Love in the Heartland

by Diana Currie

  “Good point. I give you permission to be a worry wart. But hey, promise me you won’t freak out when I’m filming this month, okay?”

  “What specifically do you think I’ll get upset about?”

  Nathan leaned closer to kiss her lightly on the mouth and then leaned back to look directly into her eyes. “The days I film the love scenes. Do you even want to know when they’re happening?”

  “The EVOL fan in me wants all the gory details. The girlfriend wants you to hate every minute of it.”

  “I’ll try,” Nathan chuckled. “Remember what I told you before? About Emma Watson in Zero Gravity? It’s all smoke and mirrors. The lighting, the music, the flattering camera angles. None of those scenes are shot in one take. The moment things get hot and heavy the director yells cut and the hair stylist rushes over to fix the girl’s hair while someone else re-positions the modesty thong so my ass crack doesn’t show.”

  “You wear a thong?” Maddie giggled.

  “I don’t know how you women do it,” Nathan replied shaking his head. “Tiny little cotton torture devices.”

  Maddie tried to get the image out of her mind because it was making her laugh and turning her on at the same time. “Please don’t lie to me about those filming days. Just tell me about how awkward it is and all the little behind the scenes things you mentioned that make it not sexy.”

  “It’s never sexy kissing someone when your brain is telling you that she’s the wrong girl. Every scene I do with Katie, not just love scenes, but kissing scenes too will be going against what my heart wants. Every time I’ll be wishing she was you,” Nathan said sincerely.

  Maddie glanced down at his chest as she reeled from his strong words. The mantra of just being friends that she’d been repeating over and over to herself the past few months had completely fallen to pieces with Nathan’s sudden arrival.

  “Come here, you,” Nathan said softly tugging on Maddie’s hand. He pulled her into his lap so that she was facing him and straddling his hips. It surprised her that Nathan would do this, but she smiled at him nonetheless. She could feel herself growing more comfortable with him each time he touched her.

  “You make me feel like I’m living in a fantasy world. Is that how every day is for you?” she wondered.

  “Sometimes. It feels like every time I start to believe the fantasy though something happens that brings me crashing back to real life.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, like my brother refusing to take my calls last year. Getting punched in the face at the bar. Bringing that little white pill into my house. And of course, your letter.”

  Maddie closed her eyes as she leaned closer to kiss Nathan sweetly on the lips. “You won’t let me get pulled into your fantasy, right? I want to be the thing that keeps you grounded in the real world.”

  She felt Nathan’s hands on her back pulling her closer. Their lips connected, moving together seamlessly as Nathan thought about Maddie’s fears of being dragged into his larger than life existence. He wanted to keep her safe in Amarillo, far away from his celebrity lifestyle. He knew it was important to both of them.

  “Tell me we’re going to be okay when I leave in a few minutes, or I swear Maddie, I’m not going to go.”

  Maddie placed her hands on either side of Nathan’s smooth clean-shaven face and smiled. “I want to be with you, Nathan. I don’t know how this is going to work but I’m determined to try because I’ve never felt like this with anyone before.”

  She kissed him again; feeling more comfortable about initiating physical contact. To her delight, Nathan responded immediately; his tongue pushing for access to her mouth and his hands running down her back to her behind. Maddie’s fingers clenched his shoulders and grinded her hips against his. Nathan growled into her mouth and held her tighter. He felt like he couldn’t get her close enough with all their clothes in the way, but in the back of his mind he knew Stanley would be knocking on the door at any moment to collect him.

  “I should have made love to you last night when I had the chance,” he whispered more to himself than to her.

  Maddie broke the kiss and turned her face to the side to kiss his cheek, ear, and then his neck. “Now you have a reason to come back as soon as you can,” she replied with her face pressed against his neck.

  She could feel the stirring of Nathan’s erection through their jeans and as much as it pained her to know she wouldn’t be experiencing her own sex scene with Nathan Foster she was thankful that they had resisted. Maddie knew opening herself to him in such an intimate way would only exasperate the worry and longing she was destined to feel the moment he left her house.

