Working weekends were a habit for Teagan now. It was easier to prepare choreography for the coming week alone, as well as get her own exercise in. Being that her own apartment was tiny, she had nowhere else but the studio to work.
Finally, she lowered her leg and bent to touch the floor, stretching out her back. Turning to each side, she elongated her neck and lengthened her spine. Once she felt fully loose, she sat cross-legged on the wooden dance floor and stared at herself in the mirror.
There was something magical about dancing, even alone in an empty room. After her accident, she'd spent almost a year chained to a hospital bed. She hadn't even been able to walk, let alone take care of herself. But she'd been determined.
With extensive physical and occupational therapy, she'd managed to stand, and then take a few steps, and finally…walk. That still wasn't enough for her, though. Teagan smiled at her memory. Her therapists had told her not to get her hopes up. She would never dance again.
And yet, here she was…dancing. She'd always been meant to dance.
Pushing back up to her feet, Teagan wrapped her own arms around herself, feeling a sense of pride in her accomplishments. She grabbed her dance bag and swung it over her shoulder, then exited the studio and headed for the main set since she'd parked over there this morning.
Turning the corner, Teagan saw a group of children walking through the doors to the main set. Some were in wheelchairs, others on crutches. Some had deformities, others were missing limbs entirely. She was startled for a second at the irony of what she'd just been thinking about, but curiosity got the better of her.
She followed them through the doors, bypassing the route to the parking lot.
"And, now we're back on set where we started!" Reed was standing in front of the group. "So, that's pretty much the whole tour. What did you guys think of being on a Hollywood set?"
"I want to be an actor!" one kid shouted out, waving his hand to be seen.
Teagan noticed another girl in a wheelchair pushing her way to the front of the group. "Can we take pictures?" she asked.
"Sure." Reed smiled. "Let me grab the photographer, and we'll get some nice ones with everyone."
"Yay!" the kids cried in unison, all pulling out their cell phones and primping for the camera.
Teagan stayed back, walking along the edge so she was mostly out of sight. She didn't want Reed to see her or to be caught spying on him. What am I even doing? She honestly wasn't sure why she was here, or why she found this exchange so fascinating. Maybe it was because she'd been like these kids once, bound to a chair, and seeing them get a chance to meet and take pictures with a man who was clearly their idol? It was heartwarming.
A man walked over with a large camera, and Teagan recognized him as Reed's agent, Jason. He took pictures of each of the children with Reed on set. He even retook the photos with the child's individual cellphone as well. Lastly, they took a group photo all together, and Teagan smiled at the way Reed's arm circled the kids affectionately.
He looked in his element in a way she hadn't seen before. There were still parts of her that felt like she knew everything there was to know about Reed, and maybe at one point that had been true. But watching him now, it was clear that there was a lot more to him than she remembered, or than she'd seen gracing the covers of tabloids over the last few years.
Teagan's jaw tensed when she caught her line of thinking, realizing she was…she was liking him. She was feeling positive, affectionate things toward the man who had left her at the altar. And the worst part was, she didn't want to push those thoughts away. She wanted to embrace them. She wanted to let her walls down and open herself up to the possibility that maybe everything she'd been harboring could finally be let go.
When each child had finished taking their photos and was escorted away by a parent or guardian, Teagan decided to go up to Reed and compliment him on what he'd done. She approached him, but he was talking to his agent and didn't see her.
"That was great, Reed," Jason said, patting his client on the shoulder.
Reed nodded, apparently still not seeing her. "Did you get the photos you needed for the magazines?"
"Definitely. They're going to love this good guy image."
Teagan blinked, stopping mid-stride. Good guy image. It had all been an act. He didn't care one bit about those kids or what they were going through in life. It was a publicity stunt, a little good will for the audience to fix the image he'd created for himself over the last few years.
She felt stupid for believing it could have been anything else.
Turning around, she headed back for the studio door.
