Читать книгу Behind the Film Star's Smile - Kate Hardy - Страница 8

CHAPTER TWO

AT HALF PAST seven the next morning, Jess was in the production office, running errands for Ayesha and sorting out all the things that needed to be done before rehearsals for the day started.

It still didn’t feel real that she was meeting Luke McKenzie this morning.

And she still wasn’t quite sure whether he was a genuinely nice guy who was struggling through a tough time, or arrogant, selfish and just playing Mr Nice Guy in order to get her to dog-sit for him.

Either way, she needed her head examining. Spending a day with a dog was the last thing she needed.

But at least today she was prepared. And she had every intention of making Luke McKenzie do some of the work.

At twenty-five past eight, he turned up with the dog and several bags. ‘Morning, Ayesha. Morning, Jess,’ he said as he walked through the door.

‘Morning, Luke,’ Ayesha said.

‘Good morning, Luke,’ Jess echoed. ‘And hello to you, Baloo.’

The dog wagged her tail madly and strained on her lead, pulling Luke along the length of the office to get to Jess, and then put her paws on Jess’s knee and licked her face.

‘Get down, you bad hound,’ Jess said, but her tone was very far from scolding.

She’d missed this so much, having a dog around.

But she knew she had to compartmentalise. This was a job.

Three days.

No bonding.

‘I’ve just ticked the last thing off your list. Is it OK for me to go and help train the dog for an hour or so, Ayesha?’ Jess asked.

The production manager looked up from her desk. ‘Sure.’ She smiled. ‘I’ll have another list waiting when you get back.’

‘That’s fine,’ Jess said.

Luke produced a box of expensive-looking chocolates and handed them to Ayesha. ‘Thank you for lending me your assistant. She’ll be back with you as soon as we start rehearsing.’

Ayesha went pink with pleasure. ‘Dark chocolates. How lovely.’

‘I hope I remembered right?’ he checked.

‘Oh, you did—dark chocolate’s my absolute favourite.’ She smiled at him. ‘Thank you, Luke. See you both later.’

A showy gesture from a movie star? Jess wondered. Or a heartfelt thanks, and he’d actually taken the trouble to remember the production manager’s tastes? Or maybe it was a mixture of the two, because people were never quite that simple.

‘Right. One bed, one water bowl, one food bowl, one doggy packed lunch, one non-squeaky bone to chew, one ball, one rope thing...’ Luke handed Jess the contents of the large bag, one by one.

‘What, did you buy up the whole pet shop?’ she asked, amused.

‘No. I stood in the doorway with Baloo and asked the assistant to get me stuff to keep a chocolate Labrador from chewing everything in sight. Oh, and I said it had to be stuff with no squeaks.’

Jess looked at the assortment of toys on her desk and grinned. ‘I think you’ve just about got enough to keep her interested.’

‘I hope so,’ he said, sounding heartfelt. ‘So what are we doing this morning?’

‘We need a quiet corner to work in. No distractions for Madam, here,’ Jess said, unable to resist scratching the dog behind her ears. Baloo closed her eyes in bliss.

‘A quiet corner. Let me think for a second. OK.’ Luke took them to a bit of the set Jess hadn’t been to while running errands the previous day.

‘The very basics are “sit” and “stay”. I’d guess that Baloo’s never been trained at all, so it might take her a while to pick it up,’ Jess warned. ‘Baloo, sit.’

The dog glanced at her blankly.

Jess gently stroked down the dog’s back. ‘Baloo, sit.’

The dog sat; Jess gave her a piece of chopped liver from her pocket and the dog wolfed it down before licking her hand in gratitude.

‘Dog treats?’ Luke guessed.

‘Cooked chopped liver,’ Jess enlightened him.

‘And you keep it in your pocket?’ Luke looked horrified.

‘In a Ziplock bag. But, yes—if I left it all within her reach she’d scoff the lot within seconds and I wouldn’t have any training treats left,’ she pointed out.

He eyed her curiously. ‘You’ve done this before, haven’t you?’

There was no point in lying. ‘Yes.’

‘So, if you can train dogs, why are you working as a temporary production assistant?’