  “I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Nathan replied.

  As if on cue, the doorbell rang a moment later. Nathan kissed Maddie once more and moved to stand up. He discreetly adjusted his pants while Maddie went to answer the door. A tall, muscular black man stood on her doorstep dressed in black suit pants and a short sleeved light blue knit polo.

  “Hello,” Maddie greeted with a smile.

  “Miss Sherratt, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Stanley, here for Mr. Foster.”

  Maddie nodded and looked over her shoulder to see Nathan coming down the stairs with his bags in hand. She stepped aside and held the door open wider as Nathan came to stand beside her. He passed his bags over to his driver. “Thank you, Stanley. I’ll meet you at the car. I just need a minute to say goodbye.”

  Maddie bit her lip as Stanley nodded. “It was a pleasure meeting you,” he said politely to Maddie and then turned to take Nathan’s bags to the car.

  “Can I call you when I get checked into the hotel tonight?” Nathan asked as he took two steps over the threshold into the mid-day Amarillo sunshine.

  “You better,” Maddie said trying to sound serious. It was going to be harder letting him go that she anticipated; not knowing when they would see each other again.

  “I left my script in your house.”

  Maddie’s eyes widened. “Where? I’ll go get it for you,” she offered.

  “No, you keep it. I’ll get another copy tomorrow, probably filled with rewrites.” He glanced over his shoulder to see Stanley watching from the rented Town Car. “I have to go.”

  Maddie nodded and Nathan wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to him for a long, passionate goodbye kiss. She had not once in her life felt like a movie star, but that kiss on her doorstep made Maddie feel like she’d been transported into some epic romance. Nathan kissed her like no man had ever kissed her before. Her stomach twisted into knots and her toes curled. When he finally released her, they were both gasping for air.

  “Wow,” was all she could utter.

  Nathan smirked, obviously pleased with himself. “Yeah, wow. I’ll see you soon, Angel.”

  “I hope so, Slugger.”

  She watched as he walked down the sidewalk to the car, got in, and waved from the backseat before closing the door. The windows were tinted and she couldn’t see him after that, but Maddie watched, holding her hand over her brow to shield her eyes from the sun as Stanley drove away; taking a movie star and a piece of her heart with him.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Three days after Nathan left Maddie’s house in Amarillo he found himself on location in Shreveport shooting a scene with Katie Owens and two other cast members. The scene was taking place in an open-air cafe and a small crowd of fans had gathered to watch. The director had instructed Nathan to hold Katie’s hand during the scene while they had a conversation with the other actors portraying fellow college students.

  Nathan knew pictures would surface in magazines all over the country from this shoot so he was thankful he decided to leave his copy of the script with Maddie. He was sure that she had read it cover to cover by now, and when she saw the pictures published from today she would recognize them as a scene from the movie, not him and Katie holding hands during a real meal. Nathan had tried to think of everything he could to ease her mind while he was a
way, which he knew as well as she did would be often.

  The production schedule was even more grueling than Nathan anticipated. They were shooting for ten hours a day and Saturday shoots were possible if they fell behind. Some of the other cast and crew had plans to go to New Orleans the following weekend butNathan had already declined the invitation because he was hoping to get back to Amarillo. His chance to see Maddie again soon was in the hands of his costars who partied hard upon arriving in town and couldn’t seem to remember their lines to save their lives.

  “Cut! Pete, you fucked up the line again. Someone get Mr. Walker’s script please,” Gavin yelled from the director’s chair. His hands were in his hair, tugging firmly on the roots. These actors were impossible.

  Nathan released Katie’s hand while the cameras were off and smiled kindly at her. Their friendship had been going through a rough patch since the night at the club when he told her they would never be together. Katie asked him about Maddie when they met on set Monday and Nathan was emphatic about how well his trip to Texas went. He sensed Katie pulling away from him after that, and although his missed having her to talk to, Nathan understood that space between them was for the best.

