Page 21 of The Grumpy Actor

The door is thrown open again, and I prepare myself for her return, but Julian barges in.

Julian’s curious gaze travels through the room before settling on me. I shift from one foot to the other as I adjust my shirt.

“What happened here?”

“Nothing.”

“I doubt that. Sophie just ran out of your trailer, visibly flushed, and you don’t look any better yourself,” Julian points out, his scrutinizing gaze on my face. “What did you do?”

Somehow, he’s already concluded that I did something. I’ve never been able to understand how Julian always sees through me when no one else can.

At first, I tried to thwart his attempts to read me, but after miserably failing at it more times than I can count, I gave up. Julian can see through my lies just as I can see through his.

So I need to put on my game face if I’m going to successfully convince him that nothing happened.

“I didn’t do anything. We had an argument about my acting, and we both said a few hurtful words to each other. That’s all that happened.”

That isn’t entirely a lie, since wedidargue. And that’s the best way to go, mixing up the truth with a lie.

I can’t tell Julian about my history with Sophie. Knowing him, he’ll believe that this situation is fate at work.

And the last thing I need is for Julian to hound me about the distraction I’m trying to get rid of.

“It better be nothing, Liam. The last thing I want is for you to get into a scandal with one of the locals,” Julian warns sternly. “And going after Sophie is the perfect recipe for disaster.”

He doesn’t believe me. Even if he’s not outright calling my bluff, the fact that he’s still on this topic means he knows something happened between us.

I scoff and wave dismissively.

“No one is going after anyone. Believe me, a scandal is the last thing I want.”

Aside from not wanting a scandal, there’s a bigger reason I can’t have Sophie in my life. Today has been proof enough of that. She messes up my mind without even trying to. How does she do that?

“Great,” Julian says. “Now let’s talk about your role and how you can make it better. The director wants to have a one-on-one conversation with you about it.”

I groan, slumping into the couch. “I hate it already.”

“Yeah, but you have no choice.”

And not having that choice is what pisses me off the most, but what can I do? I already signed the contract.

I must see it through to the end.

Chapter 7

Sophie

It’sbeendayssincethat hot kiss we shared in his trailer, yet my lips still tingle every time I look at him.

If he appears in front of me or someone mentions his name, my mind goes right back to that moment.

The moment that has gradually become the bane of my existence.

My fingers lightly trail over my lower lip as I stare at him behind the counter where he’s shooting his current scene.

We’re on the bakery set, and Liam and Celeste are currently working their way through the scene where he teaches her how to bake.

It’s supposed to be a cute and playful scene, and Liam seems to be fitting right into his role today.

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