"Teagan?" She could hear Reed calling out behind her, but she didn't look at him and she didn't stop walking. A few moments later, he caught up to her anyway. "Teag. I didn't see you there. What are you doing on set on a Saturday?"
She flashed him an annoyed look. "I was practicing. I always do."
"Is something wrong?" He looked confused, but matched her stride as they walked through the set door and headed toward the parking lot. "You sound angrier than usual."
"I'm not angry," she gritted out. "I'm just…I feel foolish."
He looked even more confused now. "Why?"
"Nothing." She sighed and pulled her keys out of her pocket. "Just forget it, okay?"
"Teagan, talk to me. I obviously did something to piss you off."
They reached her car and Teagan opened the driver's side door then paused and turned to look at him. "I don't know who you are anymore, Reed."
He closed the gap between them, his hands on the top of the car door between them. "Then get to know me. Have dinner with me. Let's talk and catch up on everything we've missed."
She studied his face for a moment, almost considering it. Then she shook her head. "That wouldn't be a good idea."
"Why not?" Reed continued to push, his green eyes sparkling with pain and lust somehow tangled into one. "It doesn't have to mean anything. Just two people who once knew each other, catching up on lost time. It doesn't even have to be dinner. What about lunch, tomorrow?"
Teagan nibbled on the edge of her lip, struggling to find a reason to reject his offer. And honestly, not wanting to. "All right. Lunch tomorrow."
"Text me your address right now and I'll pick you up tomorrow at noon," he instructed. "I'm not taking a chance of you getting cold feet."
She laughed despite her hesitance. "I’m not the one who struggles with cold feet, Reed. You text me the address where we’re going and I’ll meet you there." She wasn’t ready to let him come over to her house, see where she lived, or give him that level of intimacy. Though, honestly, she wasn’t sure she trusted herself not to pull him into her apartment and jump him. “I'll see you tomorrow."
"I'm counting down the hours," he said, reaching for her hand and giving it a small squeeze.
When he let go, Teagan climbed back into her car and quickly put it into drive. She needed to put distance between them as soon as possible so she could evaluate what the hell she'd just agreed to and just how dumb she really was.
Chapter Seven
"Teagan!" Aria, her oldest sister, wrapped her arms around Teagan's neck and crushed her into a bear hug. "I've missed you!"
She laughed, hugging her sister back. "It's only been a week since you saw me."
"More like a month." Aria scoffed and let go of her. "You haven't been home to see the folks in a while either. Dad's asking about you and your big movie."
"It's not my big movie. I'm just working on it."
Aria shrugged, then reached down and lifted the small young girl who was pulling on her skirt. Cradling her on her hip, she kissed her daughter's forehead. "Tillie, did you say hi to Auntie Teagan?"
Teagan made a silly face at her niece and then gave her a loud, squeaky kissy on her pudgy two-year old cheek. "Hi, baby girl. I missed you!"
"Hi, Tee," Tillie said with a lopsided smile, putting her arms up to be held.
Teagan obliged and swung her
young niece into her arms, bouncing her on her hip and singing a nursery rhyme to her.
"Are you sure you don't mind watching her tonight?" Aria asked again, now standing in front of Teagan's mirror and surveying her reflection. She was clearly dressed for a party in a sparkling black cocktail gown and soft white pearls. "I couldn't believe our sitter canceled on us at the last minute. It's not like I can just reschedule Ben's movie premiere. 'Sorry, can't find a sitter, let's do the red carpet another Saturday night?'"
Teagan laughed at her sister's sarcastic tone. "I really don't mind at all. I didn't have any other plans, and I love spending time with Tillie."
"She's my angel." Aria beamed and kissed her daughter's head again. They moved over to Teagan's living room and set Tillie up with a box of toys that Teagan always kept there for her. Of course, Tillie ignored the toys and decided to yank Benson's tail instead—causing him to screech and run out of the room.
Teagan tried not to laugh. "Tillie, be nice to Benson! He's old."
