by JS Taylor
I think about this. “I’d rather we took our time,” I say stubbornly, “and didn’t have you made out as the bad guy in the press.”
James leans forward and kisses my nose.
“I’m big enough to take it,” he says mildly. “It doesn’t bother me. What does bother me is having us under wraps. Like a shameful secret.”
I’m still unconvinced.
“Can I have some time to think about it?” I hedge. “Just to get my head around it?”
I don’t want his name dragged through the mud. Isn’t there another way?
James cocks his head to one side, trying to work out where I’m coming from.
“Ok,” he says finally. “If that’s what you want. We’ll talk about it later today. I won’t make a move to announce the divorce until then.”
I let out a breath. Is this what I want? It’s all so confusing.
“But we need to get this settled,” he adds. “If Natalie finds out we’re together…”
He lets the sentence hang.
“She’d leak it to the press?” I ask in disbelief.
“Natalie is not in the best place at the moment,” says James carefully. “One of her issues is courting media attention. It’s like an addiction for her. The media circus which you and I could attract, that could be a compelling notion for Natalie. She’d be bound to get press coverage off the back of it.”
I think about this, remembering how Natalie drew so much attention to herself when she landed.
Another reason to stay out of her way then, I think. Not that I needed one.
“It’s a lot of pressure,” I admit, “to add to a new relationship.”
“I know.” James lifts my chin with his finger. “It’s not fair on you. But I want us to be together. And I need to protect you from the press.”
Then a mischievous look creeps into his eyes.
“The situation has given me a worse problem, though.”
“What’s that?”
“How am I ever going to let you out of this bed?”
He grabs me in a bear-hug and covers my face with kisses. I shriek and wriggle.
“You’ll have to let me out at some point,” I protest under the barrage of kisses. “I have acting to do.”
He stops kissing me and looks at me slyly. “Ah yes,” he says, “I remember now why you’re here. Well, come on then, Ms. Green.”
He leans forward and scoops my body up out of the bed.
I am squealing in a mixture of amusement and protest.
“Best we put you in the shower,” he says, standing with me held in his arms. “Then I can have you a few times more, before rehearsals begin.”
Chapter 24
James and I leave the apartment to find Will waiting outside. He’s dressed in the security navy with a flak jacket. But, to my relief, he’s not carrying a gun.
“Have you been waiting long?” I ask, concerned that he’s been here a long time.
“Of course not.” He consults his watch. It’s an expensive looking timepiece, which no doubt measures various fitness goals. “You’re right on time.”
“I scheduled Will to meet you at 9am,” supplies James quickly. “You must remember my telling you.”
“Oh, yes of course,” I bluster. I’m beginning to think that maybe James is right about going public. I’ve never found it easy to hide the truth from people I like. “Well, thank you, Mr. Berkeley.”
“I’ll take over from here,” says Will. He takes a quick, measured scan around us, and then takes my arm. “This way, Issy.”
“I have some work to do in the director’s tower,” says James. “I’ll see you both in Studio 5 in just a moment.”
He heads off in the opposite direction, and I feel a yearning urge to kiss him goodbye.
“Are you alright, Issy?” asks Will, missing nothing.
“Um. Yeah. Sure. Just a little nervous about the first rehearsal.”
Will nods, as though this makes sense.
“Learned your lines?”
“Yup.” I say, “I had a few hours last night and this morning to do some cramming. So, I should be good for the first few scenes at least. James has given me an idea of what we’ll be shooting.”
I cast a quick look at Will’s face to see if it’s strange for me to call James by his first name. He doesn’t seem to have noticed.
“Then you’ve nothing to worry about,” Will replies. “From what I hear, you’re a great actress.”
I look at him in surprise. “Really? How did you hear that?” As far as I know, the only person who has seen me act is James.
“Word gets around,” replies Will. “You’d better get used to everyone knowing your business on a film set. Here, this way.”
