And then ripped it out.
She watched as the sun rose, casting a dull glow on the ocean, and took a sip of her coffee. Another day had begun. And Adeline had nothing planned, because her store had been overtaken by Eli Hunt. He’d offered her a place in the movie so as to not kick her out of her own shop. And then fired her from that very position. Maybe she’d whip up a batch of her own amaretto chocolates and take Eli up on his suggestion to spend the day watching reality TV.
Adeline took another sip just as her phone lit up and began vibrating. Adeline had apparently forgotten to take it off silent from when she’d worked as chocolate assistant #2 the previous day. Had it really only been a few short hours since then? It felt like an eternity.
Leanne’s name popped up, and she hesitated. No doubt her friend would have heard what had happened and then been instructed to write Adeline out of the remaining scenes that took place in her shop. Adeline wasn’t in the mood to talk about it. The call went to voicemail, but then the vibrating started up again, Leanne’s name reappearing.
Fine. Adeline braced herself before answering the call.
“Hey, Lenny.” She tried to sound normal with a healthy dose of fake optimism, but her voice cracked, destroying the facade.
“Call time was six thirty today. Where are you?” Leanne was half-whispering, and her voice was muffled, almost like she was hiding out in a closet or something.
How had Leanne not heard about the previous night’s events?
Adeline really didn’t want to be the one to tell her friend the news, but she didn’t see a way around it. “Eli told me not to come in. I thought you knew.”
“Why wouldn’t you come in?” Leanne sounded genuinely perplexed. “You’re in most of today’s scene. Remember, it’s the one that takes place near the end of the movie, when Benjamin bursts into the chocolate shop, desperate for Katrina’s forgiveness. But she’s hiding in the back, and you try to hold him off, pretending she isn’t there. Ring any bells?”
Desperate for Katrina’s forgiveness, but not Adeline’s. The thought made her stomach churn.
“I know the scene,” Adeline said, her tone void of emotion. If she allowed herself to feel, she’d break down in tears. And she wasn’t ready for that. “But Eli said I was being written out of it.”
“What?” Leanne shrieked, no longer trying to stay quiet. “No one told me about this, and Christopher is demanding to know where you are, so I don’t think he got the message either.” Someone yelled in the background, and Leanne groaned. “Just get over here, okay? We have to stay on schedule if Isaac and I are going to get our wedding next week.”
Adeline had no desire to go anywhere where Eli would be. But she also couldn’t imagine the stress of having your wedding revolving around a movie’s production schedule. She would go, but it was for her friends. That was it.
“All right. Give me ten minutes.”
More yelling erupted from the background. “Try to make it five,” Leanne said, desperation in her voice. And then the line went dead.
Adeline downed the rest of her coffee. If she was going to be working with forty-eight hours of no sleep, she would need all the help she could get. She wondered what kind of energy she’d get just on the adrenaline of despising someone. Who knew, maybe it would be even better than coffee.
* * *
As soon as Adeline walked through the door, she regretted showing up. Every person in the room turned to her, and she felt the annoyance radiating off them. She’d never felt like she was an integral part of the scenes she had been in, more like they needed someone to take up space, and Adeline had been just the person for the job. But somehow, she’d managed to hold everything up, unintentionally of course, and she self-consciously made her way to the back, where the Amaretto apron awaited her.
Christopher approached her just as she took the apron from a peg on the wall. “You were supposed to be here an hour ago.”
Adeline ducked her head as she slipped the apron over it and concentrated on tying it in the back. She would not let her emotions get the best of her, no matter how close to the surface they were. “Eli told me not to bother. Said my services were no longer required.”
Christopher was quiet, and when Adeline glanced his way, she saw that he was watching her. But unlike the rest of the crew, who were still throwing looks of annoyance her way, Christopher wore a thoughtful expression. “Eli texted me around three this morning to tell me to cancel the rewrite.” A small smile tugged on his lips. “I hadn’t bothered to tell Leanne, because I figured Eli would change his mind.”
