“Oh, she must love that,” Audrey said dryly. Claire was notorious for blending in with the wallpaper. She was the last person in the world who would want that kind of scrutiny.
“She’s managing. You know Claire. Nothing ruffles her.”
“And how about Daniel? I bet he’s not in awe of the movie stars at all.”
“He’s not, though he joked around about it before he left for Canada.”
“Canada? What’s he doing up in Canada?”
Liza looked surprised at Audrey’s reply. “Oh, I thought you knew. I thought he probably saw you at the clinic before he left and told you he was going out of town.”
“I wasn’t at the clinic last week. I had to miss my shift.” Audrey and Daniel both volunteered at the island’s medical clinic and often saw each other there. “Did he go on vacation?”
“Not exactly. A college friend asked if he would help finish a summerhouse he was building on Prince Edward Island. All the framing is done, but the friend was worried he wouldn’t get the interior finished before the fall weather set in. So Daniel went up to help him. It should take about two weeks, maybe a little more.”
“Two weeks? That’s a long time. Won’t you miss him?”
“I will. But I’ve been so busy with the movie people, we’ve hardly had a chance to get together. And he needed the work, so …” Liza shrugged. “I hope it goes faster than he expects.”
“Me, too, for your sake.” Audrey smiled at her friend but didn’t say anything more. Liza and Daniel were perfect for each other. You could see them together for a minute and you could just tell. They still had issues to work out, that was for sure. But Audrey secretly hoped that she and her good friend would someday be pushing baby strollers side by side down the beach road. With Millie trotting alongside, of course.
Before she could confess this happy daydream, the sound of cars coming down the gravel drive made her turn around.
“There they are. They’re back,” Liza said quietly.
Audrey’s mouth got suddenly dry and she took a sip of tea.
She had already met Nick Dempsey in person last week when the group arrived. But this was way different. She was actually going to talk to him.
She heard car doors slam, and two men and a woman got out of the first car. “Those are the movie execs, the producer, the production associate, and the director,” Liza whispered as she got up to greet her guests. Audrey rose and followed.
“Hi, everyone,” Liza began as other cars parked and emptied out. “There are some refreshments out here for you and more inside. Please let me know if you need anything before dinner.”
The movie execs were all talking intensely to one another and barely acknowledged her as they headed into the inn.
Audrey heard someone else coming up the walk and turned to see Nick Dempsey. Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt so light-headed, she had to hold on to the porch rail for support. She heard Millie whining behind her, obviously unhappy at being tied up. But Audrey couldn’t move. She felt riveted to the spot.
Nick Dempsey was even more handsome than she remembered from last week. He still wore some makeup from the set, but it only seemed to enhance his good looks. Liza stood next to her and held her arm. “Nick, I’m so glad you got back early today. This is my friend Audrey. She and her husband run the farm next door. She just stopped by for a visit, and she was dying to meet you.”
Audrey was afraid he would be annoyed to have a fan hanging around. If he was, he hid it well. He flashed a flawless white grin and stuck out his hand to greet her as he came to the top of the steps.
“Audrey, how nice to meet you. I’ve been admiring that little farm from my bedroom window. You raise goats there, do you?”
Audrey smiled back shyly. She couldn’t quite find her tongue. “Yes, we do. For their milk. We make cheese mostly. Goat cheese. And fudge and soap,” she added quickly.
“How nice. I love cheese.” He smiled again. Audrey nearly sighed out loud.
Millie barked, then made a long, funny whining sound that made them all look at her. “That’s my dog. She’s a character,” Audrey said.
“She looks sweet. We have three dogs at home. I miss them,” Nick confided. Audrey already knew that from all the articles she had read about him and the clips she’d seen on entertainment gossip shows. He walked over to Millie and began petting her. “What’s her name?”
“Millie, rhymes with silly,” Audrey explained. She knew the names of Nick’s dogs but didn’t want to admit it. She didn’t want him to think she was a totally crazed fan.
