Page 64 of Second Act
As she debated which difficult conversation to grapple with first, a wave of exhaustion washed over her. She slumped back in her chair, just like Hugh had the night before, and stared at the water stain on the ceiling. It would help if she could untangle her own feelings about the two men. Hugh tantalized her with his heat and brilliance but threatenedto singe her heart again. Pete seemed to offer a steady flame that would warm her without leaving scorch marks.
Sitting up, she marshaled her thoughts before tapping Hugh’s number.
“Five minutes to rest while we set up for the next scene,” Bryan shouted. “Get makeup in.”
Hugh grabbed the towel that his assistant, Trevor, held out and blotted the sweat off his face, careful not to smear whatever makeup remained after his exertions.
Trevor fumbled in his pocket and pulled out Hugh’s cell phone, checking the screen. “You’re gonna want this call,” he said, handing the phone to his boss.
When Hugh saw it was Jessica, he walked away from the bustle of the set. For the first time he could remember, he was reluctant to talk to her. Last night had set things shifting inside him, and he wasn’t sure where they would settle. So he addressed the least complex of the issues between them. “Jess, is the photo creating problems? I’m sorry.”
There was a moment of hesitation. “Are you in the middle of shooting?”
“Just finished a fight scene.” He tried to control his breathing, but he was still sucking wind from vanquishing a trio of armed enemies.
“I didn’t call about the photo,” she said in a rush. “Do you have a minute to talk or do you need to get back to work?”
A strange panic gripped him. What could she say to him in a minute except good-bye? He strode toward his trailer. “They’re giving us a break to recover. Let me just go somewhere more private.”
“I don’t think privacy is necessary. I want to ask you a favor.”
That stopped him midstride. “A favor?”
“A rather large one.” She took a breath. “To make a long story short, a grumpy health inspector didn’t approve of quarantining the dogs in the storage closet.”
Hugh recalled the stench from when he’d found Jessica sleeping there and wasn’t surprised, but he kept his opinion to himself.
“Now he’s gotten Animal Control and Welfare involved, and they’re coming to make their own inspection tomorrow between noon and two. If it doesn’t go well, the inspector could shut down the K-9 Angelz program.” Her voice turned pleading. “You saw how much the dogs mean to the kids. They’d be heartbroken.”
He remembered the pride with which the kids had shown him their dogs, but even more the love that had shone in their eyes as they petted their charges. He started to agree with her, but Jess was on a roll.
“I’ll be present to throw in my expert opinion, but I’m just a common, run-of-the-mill veterinarian. You, however, are a movie star, and I’ve seen how people respond to you.” She paused, and he wondered what was coming. “Is there any chance you could get time off to come to the center tomorrow afternoon and bestow your magic charm on the inspector? If your schedule doesn’t allow it, I totally understand. You have a gazillion-dollar movie riding on your shoulders. But if you could take a break...”
He muttered a curse. “We’re in the middle of filming, Jess, and you’re giving me virtually no time to rearrange things.”
“It was a long shot, but I had to ask. Don’t worry about it.” He could hear the disappointment in her voice, and it twisted painfully in his chest.
“I didn’t say no.” But he would probably have to. He couldn’t screw up the whole damn timetable, even for such a worthy cause. “Let me check the schedule and talk to Bryan. No promises, though.”
“I wouldn’t ask for myself, but—”
Trevor walked up and gave him an urgent hand signal that meant he was wanted back on set. “I have to go. I’ll be in touch.”
He disconnected before she could thank him and handed his phone back to his assistant. He didn’t want to feel any more guilt when he failed her. “Trevor, what’s my schedule for tomorrow?” he asked as he walked toward the organized chaos of the set.
Trevor tapped at his own cell phone and reeled off a list of times and scenes for the next day. Hugh frowned as he listened. It was a full day, but there were no giant action scenes, so some resequencing might be possible. He needed to nail this next take, to put Bryan in a receptive mood.
He would tell Bryan he wanted the time off because it was a cause he cared about, but to himself he admitted the truth: he couldn’t stand the thought of letting Jessica down.
As much as she’d wished to thank him, Jessica had been relieved that Hugh was in a hurry. There’d been no time to discuss where things stood between them.
Pete was going to be a much tougher proposition. She’d texted to set up a meeting with him at nine at Philomena’s, the bar they’d enjoyed last Thursday, and then dashed home to shower and change. She’d taken some care with her clothes, needing the armor of black jeans, a tailored white silk blouse, and her favorite plum suede boots. Even her hair had been carefully tamed into a neat bun. Leaving it down would send the wrong message.
Now she sat in the back of a ride share on her way to face him, wondering how to explain what had happened to make her life so tangled.
Pete was already sitting in a booth when she walked in, his pale blond hair glowing against the brown leather of the banquette. He stood and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, but there was no smile in answer to hers. As soon as they were both seated, he waved a handat the stemmed glass in front of her. “I ordered you a Manhattan since that was your choice the last time we were here.”
“That was thoughtful of you.”
