“He screamed when he opened the fridge to find fifteen dead frogs.” Ryan sputtered with laughter again, and I joined him.
For the first time in five minutes, Shaun met my gaze. More like glared at me. My sides and cheeks hurt from laughing so much.
“You never did tell the teacher what you planned to do with them.” Ryan sobered with that, sitting back in his chair and considering Shaun with something like remorse.
Shaun cleared his throat and placed his cutlery on the table. “It was for the best, anyway. I landed my first modelling job the next week and I would have been plastered in bruises if that scheme had worked.”
Shaun and Ryan shared a meaningful look, the type that communicated messages. I swear I wasn’t jealous. I just couldn’t pull silent communication off with anyone, not even my siblings. Must be nice to know someone that well.
Shaun reluctantly met my curious gaze. “I was going to let them loose in my father’s clothes. The asshole could never be bothered to hang them up.” Disgust deepened his voice.
Understanding widened my eyes. It hadn’t even been a week since he’d confided in me. For some reason, I’d assumed his father hadn’t beaten him, but thinking back on it, I’d misunderstood. My heart twinged at the thought of Shaun being attacked by the one man who was supposed to teach him how to grow up right.
“I’m sorry I didn’t try to stop you. Assumed Lily would put a nail in that plan before you got anywhere near the biology lab.”
“I’m pretty sure she was in LA by then.” Shaun muttered the words, but they lacked the hurt I’d come to expect whenever he talked about Lily.
“Oh yeah, lucky sod. You know, James still won’t let that go.” Ryan’s amusement dimmed slightly.
Shaun frowned. “He always did have an inflated ego for a guitarist.”
Ryan tilted his head. “I mean, I kind of get it. Your little cousin signs a major record deal and you can’t even keep a band together. It would have stung me too, I’m sure.”
“I really doubt that. You always had a clear head, unlike James Tyler. I loved her, but I wasn’t even remotely jealous.”
Ryan laughed, a head-thrown-back-and-sliding-low-in-your-seat kind of chuckle. “She hooked you up with the right people. Of course you weren’t bloody jealous.”
My ears perked up at that. I’d heard the rumours, of course, but hearing rumours and having it confirmed were two different things. Shaun considered me from the corner of his eye. Ryan pressed his lips together, his eyes widening slightly, as if he’d spilled a state secret.
“I can’t exactly judge. I’m only here because my sister knew your agent, remember.” I liked to think it was because I was the best person for the job, but facts were facts, after all. Whether I was a match for Shaun Martin or not, my connections got me here.
Shaun smiled and I watched as the tension drained from his face. When he looked at me like that – like he didn’t have a worry in the world and it was all because of me – our unsteady start faded away. He was too handsome for one man, too handsome to be my boss. It was hardly fair.
“If the gossip rags ever confirm that story, you can blame that waiter.” I pointed to a woman with white-blond hair who had spent a good part of the last hour walking past our table at a snail’s pace. “I signed an NDA, but there’s nothing stopping her from selling ‘Shaun Martin, Frog Thief’ the moment we leave.”
Shaun and Ryan glanced at the woman. Clearly, I was in the presence of two pros when it came to surreptitious looks. She didn’t have a clue that two of Wales’s hottest creative talents were considering her like she was a threat to their freedom.
Maybe I should stop it, actually. Could I stop it?
Before I could give it too much thought, I stood and made my way towards the bar where the manager stood, his head bowed over a book. He wore a tailored suit and had his dark hair swept back. With his head bowed, I couldn’t place his age, but I assumed at least forty.
“Mona, you don’t have to. I’ll get Sherry to handle it,” Shaun said, trying to call me back to the table. I held up my hand and continued.
“Excuse me,” I said, not giving myself time to pause and think.
The manager’s head snapped up, and his glasses slipped down his nose. He righted them with a quick hand then gave me a cautious smile before his gaze flicked towards Shaun. “How can I help?”
