“I did. She flipped out and left.”
“What did you say to her?”
“I told her not to take the job, that obviously the guy is just making a pass at her, and he could get any other artist he wanted instead of her. Then I offered her money if that’s what she needed.”
“Should I call an ambulance because I’m assuming she tried to castrate you after that?”
“Jessica is frustratingly stubborn, painfully proud, and she’s willing to make this bad choice just to make a point.”
“Oh shit, you love her.” James’s voice was loud and sharp, and Mathew was sure heads in the conference room must have been spinning toward him.
“I’m calling Emmitt,” Mathew replied before quickly hanging up. If Jessica wasn’t going to protect herself then he’d sure as hell do it for her.
Chapter 13
“Emmitt, when have I ever asked you for anything?” Mathew’s logical brain was telling him Jessica probably wasn’t in imminent danger. Not right this minute anyway. But the urgency was still clawing at him.
“You asked me to lead the security for your big fancy company then you bailed and moved to Texas.” His brother’s voice was gravelly as though he’d just woken up, which, even though it was noon, wasn’t uncommon for him.
“I don’t live in Texas. I’m here working with James. Once things are stable here I’ll be back.”
“Oh please, James West is your partner. You treat him more like a brother than you treat me. You always have.”
“Emmitt, you were deployed more than you were home. I went five years without seeing you. But you’re my brother. I’m sorry things went down the way they did in Boston. I offered you a job down here.”
“Right, because Harlan would just grab the kids and come to Texas? I’m not going to leave our sister here to raise the girls alone. Unlike you, I have some loyalty to my family.”
“If you do then prove it. Get your ass down here and help me. I need you to protect someone for me.”
“What’s the deal?” he asked, seeming like he was fighting the urge to care. “She’s got a crazy ex or something?”
“Not crazy, but he’s a manipulating bastard, and he’s convinced her to take a job on his movie set just to get close to her again.”
“So he’s heavy-handed or grabby or what?”
“None of that as far as I know.”
“What exactly am I protecting her from then?” he asked in a leading sort of way.
“He’s trying to worm his way back into her life, and he’s bad news. He cheated on her and broke her heart. I want you to keep that from happening again.”
“Whoa there big brother, I don’t control a woman’s free will. That’s not in the job description. If this dude is making a move on your girl, I’m not getting involved.”
“You don’t have to get involved, you just have to watch and tell me what’s going on. Let me know she’s all right.”
“Spy,” he said with an annoying snicker. “Why didn’t you just say so? I can spy on your girlfriend for you, no problem.”
“Never mind, Emmitt,” Mathew bit out angrily.
“Cut the shit. You know I’m coming. I like giving you a hard time. It’s actually nice to hear you talking about some drama in your life. I thought you’d be settled down with some chick named Sarah or Martha by now.”
“Why the hell does everyone want me having a bunch of commotion and shit in my life? Between you and James I’ve had to clean up enough residual messes. I’ve never had time for my own.”
“Well your buddy is now off and married, settling down, and I’m a big boy. I don’t need your help, but you need mine. I’ll be there tonight.”
“Emmitt,” Mathew ground out, knowing what he wanted to say but not how he’d say it without sounding like a complete pussy.
“I know man,” Emmitt replied quickly. “I can tell she’s something special. I’ll take care of her. No more messing around.”
“Thanks.”
“Just one more question. If she starts giving me a vibe, I mean if she seems like she’s into me, how do you want me to handle that? You know how woman are around me.”
Mathew hung up the phone and slammed it down on his desk. His little brother was a pain in the balls. He always had been. But in this instance he was the guy to go to. It came with a hell of a lot of arguing, but it was always worth it.
Chapter 14
Jessica’s heart was burning. She knew it wasn’t anything medical or serious. Just an aching, piercing, debilitating pain in her chest she couldn’t extinguish.
“You’re back,” Jessica sang out with a fake smile as she pulled her friend into a hug. “You look amazing.”