"I literally just called you an angel, babe." Aria collapsed on the couch beside her with a laugh. "Well, I've got a good ten minutes until Ben gets here, so catch me up on your life. I want to know every detail of my baby sister's existence."
Teagan briefly considered lying about her current…situation, but there was no point. Aria was one of the biggest actresses in Hollywood these days, and Ben's reach as a high-level producer was even further. Hell, his company was funding their movie, along with dozens of others. He rarely got down in the day-to-day details, but if they didn't know she was working with Reed by now, they would very soon.
"Um, it's actually a little complicated." Teagan fidgeted with her fingers in her lap.
Aria wiggled her eyebrows. "Those are the best kinds of stories. Spill."
Teagan hesitated for a minute then sighed. "I'm training the lead actor on Break Down, choreographing his set list with his costar."
Aria nodded. "The dance film, I know. It's supposed to be huge, I heard! Ben was already telling me about the promotions they've got lined up for the release. It sounds like it's going to be a big hit."
"Did you also hear it's starring Reed Scott?" Teagan glanced up at her sister to gauge her reaction. "As in…Reed Scott."
Aria stared at her for a moment, then recognition hit her eyes and they widened as her mouth fell open. "Reed Scott…like your Reed? I mean, I knew he was an actor, but I didn't know he was on your film. He's…wait, what? This is crazy. So, you're working with that asswipe?"
"Yeah…" Teagan chewed on the edge of her lip, still unsure how she felt about it all herself. She'd definitely hated him the moment she saw him, and had completely freaked out over the idea of having to train him. But since then…well, a lot had happened. And tomorrow, they were having lunch. Catching up. Whatever that means.
She'd also been watching him filming, and his acting was some of the best she'd seen. He was nothing but a professional on set, even when he was at practice with her and Elena. It was a stark contrast to the Reed Scott she'd seen disgracing the tabloids over the last few years. Her stomach turned at the memory of all the photos of him with other women. She couldn't even go to a damn grocery store without seeing the man she'd almost married taking jello shots off of a stripper's stomach.
But that Reed wasn't the man she'd seen on set the last two weeks, and she hoped to God it wasn't him at all. But, in the same moment, she was frustrated she even cared.
"And you are the one who has to train him? They can't have another choreographer do it?"
Teagan shook her head adamantly. Hell no. "I don't want anyone else to do it. This is my career—and this job is huge for me. You know how hard I've worked to get back to my career, work my way back up the ladder. I can't throw that away because my ex-fiancé walks in the door."
Aria reached her hand over and squeezed Teagan's. "He isn't just your ex-fiancé, Teag. He left you at the altar. He didn't visit you once in the hospital—a hospital you wouldn't have even been in if you'd been happily married and on your honeymoon." Aria let out a deep breath, leaning back into the couch cushions and closing her eyes. "God, I could just kill him."
"Believe me, so could I." Teagan chuckled lightly, though none of this felt particularly funny. "I'm not going easy on him. I'm not letting him back in. He knows very clearly that I…I hate him."
"Oh, crap." Aria released a dramatic sigh. "You don't hate him. Shit. I can't believe you don't hate him."
"What are you talking about?" Teagan furrowed her brows. "I literally just said I did."
"Yeah, you said it, but your face didn't." Aria pointed at Teagan's face and waved her hand around. "The rest of you probably didn't either. You're going to get suckered back in by his charm and fall head over heels again. He's your kryptonite—always was."
Teagan shook her head. "I can promise you a thousand percent that me falling in love with Reed Scott for a second time is absolutely not ever, ever, ever going to happen."
Aria looked at her for a minute then rolled her eyes. "Good lord. Just don't tell Mom and Dad."
A knock on her front door interrupted the snappy response Teagan was about to deliver back to her sister.
Aria jumped up to answer it and then greeted her husband, Ben Lawson, with a giant hug and kiss. "Ben, did you know who was starring in Break Down?"
Ben wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, pressing a kiss below her ear. "Reed Scott. Why?"
