Page 90 of Between Never and Forever
Red hums. I take another bite, then am shoved forward by my mannerless dog and her bulky body. She nudges my leg again and hits me with her big pleading puppy eyes, so I laugh and break off a piece of the muffin to feed her.
“You’re just going to make her worse.” Red grunts. “The mutt will never stop begging if you keep feeding her like that.”
I make eye contact with him and hold it as I feed Ziggy the rest of my muffin. He shakes his head, and our grins slip at the same time.
“You’re a brat,” Red grumbles, and my smile falls.
A brat.
Levi.
See you Monday,he’d said. Well, today is Monday, and now I’m on high alert. I’m already a mess of nerves, and Levi’s cryptic statement is just making everything worse.
Asshole.
There’s a knock on my trailer door, so I open it wide and find a girl with a clipboard looking up at me. It’s only dawn, so it’s still fairly dark out and I can’t really make out the fine details of her features, but she looks youngish. Younger than me.
“Ms. Loveless, I’m Dakota, one of the production assistants,” the girl says, her voice steady and clear. “I came to see if you’d want an escort to makeup.”
Red pushes past me and sticks out his hand, and Dakota slaps her badge into it without a word. As he studies it, she continues talking to me.
“I’ve already signed the NDA you provided to the studio. I’ve been assigned to you in case you need anything.” She reaches into her back pocket, then hands me a business card. “That’s the cellphone I use for the studio. If you need anything, you can call me.”
I nod, then glance at Red. He nods, then hands Dakota her badge.
“Cool,” I say, and she gestures to a golf cart parked behind her. “You can call me Sav, though.”
I follow her to the golf cart, sliding onto the passenger seat as Red grabs Ziggy and sits on the back bench. Red will probably trail me a lot the first few days before he finally backs off and gives me some space. It’s how he does things. It’s what I pay him for, honestly. Once we’re in a routine and the new wears off, Ziggy will decide to stay behind with Red because she loves him just as much as she loves me. Even though Red refuses to admit it.
“Have you had a tour of the studio yet?” Dakota asks as she puts the golf cart in drive and pulls away from my trailer.
“I’ve explored a little, but not much. I was going to come in yesterday, but since everyone in North Carolina knows I’m here now, I stayed in and ran lines instead. I’ll poke around today.”
My face in the coffee shop has been everywhere. I’m used to the attention, but I’m nervous about Levi. I don’t exactly want my relationship with him, or some elements of my past, to be dragged through the tabloids.
The paps are cutthroat, and the media is ruthless. I even stand next to someone in a crowd, and they find a way to twist it into headline material. Potential love interest? Drug dealer? Cheating on my “fiancé” again?
It’s disgusting and fascinating to witness. The lengths they will go to sell magazines, the backflips they will turn to get clicks. Their detective skills are top notch, but their understanding of ethical journalism is lacking. It makes for a pretty dangerous game. I never know what I’ll get anytime I step foot in public.
“I can take you around after filming wraps for the day, if you want,” Dakota says, navigating through trailers in the lot like a seasoned pro. “And of course, I’ll be here to escort you anywhere you need to go during the day.”
“Thanks, Dakota,” I say, then rub my hands down my thighs to hide my slight trembling.
God, I’m so fucking nervous.
We’re filming scenes in the back lot today, and I made Red run lines with me until my speech was slurred with exhaustion. I could probably recite the dialogue in my sleep at this point, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be any good at this. I didn’t even audition for this role. They came to me. What if I’m a terrible actress? What if I end up another washed-up rockstar with a failed film career?
I might puke.
“You’re going to be great at this,” Dakota says, and I glance at her with a raised eyebrow.
“You think?”
“Yep.” She pulls the golf cart up to another trailer and puts it in park, then turns to me. “I’ve been working in this industry since I was eighteen. I’ve seen all sorts of stuff, and I can predict an Oscar winner from the casting call. And you? You’re going to crush it.”
I purse my lips, then slowly release a smile.
“We’re going to be friends,” I tell her, and she smiles back.