“Looks like he forgot to pass on the message,” Adeline said, not quite keeping the bitterness from her voice. “I should hurry over to makeup.”
Christopher glanced over his shoulder and waved someone over. “I took the liberty of asking them to send someone over for a quick job.” He paused. “I know Eli’s methods are…unconventional, and at times seem a bit unfair to anyone who has had to work with him. Or live with him. Or…anything, really. But he’s one of the good ones. Give him a chance.”
And then, after that sage advice, Christopher disappeared, and a young woman took his place and, without asking permission, began to dust all sorts of powders and colors onto Adeline’s face.
One of the good ones.
Says the Hollywood director.
What would he know?
Eli burst into the chocolate shop, frantically searching for the woman he was about to lose.
Not Adeline, though.
Instead it was Daisy, otherwise known as Katrina, that he was looking for. She was in the back of the shop, and Adeline was supposed to stand in the doorway, blocking his way, while Elenore, the other chocolate-shop assistant, tried to talk him down and convince him that Katrina wasn’t there.
Adeline wasn’t supposed to have any lines. She was just the bouncer. Which made her wonder why Christopher had thought her so important that he couldn’t have just had Elenore stand in her place.
Except, when Eli’s gaze met hers, he approached Adeline rather than Elenore. Dark rings circled his eyes, despite the heavy makeup that had been used in an attempt to cover them. He looked very much like she felt.
“Where is she?” His gaze implored her to tell him. “I have so many things to tell her, if she’d just give me five minutes.”
Adeline had never attended an acting class, or been trained in improvisation, but as she held his gaze, her anger rose to the surface and the words came easily to her.
She crossed her arms over her chest, and her eyes narrowed. “You’ve had the chance. Many times. Five minutes isn’t going to make much of a difference.”
Eli’s eyes widened in surprise at her harsh tone. “But…I love her.” The way he said it, so soft and imploring, it made Adeline wonder if those words were more for her than Katrina.
Last night, those words would have made Adeline melt into a gooey pile of truffle chocolate. But they no longer had any effect on her. Instead, Adeline snorted. “Is that what you call it? Because I doubt you’ve said one truthful word to that woman since you met her.”
“I’ve never lied to her.” His voice was no longer soft but firm and resolute, and his gaze challenged her to say otherwise. “The one I’ve been dishonest with is myself.”
Adeline blinked quickly. “Sorry?”
“I deluded myself into thinking that everything I do, the sacrifices I’ve made, have been for the greater good. And I couldn’t see another way. It was everyone else that had the issues—they didn’t understand.”
Elenore stood to the side, unsure what to do now that her lines had been ripped from her. But when she stepped forward, as if to reclaim them, Adeline saw in her peripheral vision Christopher adamantly shaking his head, stopping Elenore from advancing any further.
“And now?” Adeline prompted.
“It was me. The whole time. Everything has been my fault. And I’m trying to fix it. But I need your help.”
Adeline stared, stunne
d. Eli had told her that he didn’t need her. She was too distracting, and she’d imagined the actor thought of women as something nice to come home to after six months of method acting. Always there. Waiting. Ready to fulfill their matrimonial duties.
“And, cut!”
She and Eli still stared at each other, until Christopher walked up and placed a hand on Eli’s shoulder. “I know that none of that was supposed to happen, and it all stemmed from whatever issues you two are having. But keep it up. That was perfect.” Christopher stepped back and leaned toward his assistant director. “Print that.”
The woman gave a curt nod, then yelled, “Moving on!”
“But—” Elenore began to protest, and Adeline felt bad for the poor woman whose only lines in the movie had just been stolen from her. She hadn’t meant to; things had just…happened.
Christopher held up a hand, stopping Elenore from going any further. “We’re moving on.”