He directs me into the maze of studio buildings.
Everyone knowing my business. Should I let James go ahead and announce the divorce? He did say it would be worse if our relationship got out accidentally.
“So, you’ve got a day of rehearsals, right?” Will asks. “Before the first scenes start properly.”
“I’m not sure,” I admit. “I’m really new to this.”
“It’s pretty standard,” says Will. “They take a day with no costumes and make-up, just so the actors get comfortable with one another. Then after that, you get your own make-up lady, hairdresser, clothes picker-outer. The works.”
He grins at me. “That’s the favourite part for the actresses.”
“And what about the actors?” I tease.
“Them too. But they don’t admit it.”
We’re silent for a few minutes, weaving throughout the buildings. And then I voice what’s playing on my mind.
“Will. Do you think we’ll catch this stalker? I’m really worried that Callum and Camilla won’t get to act.”
Will stops walking and looks straight at me, his amber eyes gleaming with honesty.
“Issy,” he says, “we’ll catch him. I have no doubt. All you have to do is stay safe for a few days. From what I hear, the security team have already made good progress.”
“Do you mind,” I ask, “having to be my bodyguard?”
“Do I mind?” Will gives a little laugh. “It’s some of the easiest work I’ve ever done. Since you’re all locked up tight in Mr. Berkeley’s apartment at night, I got time to call my wife every night and make an hour workout each morning. It’s a sweet deal.”
He grins, revealing straight teeth which look super white against his beautiful dark skin.
“Ok.” I grin back at him, and we start walking again.
“Oh, now,” says Will suddenly, “you can tell we’re nearly on set.”
“How?” I can’t make sense of this maze.
“Can’t you hear it?” says Will sardonically. “Ms. Diva is ahead of us, making demands.”
I tune into the general sounds and realise Will is right. We turn a corner to find Natalie issuing instructions to a tired-looking staff member.
“Why didn’t it arrive this morning?” Natalie is demanding, her pixie features screwed up in annoyance. “I said it needed to be flown overnight.”
At first glance, Natalie is dressed similarly to me today. We’re both wearing jeans, sneakers, and a tight tee. Until you notice that Natalie’s got diamante bling stitched to her pockets, and her T-shirt reads ‘Gucci’.
“The airline is refusing to fly your hat out,” Natalie’s employee is explaining, “unless it’s checked in by a passenger. We’re still trying to get someone to fly with it, at short notice. All your staff are here.”
Natalie rolls her eyes. “Well, find someone,” she says. “I’m due to hit the London clubs in a few days. That hat is part of an important outfit.”
Natalie is suddenly aware of Will and me. She turns, all warm smiles.
“Hello, Isabella,” she beams. “Good to see you.”
She doesn’t even acknowledge Will.
“Good to see you too,” I manage, turning to introduce Will in case she hasn’t seen him. Will
makes a tiny little shake of his head to signal he doesn’t want to be introduced.
“Is this the rehearsal studio?” I add, not sure what to say to Natalie.
Natalie tosses her hair and waves her hand at the staff member, dismissing her. The women scurries off.
“Yeah. This is it,” says Natalie. “Studio 5. Where the magic happens.”
“Are Callum and Camilla here already?” I ask. I can’t wait to see them.
“Yeah. Well, Callum is,” she says airily. “I think some girl is in there with him, but I don’t know her name.”
Camilla. You only met her yesterday.
To my surprise, Natalie loops her arm through mine, as though we were best friends, and pulls me through the studio door. Her arm is tiny, and fragile. She feels like a little bird.
“Did you have breakfast?” she asks in her beach-bunny accent, stressing the last word.
“I didn’t yet,” Natalie adds before I get a chance to answer. “The menu here is, like, carb central. You know? And I just look at a potato, and I balloon.”
We’re in the studio now, and Natalie keeps her arm tight through mine, leading me forward. Will follows behind watchfully.