Libby’s sun-kissed skin and fully rested face was the complete opposite of Jessica, who looked washed out and exhausted.
“You were putting all my calls to voice mail. I’m hearing some rumors.” Libby was a professional worrier, and she looked ready to burst with concern.
Jessica choked on the emotion for a moment but refused to let it out. “Mathew is an alarmist. You shouldn’t listen to him.”
“He cares about you. So do I. He says you took a job with Pierre, which must mean we can speak his name again.” Libby shouldered her way into Jessica’s apartment, kicked off her shoes, and climbed on the bed, patting it for her friend to sit.
“I won’t be told that I can’t take a job. I’m not some submissive little creature who can’t think for herself. If that’s what Mathew thinks—”
“Do you really believe Mathew thinks you are?” Libby challenged, raising a brow at her friend. “Anyone who has spent more than three seconds with you understands you have a mind of your own.”
“How should I know what he thinks? I hardly know him at all.” The lie tasted terrible in her mouth. She knew Mathew, and worse than that, he knew her.
“I think you do know him, and I think you like him. You’re being stubborn and short-sighted and pushing someone away who is trying to help you.”
“Libby, our friendship is built on the fundamental understanding we support each other blindly and wholeheartedly.”
“Do you feel taking the job with Pierre is a healthy choice for you?” Libby asked, trying to cautiously lead Jessica toward the obvious truth.
“I have no interest in being back with Pierre.”
“And what about being with Mathew?”
“He’s not going to be comfortable with me working for Pierre. And I’m not sure I want to be with a guy who doesn’t trust my judgment. Someone who thinks I don’t know what’s best for me.” There were moments Jessica didn’t care if Mathew was right or wrong, she just missed him. Other moments when she couldn’t decide if this was just her latest way to sabotage a relationship that seemed like it had a future.
“I think Mathew is a fixer. He’s surrounded by people who plow their way recklessly through life, and he’s always cleaning up for them. He wants to fix this for you.”
Jessica pursed her lips and tried to form an argument, but Libby was right. Mathew wasn’t wrong in his concern. “Promise you won’t say anything to James,” Jessica demanded, pointing a finger at Libby. “If you tell James he’ll tell Mathew, and I don’t want him to know.”
“To know what?”
“That I might love him,” she admitted, tipping her head toward the ceiling so the forming tears wouldn’t fall. “The easy thing to do right now would be to run to Mathew, have him help me out financially and maybe have him get rid of Pierre for me. If I’m going to actually have a relationship, a healthy one, I need to work through this myself. Pierre is the reason I’ve been turning down perfectly good men since I left him. He’s the reason I run. He’s the reason I don’t allow things to last. I don’t want to sabotage things with Mathew, but it means putting this Pierre stuff front and center so I can move on. Ignoring and avoiding it hasn’t worked.”
“But what if you find you aren’t over Pierre? What if you fall back to those old habits? We bot
h know how Pierre is.”
“I don’t know,” Jessica shrugged, finally letting a tear fall. “I really don’t know. But I am certain that Mathew is worth it. He’s at least worth giving this a shot.”
“How can I help?” Libby asked, straightening up, ready for a to-do list. “Do you want me to come to work with you or tell Pierre what a dirtbag he is and to stay away from you while you do your job?”
“No.” Jessica laughed at Libby’s offer. She was like the mouse offering to fight the lion. “If you see me doing something stupid just try to stop me.”
“That has literally never worked.” Libby laughed. “But I’ll try.”
Jessica opened her arms and took the hug Libby looked so anxious to give. “Tell me all about your honeymoon. Well, not all of it. I don’t want to know where you freaks hooked up. I’m still trying to forget how he paid people to clear off the beach and rubbed fruit all over you.”
“You’re so jealous,” Libby said with a roll of her eyes as they broke the hug. “You’re dying to know if Mathew has that kind of imagination.”
