Greg rubbed the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable. “So…this Max Hayes? He’s good to you? I don’t need to catch the next flight and beat his ass or anything?”
Every time someone mentioned his name she smiled.
“He’s a good man.”
Greg gazed at her for a long moment. “I can tell he is just by your expression when you talk about him. You’re in love.”
There was no denying it. She had all the symptoms and frankly she was happy about it. She’d fallen in love with a wonderful marvelous man who might even love her back. He had all the signs too. Or at least some of them. Enough to give her real hope.
“I am in love but it’s early days yet. Let’s not book a church or anything.”
“Fair enough,” Greg laughed. “But when the day comes don’t run off to Vegas or anything. I want to be there, okay?”
“I promise.” The buzzing of her phone had her digging in the pocket of her dress and checking the screen. “Crap, this is Paige. I need to take this. She wouldn’t call unless it was important.”
Paige would normally text if it was a routine message. A call was something much bigger.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
Carrie could hear Paige groaning through the phone. Her boss was frustrated and not a happy camper.
“The studio wants a meeting in the morning regarding the budget numbers. That’s your territory.”
Since being made part of the production team on the Flynn movie, Carrie had taken over most of the number and schedule crunching. “Can I dial in for it?”
“Normally I would say yes but this is Hollywood. They like to schmooze and do the face to face thing. Nate thinks you should be here in person. I don’t suppose…”
The reason for Carrie’s visit was the party and it was almost over. These were adults with children and they weren’t going to dance and drink until the sun came up. “Let me see if I can get a flight out of here. What time do they want to meet?”
“Ten in the morning so with the time difference it gives you some cushion. Can I tell you how grateful I am and how much I love you? I know this is a gigantic pain in the ass. As for a flight, Nate is holding up a sign that says we’ll set up a charter for you. I can call you with details as soon as it’s set up.”
Already making a mental to-do list, Carrie put talking to her brother at the top of it. She wouldn’t be staying a few days to visit with everyone after all.
“Don’t worry about it,” she assured a worried-sounding Paige. “The party was the most important thing and it’s already winding down for the evening. This place will be cleared out by eleven, I’m betting. I was going to visit with a few friends but I can do that another time. This meeting is important and I’ll be there.”
“I’m still grateful as hell. I just want to thank you about a million times. How about I book us some spa treatments for after the meeting? My treat.”
“Now that’s the right way to thank me,” Carrie giggled. “Call me when you have flight details. I’m going to tell my brother that I need to leave in a few hours.”
Carrie ended the call and headed straight for Greg who was deep in conversation at the other side of the room. Plans were changed and she better get used to it. She was making a movie with Paige and Nate, becoming a producer of all things. She’d never even dreamed of a job like this but now that she had it, she wanted to be the best damn producer Hollywood had ever seen.
She’d make Greg…and Max…proud.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Max would have been happy to never see Alana again for the rest of his life but it was not to be. After the play, he and some of his castmates went for a pint down at the local pub and Alana strolled in with his ex-assistant Gemma. At first he’d tried to hide behind his friends, keeping his head down as much as possible. The two women sat down at a table on the opposite side of the room but apparently someone outed him because Alana was now crossing the pub with a very determined expression on her face.
That was never a good thing.
She sidled right up to the table and leaned over to speak to him, her breasts almost spilling out of the ridiculously low-cut blouse she was wearing. It was loud in the large room but she was close enough that she didn’t have to yell to be heard. His friends had tactfully turned away and were speaking quietly amongst each other. No one liked Alana. She had a terrible reputation in the theatre community.
“Max, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Bullshit. Alana wasn’t the pub type but she liked to be where theatre people hung out. This was all about making a connection with Max’s director and producer, probably hoping for a part in an upcoming production.
“I didn’t expect to see you either,” he said wearily, his gaze pointing at Gemma who still sat at the table. “Nor did I expect to see my former employee.”
Alana smiled and laughed but it sounded too sharp to be from happiness, in contrast to Carrie’s laugh which always seemed to come from her heart. “She’s my assistant now. Does a good job too. You shouldn’t have fired her.”
Max was tired and didn’t have the patience for this. Time to cut to the chase.
“What do you want, Alana?”
Running a finger over her collarbone, she gave him a look that once would have set his blood on fire. Now it simply left him cold. He felt nothing for this woman and he could only wonder how he ever had. It didn’t say much for the man he was…or at least had been.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?”
Fuck no.
“No, you’re done using me to get acting jobs. Now what else do you want?”
She ran her fingers up Max’s arm but he wasn’t having any of it, shaking her off.
“Don’t be so mean. You didn’t care that your little redhead used you to get a part in a movie. Why would it matter if you introduced me to a few of your theatre friends?”
Frozen in place, Max silently tried to count to ten but only made it to five.
“What are you talking about? Carrie didn’t use me to get a part in a movie. She doesn’t want to be an actress.”
Carrie had said so and he believed her.
