Page 40 of Outside the Lines
I swallowed. “Thanks. I knew you needed it fast.” Hell, with help, I hadn’t gotten myself into too much of a panic. “Though, what saved my ass was having an extra set of hands. If Simon—the store owner—hadn’t been a model and miniature painter, I’m not sure I would’ve finished it in time.”
She studied me. “Are you trying to tell me you’d like an assistant in your shop?”
The woman was psychic. “Yeah. I mean, I know the budget—”
“Iknow the budget, and yes, we can afford it.” Her gaze changed, softened, and my cheeks heated. “I don’t suppose your shop owner would be available?”
Wow. What? Simon? I stumbled over my answer. “I—I don’t know. He owns End o’ Earth. I don’t think he could up and drop it.” And as much as I loved working beside Simon, I wasn’t sure I wanted him as myassistant, especially if we kept this—whatever it was—up. “I can ask, but—”
She nodded, and stood straighter, her business posture back. “Let me call over to security to get him a pass for the day.”
I rattled off the information they needed, at least as much as I knew, and scurried out of Anna’s office once she dismissed me. It was too early to go over to End o’ Earth, so I headed to the prop department and my shop. Hadn’t been there in nearly a week and it felt weird to walk in. As if I’d taken a long vacation. There were a few boxes piled inside the door—the supplies I’d ordered. A note from Toby, one of the prop guys, said they’d arrived yesterday—far too late to help with the sacred altar set.
If nothing else, I could pass some time putting the supplies away and getting my shop ready for the next set. I fired up my laptop and poured over the shooting, prop, and set production schedules. It was about nine when I finished, and now I had a good grasp for what was on my plate for the next few weeks. Nothing major, though they wanted a flashback scene on one of the streets in town. That was fairly easy to do with some fancy camera angles and vintage car models. I might have the ones we needed here.
If not, I had an inkling of where I could find a few.
Couldn’t help whistling as I left the shop and sauntered back to my car. I even gave Anderson a wave when I saw him. Hell, if he hadn’t fallen on my set, I’d have never set foot in End o’ Earth. Now it was going to be hard to keep out of that shop.
End o’ Earth didn’t open until ten, so as normal, I slipped around and rang the delivery bell. And, as normal, Lydia opened the door, all smiles and charm and light. “Hey! Meeting over?”
I entered, and followed her to her studio. “Has been for a while. But I doubted you guys would be here at seven, so I got some work done in my shop.”
She laughed. “Unlike Si, I’m an early riser, but I was still munching on toast around then.”
So domestic.I guess when you have a house and a kitchen and a partner. . . I shook the thought away. Wasn’t going to happen. “I’m gonna check on the model. I need to measure it to see if we can get it out of here.”
“Oh shit. I hadn’t thought of that!”
“Didn’t cross my mind, either. I have a garage door on the shop.”
Lydia followed me out to the model and I pulled a tape measure from my tackle box. We measured, then measured again, then checked both doors. I breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed the back of my neck. We’d have to tip the set ninety degrees, but it would make it through either door.
“Si said he’d drive me over in the SUV, ’cause this isn’t fitting in the Mini.”
“Yeah, he mentioned he’d need the car.” She bumped me with her hip. “I’m a little jealous he’s gonna get to go to the lot. I’ve been on the tourist tour, but . . .”
Wasn’t the same. “I’m sure I can get you a pass.” She’d saved our bacon, after all.
Red appeared on her cheeks. “No, it’s okay. Someone needs to mind the store.” She gave a helpless shrug. “Besides I’d be too embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed?”
She took a breath. “Some of the fan art I draw—it’s not exactly safe for work. I guess I feel bad about it. Sometimes.”
Because the main actors lived here, in town. And were married to each other. “No one’s gonna hold that against you. I mean, Hunter Easton and Kevyan Montanari live here too, and they write the stuff.”
“Yeah, but they don’t write them boffing.”
I wasn’t too sure about that, but I bit my tongue. “I get it, though.”
As I dropped the tape measure into my tackle box, Simon came into the shop. “Hey! I didn’t expect you until later.”
And I didn’t expect the kiss he gave me, sweet and sensual, right in front of Lydia. My pulse beat in my ears and my heart flipped in my chest. God, I couldn’t get enough of him.
But a kiss was all we had, because a moment later, Jesse rang the bell on the back door, and the work day started.
Once the shop was ready for the day, and with a little help from Lydia and Jesse, Simon and I maneuvered the model behind the counter, down the hall, and out the back. It fit nicely in the SUV. I dusted my hands off on my pants. “I should pay you for the stuff I used.”