  One of the assistants finished reviewing Pete’s lines with him and then gave Gavin the okay sign. Gavin rolled his eyes and said, “Okay, people we’re going to try this again. We’re losing the sun so let’s not have any more delays. I know you’re all planning to go down to New Orleans next weekend but so help me, God, I’ll keep you here all day on Saturday just to get this one five-minute God-damned scene right. Roll camera 2!”

  Nathan slipped his hand back into Katie’s and cleared his throat. The makeup artist fluffed the girls’ hair and then retreated behind the camera crew. Gavin yelled action and two seconds later one of the boom mikes went dead. It took half an hour to get the equipment working again so during the break the four actors rehearsed their lines together. When the cameras were finally rolling, Nathan was antsy from sitting in one place for so long. Fortunately, Pete was able to hit his marks for the next four takes, but the outdoor filming still ended behind schedule.

  “Thank you everyone. That’s a wrap on scene 11. With the lack of natural light, we’re going to have to switch things up a bit,” called one of the producers. “The cars are ready to take you back to the set. In two hours we’ll need Katie and Nathan on the sound stage for scene 17,” Nathan cringed; he was not looking forward to scene 17.

  The cast members, Nathan included, went over to the security barricades to say hello to the loyal fans and sign autographs. Nathan smiled and chatted with the fans, answering their questions and posing for pictures. Katie excused herself from the crowd first; she needed to spend the next hour in hair and makeup. When Nathan was finally able to sneak away he asked Stanley to take him back to his trailer to wait for his call to set.

  He had very few lines to remember and was just staring into space thinking about Maddie when a knock on the door startled him. “Who is it?”

  “Tyler. Can I come in?”

  Nathan sat up straight in his chair and pushed a photo of Maddie he’d brought with him underneath a magazine. “Yeah, come on in, man.”

  Tyler entered the trailer and took a seat opposite Nathan at the little table in the middle of the room. “I heard Pete did so shitty on location that Gavin had to change the schedule around.”

  Nathan smiled a little. “He had some trouble with his lines, but there were other delays too. Ultimately, we lost the light.”

  “Oh, so that’s why my scene got bumped. I was supposed to be in the next scene today, sat through make up and everything. Then they just told me Gavin was moving indoors and I could go back to the hotel. They don’t need me until tomorrow.”

  “Gavin was pretty pissed. I don’t know what’s up with Walker; he’s usually more focused than that.”

  Tyler chuckled and pulled two joints out of his pocket. “We went out last night after wraps. He drank way too much. You want one?” he asked, offering Nathan one of his joints.

  “No thanks man, I’m done with that stuff.”

  Tyler frowned. “It’s just pot. Shit’s practically legal now.”

  “I know, I just promised someone I wouldn’t. I’m trying to be less like Pete Walker these days, you know. Keep it real.”

  “Alright, I can respect that. You really missed a hell of a party Sunday night though. We all went to this bar just a few streets down from the hotel. Those Southern girls are something else. Not only were they beautiful, but they kept me entertained all night,” Tyler said smiling.

  “How so?”

  “Pete kept using the ‘I’m an actor’ pick up line and hardly any of them knew who he was. It was a riot, but the best part was when he told the girls the name of the movie he was famous for, they all got excited and asked if you were there to.”

  “They wanted me?” Nathan asked.

  “Yeah. Pete was so mad. This place sure isn’t L.A. The ladies down here aren’t willing to fuck him just because he knows Nathan Foster,” Tyler laughed as he lit up.

  Nathan smirked. “What a shame.”

  “Not for you, apparently. You’re guaranteed to get laid in this state. Are you coming to New Orleans with us? You know, assuming Gavin actually lets us leave for a whole weekend.”

  “I don’t think so. I met someone recently and was hoping to make a quick trip to visit her,” Nathan said glancing down to the magazine that covered Maddie’s picture.

  “I didn’t hear about this, who’s the girl?”

  “She’s not from L.A. She lives in Texas.”

  Tyler put his hand on his chest in mock horror. “She’s a commoner?” he joked.

  “Worse… she’s a fan,” Nathan smirked.