“Your waitress has been watching us a little too closely. My boss and his friend are having a private catch-up and I’m concerned she might have overheard some things they’d really rather remain private. Do your staff sign NDAs?”
The man swallowed, his gaze moving between Shaun and Ryan, who I’m sure were watching our interaction closely.
“I’m so sorry. Our guests’ privacy is of the utmost importance and we have strict guidelines for our staff to follow.” He pressed his lips together, his eyes catching the waitress’s. He tilted his head towards a door at the side of the bar. “I’ll pull her aside for a chat now and make sure we get this all straightened out.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
With a firm nod, he turned away and marched down the bar where he met the ashen-faced woman. He led her into an office as I wandered back to our table, chewing on my lip. Had I done the right thing? What if she got fired because of me?
I walked back to my chair, catching snippets of Shaun and Ryan’s conversation, but not really paying attention. Something about Shaun’s Hollywood friends being tapped for a big film franchise.
“Are you okay, Sparky?” Shaun asked, catching my hand as I almost walked past them. I shook my head, trying to shake off the guilt. “Do you need me to do something? I can make quite the scene when I need to.” He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at his stupid joke. Of course he can make a scene.
Ryan laughed at him. “Glad fame hasn’t stopped you from being weird.”
Before I could reply, the manager approached, wearing a pained but apologetic smile. The waitress had been reprimanded, our meals were on the house and a bottle of champagne had been popped for the inconveniences.
Before anyone could protest, the bottle of champagne arrived on the table. Shaun tensed.
“Do you want me to get rid of it?” I whispered, trying to be discreet even though Ryan was far too close for him not to overhear.
Shaun glanced between me and Ryan, his brows furrowed as he tried not to look at the bottle.
He swallowed hard. “You can have a drink. I’m okay with my water.”
Drinking in front of an alcoholic felt like a very bad idea.
“I’m not thirsty.” I sat back, placing my hands in my lap.
Shaun’s gaze roamed my face. Something like relief swept across his features, and he nodded, gratitude shining in his eyes.
“I’m good too,” Ryan said, reading the situation with ease.
Shaun rolled his eyes. He leaned forward, whispering, “Just because I can’t handle a drink doesn’t mean you two have to go cold turkey too.”
Ryan and I shared a look, and I’m proud to say I understood it: Shaun was absolutely an idiot.
“I bet you didn’t think shit like this could ever happen to you when we were just two idiot teens building dens and planning our escapes,” Ryan said, trying to move the conversation along.
Shaun smirked at him but nodded. “Until my career took off, I didn’t believe any of those mad schemes of ours would work. Thought I’d be hiding out in the woods for the rest of my life.” Shaun chuckled, shaking his head at his younger self.
Ryan studied Shaun. “Your dad did you a huge favour.”
“By dying, you mean?”
Ryan glanced away. It didn’t seem to be a topic he liked discussing. I couldn’t blame him. It turned me sick too.
Shaun shrugged. “Only because I don’t have to deal with him blubbering to the press. I’d bet your Les Paul guitar that he would have sold his story to as many tabloids as he could.”
“That’s a given. No need to threaten my favourite
guitar,” Ryan grumbled, eliciting a reluctant chuckle from Shaun.
We finished our waters and paid the bill soon after. The open bottle of champagne remained in the middle of the table, untouched and ignored. Shaun didn’t so much as peek at it, and I was incredibly proud of him. It was a tiny step, but recovery meant hundreds of tiny steps stacked together until you reached the end and found you’d climbed a mountain.
Chapter Seventeen
I lost most, if not all, of the next day in the production office trying to source a replacement executive car service. One of the supporting actors had gotten a little too drunk and shown the driver his lunch and dinner. Funnily enough, I didn’t blame the company for refusing to drive them anymore.