Aria pointed at Teagan. "Did you also know that Reed Scott left Teagan at the altar eight years ago?"
Ben's eyes flamed and he looked between them. "What? That's Reed? The actor Reed Scott?" Ben pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and began dialing. "I'll have him removed from the project immediately."
"No!" Teagan put her hands up. "Are you two crazy? I am an adult and perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I do not need my big sister and brother-in-law coming to my rescue."
Aria frowned. "Okay, but if I see him, am I allowed to punch him one time? Just once. I swear, it won't even be that hard. I'm not that strong."
"My punch will be hard," Ben clarified, flexing his bicep and showing off. "Like, knock him to the ground and stomp on him strong."
Teagan couldn't stop the laughter from bubbling up at the absurd images they were creating. She knew they'd never actually do anything aggressive, but she also knew Aria and Ben would do anything for her. They were her family and she loved them with everything in her. "You guys realize your daughter can hear your violent rampage, right?"
Ben smiled and walked over to Tillie, lifting her up with a big, silly roar. "My girl's going to be a badass, right, Til? You going to punch all those boys in the face and never, ever, ever, ever date anyone?"
Tillie squealed and kicked her legs, laughing and falling into her father's arms. "Never!"
Aria kissed Ben's cheek. "You're impossible. Come on, we're going to be late."
Ben handed Tillie to Teagan, and she cuddled right into her side, laying her head on Teagan's shoulder. "Be good to my girl, Teag. And Til? Don't terrorize your auntie."
"No!" Tillie clapped her hands as she shouted her favorite word.
Ben headed for the door, but Aria lagged behind for a moment. Leaning in closer to Teagan, Aria lowered her voice. "Just be careful, Teagan. No matter who he is now, or what's left between you—don't forget what he cost you."
Teagan nodded, because despite what had happened between her and Reed, her sister was right. And even more so, she wasn't sure it mattered anymore.
Chapter Eight
Reed looked around nervously, examining every aspect of the scene he'd just created. It had to be perfect. A red checkered blanket stretched out across the faux grass on set, and on it sat a wicker basket with wine, cheese, and charcuterie. It was arranged in the middle of an outdoor backdrop on set, with a sunrise painted behind them and a fake squirrel sitting a few feet away next to an even faker tree.
Honestly, he wasn't sure what movie this set was used for, but t
hey needed better set designers.
Either way, Teagan had agreed to lunch with him—to catch up—and that's exactly what he was going to do. Their very first date in college had been a picnic on the quad on campus, though back then it had been watery beer and some sandwiches he'd nabbed from the cafeteria wrapped in a Ziploc bag.
He was going to reenact every moment of that date, reminding her exactly what they had to catch up on. Reminding her who he was, who they were, because he wasn't sure he'd have another chance. The fact that she'd said yes to lunch had been surprising enough.
"Reed?" Her voice floated to him from somewhere behind him.
When he turned to face her, he realized that this was the first time he'd seen her not in leggings and a leotard. She was wearing a loose-fitting pink t-shirt over a dark pair of jeans. Her body was still lithe and breathtaking, even in denim, as she glided across the room to join him.
“When you said you’d text me the address of our lunch date, I hadn’t expected it to be at work,” she kidded, chuckling and looking around. "What's all this?"
He gestured to the picnic area he'd created with one hand, and took her hand with the other. "We're having a picnic."
Her brows lifted, and a tiny smile appeared at the corner of her lips. "I can't remember the last time I've had one of those."
"I remember my last picnic," he replied, pulling her down onto the checkered blanket. "Twelve years ago... our first date."
Teagan's gaze lifted to his, and she nibbled on the edge of her lip.
"I'm not implying anything with this," he quickly clarified. "I just wanted to do something sentimental, to commemorate the moment."
She looked skeptical, her eyes narrowing. "Well, I'm certainly not going to forget this."
BARE: A Hollywood Romance (Exposed #2) Page 4