Because I can’t handle doing my old job.

‘It’s a job.’ Jess shrugged. And, to stop him asking any further questions, she said, ‘Right, your turn.’

It took him a couple of goes, but Baloo sat for him.

‘Now the treat.’ Jess offered him the bag. Was he going to be all prissy about it and refuse to get his precious movie star fingers dirty?

But he took a piece of liver from the bag and gave it to the dog.

That was a good start, she thought. Maybe she could work with him.

‘Next, we teach her to stay.’ She got Baloo to sit. ‘Stay,’ she said, and walked a couple of steps away.

Baloo bounded straight over to her, clearly panicking that Jess was going to leave.

‘No, sweetheart, I’m not going anywhere. But I need you to do what I tell you,’ Jess said. She walked Baloo back to the spot and tried it again. On the fourth attempt, the dog got it. ‘Good girl.’ Jess made a fuss of her and gave her a treat.

‘Your turn,’ she said to Luke.

Again, it took a couple of tries, but eventually the dog did what he asked. ‘Good girl,’ he said, and made a fuss of her before giving her a treat.

Luke didn’t seem to be so uptight today, Jess thought. He was definitely more relaxed than he’d been yesterday, and he was interacting with the dog instead of dumping her as fast as he could on someone else. Maybe it was because rehearsals hadn’t started yet today, so he hadn’t had to deal with his difficult co-star; or maybe the dog was helping him relax.

She so wanted it to be the latter.

They worked with the dog for a bit longer before the runner came over. ‘Mr McKenzie, the director’s ready for you now.’

‘Sure,’ he said with a smile. ‘I’m coming now. Jess, thank you—and you’re sure it’s OK to look after Baloo today?’

No, she wasn’t sure at all. ‘Ayesha said it was OK.’

He pulled a wad of paper from the back of his jeans, ripped a corner off one piece and scribbled a number on the back. ‘Any problems, this is my mobile phone.’

Luke McKenzie was giving her his mobile phone number?

Surreal.

It was a far cry from her old life.

She stopped the thought before it could grow any more. The past was the past, and she couldn’t change it. There was no point in dwelling on it and wishing, because doing that hadn’t made a scrap of difference in the last year. The shooting had still happened, the drug-dealers were all still in jail with life sentences, Matt and Comet were still buried under a carpet of flowering bulbs, and she still had nothing left but memories and wishes.

‘I can hardly ring you in the middle of rehearsals. It’d mess everything up.’

‘Text me, then. I’ll leave my phone on silent,’ he said.

‘OK.’

Back in the production office, as promised, Ayesha had another list ready. Jess worked her way through it, either at her desk with Baloo snuggled in her bed next to Jess’s desk, or with the dog by her side as she walked round the set, taking scripts to people and running errands.

‘So what did you do to Luke McKenzie to make him human again?’ Ayesha asked when Jess returned from the last errand on her list.

‘I told him what I thought of him,’ Jess confessed. ‘Sorry.’

‘That’s a dangerous tactic, Jess. If he’d been a certain other member of the cast—one who cannot possibly be named—then you would’ve had to grovel publicly and you would still have been fired,’ Ayesha said. She came over to make a fuss of the dog. ‘But well done. It’s nice to see Luke being more like his old self. Let’s hope it lasts.’ She looked at the dog. ‘She’s beautiful, isn’t she? And she’s the perfect match for him. Sexy movie star hero with the cute dog. How could any woman resist that combination?’

Good question. Well, Jess would have to, for her own peace of mind. She wasn’t looking for a relationship. Even if she was, she knew that Luke McKenzie was from a different world—one where she wouldn’t fit in. She was ordinary, and he lived his life in the glare of the spotlights.

‘Time for your lunch break, I think. Though you’ll need to take the dog with you.’

‘Sure.’ Jess smiled at her boss and then looked at Baloo. ‘How about a run in the park opposite?’ she asked Baloo.

The dog looked at her as if she was speaking Martian.

‘Your owners didn’t do that with you, did they?’ She sighed. ‘OK. Walkies?’