As everyone rushed the equipment into the back of the chocolate shop to set up the next scene, Eli leaned down and whispered in Adeline’s ear, forgoing the accent, “I meant every word. Everything I’ve done in the name of my career has only hurt others. It destroyed my marriage. But I’m hopeful I can stop it from destroying us.” He paused. “I was wrong.”
Those three little words nearly undid Adeline. She’d never heard her father admit when he was wrong, even when he obviously was. He had never asked for forgiveness. He’d thought that money fixed everything, made sure that Adeline and her mother had plenty of it, then moved on with his much-younger girlfriend.
All in the name of his career.
Adeline searched for a sign that Eli was being anything less than genuine, even though she knew the action was pointless, considering who she was talking to. Eli Hunt—the master of disguise.
But she believed him.
Which was ridiculous, because Adeline shouldn’t believe a word that came out of that man’s mouth. But she’d always trusted him, in spite of her better judgement. Even after the stunt he’d pulled the previous evening.
“Yes, you were,” she finally said, not wanting him to see what he did to her. Every single time that man talked, even without the accent, she went weak.
Eli chuckled. “Can I prove to you that I’ve changed?”
She didn’t know how Eli was going to manage that, though she was curious to hear what he had in mind. Daisy walked past at that moment and eyed Adeline with a mixture of distrust and admiration. “I hear you went rogue. Nicely done.”
Adeline stared, uncertain if the actress was mocking her, but Daisy didn’t follow it up with any jabs. “Th-thank you.” Wow, the surprises kept coming.
“Benjamin, Daisy, we’re ready for you,” the assistant director called from the back of the store.
The actor straightened, reaching his full height, and looked squarely at Adeline. “Actually, it’s Eli.” Though he was speaking to the assistant director, his gaze never wavered from Adeline, like the message was for her and her only.
And she was receiving it loud and clear.
Benjamin was taking a back seat, and it was Eli that was here to stay.
Adeline knew it was terrible timing, but with the way Eli was looking at her, like he’d do anything for her, she couldn’t help wrapping her arms around his neck. When she planted a long kiss on his lips, it earned a few whistles, but for once, she didn’t mind the audience.
Eli laughed, holding her tight. “I wouldn’t mind getting used to this.”
“Oh, there’s plenty more where that came from. But just for the record, I wouldn’t be angry if you slipped back into the accent every once in a while. And your leather jacket.”
“I knew it,” he said, grinning. “You do have a thing for troubled British actors.”
“Only this one.” And then Adeline pulled him in for another kiss.
Through the distant fog, she thought she heard Christopher say, “I liked them better when they were fighting.”
23
Eli sat next to Adeline on the church pew, rubbing a thumb over her knuckles. She was beautiful, wearing a baby blue dress that hit her legs mid-thigh, and her hair fell down her back, with ringlets framing her face. It took everything in him not to drag her to the altar and marry her right then and there. He couldn’t think of a reason not to, and Eli doubted he’d ever meet anyone who would be her equal. Adeline was funny and selfless, and the most amazing kisser. It didn’t hurt that she was a professional chocolatier. Though he supposed the fact that this was Leanne’s wedding, and not his, was reason enough to stay put. That, and he didn’t know what Adeline would think of the idea of marriage. Eli didn’t want to press his luck.
The guests stood, craning their necks to try to see the bride as she appeared at the back of the church. Isaac impatiently hopped from one foot to the other, like everything was going too slowly for his liking and he was going to run down the aisle, scoop Leanne up, and hurry things along.
“Thank you for doing this for them,” Adeline said to Eli as she nodded to the crew member, Hank, who had donned a suit, ready to officiate the wedding. The man had several tattoos on his face and a ponytail that reached the middle of his back, but no one seemed to mind, and it would add that extra, interesting touch to the movie scene. “They’ll remember this forever.”
Eli wrapped an arm around Adeline’s shoulders and brought her in closer, kissing the top of her head. “Everyone deserves to have their wedding immortalized.”
Adeline adjusted her position to be more comfortable but bumped his shoulder in the process. He winced and pulled back. Not a lot, but enough that Adeline noticed.
