Page 2 of Full House

CHAPTER ONE

Six months earlier…

God, she was nervous.

Palms sweaty, Victoria gripped the steering wheel tighter as she pulled up to what she hoped was the correct studio gate. There were a lot of them, and she’d already stopped at two. Thank goodness, she’d been running ahead of schedule. The last thing she wanted was to be late for her first day of filming.

After a restless night’s sleep and waking before her alarm, she had time on her hands no matter how much she’d procrastinated while getting ready that morning. She’d even debated a full twenty minutes selecting the right outfit—something she usually never wasted time doing. Not wanting to appear too dressy or casual, she settled on a pair of black skinny jeans and a lightweight, V-neck, cashmere sweater for a mix of both. With nothing left to do and too anxious to sit around, she’d left early, and thankfully so, because she’d wasted valuable time looking for her correct destination.

A security guard stepped out of the booth, a smile on his face as he waited for her to roll down her window.

“Ma’am.” He tipped his head. “Name and ID.”

“Victoria Lee.” Her fingers fumbled through her purse, searching for her wallet.

He took her ID, scanning his clipboard. He gave her another smile when he handed her license back. “You’re in sound studio thirty-nine. Straight ahead then to the right.”

“Thank you.”

He pushed a button, and the gated bar rose, gaining her access. She drove slowly, watching the buildings, keeping her eye out for thirty-nine. She saw it up ahead, the large number stamped at the top of a big, boxy structure. A small, half-filled parking area to the right of the sound studio seemed the right place to park. At least, she hoped it was.

She hated first days—not knowing where to go and what to do. Surprisingly, for the career path she’d chosen, she was a bit shy and being in unknown situations and not knowing what to expect increased her anxiety. Which was why she liked being well prepared and the reason she had all her lines memorized. She might not always know what the heck she was doing in real life, but she had her roles down pat.

She was ready to live her dream. After countless debates with her parents on her career choice and a few bit parts here and there, she’d finally landed a role she could sink her teeth into. The female lead in the new romantic comedy starring alongside Nathan Reed.

She’d been over the moon when her manager had called with the news that the movie’s director, Simon Murphy, wanted her to come in for a screen test. Then an emotional mess when only a day later he’d called back to tell her she’d landed the part. And now, after almost two months of excited anticipation, she was more than ready to start filming.

Victoria walked through the large double doors of the hangar-like building, then stood in the entrance, looking around. There was a buzz of activity. People scurried to-and-fro, dodging equipment and random shouts could be heard over the drone of voices.

A young woman jogged up to her, blond ponytail bobbing. She was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt and a photo ID badge attached to a lanyard draped around her neck like a necklace.

She stopped a few feet away, greeting Victoria with an excited smile. “Hi, I’m Chrissy. You’re Victoria Lee, right? I was supposed to keep an eye out for you.” Victoria only had time for a quick nod as Chrissy hooked her arm with hers and started talking again. “There’s really not much you need to know right now. I’ll show you around, but filming won’t start ‘til this afternoon.”

Chrissy led Victoria to a small group of people who stood chatting. She instantly recognized Nathan Reed even though he had a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes and more than a five o’clock amount of scruff on his jaw. He was talking with Simon, their director, and they seemed in deep conversation, maybe even arguing, but Victoria couldn’t hear what was being said, to be sure. She halted out of earshot not wanting to intrude.

Though her intention was to give the men some privacy, Victoria couldn’t seem to pry her eyes from Nathan Reed. An unfamiliar tingle tickled the base of her neck and raced down her spine. Her reaction intrigued her. Having a famous actress for a mother, Victoria had been introduced to many movie stars while growing up, so she wasn’t one to fangirl. But something about Nathan Reed captured her attention, and she didn’t think it was the fact he was the most popular, in-demand movie star at the moment.

And she didn’t think it was his looks. Though she had to admit, he was even more beautiful in person than on screen or in photos. She knew his hair—though now mostly hidden by his cap—was a dark brown, as were his eyes. His features stood out—sharp cheekbones, long, straight nose, strong jaw—but somehow all blended well together. He was taller than she’d imagined—a good head taller than Simon, who she knew was a few inches taller than her own five-seven—and more muscular—with hidden muscles filling out his t-shirt and ones she could see, bulging on his crossed arms. His lower half, encased in worn blue jeans, was just as impressive.

No, it wasn’t his fame or his looks. Something about his presence drew her in. The way he held himself, the sharp glint in his eye, and the way his jaw flexed in agitation as he listened to whatever Simon was saying. The rapt command he had over everyone that surrounded him—including herself—even though he paid them no attention. Yes, Nathan Reed intrigued her, and she found that, in of itself, intriguing.

Nathan stopped mid-sentence when he caught her staring. Embarrassed, she was finally able to look away, landing her eyes on the back of Simon’s head.

Noticing he’d lost Nathan’s attention, Simon turned her direction, his eyes alighting when he realized who Nathan was staring at. “Ah, Victoria. Good, you’ve arrived. Come, let me introduce you to your fellow co-star.”

Victoria smiled, taking a step forward, and Simon took her hand, pulling her to his side. Her eyes flashed to Nathan and saw he still watched her. The tingle down her spine morphed into a shiver.

“I’m sure I don’t need to introduce you to Nathan Reed.” Simon turned back to Nathan. “Nate, Victoria Lee.”

Nate. Nathan Reed went by Nate.

Nate held out a hand, and she placed hers in it. His hand was warm, his grip firm but not to the point of pain. Calluses lined his palm and Victoria wondered what he did to create them.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Victoria.” His voice was the same deep, rich baritone as on the screen. Familiar. And, again, she felt that same shiver, but this time it was accompanied with a dusting of goose bumps trailing up her arms.

She parted her lips to reply but made the mistake of looking into his eyes. So close now, she could see under the brim of his cap, his dark orbs held her spellbound. She blinked, repeatedly, her mouth went dry, and her greeting lodged in her throat. Finding herself embarrassingly tongue-tied, she had no choice but to nod instead.

His grip on her hand tightened, and his lips parted as if he were about to fill her silence—save her from her embarrassment—but no further words came from him either.

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