Baloo still looked blank.

‘You’re going to enjoy this, sweetie,’ she said. ‘But I’d better let Luke know where we’re going.’ She didn’t want to call him, in case he was in the middle of a scene; but she was pretty sure a text would be safe and he’d be able to pick up the message later.

She texted Luke to tell him she was taking Baloo to the park, put the dog’s water bowl in a bag, then headed off the set.

When Jess took Baloo for a run, she realised how much she’d missed it. Working out on a treadmill in a featureless gym was nothing like running outside in the fresh air, with grass and trees all around, and the scent of spring blossom in the air. There really was nothing like running with a dog bounding along by your side. She swallowed hard. It wasn’t the Labrador’s fault that her head was still a bit messed up. But the memories made her catch her breath and she had to stop.

She filled the dog’s water bowl from the bottle she carried with her, then bought another bottle of water from the kiosk in the park, along with a chicken wrap for her lunch.

Once she’d settled herself on a park bench and Baloo was sitting next to her, the dog looked hopefully at her. Or, rather, at her chicken wrap.

‘You think I’m going to share this with you?’ she asked.

The dog’s expression was eloquent enough, and Jess laughed. ‘OK. You can have some of the chicken, but I’m going to make you work for this, Baloo. Shake hands.’

To her surprise, the dog caught on very quickly. What a shame that her former owners hadn’t seen her potential. And what a shame that Baloo was only going to have a temporary home with Luke McKenzie.

Maybe she could...

No. She stopped her thoughts before the temptation got too strong.

Her lease said no dogs—and that was one of the reasons why she’d chosen the flat in the first place. To make sure that she had a solid reason not to weaken and let another dog into her life. A dog she could lose, the way she’d lost Comet. She’d spent the last year putting the pieces of her life back together, and the only way to keep herself safe was to keep herself separate. She needed to remember that. She absolutely couldn’t adopt Baloo. No matter how tempting the idea was.

* * *

Luke checked his phone during the scene break. There was a message from a number he didn’t recognise; he assumed it was from Jess and flicked into it.

She was taking Baloo to the park?

That was definitely above and beyond the call of duty. He still felt a bit guilty about dumping the dog on her, but what else could he have done? He couldn’t leave Baloo at home because he knew she’d trash the place and he didn’t want the dog in a situation where she could get hurt. He couldn’t take time off from rehearsals, because that wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the cast. And, thanks to Mimi’s tantrum after the shoe episode yesterday, he couldn’t keep the dog on the set with him either.

And then there was Jess herself. Straight-talking, and not afraid to stick up for an unwanted dog even if it could mean she’d be fired.

Something about her drew him.

Which was ridiculous. Apart from the fact that Luke wasn’t in a place where he was even looking for a relationship, for all he knew Jess could be happily married, or at least committed to someone. Even if she wasn’t, who would want to date a man in the public eye and have her life stuck under the less than kind microscope of the press? And when Fleur’s cronies found out he was dating her, they’d rip her to shreds in the press. He couldn’t let that happen. And that meant keeping some distance between them. Not acting on the attraction.

He texted back:

Enjoy the park. Will be rehearsing until about five. Let me know if any problems. And thank you.

A few moments later, his phone beeped to signal an incoming message. Jess again.

All fine. Baloo v keen on chicken.

Uh-oh. Had the dog stolen her sandwich? Something else he’d have to replace.

He typed:

Sorry. Will reimburse you for anything Baloo steals or trashes.

The reply was a smiley face.

No need. Is training aid.

‘Luke, we’re ready to go again,’ the director called.

Director wants me back to work. See you later.

He switched his phone off again when the message had been sent.

* * *

At quarter to six, Luke walked into the production office. ‘Sorry I’m late. Rehearsals overran a bit.’

Jess looked up from her desk and smiled. ‘No worries.’

At the sound of his voice, Baloo leaped up from her bed, woofed, and raced over to him.

‘I think someone’s missed you,’ Ayesha said with a grin.

‘Just tell me she didn’t disgrace herself,’ Luke said, rolling his eyes.

