Ashley wasn’t quite sure how she would manage to walk today without a hitch in her step.
She hadn’t guessed Matt would be this physical. Her last boyfriend hadn’t lasted more than fifteen minutes if she was totally honest, not that it mattered.
So what if she walked a little different? No one on set knew her and fetching coffee or finding something for Jenniferwasn’t that physically hard. The pleasure was worth any minor discomfort.
She finished getting dressed and checked her makeup.
Now that she was dating a celebrity, she probably didn’t need to be on a movie set without lipstick at least.
She smoothed the white pants and blue top she wore and ensured there was no wrinkles. Things would change for her, for the better. Matt knockedon the bathroom door and said, “Let’s get going.”
Ashley glanced around the white marble bathroom and hoped she’d left everything for easy clean-up. She walked out, linked arms with Matt and kissed him on the mouth. Her blood stirred and she said, “I wish we could stay home.”
As they left the bedroom, Matt bumped into her lightly and said, “You can quit working for Jennifer and justbe here, as my guest.”
What if she actually liked staging sets though? It might be interesting. Moving things around to portray different emotions. Most people never studied their couches to ask “what does this say about me?” when they should. She adjusted his shirt collar in the back and said, “I’d be bored, and I promised her.”
The ride on the back of the motorcycle was more comfortableas she held Matt without her previous death grip. She knew she could press against him without fear and touching him helped calm her too.
They raced to a closer spot than she’d taken the first day and security waved them both through without double-checking her ID.
Soon she’d run off to get coffee and be invisible again.
They stepped through the studio doors and everyone she’dnever met stared at her like she had answers to all their burning questions.
So much for staying low-key. Her neck grew hot and Matt held her hand as he directed her forward.
The crew parted like they were the red sea and she was Moses.
Or maybe it was Matt.
Yeah it was probably him. He was the star.
Matt asked another man wearing blue jeans and work gloves thatgrip, “What’s going on?”
The man stared at them both and said, “Jennifer’s not answering her phone.”
Again all eyes were on her.
This time she knew it was her.
Drat.
Her cousin. Her throat was tight but she asked, “She’s not?”
Eva Bishop, who Ashley knew by face from the last movie, latched arms with the man who spoke and said, “We were supposed to figureout blocking today. She’s always on time.”
Okay. That was true—Jennifer didn’t miss work.
She took out her phone.
Her cousin had called her a half a dozen times since last night, but left no voicemails.
Her body was in knots but she called back now.
No one answered. Ashley tugged her ear. “She says work is the only thing that heals her. She’s not answering forme either.”
Eva said, “She was always a professional. We need to find her.”