By the time 4PM rolled around, I’d handed two car options to Alys, learnt how to pull and format sides and triple-checked all of the cast and crew call times for the next day. When the call came over the radio that they were ten minutes from wrapping Shaun, I started packing up.
A slightly less-frazzled Alys approached me before I could hot-foot it to his trailer. I didn’t want him to react like he had the last time I wasn’t there waiting for him.
“You’re a godsend, have I told you that yet?” Alys asked, her gratitude evidenced by the gleam in her eye and the smile on her face.
I chuckled. “About five times, I think. But I appreciate you saying it.”
She glanced around. There was no one but us, Heather and Cassie in the production office. Everyone else had fled to set, either for snacks or because they had a genuine need to be there.
As her eyes settled on me, she stepped closer and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Are you happy with Shaun?”
I frowned. What a weird question to ask.
“I’m asking because I think you’ve got a knack for this, and if you’d ever consider a change, we’d hire you in a heartbeat.” She gestured to Heather, but her attention remained focused on me.
A week ago, I might have jumped at that offer. Now? Not so much. The thought of leaving Shaun to fend for himself right now didn’t sit well with me. He needed someone on his side who knew what he was going through.
“Thank you, Alys. It means a lot that you’d offer. I’ve been thinking about my next move after I finish working for Shaun, so it’s nice to know you guys think I’m capable of doing the job full time.” I put some serious emphasis on the after.
Alys bit her lip as she nodded. “Of course. If you need any help, let me know. I’m sure between us we could find you some work.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Still, her words sounded genuine. “In fact, let me add you to the drama production chat. That’s where all the jobs get posted all over the country.”
She took my number, and within seconds I had a notification saying I’d been added to this group. Could it really be that easy to find a job?
With that done, she pocketed her phone and fixed me with a concerned look. “But seriously, if you decide for any reason that you need a change, come see me.”
I swallowed the denials that sprang to the tip of my tongue and just nodded. I couldn’t predict the future, and she was doing me a favour. No need to turn her down flat.
I’d just collapsed on my bed when my phone pinged next to me. Sighing, I picked it up, bracing myself for some wild request from Shaun. He’d been surprisingly upbeat lately and I had yet to figure out why.
The message came from my sister, and as soon as I read it, my phone rang. Her smiling face flashed across the screen.
“Hello, stranger. I was starting to worry I’d sent you to an axe murderer,” Isla joked, her voice opening a pang in my chest.
I hadn’t really had time to focus on the fact that I was away from home – well, the home I’d grown up with, anyway. I’d gotten over the distance from my parents and brother, but Isla had been a daily staple in my life, even though she lived over an hour away. I missed her.
“Funny. At the start I would have groaned at you predicting my future.”
A pause stretched between us as she digested my words. I shut my eyes tight. Why had I said that? Everything was fine now. I didn’t need to worry her with problems that had passed.
“Is he as much of a nightmare as I’ve heard?”
I sat bolt upright, staring at my phone with growing horror.
“You knew?”
Silence.
“Isla Mairi Baines. Answer me.”
She cleared her throat. “I might have heard some rumours.”
“Before you offered me up to Sherry?”
Her silence spoke volumes, and I fell back against the pillows, my incredulous gaze stuck on the ceiling.
“I think I need to reassess our relationship.”
“Yeah, I would too, but fill me in first.”
I rolled my eyes at the excitement in her voice. Somehow, we’d switched roles; I used to be the one living vicariously through her.
“I’m not sure I can,” I said, hesitating more because I didn’t want to admit everything and I knew that once she got me started, there would be no shutting my mouth.
“Your NDA doesn’t apply to sisters in the biz.”
I chuckled. “I highly doubt that was an exemption clause.”
“Yeah, yeah. Read it later, spill now.”
The need to talk became too much. I hadn’t so much as spoken vaguely to Alys or Tilly. Now, Isla’s insistence invited me to break the dam. “It was hell at first. Shaun was every bit the ass the tabloids painted him: he was shouting at the crew. He purposely tried to hit me with a door—”
“HE WHAT?”