‘She’s been great,’ Jess told him. ‘Actually, Baloo has something she wants to show you. Stand in front of her and crouch down a bit. Baloo, shake hands,’ she instructed.

The dog obliged by lifting her paw and shaking hands with Luke.

‘Wow. I didn’t know she could do that.’ He looked impressed.

‘She can now. She picks things up quickly and Labradors are very trainable—I think you could have a potential movie star dog here.’

He laughed. ‘If I didn’t know better, I’d say my aunt called you and recruited you to her campaign to get me a dog.’

‘She adores you.’

‘Because I’m her favourite nephew. Yeah, yeah.’

‘I meant the dog adores you.’ Jess couldn’t help laughing. ‘You’re that used to people adoring you?’

‘My aunt, yes.’

Interesting that he’d mentioned his aunt rather than his parents or grandparents. So did that mean he was closer to his aunt than to any other relative? Had he lost his parents young, maybe?

Not that it was any of her business. She was simply looking after his dog for three days, not becoming his best friend or anything even close to it. She needed to back off. Now. ‘I, um, guess I’d better let you and Baloo get on,’ she said. ‘See you tomorrow.’

‘OK. Want me to make you a cup of tea before I go?’ he asked.

Ayesha coughed. ‘How come you’ve managed to snag yourself a personal tea boy, Jess?’

Luke grinned. ‘If I remember rightly, Ayesha, you hate tea and only drink espresso. Stronger than anyone else I know can take it, and that includes the Italians.’

‘Actors and their memories. I swear they have elephant genes,’ Ayesha teased.

‘Well, there has to be some benefit to learning lines,’ Luke said with a wink.

‘Jess, you can go now, if you like,’ Ayesha said. ‘I’ll finish up here.’

‘Sure?’ Jess asked.

‘Sure,’ Ayesha confirmed.

And somehow Jess found herself walking out of the office with Luke McKenzie.

‘Can I take you for a drink to say thank you?’ he asked.

Now she knew he was being polite. And she’d be polite back. ‘Thanks, but no. I have a standing date on Tuesday evenings.’

‘Uh-huh.’

‘With my sister, my best friend and a pizza.’ And why had she felt the need to explain that? she wondered, cross with herself. He wouldn’t be interested. He was a movie star, for pity’s sake, not a normal everyday guy.

‘Enjoy,’ he said. ‘Maybe we can take a rain check on that drink.’

A permanent rain check, she thought. So they’d never actually go. ‘Sure.’

‘Seriously. Baloo and I owe you.’

A mad idea floated into her head. ‘If you really want to say thank you, you could give me two signed photos.’

He looked taken aback. ‘Two signed photos?’

What, did he think she meant to sell them on eBay or something? ‘For my sister and my best friend,’ she explained. ‘It’d make their day. They drag me off to see all your films.’

He grinned. ‘Under duress, would that be?’

She winced. ‘Sorry, that came out wrong. I like your films, too.’

‘But rom-coms aren’t your thing?’

‘I like them,’ she said, trying to be polite.

‘But?’

‘But I prefer action films,’ she confessed. ‘Especially sci-fi. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude.’

He laughed. ‘No, it’s refreshing. It’s nice to have someone being honest instead of telling me that they’ve seen all my films twenty times and I’m the best actor in the world—which I know I’m not. Of course I’ll give you a signed photo for your sister and your best friend. It’s the least I can do. Come back with me and Baloo to my trailer and I’ll get them now.’

‘You have a trailer? And one of those chairs with your name on it?’ She felt her eyes widen. Luke McKenzie was a huge international star, and he’d made her feel so at ease that she’d actually forgotten that.

He laughed again. ‘Don’t be expecting a huge palace with gold-plated taps or what have you. It’s just an ordinary caravan. Somewhere to have some space to myself.’ He scratched the top of the dog’s head. ‘Which Madam here would chew up in a matter of seconds if I left her there.’

Baloo just gave him an innocent look.

Jess followed him back to the trailer. As he’d said, it was just a caravan, a place where he could make himself a drink and chill out. It was also incredibly tidy; either he was a neat freak, or one of the runners had to tidy it up for him every day. There was a dog cage, she noticed; obviously the one he’d talked about yesterday, from which the dog had escaped.