“Have you had her long?”
“Not very,” Audrey admitted. “She sort of wandered onto our farm and adopted us.”
Nick laughed at her joke and she felt very clever. “Dogs are very intuitive. They know who likes them.” He suddenly noticed the iced tea. “This looks good. It was hot out there today.” He poured himself a glass of tea and began to drink it thirstily.
Audrey was mesmerized, watching his Adam’s apple as he swallowed the tea. She never watched Rob drink a glass of iced tea, or a glass of anything, for that matter. But everything Nick Dempsey did seemed … superhuman.
“Would you like some berries or a peanut butter cookie?” Liza offered. “Please help yourself.”
He looked tempted then turned away, patting his waistline. “I’ll wait for dinner. After hanging around this place, I’ll need triple workout sessions when I get home.”
You look fine to me, Audrey wanted to say. But of course, she couldn’t.
“Well, ladies, nice to chat. I’d better grab a quick nap. We’re working again tonight, shooting a scene in town.”
“Really? That’s exciting … for the people in town, I mean,” Audrey said.
He smiled at her. “There will be a few onlookers, I’m sure.”
Try the entire town, Audrey thought. She wondered if Rob would consider driving over to Cape Light tonight, but decided that was too much to ask. Too much Nick Dempsey up close and personal in one day. Even for her.
“Great to meet you, Audrey,” Nick said politely.
“Very nice to meet you,” she replied, sensing he was ready to go inside. She suddenly felt Liza jab an elbow into her side. What in the world?
Then she remembered. The basket. She hadn’t given it to him.
“Wait, I brought you a present.” Audrey grabbed the basket she brought over and handed it to him. “It has a selection of cheeses and other products. And a cookbook.”
“Thank you very much. That’s beautiful. It all looks delicious. I love to cook. It’s my hobby. I’m hoping to open a restaurant in L.A. soon,” he added proudly.
“Liza told me. I think that’s great. It will be mobbed,” she said, sounding very sure of it.
Nick looked pleased by her prediction. “I hope you’re right. If the food is good enough, people will find you. That’s what the professionals say,” he added. “I’m trying to learn every angle of the business right now, especially the food side. For instance, I’ve always wondered how cheese is made. Would you mind if I popped by sometime and saw your operation?”
Audrey could hardly breathe. “N-No. Not at all. I mean, of course. Please come. Any time. I’ll give you the grand tour and a cheese-making lesson.”
“That sounds great. I will take you up on it the first chance I get.” With the basket in one hand, he winked and waved. “See you soon, Audrey. Thanks again for the treats.”
Audrey waved back, feeling light-headed again. “You’re very welcome. See you, Nick.”
All too soon the screen door slammed behind him, and he was gone.
“Well, what do you think?” Liza’s voice came to her as if in a dream. “Do you still think Nick Dempsey is awesome and amazing—or just a mortal human being?”
“The former. Even more awesome than I imagined,” Audrey said happily. “Not quite as tall,” she whispered, leaning closer to her friend. “But does that really matter? Nah …,” she said, answering he
r own question. “Do you think he’ll really come to the farm?”
Liza shrugged. “I think he might if he has the time. He seemed really interested.”
“I think he might, too,” Audrey agreed. She walked over to Millie and untied her leash. It was almost five, time for them to head back to the farm. “Wow, wait until I tell Rob. He won’t believe it. Do you think I should do anything special to get ready? Like, wash the goats or something?”
Liza gave her a look. “You’re kidding, right?”
Audrey was kidding, but partly serious, too. “Well, whether Nick Dempsey actually comes to the farm, the very idea that he might has certainly given me something to think about. Aside from my baby woes,” she admitted to her pal. She leaned over and gave Liza a quick hug. “Thanks for making that happen, Liza. I definitely owe you one.”
“Oh, you don’t owe me anything. You engineered that invitation yourself,” she added in a hushed tone, glancing over her shoulder. “But I do hope he comes. I can already see the autographed photo hanging in the cheese shop.”
