When Jake hung up, he came back over to the couch and sat down. I looked over at him from the corner of eye, wondering if he was going to speak. Instead, he picked up the remote for the TV and switched it on. After flipping through a few channels, he settled on a baseball game. I let the quiet sit for a few minutes before I shut my book and looked at him.
“Okay, spill, what did she say?” I asked.
Jake didn’t answer, just turned up the volume of the television.
I grabbed the remote from his hand and switched off the TV. Jake turned to glare at me. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. What did Corinna say?” I suddenly felt horrified-what if she had called with terrible news? “Jake?”
He stood up, walking toward the fridge. He opened it up, grabbed a soda and slammed it shut. After popping it open, he leaned against the wall, looking forlorn. “I got the part.”
“Jake?”
“I got the part,” he repeated. “I got the part in the Patrick Edwards’ movie.”
I paused for a moment, letting that information sink in. When it finally registered in my brain, I leapt up, my book falling to the ground. Before I could even realize what I was doing, I launched myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck. “Jake, that’s amazing,” I squealed. I pulled away and planted a kiss on his mouth.
I backed up, immediately, horrified at my behavior. This was girlfriend behavior, plain and simple. Being happy and excited…and proud of Jake was not normal. I had never felt anything more than general fondness or attraction to a boyfriend before. “Jake, that is seriously amazing,” I said, taking another step back.
Jake had a huge grin on his face now. “I know. I got the part.”
“Oscar nomination, here you come,” I laughed.
“Hey now,” he said, “don’t jinx me. What’s that saying? Don’t count your chickens before they hatch? I just only got the part.”
“I know! And it’s awesome!” I studied him for a moment and saw that, despite his smile, there was a sliver of doubt behind those blue eyes. “Jake, this is awesome, I promise. You’re going to rock it.”
“Yeah,” Jake said, firmly, that look still very prevalent in his eyes.
“Jake, look at me,” I said, just as firmly. He looked over at me and I felt that sudden urge to reassure him. “You’re going to do great. I promise. They wouldn’t have chosen you if they didn’t think you could do it.”
Jake seemed to brighten a little bit at my words. “So they didn’t choose me for my dashing good looks or my abs?”
I rolled my eyes, relieved to have my cocky Jake back. “No, Jake, that is not why.” I walked over to him, and pulled his shirt up, running my hand along his stomach. “Although, I do have to admit, your abs are very very impressive.” I whistled low. “Have you been working out more? My god…”
Now it was Jake’s turn to roll his eyes. “Oh shut up.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him, before planting his lips right on mine. I responded in kind, sending us both crashing into the wall. We both laughed before diving back into each other, my fingers pressing hard into his shoulders, his hands in my hair.
“I’m really really glad you got the part,” I said, in between kisses, my hands fumbling at the hem of his shirt.
“I said, shut up,” he said, but I could feel his smile against my mouth. He pressed his palms into my lower back and pulled me closer. We were fumbling at each other’s clothes when someone came bursting in. We pulled apart, both of us looking a little sheepish.
“Hey, now, don’t stop on my account,” came the amused voice. We both looked up at Cam, who was smiling.
“Cam,” Jake said, running his hand through his ruffled hair. “I just heard about the Patrick Edwards’ part. I got it.”
Cam’s face lit up and I was struck again at his good looks. I felt like it had been weeks since I had been around average looking people. This world was getting to my head. There were just too many pretty people walking around all the time. “Jake, that’s fantastic. This project has major Oscar potential written all over it.”
“God, not you too,” Jake groaned.
Cam looked over at me, his eyebrow raised. I stopped tugging at my shirt, feeling a little embarrassed. “You too?”
“Yeah, me too,” I admitted.
“All right, all right,” Jake said, throwing his hands in the air. “Can we just be happy for me without mention the ‘O’ word?”
“Hey, I’m very happy for you, kid,” Cam said, patting Jake on the back very much like a father would. “This really could be the start of something awesome for you.” Cam looked over at me, where I was slowly trying to back away. “I’m sure your girl over there is pretty happy for you too.”
I smiled, trying to ignore the knowing look on Cam’s face or how incredibly uncomfortable I suddenly felt. “Of course, I’m happy for him.”
There was only about a month until Valentine’s Day and I needed to get out of this fast. The control that I usually showed in all relationships had basically never existed in this one and I had to start now before I started completely losing my grasp on Jake. I really hated to admit that I was already losing it.
The first thing that was concerning was the amount of time that was being invested in this boy. I spent every available moment with Jake. If I wasn’t at work, school, with Amanda or sleeping (and even then), I was usually was with Jake. This was bad. The whole point was to give a little, making them want more. Up until the very end, you played hard to get. I was giving in to it all, the dates, the spending the nights, the hanging out on set for hours at a time.