“I’m not sure he would have actually done it, but it was apparently a ploy he’d used to scare off many assistants, something neither you nor Sherry told me. Thanks for the warning there, sis,” I said, forcing the words between my clenched jaw.
I proceeded to fill her in on more of Shaun’s antics, charting the full rollercoaster ride of life working with him.
“I had no idea he was pulling shit like that. Sherry assured me he wasn’t dangerous. Last time I offer her my help,” Isla bit out, indignation rolling down the phone.
“One minute he’s being an inconsiderate twat, and the next he’s all apology and charm. Honestly, Is, it’s a jarring sight. I tried to quit pretty fast. That obviously went nowhere.”
“Eh, that went nowhere because you didn’t want to quit. Don’t lie to me.”
Caught off guard, I fell silent, my brow furrowed as I considered her words. Had I really sabotaged myself? I’d never let a “no” stop me from doing something I wanted before. Maybe she was right. If I’d really wanted out, I would have just left, agreement from above or not.
“Now that I’ve set that light bulb off, why don’t you tell me what’s really going on, because this is superficial crap and I want the goods.”
My answering chuckle was half hearted. I couldn’t give her “the goods”. Shaun trusted me with his addiction, and sharing that with my sister wasn’t on the cards.
“Mona, for god’s sake, you’re hot for the man.”
I spluttered. “How the hell do you know that?”
“There’s not as much hate in your voice as you think. You’re soft on him, so either he’s made a complete one-eighty or you’re crushing.”
My brain stalled on that, and the quick denial died unspoken on my lips. I’d never been good at lying to Isla. Why did I think I could fool her for the first time in my life?
“I wouldn’t say crushing…”
“In lust, then. Same difference,” she huffed, amusement hardening the Scottish undercurrents in her voice. “Is he interested?”
“Isla, he’s my boss,” I hissed.
“So? Do you honestly think actors don’t hook up with their assistants?” I let my silence speak for me. “This industry isn’t very above board in most places. I can guarantee you that half the people working on that set is fucking someone else on the production. It’s just a fact with these high-stress, isolated situations.”
“That doesn’t mean I want to join them.”
Isla laughed. “Try it again with a little more conviction.”
“He’s my boss,” I bit out, clinging to that fact with both hands.
“And other than him being your boss—” the quotation marks were almost audible “—are there any other reasons you wouldn’t jump him if he looked at you the right way?”
My answering laugh sounded thready, uneasy. My mind raced, searching for a plausible reason. I couldn’t hold his asshole moments against him anymore. I genuinely thought he was trying to do better. He’d started smiling at people on set, took the time to learn people’s names, and even brought me food whenever things got crazy busy.
“I look nothing like Lily Tyler.”
Isla snorted. “Lily Tyler doesn’t look like Lily Tyler if you remove all the photoshop, but I’ll humour you. What does that have to do with anything?”
“He clearly has a type. I’m the opposite of that type.”
Lily Tyler was a five-foot-eight glamazon. She had stunning blond hair that flowed down her back and a face that would stop you in your tracks if you met her in the street. I wasn’t exactly tiny next to her, but I definitely didn’t have the same effect on men.
“Do you seriously think the man knew what his type was at sixteen? She was his first and only girlfriend. I’d say nothing is set in stone with him just yet.”
“Can you stop stripping away my defences? I need to work with him. It’s hard enough to do that when he’s inviting himself out with me and touching me at the most unexpected moments.”
Isla shrieked. “There’s been touching? You didn’t tell me that!”
“Honestly, what am I going to do with you? Prioritise. The. Facts.” If I could have clapped and held the phone, I would have. “He’s my boss. It’s not okay to lust after your boss.”
“If he wasn’t your boss, would you be holding off?” Isla asked, her voice subdued and serious.
Between Takes Page 11