Page 64 of The Location Shoot
They all hugged one another, and Finn ran over and grabbed Ella. He picked her up and twirled her around in the air. He put her down and kissed her passionately, both dizzy from delight and desire. “We did it,” he said. “The most unforgettable shoot of my life, in every way, done.”
“You were amazing from start to finish. It’s going to be a magnificent film.”
“I’m going to dash over to my trailer to change. I’ll meet you at the party. Save me a glass of bubbly.”
“Will you dance with me?” she asked.
“All night.”
CHAPTER 16
When Finn and Ella returned to the inn, they stopped at the front desk to request a morning wake-up call and then ambled to Ella’s room, hand in hand.
“What an incredible experience this has been. It’s hard to believe it’s ending,” Finn said. “I’m really going to miss everyone. This has been so different than any other film I’ve done. We became like a family.”
“Yeah, Jean’s projects are always special.”
“Sweetheart, I know you didn’t want to make plans in advance, but now we really need to figure things out. Are you sure you can’t come to LA with me in the morning? I was hoping you’d move in with me like we talked about. We could send for your things.”
She dropped his hand, walked over to the chair in the corner of the room, and sat down. She gazed despondently at her feet. In a faint voice, she muttered, “Finn, I can’t do that. I . . .”
“That’s okay, baby,” he said, rushing over and kneeling in front of her. He took her hand. “My next project films in LA, and it doesn’t start for about a month. After I fly back to LA to end things with Savannah, I could meet you in Paris. I know your place is small, but that just meanswe’ll be cozy. We’ve spent so much time together in this room, and it’s been perfect. We could spend a month at your place, and then you could come to LA with me for a few months.” He massaged her hand and continued, “Or we could just use Paris as a starting point and take a vacation. Maybe the Amalfi Coast to reminisce about our first dance together. After that, who knows? We can figure it out. If you decide you like it in LA, you could move in with me then. Or maybe we’ll go back and forth between LA and Paris. I really don’t care where we make our home base as long as we’re together. Hell, I’m willing to roam around with you like a vagabond if that’s what you want. We can build any life we choose.”
She took a deep breath and finally raised her gaze to meet his. “Finn, go back to your life. Go back to LA and be with Savannah.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked, a look of shock sweeping across his face.
“It’s okay,” she said. “What happens on set, stays on set.”
“Baby, no. It isn’t like that. It never has been.”
“I know how these things happen. Ours is hardly the first affair to occur on an exotic filming location. People are away from their lovers, maybe lonely, creating passionate art. Feelings become intensified.” She paused. “This place is not real life, not even for you. It’s like sleepaway camp when you’re a kid—you bond with everyone and think it will always be that way, but then you go home to your normal life and they quickly fade from memory. You’ll go back to LA, see Savannah, and slip right back into the life you left behind. Before you know it, I’ll just be some woman you spent two months with once upon a time.”
“I can’t believe you’re saying this. You will never be just some woman. Never.” He stroked her cheek and took her hand in his. “Baby, you’re the love of my life. I’mcompletely head over heels in love with you. It was true yesterday, it’s true today, and it will be true tomorrow.”
“I’m sure you’ll feel differently when you see Savannah. The whole time we’ve been together, she has thought you’re still with her. Maybe you wanted it that way, to keep your options open.”
“Ella, I don’t want Savannah. It was over before I even arrived here. The only reason I haven’t ended it with her is becauseyoutold me to wait until I got back to California. My God, did you do that because you wanted an out?” he said, springing up and gripping his head in his hands. “Did you plan to leave me from the start?”
“I’m not leaving you, Finn. You were never mine, not really.”
“How can you say that?” he asked, frantically pacing around the room they had shared, hurt and anger in his voice. “We talked about building a life together, having a family. We named our first daughter Betty as if we could both already see her.”
“That was just a fantasy,” she mumbled.
“Really? Is that all it was to you?” He paused and added, “It was real to me, and I think it was just as real to you. Don’t you love me?”
“Please, I don’t want this to be any harder than it has to be. Let’s just cherish the memories of what we had. By this time tomorrow, you’ll be back with Savannah. Or if you really do end things with her, you’ll be with the next one in no time. You’re an A-list movie star. You can have any woman you want.”
“Apparently not. Ella, you’re the only woman I want.” He furrowed his brow. “My God, how could you think I could ever be with Savannah or anyone else after you? After what we’ve shared? You keep trying to tell me how I feel and what I’ll do, but you’re not listening to me. I don’t wantSavannah. I don’t want anyone else. I wantyou. I loveyou. Only you, always you, for the rest of my life.” She didn’t respond and didn’t even look at him, so he started walking to the door. He put his hand on the knob, stopped, and turned to face her. “You’re scared,” he said softly. “You’re scared, so you’re trying to push me away.”
She looked at him, tears in her eyes. He crossed the room and knelt before her, wiping away the tears sliding down her cheeks. “You’ve helped everyone here confront their fears and own their choices: Albie, Michael, Willow, Charlotte, and even me. But what about you, Ella? What about you?”
She sniffled and said, “Finn . . .”
“Sweetheart, after we made love for the first time, I asked you to tell me you were mine. It’s because I was always afraid this would happen. I was afraid that what Jean said was true: you’re unattainable. I tried to ease my insecurity the wrong way. Instead of asking you to say you’re mine, I should have told youI’m yours. That’s what you needed to know. I see that now. Baby, I’m yours, forever and always. Trust what we have. It’s once in a lifetime.”
She gently ran her finger across his lips. He smiled and whispered, “I love you. Do you love me?”