“So can I,” Audrey admitted. “I’m going out to buy a really nice frame for it tomorrow. You know what they say about movie stars.”
“If you have a frame for the photo, they will come?” Liza improvised.
Audrey smiled and nodded. “Something like that.”
A few minutes later, she hopped off the porch and headed back to the farm with Millie trotting alongside. She was feeling far more positive and upbeat than she had for days, that was for sure.
CHARLOTTE returned to the inn a little later on Thursday afternoon than her costar and the studio executives. She had to stop in town to meet with the wardrobe mistress. There was a problem with the dress she was to wear for the scene they were filming that night, and she had to have a special fitting.
When she got back to the inn, she quickly headed for her room to relax and freshen up before dinner. As she unlocked the door, she felt her phone buzz in the back pocket of her jeans. She opened the door, went inside, and checked the number, then quickly closed the door behind her and locked it. She didn’t need Meredith poking her head in right now or even Liza, trying to be helpful.
She pressed her back against the locked door and hit the Answer button, then heard Colin’s deep voice on the other end.
“Hey. I thought I was going to get your voice mail again. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“Not at all. I finished a little late today. I just got back to the inn. Just in time for one of Claire’s delicious mega-calorie meals,” she added.
“It all looks good on you, Charlotte,” he teased her. “How did it go today?”
Charlotte had told Colin about her difficulties working with Bradley. Now as she gave him today’s installment, she could feel the tension leave her. It wasn’t what she was saying. It was knowing that Colin was there listening that gave her a calm perspective she’d never quite had before.
“So it wasn’t too bad,” she finished. “But the day isn’t over yet. We’re shooting a scene in Cape Light at the harbor tonight.”
“Cool. Maybe I’ll stand in the crowd behind the barriers and gawk at you.”
Charlotte laughed and sat back against the headboard of her bed, hugging her legs to her chest. “Don’t do that. You’ll make me nervous. I’ll flub my lines.”
“Me? Make you nervous? I doubt that. But I won’t come and gawk if you don’t want me to. Though the entire rest of the town will be there,” he reminded her. “How else am I going to see you? Can’t you steal that bike again and take a ride? It won’t be dark for hours.” His tone was charming and very persuasive.
Charlotte glanced out the window, feeling tempted. They had spoken a few times since Sunday, and each time Colin had entreated her to meet him again. Charlotte wanted to very much. The note of longing in his voice made her wish she could sprout wings and fly straight to his cottage. But work demands had kept her too busy to break away and now her old reservations surfaced, warning her to pull back.
“I want to see you, too. You know I do. I just don’t think it’s a good idea,” she admitted.
“Because you’re a movie star and I’m just a fisherman? I thought we got past that.”
“We did,” she said quickly. “Way past. It’s just that I’m not going to be here much longer. How will we ever get to see each other after that?”
If it were someone else, almost anyone else, Charlotte wouldn’t have cared about the future. She dated casually all the time, not worrying if the relationship had any lasting potential. But for some reason, with Colin it was different. She had hardly spent any time with him and already knew that when she left here, she would miss him very much. She would miss what might have been.
“I could come out to California to see you. Planes fly both ways, you know.”
“Of course you could. But I’m hardly ever there. I’m away on location more than half the year,” she explained.
“We can get around distance,” he told her. “That’s just logistics. What is it really, Charlotte? Do you have a boyfriend or something you haven’t told me about? You can be honest with me. I won’t get mad,” he promised.
“There isn’t anyone.”
“Seriously?”
“Honestly,” she said. “I’ve dated a lot, but there hasn’t been anyone serious. But what about you?” she asked, suddenly daring to pose the question she’d been wondering about. “I never even asked. You must have a girlfriend somewhere.”
“I don’t have a girlfriend or anything close to it,” he assured her, but his voice sounded troubled.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
He was silent a moment then said, “It’s not that I think you’re lying to me. I just don’t get it. How could a gorgeous woman like you be roaming around unattached? Are all the men in Hollywood blind?”