Then there was the whole girlfriend behavior. I was not girlfriend material. For one thing, there weren’t many guys that I had allowed to actually call me their girlfriend and I could count them all on one hand. The fact was, I was letting people call me Jake’s girlfriend. I could feebly offer up that I myself had not admitted to it but I hadn’t denied it to anyone who said it. I was helping Jake with his lines, helping him chose his next role, celebrating when he got said role. He even had me going to award shows with him. I mean, at least I hadn’t met his parents yet. I shuddered at the thought…especially since he has hinted at it for weeks.
Lastly, there was Mr. Jake Kennedy himself. Despite my exhausting efforts to keep him at a distance, I was failing miserably. It seemed the harder I tried, the more Jake fell for it. The guy was obviously smitten and sometimes I could just see the depth of something that scared the shit out of me in his eyes. Even worse, I didn’t have the same apathy towards Jake that I did towards most boys. I wasn’t in love with Jake, despite Amanda’s insistence, but I didn’t dislike him either. I liked him a lot and I was having a great time dating him. I had discovered a world that I loved and I’d discovered something that I was actually good at. Sometimes I wondered if I hadn’t ended things yet was because I was having such a good time. Jake Kennedy was the exact opposite from Gabriel. He had brought excitement to my life where there had been none before.
I was in serious trouble and I needed to stop things before they got out of hand.
The girlfriend behavior continued, despite my efforts to stop it. It was a few days later and we were on set. My job was done, over, had been for weeks. Charlotte’s story had been a success so far, spawning a Charlotte vs. Maggie phenomenon in pop culture world that was blowing my mind and was helping the ratings to skyrocket. Now, Jake and Andrea were filming the season finale, and a scene where Mikey and Maggie get back together after all the Charlotte drama and it was going to be a very steamy reunion.
Andrea and I had basically stayed out of each other’s way the past few weeks that I had been working on the show. As long as I showed up and did my job, we were able to work on the same lot without killing each other.
However, now that my six episodes were wrapped up, it was fair game…at least to Andrea. She was showing up on set with new clothes, a new haircut, new make-up, looking happier than she had looked in months. She was flashing her wedding ring all over th
e place and flirting shamelessly with Jake every chance she got.
For the most part, I ignored her. I stayed focused on my book or my homework (school had just started). If she flirted with Jake in front of me, which was quite often, I yawned or looked away, turning to talk to Cam or Kellie Lynn, the actress who played Jake’s mom, Shannon, on the show.
It was getting harder and harder to ignore her though. I was an extremely competitive person and Andrea was starting to get on my last nerve. Some days it was super hard for me to hold my tongue, and temper, in check while I was around her.
The reunion scene between Mikey and Maggie was a steamy one. Mikey shows up at the kindergarten class where Maggie teaches (I know, a kindergarten teacher…and I got to play the messed up sister of a druggie). After arguing for a few minutes, they share a passionate kiss and end up on her desk. The kiddies are gone for the day, of course; Maggie was a very responsible, wholesome character. Jake warned me against coming to watch but I scoffed at him. Having done a few steamy scenes, I knew there was absolutely nothing steamy about them. It was all “tilt your head this way” and “use more tongue” or “put your hand there”. It was cold and calculating.
And besides, what did I care about who Jake kissed?
I spent the first few takes, laughing silently behind my book. Once, Jake and Andrea had great chemistry on screen, most likely fueled by the presumed real life chemistry they had while they were dating. Now that chemistry was basically obsolete. Jake had to lift Andrea up at one point and set her on the desk, and he kept missing. One time, they even went crashing to the ground. Josh was getting more and more angry and I was getting more and more amused.
“Jake, Andrea, what the hell is going on? The desk is a seven foot by four foot monstrosity and you keep missing it,” Josh said, sounding extremely impatient. “You guys have done this a million times already.”
“I know,” Jake said, sounding resigned. “We’ll get it.”
“Maybe Jake is feeling a little weak in the arms,” Andrea grumbled, rubbing her butt, wincing. I dove into my book, my shoulders shaking with more laughs. “I think Jake needs to hit up the gym some more.”
Jake shot a glare at Andrea, who was too busy examining her nails to notice.
“Enough,” Josh barked. “Let’s try this again, and maybe this time, don’t think so much. Just go with it.”
I sat up in my seat. What was Josh talking about? I had never before heard Josh say anything as crazy as “just go with it”. I was intrigued.
“And action!”
Jake walked over to Andrea, who was rearranging papers on her desk. It amazed me how Andrea, the girl who always looked like a dolled up diva, could actually be made to look like a legitimate kindergarten teacher. “Maggie, I made a mistake. I know that now. I just got so caught up with the case…”
“No, you got caught up in a helpless redheaded bimbo,” Andrea said, using her hip to move Jake out of the way as she went behind the desk. I rolled my eyes at the “bimbo” remark, though I knew it was only part of the script.
