Chase guided Lila away from the press and deeper onto the set. As soon as they were out of sight of the paparazzi, Chase put space between them. He paused at one of the many snack tables peppering the set and grabbed a bottle of water. “God, that’s tedious.”
“You know I really appreciate you—” Lila started.
“I do,” he said, cutting her off before she gushed all over him again. He started to say it was no big deal, but the hurt on Zahara’s face flashed in his mind, and he shut his mouth. It was a big deal. A bigger deal than he’d ever imagined.
If he could go back in time…
“Consider this good practice.” Lila stepped up beside him and took an apple from the table. “You’ve hit the A-list, baby. They’re going to be all over you, all the time.”
He might have taken the place of an A-list actor, but he knew he’d have to earn his place on the A-list. He also knew if he blew this chance, there was no telling if or when he’d get another. He’d obviously already blown it with Zahara. And as much as he continued to hope they’d find a way back together, it wasn’t looking good.
“Look,” Chase said. “They’re having an all-hands meeting to introduce me. I’ve got to go.”
“I’ll tag along,” she said. “My filming doesn’t start for another hour, and that’s not long enough to go home and come back.”
Chase was about to tell her to leave anyway but caught sight of the ugly bruise bleeding out from under the left edge of her sunglasses. “You might want to touch up your makeup.”
She pulled in a little gasp, dragged a compact from her purse, and viewed the damage with a hum of complaint. She gave his arm a squeeze. “Thank you. Go ahead, I’ll meet you inside.”
She pushed to her toes, leaning in to kiss him. Chase stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Lila,” he murmured so no one overheard. “Hands off when there’s no cameras, okay? This isn’t real.”
“Oh, honey, it’s just a peck.” She eased away and patted his chest. “I don’t mean anything by it.”
“Still.”
She smiled. “Of course. I’m sorry.”
She started toward the women’s bathroom, and her new bodyguard, Trey, followed.
Relieved that masquerade was over for the day, Chase fell into the stream of crewmembers heading the same direction. He said hello to people he’d worked with before, but tried to blend and get a feel for the crew. Everyone was probably feeling a little off balance at this point, not knowing the status of the franchise. There were a lot of people depending on the income from these films—including Zahara.
He wandered into the warehouse and stood among the cast and crew. The producer and a couple of the directors stood at the center of the group. On the opposite side of the space, Zahara slipped in with the last few crew members. She was still wearing the workout gear she’d been in half an hour ago, her dark hair up in a ponytail, a water bottle in her hand.
Despina threaded through the crowd and wedged in beside Zahara. When she found Chase across the space, Despina smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. Then she spoke to Zahara. He wondered if
she’d confided in anyone about their weekend. Wondered how she’d explained her obvious displeasure with him on the set to her Renegades.
She and Despina were a good fit as far as actors and stunt doubles went. The two looked a lot alike at first glance—both on the slight side, both with long dark hair, both beautiful in their own way. Despina had a more exotic Slavic beauty, while Zahara’s was more all-American smokin’ hot. But she also had a girl-next-door smile and just the thought of it pulled at Chase’s heartstrings.
“All right, everyone, quiet down, quiet down.” Michel, the director who’d hired Chase, spoke to the group. “I know there’s been a lot of upheaval on the set lately, and everyone feels the sand shifting under their feet. But we’re here to let you know we’ve hired a replacement for Jaime, and we’re excited to say the movies will move forward as planned. From my perspective, if this had to happen, I’m glad this happened now and not six weeks from now.”
That brought light laughter from the crowd, but the sentiment was a little too close to Zahara’s “better now than six months from now” and twisted the knife in Chase’s gut.
“Many of you may already know Chase Layton.” Michel gestured toward Chase. “He’s a steadily rising star in Hollywood and did a fabulous job on Chilled, a thriller that wrapped last month. I’m excited to say he’s joining us for the long haul, and I believe he won’t just replace Jaime, but he’ll rise to the occasion and ultimately be everything Jaime could never be. Chase will be doing a lot of his own stunts, which will help us stay on budget and on time. We were lucky to find an excellent replacement for Jaime, someone who has what it takes to carry the franchise.”
A light round of applause followed.
“But, hey, no pressure.” The words came from behind Chase.
He recognized Wes’s voice and cut a smile over his shoulder. “Right?”
When he faced forward again, his gaze found Zahara, and he was surprised to see her looking at him. She had her all-business face on, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever crack through that shell again. Maybe with time. Maybe once this mess with Lila was over and he could clear his association with her in the tabloids. Whatever it took, he’d do it. Because he’d been honest when he’d told her he wasn’t giving up.
Michel went on to explain the changes in duty assignments required to get the movie back on schedule.
The crowd around Chase shifted, and Lila popped up at his side. He sighed, crossed his arms and chanced another look at Zahara. Her focus had shifted to Michel, as if engrossed in the tedium of administrative issues that didn’t concern her.
“Better?” Lila asked, tilting her head to show the damaged side of her face.