Tapping her chin, Alana shrugged carelessly. “Are you sure? Because Gemma was talking to Tyler Gaylord’s stylist a few hours ago and she said that Carrie was in Los Angeles today at the same movie studio where Tyler Gaylord is making his next picture. There’s a rumor that he’s offered her a part in it, which isn’t all that surprising. They were photographed together, weren’t they?”
“Thanks to you,” Max growled, his mind desperately trying to come up with a million reasons for Carrie to be in Los Angeles when she’d told him she was in Florida. “It probably wasn’t even her.”
Alana’s smirked. “It was her and she was with Tyler, walking around and laughing like they were old friends. Why don’t you ask her about it? I’m sure she’ll tell you the truth.”
Anger burned in Max’s gut and bringing an end to this little conversation was imperative.
“Get out of here, Alana,” he said through gritted teeth. His jaw ached from the tension but the pain gave him something to focus on instead of the bombshell she’d dropped. “You’re on thin ice here. I don’t think you want these people to know what I truly think of you.”
She should have been afraid but Alana had absolutely no sense of self-preservation. Instead of leaving she learned down farther and bit his earlobe, giggling the entire time.
“Take care, lover. I’ll be around.”
With that she turned on her heel and sauntered away, her hips swaying back and forth, capturing the interest of more than a few males in the room.
They were welcome to her. God help them.
Max just sat there, his thoughts in turmoil as he contemplated what Alana had said. It couldn’t be true. Not his Carrie. She was different, he was sure of that. She cared about him.
Him.
Not his career or what she could get from it.
> Him.
She was not in Hollywood. She was in Florida visiting her family and friends. She’d attended her brother’s party and he’d talked to her right before that but not since. He’d been busy with the play and the promotional interviews with the press. She’d sent him a vague text about her plans changing a bit but he hadn’t thought much about it.
It was certainly possible that she was in Los Angeles. Airplanes and all. But not probable. Not bothering to say anything to his colleagues, he stomped outside where it was quieter and pulled out his phone, dialing Carrie.
Max could clear this all up with one phone call and then go back to his evening.
She was in Florida with her family. Not at the movie studio with Tyler.
Carrie picked up on the third ring.
“Hamlet, how was the play tonight?”
Just hearing her voice had his heart beating faster. He missed her more than he’d ever thought possible. The house was an empty shell when she was gone.
“It was good. Very good. Just out for a pint with some of the boys.”
“And you thought of me. How sweet.”
Her giggle was like music to his ears. He wanted to make her laugh every day for the rest of their lives.
“I am sweet, aren’t I? Love, I know this is going to sound like a strange question but just humor me. You’re in Florida, right? You aren’t in Los Angeles.”
A small silence that had Max holding his breath before she rushed in to answer.
“How did you know? Did Tyler or Nate tell you?”
Max’s heart fell straight down to his feet as acid rose in his throat.
No. No, not his Carrie.
“Where are you exactly?”
There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the phone. “I’m in Los Angeles on business. I had a meeting with the movie studio. Listen, I have some fantastic news–”
Her admission took his breath away. He’d never believed it could be true but she’d said it. He was well aware of what her news was and he was disgusted.
“Was Tyler there?” he asked, not letting her finish.
“Yes, he was here. Why?”
He didn’t answer. There wasn’t much left to say. “Listen, I need to get back to my friends. I’ll see you when you get back.”
Max pressed the end button, not waiting to hear her reply. He couldn’t stand to even hear her voice. Not anymore.
Stumbling and falling back against the stone wall, he sucked air into his lungs, concentrating as he inhaled and exhaled. It was the only thing he knew to do when everything inside of him wanted to scream and rage, pound his fists against the building until they were battered and bloody. He wanted to crawl away whimpering like a puppy as he licked his wounds. He wanted to hide from the cruel world that had led him to this moment.
So this was what a broken heart felt like.
It was funny what happened to a human being when all hope was gone. At first all he’d felt was pain and then he went numb. Completely dead inside.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Tired but happy to be back in London after the whirlwind that was Los Angeles, Carrie dumped her luggage at Paige and Nate’s home and headed straight for Max’s place. It was only midday and he should be up but not yet at the theatre. She couldn’t wait to share with him all the exciting news about the Flynn movie. Contracts had been signed, I’s dotted and T’s crossed. The budget and schedule she’d put together had been approved and it was official now. She was one of the producers on the film along with Paige and Nate. Now she could shout it from the rooftops.
Or at least call her family in Florida and tell them the good news. This was a challenge she was going to relish.
First she wanted to tell Max. He of all people knew what a big deal this was, expanding her resume and becoming a continuing part of the business that she and Paige had built over the years.
She knocked on the door and heard some shuffling behind it before it swung open. Max stood in the doorway wearing jeans and a white button down shirt. He hadn’t shaved yet this morning and his chin was covered in stubble that her fingers itched to caress. He looked better than any man had a right to and her heart lurched in her chest. She was in love with this man. So much.
