the hotel?’ she asked, referring to the division between ‘main cast’ who get provided with private houses in the surrounding towns and villages, and the rest of the cast and crew who get put up in a hotel.
‘I’m in a house,’ I said slowly, frowning with confusion. It was as if she didn’t quite realise I was the lead and I didn’t know how to tell her.
‘Oh, cool, I’m in Winterbrook but I don’t really know where that is . . . I’m not up on my British geography.’
‘It’s pretty close to here. I was in a house there on the second film. This year I’m in Gables Cross.’
She shrugged. ‘I have no idea where that is. But if it’s close, we should all hang out. Find one of your cosy British pubs to drink in. It doesn’t seem fair the rest of the guys in the hotel get to have fun while we’re all separated, you know?’
‘Right.’ I nodded.
‘Or are you not much of a boozer?’ Darcy asked, narrowing her eyes at me curiously.
‘No, I’m happy to have a drink, any time!’ I said, brightly, knowing I need to befriend this girl. ‘Well, I’d better get going. I’m due in hair and makeup.’
‘I just came from there. Edith’s a sweetheart, isn’t she?’
‘She’s the best,’ I said, a fierce sensation of possessiveness clutching at my heart.
‘See you around.’ Darcy raised a hand, the huge cuff of her oversized shirt so big that you could only see the tips of her fingers.
As soon as Edith saw me, she drew me into a warm, tight hug.
She held me at arm’s length, looking me over. ‘More beautiful than ever. My little dolly. Well—’ she looked at the ground ‘—not my little dolly anymore. I can’t believe I’m losing you to Juliet. Not that she’s not great at her job – she is – I’m just going to miss you and those lovely eyes.’
‘What?’ My stomach dropped.
‘Look, my love, it wasn’t my decision. She needs a lot more makeup than you, so it was decided I would do it.’
‘Who does?’ I asked, even though I knew the answer.
‘Darcy Jackson,’ Edith said, raising her eyebrows significantly. ‘The great disruptor.’
‘Of course,’ I said, quietly.
‘Well, Loreia’s makeup is a lot more elaborate than Linderley’s.
Either way, that’s how we’re doing it. I’m sorry, Emily, I loved being your makeup artist. It felt like such a calm way to start the day, just you in my chair before the chaos of the set,’ she said, looking genuinely pained.
‘It’ll just be for this film, I’m sure of it.
Anyway, Juliet is wonderful, I taught her everything she knows. ’
‘No, of course, I completely understand,’ I said, flipping into professional mode. No feelings allowed. ‘It makes sense. I hope you enjoy working with Darcy, too, Edith.’
She drew me into another hug, which made it feel like we were wrapping, rather than the first day of a new film. When she released me, she cocked her head to the side where Juliet was waiting for me and said, ‘Suppose it’s time to hand you over.’
I nodded, and put on my best brave face at losing the principal makeup artist. Juliet was delightful, warm and inviting, and between her, Alessandro the wig master, and George, my hair stylist, we went over the plan for this film.
They all talked around me, everyone buzzing with ideas and excitement but I just sat in the chair and looked at my reflection in the brightly lit mirror, thinking, You were right. Darcy is bad news.