“I know perfectly well what Mathew is capable of,” Jessica said with a wide smile and red cheeks.
“What? I thought you said you hardly knew him at all. You guys already hooked up? How did I miss this? The last I heard he tried to sweep you off your feet and you ran.”
“That’s true,” she shrugged. “So instead I told him to try things my way. We had a perfectly low key week of getting to know each other with no pretenses, no private jets, and no paying to make things perfect.”
“Hey,” Libby defended, “the fruit James bought for the beach was cheap.”
“It was perfect.” Jessica sighed as she flopped back on to her bed. “He was completely comfortable just hanging out, slowing down, and enjoying the simplest things. It’s what I wanted to know about him. If he could do that then I knew we could really have something.”
“It sounds nice. So very you.”
“And this week was supposed to be so very him. He was going to sweep me off my feet, pull out all the stops, and show me things I’d never seen before. It was the trade-off we made to each other. And I . . .” she trailed off, dropping an arm over her face, “I just knew everything I’m afraid of would come true. I’m terrified of getting the fairy tale feeling again. It was such a far fall with Pierre. I don’t ever want to be crushed like that again. The week Mathew and I spent together was on my terms; it was safe. It was perfect. But I’m afraid to love the week he gives me too much. I’ve got to move on from that fear. I’ve got to prove to myself I am all right now. That Pierre has no control over me. If I can do it, I’ll know I’m ready.”
“If you think you need to do this first before you can get to a place where being with Mathew works, trust your instinct. If Mathew’s the right guy, he’ll wait it out.”
“And if he doesn’t wait?” Jessica asked as Libby lay down next to her and held her hand.
“Then he’s a moron and isn’t worth the trouble.”
“He’s completely worth the trouble,” Jessica grumbled. “It’s me who might not be worth it. You’re married now, and I’m going to be completely on my own.”
“You are worth it,” Libby promised. “You’re worth every up and down. You’re worth every crazy night. James might be my husband, the man I love, but you’re the woman I love. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Don’t let me screw this up,” Jessica begged as she turned to look at Libby. “Don’t let me blow this.”
“I love how we’re both perfectly all right with pretending I, or anyone else, have any control over you at all. It’s adorable.”
Chapter 15
“Can you believe Pierre Jacques picked me?” the perfectly beautiful blond woman in Jessica’s makeup chair asked. She was a dainty little thing with exotic eyes that seemed to take up half her face. She was buzzing with excitement as she stared in the mirror, looking like this was all a dream.
“Who’s that?” Jessica asked, gesturing at the muscly man in the corner of her makeup trailer who hadn’t said a word or been introduced.
“Emmitt, he’s my new bodyguard. I guess there have been some security issues on set, and he’s not supposed to let me out of his sight.” She dropped her voice to a whisper and leaned in. “Isn’t he gorgeous?”
Jessica offered back a simple nod as she started opening different containers of makeup. “This is going to take a few hours. Is this your first day on set, Evelyn?”
“First day on any set,” she said with a big smile. “And please call me Evie. My agent says to go by Evelyn Jane Pike, but my friends call me Evie.”
“All right, Evie, many people prefer to listen to some music or an audio book or something to try to pass the time. Did you want to put some ear buds in before I get started?”
“I have all my lines on audio files to listen to,” she announced proudly as she tucked the ear buds in.
“Sweet kid,” Emmitt said as he leaned back and peered out the window of the trailer. He was a wide-shouldered guy with a nearly shaved head and square jaw. Evie was right; he was gorgeous. But he had that look of unsettled energy in him. Jessica could recognize it because she had it too.
“Yep,” Jessica agreed, focusing on the job at hand. “Too bad I have to turn her face into chopped liver right now. Her first scene is after a car accident.”
“Sounds fun,” he chuckled as he folded one leg over the other and lounged back. “How long have you been doing this?”
