Page 95 of Beyond the Spotlight Discreet Version
“Of course he did. That man has it bad for you. I’m not going to lie; I had a crush on him. I mean, look at him. He’s gorgeous, sweet, caring. What he did for Adeline…” She sighs as if he’s Prince Charming riding in on a white horse. She’s not telling me this to make me jealous. And I’m not jealous. If Reynold was interested in this woman, he wouldn’t have fought so hard for me. “The first day we filmed together, he would not stop smiling at his phone. I’ve never seen a man blush and giggle at a phone like he did. It was adorable. I knew I’d never have a chance, and I’m not a conniving bitch who tries to take someone’s man. As if I could have taken him from you.”
Okay. I like this woman.
“She said a bad word,” Addy whispers. Before I can respond and tell her that not everyone has to pay for saying bad words, Victoria keeps talking.
“Anyway, I need to head to wardrobe.” She glances over her shoulder. Reynold is done with his meeting and walks toward us with a huge smile claiming his face. Victoria turns back to me. “Wow. I need someone who looks at me like that.”
Addy runs to her father, and he lifts her up all the way over his head. He tickles her, and she erupts into a fit of giggles as he brings her back to the ground. When he reaches me, he grabs me by the nape and pulls me into a nearly inappropriate kiss. A clear sign of possessiveness in front of Victoria.
I am his, and he is mine.
“See you on set, Michaelson,” Victoria says, shaking her head with a smile.
“Will you stay until lunch?” Reynold asks, taking Addy’s hand while I take her other.
Crew members run around preparing the first scene of the day. Reynold weaves us through the chaos to the holding area where two chairs sit empty behind the cameras. He got us director’s chairs with our names on it. He was so proud of himself when he showed us.
“Sure. We have no other plans today.”
“Savvy, you said we could go watch a movie,” Adeline whines.
“Shit. That’s right.”
“Bad word tax,” Addy giggles, holding out her hand. “One dollar please.”
“Add it to my tab.” I finally explained what that meant to Adeline. We also came up with the official name: bad word tax. I think I owe her about twenty dollars by now, but Reynold is up to fifty.
“Fine,” she sighs and rolls her eyes. She’s entering a sassy phase and I’m here for it.
“We’ll leave after lunch to catch an afternoon showing,” I say to Reynold. “She wants to see some new animated movie.”
He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. I know he’s thinking about how badly he wants to join us.
“We’ll do a movie night on your next day off. Just the three of us.”
That mournful smile brightens slightly, and he crushes me in an appreciative hug before a production assistant tears him away for his first film of the day.
WatchingReynoldperformisan experience. He’s captivating. Intense. He transforms into the character enough that I forget he’s acting and believe he’s a different person. While I could have stayed watching him all day, Addy got bored within the first hour.
We walk along the waterfront at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Sarah and Henry follow close behind, but it’s not too busy and no one’s paying attention to us. Most of the fans and paparazzi crowd around the set, hoping to catch glimpses of Rey or Mylan.
“Are we going on the carousel?” Addy asks, hopping next to me as we get closer to the iconic wooden attraction.
“We sure are.”
We buy our tickets and find our horses, Sarah and Henry choosing ones behind us. The music starts up, and the ride goes round and round. Addy erupts in giggles, smiling bigger than her tiny face allows as the horse goes up and down. I snap a few pictures of her and take a video to send to Reynold later.
After the carousel, we casually head back to set, stopping at a roller rink inside the pier next to the one where Rey’s filming today. I shoot him a quick text asking if it’s okay to let Addy skate. He responds after a few minutes.
Hot British Guy
Of course. I trust you
My heart flutters at those three words. I trust you. I know he trusts me with his daughter, otherwise I wouldn’t be his nanny, but to see those words is validating.
Addy has never skated before and the last time I did it was in high school. We may have fallen a time or two. Luckily, they had a helmet and crash pads for her to wear on her knees and elbows. They didn’t have any for me, so I’ll have to live with the scrapes and bruises.
Sarah drew the short stick and joined us in the rink, which means Henry was stuck with my phone, recording us from where he stood as a lookout.