  “Niiiice. Is she real young, like nineteen maybe? Is she eighteen?”

  “She’s actually a little older than me,” Nathan replied rolling his eyes.

  “Oh man, is she a mom? Like one of the tweens’ mom?”

  Nathan stood up, laughing at his friend, and walked over to the closet to grab his robe. “You’re such a pervert, you know that?”

  “I do know that as a matter of fact, which is why I asked to hang around set and watch your next scene with Katie. But apparently, she’s asked for a closed set so it’s going to be necessary crew members only.”

  Nathan checked the clock and then pulled his shirt over his head. “Good, I don’t want you there either,” he said just as he was kicking off his shoes and socks. Tyler winked playfully as Nathan pushed his pants down his legs. Clad only in boxer briefs, he reached for the robe and wrapped it tightly around his body.

  “Are they coming for you soon?” Tyler asked.

  “Any minute now. Do you mind giving me a few minutes alone to prepare?”

  “Sure thing. I guess I’ll head back to the hotel and hang out by the pool. See you tomorrow.”

  “Bright and early. See ya, man,” Nathan replied and closed the door to his trailer as Tyler left.

  Nathan stared at his reflection in the full-length mirror on the closet door. He was still getting used to his shorter hair and clean-shaven face. He thought he looked even younger than his twenty-three years without at least a little stubble. He opened his robe and inspected the taut abdominal muscles he’d worked so hard to sculpt. Today was the first of three days of shooting in which his hard work at the gym would be on display. As well as other things.

  “Mr. Foster, you’re needed on set!” someone shouted from outside his trailer.

  Nathan sighed and tightened his robe. “On my way!”

  While Nathan was nervously waiting for the next scene he’d have to film, Maddie was in her living room pacing. Joe was due home any minute and she had already told Sandy she wanted to speak to them together. There was no backing down now. She’d already chickened out of telling her parents about Nathan the day they returned from Galveston. And in the two days since they hadn’t all been in the same place at the same time. Today was the day Madd
ie told herself it would happen.

  When Joe walked through the front door to find his wife sitting on the sofa and Maddie pacing the room his eyes widened. “What happened?” he asked warily.

  Sandy smiled at her husband and he visibly relaxed. “Nothing bad. Your daughter says she has news to share with us.”

  Joe removed his gun and badge before coming to sit beside his wife where he linked his fingers with hers. Maddie saw the suspicion on his face and knew he probably thought she was pregnant. She could have sworn she saw his eyes glance down at her stomach when he sat down, and she wondered if perhaps that would have been easier news for him to comprehend. The truth just sounded so implausible.

  “Okay, so I wanted to tell you guys this together so I only have to explain it once. I’m a little worried you’re going to think I’ve lost my mind,” Maddie began.

  Sandy lifted her hand to stop Maddie from pacing. “Sweetie, just tell us.”

  Maddie sighed and took a seat in Joe’s La-Z-Boy that faced the sofa. “You know I’ve been talking to that friend of mine who lives out in California, right? And that I’ve never met him before; we just talk on the phone. Okay, so all of that is true, but I left out some details about him that are pretty significant. And I feel like it’s time to tell you more about him since we’ve decided to try and have a real relationship.”

  “Oh my God. He’s not incarcerated, is he?” Joe asked panicking.

  “What! No, don’t be ridiculous, Dad,” Maddie retorted. Sandy giggled, holding her hand over her mouth.

  “Do you remember, Mom, when I told you Nate was studying performing arts? Well, he doesn’t exactly study it as much as he already does it for a living. In Los Angeles. We started talking to one another after I wrote him a fan letter. I gave him my phone number and he actually called me. Can you believe it? We started talking every week and the more we got to know one another the more we wanted to see each other.”

  Sandy frowned in confusion. “I didn’t realize you were a big enough fan of any actor to write to them. Well, other than Nathan Foster.” As soon as she said the name Maddie’s mother’s eyes bugged out in understanding. “Madeline, is this boy you’re telling us about also named Nathan or is he…?”