‘Photos. OK. Give me a second.’ He rummaged in a drawer and brought out two photographs and cardboard envelopes. ‘Who do I sign them to?’

‘Carly—she’s my sister—and Shannon, my best friend, please.’

He took out a pen, signed the photographs with a flourish, and put them neatly in the envelopes.

‘Thank you.’ She smiled. ‘You’ll probably hear the shrieks of joy all the way across London when I hand them over tonight.’

‘Pleasure.’ He rubbed the dog’s ears. ‘Right, you. Home for dinner. And don’t keep me awake tonight with your snoring.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘I had no idea that dogs snored. Or that they were pillow hogs.’

‘Oh, they snore, all right. And they’ll sneak onto the sofa between you if they think they can get away with it.’

He glanced at her left hand, and she realised what she’d just let slip. Cross with herself, she lapsed into silence.

* * *

It sounded very much to Luke as if Jess Greenacre had once had a dog, but didn’t have one any more. And she’d also clearly been in a relationship, though she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.

So what had happened?

Had it been a bad break-up and her ex-partner had claimed custody of their dog? Was that why she’d been reluctant to look after Baloo, because it brought back memories of a dog she missed very badly?

She clearly didn’t want to talk about it because she’d gone quiet on him and the laughter had gone from her green eyes.

Luke was shocked to realise that he wanted to make her smile again. Which was crazy; he didn’t plan to get involved with anyone, ever again. Fleur had put him off relationships for life. Picking up the pieces when things went wrong was hard enough; to have to do it in the full glare of the media spotlight had been a nightmare.

But he couldn’t leave it like this, with things so awkward between him and Jess. The best way he could think of to break the ice again was to ham it up. Entertain her. ‘And she raided my shoe rack. She had one of every single pair in her bed yesterday, didn’t you, Madam?’

The dog glanced up at him and looked as if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.

Jess reached over to rub the top of the dog’s head. ‘That explains a lot.’

‘Does it?’ Luke was mystified.

‘I think I can tell you her history now,’ Jess said. ‘She was left home alone a lot. Her owners probably weren’t used to dogs and either didn’t know how to train her or just couldn’t make the time.’ For a second, she looked angry—on Baloo’s behalf, Luke thought. ‘If they’d looked on the Internet, they could’ve found tips to help. Leaving the radio on, putting a blanket or an old towel in the laundry basket overnight and then putting it on her bed so it smelled of them and made her feel less alone, or giving her a special toy to distract her.’

Luke wouldn’t have had a clue about any of that.

‘She probably chewed the place down from a mixture of boredom and anxiety.’ She sighed. ‘Some people just shouldn’t have dogs.’

Including me, Luke thought.

‘She’s really worried about being left alone, now, and she’s going to need separation training.’

‘That’s what you said before. Is that difficult?’ Stupid question. Especially as it would probably make Jess think that he wanted to learn how to do it so he could keep the dog himself. Which he couldn’t.

‘Not so much difficult as the fact that it takes time,’ she said.

‘Which I don’t have.’ He grimaced. ‘Without you, we’d be totally stuck. And it’s a relief not to have someone complaining about her all the time.’

‘People whose shoes she chews?’ Jess asked archly.

‘I don’t think Mimi minded so much about the shoes as, um, not getting time with me on her own.’

She flushed. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to get in the way of your date.’

‘Trust me, I’m not dating Mimi, and I don’t want to.’

‘She’s really that difficult?’

The look of shock on Jess’s face told him that she hadn’t meant to blurt out the question. ‘She’s really that difficult,’ he confirmed wryly. ‘I’m looking for an easy life right now.’ Just so Jess knew he wasn’t hitting on her.

‘Look, I don’t want to put my foot in it, but I, um, saw the papers last year.’

Hadn’t everyone? Fleur had turned the end of their marriage into a total media circus.

‘I get where you’re coming from and, just so you know, I’m not going to turn into your Number One Fan and stalk you or anything,’ Jess finished.