“That’s my mom’s genetics,” continues Natalie. “The Irish side of the family. Way back in history, Ireland was starved half to death. So, the women in my family, we all hold fat like hippos.”
I tune out Natalie, taking in the studio. It’s large inside, with white walls. A cluster of filming equipment is pointed towards the three walls of a set.
I recognise the set from yesterday. It’s the same country cottage layout. There must not have been time to change it.
“You should ask James to hire The Zone Diet caterers,” Natalie is saying. “They are totally amazing. I lost, like, twenty pounds in two weeks.” She looks meaningfully at my figure. Next to Natalie, my slender curves look jumbo-sized. If she lost any more weight, she’d be auditioning for a concentration camp.
“Um. Well, I don’t think I have any influence on James,” I say, a little overwhelmed by her sudden friendliness.
She spots Callum and drops my arm suddenly.
“Wait,” she’s saying, striding towards him, “what’s going on with this set?”
I break into a wide grin to see Callum. He bounds over to me, totally ignoring Natalie, and gives me a big hug.
“So good to see you, Issy,” he beams. Then he lowers his voice to whisper in my ear. “With all the security, there’s not been time to construct the rehearsal set. Ms. Ennis is going to flip!”
He looks delighted by this prospect.
“What do you mean?” I whisper, stifling a smile. I look over my shoulder to check Natalie can’t hear us. But she hasn’t noticed Callum’s slight and has wandered off to poke around the unfinished set.
Callum waves his hand.
“We’re doing the first newsroom scene today,” he explains, pointing at the cottage. “This should be an office. But with the security alert, there’s not been time to set it up.”
“Oh,” I regard the set. “Well, that’s no big deal, is it? It’s only rehearsal. I mean, at drama school, we often had to improvise with the sets.”
“Professional actors can,” says Callum. “She can’t.” He nods towards Natalie.
“Where’s Camilla?” I ask.
“Oh, she’s just behind the set,” says Callum. He raises his hands to his mouth, channelling his voice. “Hey! Cam! Issy’s here!”
Natalie looks around in annoyance at the sudden noise.
Camilla drifts out from behind the half-timbered set. She sees me, and her face lights up.
“Issy! James has said I can stay one more day. Isn’t that cool? We get to do some acting together.”
She’s drawn level with me now, and takes both my hands in hers, hardly able to contain her excitement.
“That is great,” I say, delighted to see her so happy.
“James will be here soon,” adds Camilla. “In the meantime, we should set things up, best we can.”
I notice that Natalie has planted herself on an antique sofa in the middle of the cottage set. Her legs are crossed under her, and her face shows displeasure.
Camilla approaches a table to the left of where Natalie is brooding.
“Should we use this, Callum?” Camilla shouts. “It could be the news desk?”
“Sure,” says Callum, who’s clearly had a lot of practise at this. “The desk can be the news desk, and we’ll move the sofa to make a corridor.”
Even the act of imagining this has brought a sparkle to Callum’s eyes. No wonder he’s such a good actor. The play-acting kid never left him.
“We can stack books to be the computers,” I say, getting in on the play-pretend.
Callum’s love of acting is infectious.
“What the hell is going on here?” Natalie’s voice rises suddenly above the scrape of furniture being moved.
“Watch out,” says Callum, sotto voice, “she’s about to blow.”
Natalie stands and stalks over to Camilla.
“Why isn’t this set made up properly?” she demands, waving her finger at Camilla. Since Natalie is so tiny, she stands about a foot shorter, and she has to tilt her head to look into Camilla’s calm features.
“Oh,” replies Camilla. “Well. With security yesterday, the set teams were diverted. So, this wasn’t done.”
“It’s your job to get this done,” hisses Natalie. “How am I supposed to do my job if you can’t do yours?” She’s staring furiously up at Camilla, who turns uncertainly to Callum. Natalie has obviously mistaken Camilla for a set handler.
Callum steps forward.