“Charlotte was a mistake. I know that now.”
Andrea slammed the books she was holding on the desk. “Oh, you know now?” she asked, sarcastically. “Not when she was shacking up in your apartment? Not when she was throwing herself at you? Not when I caught you guys making it out in MY car? You know now?”
“I do. Maggie…I love you.” Damn, Jake’s acting was getting so much better. You could actually feel the desperation and love in his voice.
Andrea let out a well-timed, almost inaudible gasp. It was the first time Mikey Matlock had ever uttered those three words to Maggie White. Crime Scene fans would go insane for this season finale. “No. No, Mikey, you can’t just come in and tell me that you love me and expect everything to just be fixed…”
She was cut off as Jake caught her up in his arms in a kiss so hot that I felt it across the room. Jake lifted her up and this time they landed it perfectly. The whole room was in perfect silence, and Josh was giving no direction. It was just happening and for some reason, I was on the edge of my seat, holding my breath, waiting for Josh to call cut.
Instead, Jake pushed Andrea back onto the desk, scattering paper and pencils all over the floor. He climbed up on the desk, pulling his shirt over his head and leaning down to kiss her some more. I looked over at Josh, feeling a weird drop in my stomach. This was not in the script. This most definitely was not in the script.
“Cut! Excellent!” Josh said, clapping his hands together once. Jake sat up, looking out of breath. “You could actually feel the anger and the passion in that scene. I think we’ll run through it one more time but great job. Great improv there, Jake.”
I felt a vibration in my pocket. I tore my eyes away and pulled my phone out. There was a text message from Adrienne. I took a deep breath and leaned over to read it.
McKinley-Lush Cosmetics called me. They saw your TEEN! spread and loved it. They want to meet with you to discuss the possibility of you promoting their spring line? What do you think?
I looked up at Josh, Jake and Andrea, who were all setting up to run through the scene once more. Jake was looking intently at Josh, nodding at whatever he was saying. Andrea, however, was staring at me, a satisfied smile on her pretty face.
I felt a burst of anger and annoyance and something else that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I typed furiously into my phone, pressing send quickly. Count me in. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Freddie Sanchez, one of the series regulars (a cop, of course) walking by. I hopped out of my chair and bounced over to him.
Freddie grinned at me. “Well, if it isn’t little miss Spitfire.”
I rolled my eyes but kept my smile on my face. Freddie was exactly what I’d expected Jake to be: cocky, sexy and clueless and completely wrapped up in his celebrity world. (Jake was clueless and definitely sexy, don’t get me wrong). Ever since he’d learned my red hair was natural, he started calling me spitfire. He was shallow but fun. “Hello there, yourself.”
“Your boy seems to be having fun today,” Freddie said, nodding in the direction of the set.
My smile wavered ever so slightly, and only for a brief moment. I didn’t turn around. “What boy? The only boy I see is the one I see standing right in front of me,” I said, playfully.
Freddie’s grin grew wider, revealing those perfect Hollywood teeth. His arm reached out and slid around my waist and I resisted the urge to pull away. “I like the way you think, Spitfire.”
I tilted my head to the side, looking up at him. “Buy a girl some lunch?”
“Definitely.”
I felt a burst of satisfaction, trying to ignore the cartwheels that my stomach was currently doing. I let Freddie lead me away without a backwards glance.
* * * * * *
“What’s wrong?” Jake asked, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as he turned into his driveway.
“Nothing,” I said, shortly, fighting the urge to grab his hands to stop the tapping.
“Bullshit, McKinley. What’s wrong?”
“I said, nothing, Jake.”
He sighed. “I saw you left the set today.”
“Freddie and I went down to lunch at craft services,” I said, off-handedly.
“Freddie?” he asked, sounding a little tense.
“Yeah, I was bored and hungry.”
“So you decided to go to lunch with Freddie?” There was a little sarcastic bite in this voice when he said Freddie’s name.
“Yeah, so?”
“Don’t be stupid. I saw you guys walking away with his stupid arm around your waist.”
“Are you going to be this snippy all night?” I cut him off. “Because if you are, I’d rather you just take me home.”
Jake sighed again, leaning back in his seat. “I’m not driving you all the way back to Brea. I’m tired as hell, McKinley.”
I felt something inside me snap, and those stupid stomach cartwheels came rushing back. “Oh, yeah, right. I guess one
would be tired after rolling around on a desk all day.”
“Is that what this is about?” Jake asked, incredulously. “I told you that it was probably better if you didn’t come watch me work today.”
I shook my head, laughing. “It looked a little more like pleasure than work.”
A look of dawning passed over Jake’s face. “You’re jealous.”
I felt like I had been slapped. I was not jealous. “I am not jealous,” I said, hotly.
A Little Less than Famous Page 21