Page 67 of California Dreaming

“Hello,” Valentina said. She extended a hand. “It’s so nice to meet you. I heard that you’re coming to the Moonrise awards ceremony. I hope we can sit together. It’s always good to know a friendly face at these Hollywood events.”

Tess took a deep breath and tried to swallow down her anxiety. These were Arch’s friends, and she’d be sitting at a table with them all. They were so close, they were able to wander right into his house without calling, and Arch was thrilled to see them.

She felt like she might need to breathe into a paper bag in a minute.

She put on her best breezy smile, the one she reserved for her most stubborn clients, and shook Valentina’s hand warmly. “It’s nice to meet you too,” she said. “I’ll be accompanying Archer to make sure he’s steady on his feet and feeling up to presenting the award.”

Was that a little flicker of amusement on Valentina’s face, as though she’d already guessed that Tessa and Arch weren’t just caregiver and client?

Thankfully, Arch diffused the moment by saying, “I’m so glad you could meet Smith and Valentina here, so you’ll already know them when we sit together at Moonrise. It’s going to be a great night.”

From what Tessa knew about Valentina, she was a fascinating woman. Sister to the movie star Tatiana Landon, she was also her business manager, as well as a screenwriter. Her wedding to Smith Sullivan had been the subject of much Hollywood speculation, but Valentina herself had remained quite private, which Tessa really respected. How had Valentina managed to stay out of the limelight? Granted, Tessa had only just met her, but she got the feeling that Valentina definitely wasn’t with Smith for fame and celebrity.

Arch motioned for everyone to take a seat in the living room, and Tessa offered coffee and tea. “I’ll help,” Valentina said quickly and joined Tessa in the kitchen. “Do you mind if I have an herbal tea?” She moved around the kitchen with ease, knowing exactly where things were kept.

“I’ll have some too,” Tessa said. “I’ve had too much coffee today.”

Valentina flashed her a warm, genuine smile, and Tessa felt some of her trepidation melt away. While they prepared coffee for the men and Valentina made them mint tea, she returned to the topic of the awards ceremony.

“I’m quite nervous about it,” Tessa admitted. “I’ve never been to anything like that before.”

Valentina nodded. “Believe me, I totally understand where you’re coming from. When I first entered the business—and especially when I started dating Smith—I was terrified of the limelight.” She paused before adding, “It might help you to know, though, that while red-carpet events look dazzling when you see the highlights on TV, when you’re there it’s quite boring, really. Hollywood is all about illusion, but as I’m sure you’ve seen yourself, even the biggest stars are just normal people at heart.” She touched Tessa’s arm. “I’ve always thought that Arch is one of the nicest men in Hollywood. He and Smith are alike in that way.”

It was kind of Valentina to reassure her, but Tessa couldn’t quite believe that she’d be bored at the ceremony. Glitz and glamor and the constant flash of photographers’ cameras must be second nature to someone like Valentina, who’d spent most of her life working in Hollywood with her sister and now with Smith too.

Tessa put the tea and coffee on a tray, and the two women walked into the living room. Arch and Smith were doubled over with laughter. It was clear that these two went way back.

“Classic Frankie, right?” Smith was saying.

Arch was still laughing so hard he could only nod in response.

“You must miss being on set,” Smith said to Arch. He turned to Tessa. “This one’s a hard worker, you know. Never late, always ready to do another take. His energy is incredible.” Smith smiled at his friend fondly.

“You’re the same,” Arch said.

Tessa put coffee mugs in front of the two men and cream and sugar on the table. She and Valentina settled with their tea.

Arch said, “I’ve been so focused on getting my strength back that I haven’t had all that much time to think about being on set.”

“How’s the Shock Tactics script?” Smith asked.

Arch paused to think over the question. “Solid. Some nice humor, and the writing’s better than I expected. I’m looking forward to getting started.” He glanced down at his leg. “Thankfully, I’m getting stronger every day.” Then he smiled at Tessa, a smile that was a little too twinkly, if you asked her. The kind of smile that just might give their secret away. “It’s all down to Tessa. She’s a taskmaster, but in the best possible way.”

“To be perfectly honest,” Smith said, “I didn’t think you had a snowball’s chance in hell of recovering from a broken leg in time to start shooting Shock Tactics.” Then Smith smiled at Tessa. “But I hadn’t counted on you coming into Arch’s life and doing such an amazing job.”

Tessa felt herself turn pink at the compliment, but had to tell the truth. “I can’t take all the credit. As you say, Archer is a hard worker.”

“Stubborn too,” Smith said, shaking his head. “Stubborn, opinionated, and determined.” He grinned at the group. “Did I leave anything out?”

Though Tessa’s brain immediately thought, You left out how amazing he is in bed, she said, “He is one thousand percent committed to getting better.” With a grin, she added, “And also stubborn, opinionated, and determined.”

Valentina laughed. “We imagined he’d be a difficult patient. But he’s clearly in good hands. You’ve been so lucky to have found the perfect caregiver, Arch.”

He nodded. “I absolutely have.”

Then Smith said, “Did Jay send you the script for the Moonrise festival? We don’t have to say too much, but there’s a bit of cheesy banter at the beginning before we present the award.”

“Yeah, I got it. Haven’t had a chance to look at it yet, though.”

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