His blue eyes were watching her intently, his focus laser-like. She’d texted him right before she’d boarded the plane but he was acting as if he hadn’t quite believed she was coming back. On the long flight back to London she’d given herself quite the pep talk about showing Max her feelings. She couldn’t expect him to show his love for her if she wasn’t willing to walk out onto a limb and show him the depth of her regard.
Jumping into his arms, she looped her hands around his neck and pressed her lips to his, putting as much adoration into it as she possible could. She pulled back and cupped his cheeks, grinning like an idiot. She was simply so happy to see him.
“I missed you,” she said huskily. “Are you going to let me inside or do you want to make love right here where the paps can see us?”
He stood there, his body stiff and unyielding. He hadn’t kissed her back and his expression had barely changed. He was like a robot, no emotions or tenderness whatsoever. Stepping back, he moved out of her embrace, his own arms still at his side.
“Yes, of course, come in.”
Cold. His house was chilly and not just because of the temperature. Goosebumps rose on her arms and she rubbed at them to ward away the shivers that threatened to derail any sensible thought. He was totally different than when she’d left. It was as if he’d flipped a switch and the pompous, stiff prick she’d first met had taken over and the loving, gentle man she’d known had disappeared.
“Is everything okay?” she asked in a shaky voice. This simply couldn’t be happening. Not after all they’d shared together. “Has something happened?”
Max had circled around the couch and was standing by the credenza in the corner.
“Not that I know of. Is there anything I should be concerned about?”
“Not that I know of…” Maybe she could loosen him up with her news. “Listen, I have kind of a big announcement and I want you to be the first to know. I’m so excited I can barely stand it.”
His smile was ice cold, not reaching his eyes that were currently grayish-silver. “Actually I know your news. I suppose congratulations are in order.”
He supposed? Was there some question there?
Had he talked to Nate and Paige already? She hadn’t asked them to let her tell him but they were so busy in LA she thought they wouldn’t bother and let her.
“You’ve already heard? Wow, news travels fast in Hollywood. So…what do you think, Hamlet? Do you think I can do it?”
It was silly to want his approval this badly. She was a professional woman who had taken on big challenges but this one was something very different.
He seemed to consider her question. “Well…I don’t actually know.”
She recoiled from his terse, bald answer. Where was the show of support when she needed it? He was back to that rude asshole and had deliberately said that to hurt her.
“I know you can’t be sure,” Carrie said, wanting to give him a second chance. “But you know my skill set. I have to admit I’m so damn nervous I’m almost shaking. If I fail this will be so incredibly public.”
His expression appeared to like that idea. “I suppose it would be quite humiliating.”
Her eyes went wide at his callous statement. The bastard could be so nasty when he wanted to be.
So they were back to this. She hadn’t even been gone a full week.
He held a stack of papers in his hand as he sat down on the sofa. “I’ve given this a great deal of thought since I heard about your…new career opportunity…and I’ve decided that I’m going to hold you to the contract. Every day of it. I’m sure you’d like to be free to begin your adventures early but I’m afraid that won’t suit my plans at all. In case you’ve lost your copy, I’ve taken the liberty of printing you a new one a
long with a list of social engagements that I expect you to attend at my side.” He looked up from the contracts and straight into her eyes. At one time they’d looked at her with such tenderness but now he had almost…loathing? “This is business, after all, and I expect people to live up to their commitments.”
Business. Yes, it was business. Carrie never should have forgotten that fact.
His hateful demeanor almost took her breath away as her guts churned in her abdomen. She had to swallow down the bile that had risen in her throat, not wanting him to see the wounds he had inflicted on her person. They might not have been real and physical but it didn’t make them any less painful. Even now she could feel the tears burn in the back of her eyes and she had to steel herself against letting them slide down her cheeks.
She wouldn’t give the asshole the satisfaction. He was enjoying this.
“Just business,” she murmured, carefully not saying much. If she did she might later regret it. Anger and fury weren’t going to change anything. Not with Max. He was impervious to her emotions.
He’d proved it time and again.
“I guess you aren’t a big fan of my new job,” she finally said, meeting his gaze with her own. She wouldn’t be cowed by him. Not now and not ever. “I suppose you think this is a mistake and that I’m out of my league.”
There was a part of her that certainly thought that way. She was no Hollywood heavyweight who knew how the games were played. She was a rookie and as such had been hoping for his support and perhaps some advice.
She would get neither.
Max held out the stack of papers. “The biggest mistake I’ve ever made.”
He wasn’t talking about her new job. He was talking about her.
Accepting the contracts, she perused the schedule on top. There was nothing there that she didn’t already know about. There was nothing left to say.
Lifting her chin, she pretended that he hadn’t just shattered her heart into a million little pieces. That she didn’t want to crawl away in agony, screaming his name at the top of her lungs. She was no actress but she didn’t think she was doing too badly.
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