‘I know.’ He tried for lightness. ‘Otherwise I’d set my dog on your shoe wardrobe.’

‘Shoe wardrobe?’ She looked surprised.

‘Don’t all women have them?’ he asked. Fleur had needed a walk-in wardrobe to hold all her shoes—organised by colour and heel height. She’d had ten pairs of black court shoes with four-inch heels, and Luke hadn’t been able to tell the difference between them.

‘I have three pairs of shoes,’ Jess said. ‘No, four, if you count my running shoes.’

He laughed. ‘I like you. You’re refreshing.’

‘Thank you. I think.’ She smiled, and it sent a thrill all the way down his spine. Which was crazy. He and Jess came from different worlds. He barely knew her. He couldn’t be reacting to her like this.

‘Just for the record, I think I like you, too.’ Then she grimaced. ‘Sorry. You must hear that all the time, people coming up to you and telling you they love you.’

He smiled. ‘It happens a bit, yes, but I’m not daft enough to think that they love me. They don’t know me. They love the character I played in a movie, and there’s a big difference between the two.’ Which had been half the problem with Fleur. She’d loved who she thought he was, not who he really was. That, and the fact that he hadn’t been able to give her what she really wanted.

‘I suppose it’s like the baddies in soap operas. People shout at them in the street because they confuse them with the character, and they might be incredibly sweet in real life instead of being mean,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘So you’re not a handsome, charming and posh Englishman with floppy hair, who isn’t very good at talking about his feelings?’

He laughed. ‘Got it in one.’ Though, actually, he knew it wasn’t that far off the mark. He’d been typecast for a reason. ‘Well—I’d better let you get on. Enjoy your evening with your sister and your best friend.’

‘I will, and thanks again for the photos. Enjoy your evening, too.’ She made a last fuss of the dog. ‘And you, be good. We’ll do some more training tomorrow. And go for another run.’ She glanced at Luke. ‘She likes running, by the way. And there’s nothing like a good run with a dog at your side.’

‘If that’s your idea of a subtle hint,’ he said, ‘I’d hate to know what a heavy one’s like.’

‘You want a heavy hint?’ She laughed. ‘When you’ve had a day of dealing with people you have to be civil to, but really you want to shake them until their teeth rattle and tell them to grow up... That’s when a good run with a dog at your side will definitely put the world to rights. Even if you do have to go out in public wearing dark glasses and a silly hat.’

‘I do not wear dark glasses and a silly hat,’ he said.

She folded her arms. ‘My sister gets every magazine with your picture in it, so I know you’re not telling the truth. You’ve got a silly hat. A beanie. I’ve seen it.’

‘Busted,’ he muttered, enjoying himself hugely. When had he last met someone he could have fun with like this?

‘I think you should steal the hat, Baloo,’ Jess said in a stage whisper. ‘Chew it to pieces. Then he’ll have to go and get a sensible one.’

Luke couldn’t remember when he’d enjoyed bantering with someone so much, it had been so long ago. ‘What counts as sensible? Deerstalker? Fez? Top hat?’

She groaned. ‘You’re not Sherlock Holmes, Dr Who or Fred Astaire.’

‘Ah, but I’m an actor,’ he said. ‘So I could be. If you wanted.’ He did a little tap dance. ‘See? I’m Fred.’

She grinned. ‘Don’t make me dare you.’

‘Dare me,’ he said softly, willing her to dare him to kiss her. Because right at that moment, he really, really wanted to kiss her.

But then panic flared in her eyes, as if she realised that their flirting was starting to get a bit too intense. A bit too close. ‘I need to get going. See you tomorrow. Bye, gorgeous.’

The way she made a last fuss of the dog made it clear to Luke that the ‘gorgeous’ had been directed at the Labrador, not at him.

Pity.

He was definitely attracted to her. He thought it might even be mutual. But to act on that attraction would be the most stupid thing either of them could do. They were from different worlds. It would never work. And if it turned out that she, like Fleur, wanted something he most definitely couldn’t provide...

Better not to start anything he couldn’t finish. ‘See you tomorrow,’ he said. And watched her walk away.