“A while,” she answered with a tiny smile as she continued to work, brushing a base onto Evie’s perfect skin. Her mind was on Mathew, and she was working hard not to be distracted. But clearly that wasn’t working. In her twisted brain, even this Emmitt guy seemed to have a vague resemblance to Mathew.
“You don’t strike me as the quiet type. Is this just how you are while you work, or am I making you uncomfortable?”
“You’re not making me uncomfortable,” she answered honestly. “I just have a lot on my mind.”
“You seem like one of those really deep, thoughtful girls.” Emmitt continued to occasionally peek out the small window and then glance back at Evie.
She dropped her brush down by her side and turned to face him, looking him over carefully, assessing her opponent. “You’re interested in reading me? Let me give you a try.” She fixed her eyes on him. “You’ve always had a bit of fire in your stomach that only gets managed by physical outlets. Hitting something probably. The military gave you some direction, some camaraderie, and brothers who understood you perfectly. But when you got out you just weren’t sure who you were anymore. You needed a job where there was at least some potential for danger so you took this gig as a bodyguard, but so far it’s desperately boring and you’re itching to actually do something that helps get that fire in you under control again. You’re praying this girl might actually be in danger.”
Emmitt’s mouth didn’t drop open with surprise, but everything in his face tightened. “Damn.”
“I’m good at reading people. I can see your dog tags through your shirt and the high and tight haircut gives you away. I’m sorry this job is going to be boring. I’ve worked a lot of movie sets. I doubt you’ll get much action. Evie isn’t going to have crazy fans trying to get to her just yet. Maybe after this movie. If you really want to keep her safe, you’ll watch out for the people who work here instead.”
“What do you mean?” Emmitt asked, looking thoroughly interested now, and Jessica wished she hadn’t said anything. Get in, get out. That was her goal with this job. She loved what she did and any opportunity to do it, but staying off the radar was important too.
“Nothing, I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Her shrug and attempt to dismiss Emmitt’s concern were unsuccessful.
“No, you meant something, and I need to hear it. Who do you think will cause a problem for her?”
Jessica leaned down slightly and made sure Evie couldn’t hear their conversations. “She’s new here, young
and really excited. A girl like Evie can get taken advantage of quickly.”
“Like that French guy?” Emmitt asked, his jaw grinding together as though he was already annoyed with the situation.
“Pierre?” Jessica asked, partly playing dumb and partly shocked Emmitt had honed in on the problem already.
“Yeah, I didn’t like how he was talking to her this morning. I get that he’s European, but he couldn’t keep his hands to himself. I was getting a bad vibe.”
She let out a little laugh through her nose and eyed him sideways. “I was wrong, maybe you don’t need practice. You read people well too. Just keep an eye out for her. I hate to see a nice kid like this get burned, especially on her first big break.”
That was how it had happened to Jessica. Those nervous excited jitters and butterflies she was feeling must have put out a scent that Pierre could spot in a crowd. The way a drop of blood can draw a shark from miles away. Now she frequently used her time with young actresses, helping them watch out for such dangers. Not by being pushy and a know-it-all, but subtly reminding them they had choices. Sometimes that was all the empowerment someone needed.
“Thanks,” Emmitt said, leaning back again and peering out the window. “Speaking of the devil,” he huffed, gesturing over to the door that was being knocked on now.
“Pierre?” Jessica asked with a shake in her voice that gave far too much away. She’d told Pierre very clearly she was happy to work diligently on his movie, but she would like to have as much space from him as possible. Mathew’s assessment was correct; Pierre didn’t respect boundaries. He saw every rejection as a challenge, a playful cat and mouse game.
“Hello,” he announced loudly as he opened the door to the trailer and stepped in, bouncing happily. “Look at these beautiful women.”
“Pierre,” Evie jumped up from the chair, pulled out her ear buds, and hugged him. The paternal way his hand reached up and embraced the back of Evie’s hair made Jessica feel ill.
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