She moved away and touched his shoulder. “Did you hurt it?”
They’d already filmed part of the wedding scene, and Eli had managed to bruise himself up. Benjamin had shown up uninvited, and Eli had decided that if he was going to crash a wedding, he might as well break down the door. Considering he was supposed to be drunk at the time and shouting Katrina’s name as he stumbled into the church full of guests, it had made sense. Christopher had loved it, but Eli was paying for it now. The door hadn’t been intended for literal crashing.
“It’s all right,” he said with a smile. He pulled her in again as they watched Leanne walk past them and down the aisle. She had wanted to wear a winter dress, complete with a warm shawl, but because the wedding scene was being used in the movie, she’d needed to wear one that was approved by Christopher. Which meant no sleeves.
Leanne had ended up choosing a white dress that was similar to the one Eli’s mother had worn on her wedding day. It had a simple elegance about it, sleeveless with a tight bodice, and fanning out at the bottom. Eli had a grainy picture of his mother in her dress, laughing, looking like she’d never been happier. That was how he preferred to remember his mom.
As the ceremony commenced, Eli scanned the church. He was surprised to see Jessie sitting with Erwin across the aisle. They argued so often, he’d thought they couldn’t stand each other, but there they were, beaming as if they were the proud parents of the bride or groom. Jessie looked like she was crying, and Erwin handed her a tissue. She thanked him as she took it, then dabbed at her eyes as Leanne joined Isaac in front of Hank.
Eli’s gaze settled on the couple, but then he noticed Davis, the hardware store owner, sitting in the third row. Alone. No one else in the church seemed to be on their own, the pews nearly full. Eli wished he’d have noticed before. He’d have invited Davis to sit with them.
Hank was a man of few words, and his welcoming speech was brief before he invited Leanne to say her vows. She seemed flustered, and she pulled out a piece of paper from a pocket that she’d requested be sewn into the dress. After a moment of looking at it, she stuffed it back into her pocket and took Isaac’s hand in her own. “I don’t need that. Because, Isaac, I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve imagined this day, and the fact that it’s here—” Her voice broke, and Eli’s eyes teared up.
Oh, no. He’d nev
er been the type of guy who cried at weddings, but he felt a whole lot of blubbering coming on.
Adeline handed him a tissue she’d pulled out of her purse. He’d hoped she wouldn’t notice the leakage, but it was too late to hide it now. Eli took the tissue from her with an embarrassed smile.
Leanne hadn’t been able to resume her vows, and apparently Isaac hadn’t been able to handle it either, because his own voice was full of emotion as he said, “Screw it,” and he pulled Leanne in for a long, passionate kiss. “That about says it all.”
Everyone laughed, and Hank, who had thrown in a few of his own whistles, moved on to the “I-dos.”
It had probably been the shortest wedding ceremony of all time, but Eli had the feeling that Christopher would be using most of it in Amaretto, because it had been absolutely perfect.
Fifteen minutes later, everyone was filing out of the church to head to the wedding luncheon. They’d resume filming the next day, before everyone headed out on a week-long Christmas holiday.
Eli led Adeline forward into the aisle. She had a firm grasp on his hand, like she was afraid that if she let go, he’d disappear.
“I noticed you remembered all your lines that we went over last night,” she said as they followed the procession out.
“I have a good teacher.”
The previous evening, they’d built gingerbread houses while rehearsing lines. The result had been eating more candy than made it onto the houses, and powdered sugar dusting Adeline’s entire kitchen—there may have been a sugar fight somewhere in there—and the fact that they managed to rehearse a few lines came as a bonus.
But Eli had had no problem remembering those lines today. Not when they were associated with something so wonderful. Eli couldn’t believe he’d managed to method act for so many years. What a miserable way to live his life.
Just as they reached the church doors, Eli pulled Adeline aside. She raised an eyebrow but followed his lead.
“I wanted to ask you something.”
Starlight Love Page 17