Page 24 of California Dreaming

Tessa wanted to reach out and swipe Roxy’s hand away. How dare she touch him? She was here to interview him, not put her hands on him. It was completely unprofessional.

Somehow, Tessa managed to hold herself back and hold her tongue. She didn’t want to embarrass Arch. But she did train her gaze on him, wondering how he’d respond to this kind of behavior. In the short time she’d known him, Arch had never once seemed like a Hollywood movie star.

To her surprise, Arch ignored Roxy’s comment. He simply laughed and suggested they get started. And Tessa also noticed that he subtly shifted his torso out of Roxy’s reach.

Arch had been interviewed by Roxy before. Many times, probably. Tessa had seen a couple of the interviews on TV. There was an ease to their exchange that made Tessa’s stomach feel funny.

But then Arch turned to Tessa and gave her such a warm, genuine smile that the sick feeling in her stomach disappeared and was replaced with a little flutter instead.

“I’ll get started on dinner prep,” Tessa said, hoping that her voice sounded more natural than she was really feeling.

“That’s great,” he said. “You did an amazing job with lunch. I can’t believe you make veggies taste so good. This interview shouldn’t take too long, and then I can give you a hand.”

Tessa laughed. “I’m here to help you—not the other way around. I’ve got this covered, so you don’t need to worry.”

She retreated to the kitchen, which had a spacious prep station where she could work in peace. She couldn’t wait to get away from the film crew. Not least Roxy and her shiny hair and too-perfect makeup and figure.

The pantry off the kitchen was bigger than some of the bedrooms Tessa had slept in and was lined with fitted cupboards and drawers stocked with dry goods. For someone who traveled as much as Arch did, he sure had a lot of food at home. She looked for the brown rice she’d purchased, trying to get her thoughts in order.

Despite Arch’s kind words, the annoying thing was that Roxy was completely right: Tessa was utterly overwhelmed by Arch’s life and career. Watching him slip so easily into conversation with the TV crew, effortlessly switching on the charm, obviously accustomed to the bright lights and being a huge celebrity, brought home the differences between them. She couldn’t pretend she was used to working around film crews and famous TV hosts. Despite all her experience, everything about her current job here felt alien, whereas Arch and Roxy seemed to have great chemistry. They were from the same world. Tessa could feel the stirrings of an unwelcome jealousy.

She shook her head. She’d been here only a day and look how quickly she’d succumbed to feeling like a teenager with a crush again. She was better than this.

She could still hear them chatting and laughing in the other room. It was yet another reminder that Arch’s place was out there in front of the camera and the millions of people he reached. While hers was in the kitchen and the gym, tucked away and anonymous, doing her best to get him healthy again.

Still, she enjoyed cooking, and having such a range of wonderful ingredients at her fingertips made her feel like she was running a Michelin-starred restaurant in a glitzy corner of Hollywood. She tried to ignore the hubbub of the crew and focused on what she knew best.

Arch’s voice carried, though. He was amiable, playful even, answering Roxy’s questions about the horse stunt with self-effacing laughter.

Tessa couldn’t help but creep to the archway of the kitchen to listen as Roxy said, “I’ve seen the footage of that stunt. Arch, do you have any regrets?”

Tess knew that the prop dynamite had spooked the horse, but would Arch tell the world that? It would likely only get the person who had accidentally set off the dynamite shoved into the public eye for doing something that had nearly ended Arch’s life. No, she doubted he’d say anything about it. Because he wasn’t the kind of man who would blame anyone for an honest mistake. Even one that had broken his leg—and nearly broken the rest of his body too.

He said, “I’m really proud of the movie we’re making. Doing my own stunts brings a little more reality to the production. But it’s also true that it was a dangerous stunt, and it didn’t go perfectly. Honestly, I’m glad it was my leg that got broken and not the horse’s.”

What a great answer. She felt so proud of him.

He continued, “My body is usually a fast healer, and I have a great team looking after me. I’ll be back on set before you know it.”

As Roxy moved on to rumors that Arch had been chosen as the lead in Shock Tactics, Tessa went back to her meal prep.

Following a tried and tested healthy recipe that had won even Margaret’s approval, Tessa allowed herself to get lost in the rhythm of cooking. That was, until she heard Roxy’s honeyed voice say, “I’d love to interview your caregiver too—get her thoughts on how you’re doing.”

Tessa dropped the knife she was holding on the cutting board, and her palms started to sweat. The word no ran repeatedly through her mind. Arch had said they wouldn’t need to interview her. Surely he must have noticed how on edge the very idea of them being in the house had made her. She waited with bated breath for his answer.

“No,” she heard him say firmly. “She doesn’t want to be on film. We’ve got to respect that.”

Tessa let out her breath and peeked into the main room. She could see Arch and Roxy across from each other, see the cameras trained on the pair of them. The TV host’s carefully penciled eyebrows were raised. Clearly, she hadn’t expected to be told no. And not so bluntly. So far, Arch had been easygoing with her questions. But Tessa could well imagine that not many men said no to a woman like Roxy.

Roxy let out a little laugh. “Quite the firm answer,” she noted. “A little protective, maybe? Is there possibly a budding romance between the star and the nurse?”

Tessa gasped. Had Roxy somehow seen through her and guessed at the crush she was trying so hard to conceal? The very idea that Arch would get involved with his “nurse” was ridiculous, despite all the movies and books with that plot. But once the rumor mill started churning, she could imagine being crushed by it. She felt sick to her stomach.

But Arch took the question in stride, shutting it down with a simple, “Come on now, Roxy. You’ve already got what you need for your exclusive, right? We don’t have to involve innocent bystanders.”

Tessa could sense that beneath the friendly tone, Arch was warning Roxy not to push things too far. She’d gotten her scoop, was here inside his home, and, as he’d reminded her, Celebrity Tonight had an exclusive interview.

To her credit, Roxy got the message, quickly redirecting the interview to his real-life friendship with on-screen buddy Smith Sullivan. Tessa ducked back into the pantry, relieved. She was very grateful to Arch for keeping her out of the limelight. She enjoyed hearing him speak so enthusiastically about his friend. “I’ve learned so much from Smith. I’m in awe of his talent—and any day you go to work with a good friend, with a great script, and a good crew, it doesn’t even feel like work.”

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