Page 27 of Heavy Shot

“Don’t push your luck, Kline.” She was laughing, though, and laughing was good. Pushing her hair behind her ear she said, “I wouldn’t mind being seen out with you. It can’t hurt my image to be seen with the hottest man in Hollywood. If it’s something that you want to do–if you think it would be a boost for you–I don’t mind.”

“Honestly, I didn’t come up with that. I swear. It was all Roland.”

“Roland seems like he’s good at his job.”

“He’s very good at his job, and that’s the only reason I didn’t drown him in his soup tonight.”

“Then why don’t you take me to lunch or something, somewhere there are lots of photographers, and we’ll see what happens?”

He was pulling up in her drive then, and once he’d put the car in park, shifted to look at her full-on. She was almost too much to look at, and he wondered how the screen was going to take her face. He’d seen her on stage and she used every inch of her body in her acting, how was she going to reign all that in for the closeups on that perfect face? “I like that idea.”

“Maybe when I get back from New York?”

“Definitely.” He reached over and pushed one of the fresh layers in her hair back over her bare shoulder, feeling her shiver with the touch. “Do you want to invite me in?”

“Definitely,” she breathed, but then smiled wickedly. “But I’m not going to. If you come in, you’ll ask for a drink. I’ll give you one, and you’ll ask me to come sit by you. I’ll do it, then you’ll kiss me. When you kiss me, I’ll forget I was ever angry enough with you to be just-friends and nothing else. And then I’ll wake up in the morning in a bed full of regrets–and you’ll be long gone!”

“I live just down the way,” Kline teased, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. “So, technically, I’d just be down the way.”

“Go home, Kline.”

“I will, Jill.” He was matching her smile, until she bit her lower lip and let out a breath, opening the car door at the same time.

“Stop being so charming.”

“Stop being someone I want to charm.”

She laughed and shut the door, leaning into the window as he rolled it down. “Lunch. After I’m home from New York.”

“Perfect. And Jill?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you. I’m sorry for…everything.”

“Make it up to me.”

“I will!”

“I–” She interrupted herself biting her lip.

“What?”

“I did ask Gus to be my date to the Grammys, but maybe…”

“Maybe that’s a good place to launch our love for the lifetimes?”

“Maybe I can keep Lola as a friend if I’m not taking her boyfriend on dates.”

“I’m going Rat Pack chic. You come Grace Kelly glam and we’ll steal the show.”

“Okay,” she almost whispered. Then, she shook herself and turned up the walk to her front door. He watched her go, those long, lean muscles sculpted by years of ballet and whatever else she did made her look taller than she was, so did those shoes. Distantly, he wondered how long before he could get those legs wrapped around him again? Friends was a start.

Rhiannon Charles

Rhiannon kicked the last intern out of her office at half past four and locked the door behind him. She was never going to finish the scene she was working on if the interruptions didn't stop. She poured a cup of coffee and settled in her chair, reading over what she'd written as she stirred in the cream and sugar. When she put the spoon on her desk, she glanced down and noticed the card with Jill's information printed on it. In the shuffle, she'd forgotten to call her. After a moment's consideration, she plucked the card from the corner of her blotter and picked up the phone to dial out. The number rang three times and Rhiannon was preparing a message to leave when a familiar voice picked up.

"Hello?"

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