Page 27 of Everybody Needs a Hero

Clearly encouraged, Drew pressed harder. “Is this too much?” she asked, and Tess shook her head.

“No,” she answered. “Definitely not. Do you want me to unbutton my blouse?”

Drew’s hand froze. “No,” she squeaked. “I mean, yes. God, I don’t know.” She blushed. “I’m not sure I’m ready when anyone can knock at any time.”

Sensing the woman was overwhelmed and not wanting to ruin things, Tess covered her hands with her own. “Then we will wait,” she said, and after a few more incredible kisses, Tess slid off Drew. “I probably should check in and let them know you’re okay with shooting the scene anyway.”

As soon as she said the words, there was a knock at the trailer door. “Ms. Landish,” came the familiar voice of her personal production assistant. “Do you have a minute? The crew is waiting to hear the plan for the morning.”

Pecking Drew on the lips one last time, Tess stood. “I’ll be right out,” she answered. “But you can tell them the scene is a go.”

Standingwith Bryce and Drew a distance from the action to ensure they weren’t in a panning camera shot, Ashley watched her mother run down the wet street. The costar, a Hollywood A-lister in his own right, stood at his car. The door was open, and he moved as if he was about to leave. “Wait,” Tess called out to him. “Please.” The costar turned at the sound of her voice, surprise followed by happiness on his face. Looking uncertain, he stepped in Tess’s direction, and the two collided into a passionate kiss. Water poured down from the sky, drenching them both. The rainstorm had luckily not abated, although the forecast of a break coming later in the day had people worried. Everything went perfectly, and even though it was all make-believe, Ashley felt the emotion behind the scene.The director was right. The audiences will love the passion coming off the two characters, she thought.I’m glad they talked Drew into letting them shoot it.

She glanced over and noticed Drew staring at the action, clearly as enthralled as she was. Unable to keep from smiling at the memory of seeing her mom and Drew on the couch making out, she smiled. The sight of them with arms wrapped around each other in a passionate kiss had caught her entirely off guard. After hearing Ashley come in, she couldn’t think of a time when her mom had looked so surprised.Of course, I did barge through the door, she thought.And it could have been worse. At least they had clothes on.She made a mental note to be a little more careful around them in the future. As attractive as her mom was, Ashley wasn’t keen on catching her naked with someone.

“Cut,” the director yelled, and as Tess and her costar stepped apart, everyone waited, holding their breath to hear the man’s verdict. Even though they wore raingear, and the cameras were wrapped in plastic to protect them from the rain, everyone looked a little miserable. The outcome from the last scene hung in the balance. Finally, the director smiled. “Brilliant. Exactly what I wanted.” He clapped his hands together. “Now, let’s break everything down, and all go get dry.”

As people followed his directions, Tess joined Ashley and the others. Her production assistant rushed over to wrap the actress in a large towel, and Drew stepped closer to share the umbrella she carried. “That was great, Mom. Really captured the emotion,” Ashley said while Tess squeezed water out of her long blonde hair.

“Do you think so?” she asked. “That last take felt right. Thank God. If I had to run down the street and kiss him again, I was bringing him a breath mint.”

The group laughed. “I imagine that can be an occupational hazard at times,” Bryce said with a grin, and Tess nodded.

“Among other things. The stories I could tell you.”

“I bet there are some I haven’t even heard,” Ashley chimed in. “Why don’t we all go to lunch and share? Or are you shooting more today?”

“Nothing else today,” Tess said, glancing at Drew. “Are you interested in lunch?” she asked. Drew smiled, meeting Tess’s eye. The moment between them held for a second before Drew answered.

“I think that would be perfect,” she said, and Ashley watched her mom smile.

“Then let me go back to my trailer so I can get dried out,” she suggested, starting to walk in their direction. “And go somewhere fun. Anybody interested in heading downtown?”

“Perfect,” Ashley said as they walked, snuggling closer to Bryce to stay under their umbrella and enjoy the woman’s touch. Ashley loved seeing Drew and Tess ahead of her doing much the same. Not nearly so obviously, but after seeing the kissing earlier, Ashley knew what to look for, and she could see the tenderness there. The chemistry between them.This will be something interesting to watch, she thought, excited for her mom.She deserves to find someone wonderful.Thinking of wonderful people, she leaned in to kiss Bryce on the cheek.

Bryce grinned. “What was that for? she asked. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“For being wonderful,” Ashley said. “Is that reason enough?”

Wrapping her arm tighter around Ashley, Bryce nodded. “It is for me,” she said. “You can kiss me anytime you want.”

After a short ridedowntown in Drew’s Pathfinder, Bryce followed the others into the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. “That was cool, watching how a movie is made,” Bryce said after Tess gave her name, and they were shown to a table near the back. The actress had decided to take them downtown to Savoca, a restaurant popular with local celebrities. Bryce worked hard to keep from looking in every direction as they got settled. Still, she was pretty sure she spotted the actress in her favorite sitcom only one table over. Refocusing on the group, Bryce picked up where she left off. “I didn’t know how scenes were shot. There’s a lot more to it than they depict on television. But you made it look easy.”

Tess nodded. “Thank you. And yes, it’s not as simple as it looks. I’m lucky. Our experienced team is truly making it all go smoothly,” she said, pointing to a thick leatherbound menu. “Can you please hand over the wine list? We need something extraordinary to celebrate a very special day.”

Ashley, sitting beside her mother, bumped her shoulder. “Oh, really,” she said with a smile. “A very special day?” She winked at Bryce. “Other than shooting a great scene that audiences will love, you mean?”

Bryce watched as Tess didn’t even look up from the wine list. “Behave yourself, daughter of mine,” she said. “I need to teach you to knock.”

“Yes, mother dear,” Ashley said. “But I did knock.” She laughed. “Briefly.”

Peaking over the top of the list, Tess was smiling too. “I’ll just learn to lock the door next time.” Enjoying the exchange, Bryce glanced at Drew. The woman was bright red but thankfully smiling.

With a shaking hand, Drew reached for her glass of water. “If you’re going to keep talking about it, I’m going to need that wine to get here soon,” she said before taking a long swallow. “I’m not used to it.”

Laying down the menu, Tess touched the back of Drew’s hand. “If it bothers you, I promise we will stop joking about it,” she said. “And as for wine, I will get us two bottles. Even if it means we have to take a taxi back and get your car tomorrow.”

True to her word, as the multi-course lunch went by, Tess ordered two bottles of champagne, which tasted better to Bryce than she remembered.Of course, it might have something to do with the quality of the bottle too, she thought, trying to think of the last time she had bubbly. At best, whatever she had was probably from a convenience store.This is stronger stuff than I remember too. Even after a plate of melt-in-your-mouth pan-seared sea bass, she could feel the effects of the champagne.So much I swear the room is moving.

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