“Not blind, just quite enamored of their own reflections,” she explained.
“Maybe I should search the question on the Internet.” His tone was teasing again.
“What? You mean you don’t read the supermarket tabloids? If you did, you’d know I’m going out with every guy in L.A., including Elvis.”
“And you’re not?” he asked, a soft laugh behind the question.
“Not even close,” she said. “I barely have time to talk to my own assistant.” Not that Meredith was high on her list of people she wanted to converse with. Charlotte sighed. “That’s just the problem. I don’t have a normal life, and I don’t want to make your life miserable, too.”
“Hey, it’s my life. Don’t I have some say? If I’m willing to be miserable, I think you should let me. Misery loves company, right?” He was half joking, trying to make her laugh again and almost succeeding.
She didn’t answer. She was trying to do the right thing. She didn’t want to drag this perfectly wonderful, totally normal guy into her celebrity fishbowl. He had no idea what a nightmare it could be. “I think you might be getting in for more than you bargained for,” she warned.
“Undoubtedly,” he said, his tone easy. “But it doesn’t scare me.”
“It scares me,” she said quietly. Actually letting Colin into her life seemed the surest way to lose him.
“Okay,” he said after a moment’s pause. “I take your point. And I’ll think about it. I also think, since I saved your life, you can do me one little favor, Ms. Miller.”
“And what might that be?” Charlotte asked, though she already had a good idea.
“See me one more time before you go. Then I’ll leave you alone forever.”
You don’t need to go that far, Charlotte nearly cut in. Of course she didn’t want him to leave her alone forever. Her feelings were just the opposite.
“If you can’t meet me tonight, how about tomorrow?” he asked. “Or tomorrow night? Any time that would work out with your schedule, you tell me.”
When he put it that way, it was hard to refuse him. The truth of the matter was, she did want to see him. One more time wasn�
��t too much to ask, was it?
“We’re going to shoot very early tomorrow. Brad wants to catch the first light on the dunes down by the cliffs. But I should have time off again in the afternoon,” she said finally. Meredith will be hanging around, but I’ll get rid of her somehow, Charlotte told herself.
“Great.” Colin sounded happy. “If you can borrow the bike, ride down to the dock where I dropped you off last Sunday. Think you can find it?”
“I remember.” How could she ever forget?
“I’ll bring my boat around and wait for you. It will be good weather. We can go out on the water for a while. We’ll have plenty of privacy in the middle of the ocean, don’t you think? I don’t know that much about photography, but a telephoto lens can only see so far.”
Charlotte had to smile. Finally a man who understood what she really needed. “I think the middle of the ocean should definitely be private enough. You may have actually figured out a way to stump the paparazzi.”
And once again amazed me.
They agreed on a time to meet, and Charlotte promised to text him when she left the inn. When she finally put the phone aside, she had a moment of doubt. Was she doing the right thing?
Charlotte pushed the question out of her mind. She didn’t care if it was wrong or right. She just needed to see him.
Chapter Eight
THE morning scenes went quickly. For once, Brad had no suggestions to make about her performance. Charlotte wondered if she was actually starting to understand what he wanted—or if he was just getting tired of correcting her.
There were more scenes on the schedule, to be shot in the afternoon, but Charlotte was not in any of them. Just as she had hoped, she was back at the inn by noon. She wanted to run straight up to her room and get ready to see Colin, but she forced herself to slow down and avoid drawing attention to herself. She had lunch with the cast members and crew who were hanging around the inn for the day, their schedules as free as hers. Of course, this included Meredith, who sat next to her at the table, her laptop at the ready.
Just as Charlotte was wondering how she could keep her assistant off her trail for the day, Sally Ann, who worked in wardrobe spoke up. “Judy loaned me her car for the day. I was thinking of driving up to Newburyport and looking around. I hear there are some really cute shops and antique stores up there. Want to come, Meredith?”
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