Page 167 of My Five Daddies

I watch Holly and Jackson closely, but it seems totally normal. Nothing special is happening between them, and they deliver their lines and hit their marks professionally. I can’t help but keep thinking about what Laney said about them, though. Jackson and Holly make a lot of sense, they’re both rich movie stars rising up through the ranks, and they’re both stupidlyattractive.

I don’t know why that makes me jealous or why I even care. Jackson is nothing to me anymore. We’re just friends, well, we’re on a friendly truce at least. We’re not even real friends. If he wants to sleep with Holly, hecan.

The scene finishes and the crew breaks again to get ready for the last bit of shooting before the end of the day. I go to review the film and cross-reference it to the script like I’m supposed to when something catches myeyes.

It’s Jackson and Holly. They’re both leaning against a prop support beam, and Holly is laughing about something. She tosses her hair and touches Jackson’s arm, which makes him smile. She leans closer and whispers something in his ear, and he laughsloudly.

I’m staring at them and I don’t even realize it until Lionel barks at me. “Script girl, get towork.”

“Sorry,” I stumble, and look back at the monitor, but I can’t help but keep seeing thatmoment.

Holly’s gorgeous lips next to Jackson’s ear. The way she whispers. The way he laughs. It seemed so…intimate.

I have to get myself together. I’m not some jealous little girl. They’re professionals acting in a film. They’re trying to be friendly together, because it’s easier to be friends with your coworkers than it is to be awkward or whatever else. I’ve seen it a hundred times. Stars become best friends during a film and then they drift apart and never speakagain.

That’s what’ll happen with Jackson and Holly. I’m sure of it. I don’t care if they have afriendship.

And yet I keep seeing him in a towel. And I keep seeing her laughing, tossing her hair. Clearly flirting withhim.

I need to get it together. This is my job and nothing more. Jackson can do whatever hewants.

We have a truce and nothingmore.

7

Jackson

I’m sweating slightly,my breath coming faster as my body works to normalize itself. We just spent the last hour shooting the same ten-second fight sequence over and over again, and although I’m worn out, I’m stillexhilarated.

There’s nothing like a real fight to get your blood jumping, though this is pretty decent. I’ll never feel like I did back with the SEALs when I was doing real deadly work. Back then, the fights weren’t scripted, and my life was genuinely indanger.

A film set is fun and it’s a nice workout, but I’m not in any real danger. And I’m not taking real lives. Out there on the battlefield, I killed America’s enemies, because that was myjob.

Here though, I don’t have to worry about that. It feels good and it feels strange to be free of the constant nagging fear that my next mission might be mylast.

“How was that last flip?” I ask her as we watch the playback on the monitor. Lionel is already off talking with the lighting guys, and so it’s just me and Tara watching thefootage.

“It looks good,” she says without turning around. “I think it’ll fitright.”

I nod and lean in closer. “They really sell it, don’t they?” I askher.

She glances back at me. “Huh?” sheasks.

“The stunt guys,” I say, nodding at the extras that I was fighting with. “They’re reallyimpressive.”

“Oh. Yeah,definitely.”

“I mean, I’m the star or whatever, but I’d be nothing without guys that could do that. I mean seriously, watch him take this punch. It looks so…” I trail off as on screen, I punch a guy in the face and he collapses in a realisticway.

“It looks real,” she finishes for me. “Yeah, I can’t argue with that.” As the footage ends, she turns and looks at me, a strange curiosity on herface.

“What?” I askher.

“It’s just, I’ve worked on more than a few big budget movies like this, and I’ve never had a lead talk about the crew like youdo.”

I blink at her, surprised. “What should I talkabout?”

“Well, normally it’s about how youlook.”

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