“Camilla isn’t a crew member,” he says, “she’s an actress. Please don’t talk to her like she is beneath you.”
Natalie’s face registers confusion. “Then why is she heaving furniture about?” she demands, after a moment of contemplation.
“Because she’s willing to work as a team,” says Callum. He looks as though he’s considering saying something else, and has thought better of it. “Perhaps you could help us too, Natalie. We’d get started quicker.”
Natalie tosses her long hair. “I don’t do the set changes,” she says. “My insurance would never cover it. I’m too valuable,” she adds as a parting shot, before repositioning herself back on the sofa.
Camilla and I are looking at one another uncertainly. But Callum simply rolls his eyes.
“Ignore her,” he says, under his breath. “The more attention you give her, the worse she gets. I only pray that James isn’t the type of director who panders to her.”
Somehow I can’t imagine that.
Callum returns to moving scenery, and I join him. Soon the three of us are all engaged, moving and naming things.
Once we’ve got the set to our liking, Callum turns to address Natalie.
“This is your desk, Natalie,” he says, nodding towards the reordered set.
“Yes, Callum, thank you,” she says, her voice heavy with sarcasm. “Now at last we can make a professional picture.”
She rises from her sofa to consider her make-shift desk. “Oh goody!” she announces, clasping her hands to her chest in fake joy. “My computer is a stack of books.”
Callum is interrupted from a retort by a slam of the studio door.
James has arrived. He strides purposely towards us with a thick script in his hand. The atmosphere changes immediately. Even Natalie starts neatening her clothing.
Once again, I’m struck by how gorgeous he is.
That man said he loved you a few hours ago. Can you believe it?
I hug the knowledge to myself, hardly able to suppress a smile.
James greets us all, giving me a special smile all of my own.
Then he beckons us in for an actor’s huddle.
We stand in a wide circle, a foot apart from one another. I have Callum on one side and Camilla on the other. Natalie and James stand opposite me.
I don’t like
how close she stands to him. I try and push down the unwelcome flash of jealousy.
“If you haven’t worked with me before, my methods will be new to you,” James begins explaining, looking at each of us to check we understand.
“Before we begin, I like to have everyone explain their reading of the script,” says James. “To check we’re on the same page.”
I’ve never experienced this before, but it seems like a good idea. Natalie gives a large yawn.
James fixes her with a look, and she shuts her mouth and straightens her posture.
“Ok then,” says James. “Let’s each sum up the movie. Camilla, you start.”
“Right,” says Camilla, sounding a little nervous. She tugs a battered notebook out of her back pocket and begins to leaf through it.
“It’s a comedy format,” Camilla says, after a moment consulting her notes. “Things are in their wrong places to begin with. Then they untangle at the end.”
I am impressed. Camilla must have studied classic plots.
Then I notice something. On the back of Camilla’s battered notebook is a name, ringed by love-hearts.
Ben Gracey.
Camilla catches me staring at the back of her notebook. She visibly flushes, and stuffs it back into her pocket.
Did something happen with Camilla and Ben Gracey?
I remember that I haven’t called Lorna for a few days. The whole situation makes me uneasy suddenly. Ben and Lorna. Ben and Camilla.
I realise I haven’t been paying attention, and James is now asking Natalie to give her interpretation. I switch my attention back to the room.
“Comedy,” Natalie is saying in a bored voice. “Girl goes undercover into a top newsroom to try and get dirt on the editor. She wants to blackmail him not to run a story. My character helps her.”
“Callum?” asks James.
“Romantic comedy,” says Callum. “Girl tries to blackmail a cranky editor. They wind up falling in love. He stops being cranky, and she stops being such a control freak.”
James smiles. “Great. You’ve picked up a lot of the character points already. Isabella? Your reading?”
“Um. Girl wants to protect her father from a bad news story,” I say. “She enters the newsroom, thinking the editor is a monster. Then she realises he’s misunderstood. And her love for him changes them both.”