Saved by the Movie Star Read online

  Veronica took the medicine. “Ugh. I do but I don’t want to look like I do.”

  “Relax. I can only tell because I know you so well. You’d better put some makeup on before we leave and cover up those shadows under your eyes.”

  Veronica took the headache medicine, chugging half the bottle of water as she did so. She wished she’d been able to sleep last night, instead of lying awake worrying about today. Surely she had more time to sit and pull herself together. But a glance at the clock got her moving. She had less than an hour to be down to the conference room for the table reading of the script. Another wave of anxiety made her stomach clench.

  It wasn’t the reading that made her nervous. It was seeing Chris again. Their brief interaction at DragonCon hadn’t been too bad—he’d been so nice—but it served to remind her just how easy it was to fall under his charm.

  In the bathroom, she decided to deal with the craziness of her hair before worrying about her face, since her hair would take twice as long. She spritzed some of her homemade spray-in conditioner all over her long, unruly curls and worked it through with her fingers. The fresh coconut scent soothed her as much as the mixture controlled her frizz. As she continued to tame the thick, brown strands, she walked back out to the living room and asked, “How do you act around a man that everyone thinks you’ve had an affair with, but haven’t? It’s just so awkward.”

  Deb twisted around in her chair. “As naturally as possible.”

  “Yeah, but everyone is going to be watching us. Everyone. I just want to make an announcement to the whole crew that the rumors are false so we can just move on and get this movie filmed.”

  “Like that would work. Veronica, relax! I know it seems like the worst possible thing to you, but this is actually great publicity. The Fated series is a best-seller around the world. It has a huge fan base, and they’re all completely amped up about this movie being made. You saw how they were at DragonCon. They even loved the author, Julie Chambers, more than Chris Sanderson.” Deb raised her eyebrows as if she’d settled that point. “And now they all think that you and Chris are not only playing the part of their favorite book lovers, but that you are a couple in real life. And that Chris broke up with Kim,” again the raised eyebrows, “Because he fell for you. This is publicity gold.”

  Veronica pressed her lips together. “I still hate it.”

  “I know. But when you walk into that conference room today, remember that this isn’t a problem for the movie. At all.”

  “I’m not sure the director is thrilled with me. She was a little cold. I get the feeling she didn’t really want me for this part.” This was a massive concern for her. She knew, with every fiber of her being, that she was the right one for this part. Her character, Eden, was full of depth and strength but also vulnerable. “She probably wanted Kim, since she and Chris have always been a package deal. And her name alone would have sold tickets.”

  Deb smiled reassuringly. “You’re making yourself crazy for no reason. After the reading today, she’ll know she cast the right actor. There’s no doubt.”

  “I hope so, but that’s what makes this reading feel more like an audition than a read-through—especially since I never had one. It’s not too late for her to fire me and cast Kim if I screw it up.”

  “You’re going to be awesome. And from what I hear, Kim is in no shape to take on anything right now but therapy.”

  Veronica closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. Reports of Kim’s drinking binges were rife. Why did she feel guilty about Kim’s downward spiral? “I hope this Advil kicks in soon.”

  Deb stood and put her hands on Veronica’s shoulders. “I haven’t told you this before, because I didn’t know how you’d feel about it. But it wasn’t the producer who argued for you over Kim. It was Chris. He wanted you to play this part from the beginning, because he knows you’ll be perfect as Eden. And you are. You love this story, and like it or not, you have incredible chemistry with Chris. This movie is going to make women all over the world implode with bliss. Now, go finish getting ready. I want to have you settled at the table so you can get some of these nerves out before the reading starts.”

  It was a great point. Deb always did a great job taking care of her. As her agent, she went out of her way to not just get her great parts, but to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible. And not, Veronica knew, just because she was her biggest client.

  Thirty minutes later, Veronica and Deb went down five floors to the large conference room of the hotel, which had pretty much been taken over by the production crew. When she went inside, she looked around anxiously and relaxed when she saw Chris hadn’t arrived yet. He owned a big mansion somewhere in the area, so he was one of the few cast members not staying at the hotel, which had been a huge relief.

  The producer, Rob Drummond, looked up and saw her. He had a friendly face that had put Veronica at ease the first time she’d met him, maybe especially since his graying hair and glasses reminded her of her dad. He came over to her immediately and shook her hand. “Good afternoon, Veronica. Are you excited about today?”

  “Very,” she lied, smiling to make it convincing.

  “Great.” Rob gestured to another man nearby who held a clipboard under one arm. The man came over, running his fingers through his messy red hair—a nervous tick it seemed. He shifted his feet awkwardly as if he wasn’t sure how to stand still. Rob nodded at him. “This is Alan, the first assistant director.”

  “Nice to meet you,” she said, shaking his hand. Seeing someone else so unsettled made her relax a bit as she tried to reassure him. “You must know your stuff to be working with Sam.”

  Alan bobbed his head but still didn’t smile. “I know my way around a movie set.”

  “That’s good,” Veronica said, trying to figure out what to say next.

  “Can I show you to your seat?” he asked.

  She took a deep breath of relief. “That would be great.”

  As Alan left her to get seated, she saw that Chris’s name card was on the spot next to hers. It made sense. He was her costar after all. But, man, how was she going to survive not only seeing him, but sitting next to him and talking to him?

  Don’t be an idiot.

  She desperately needed to get a grip. She was going to have to do a lot more than sit by him while filming this movie. Alan returned a moment later and set a pristine copy of the script in front of her. It was still warm from the printer. She reached for it and turned the pages to the scene at the back that she knew by heart. It terrified her. The big kissing scene. And it was on the shooting schedule for the second week of production.

  Just then, there was a stir at the door of the conference room and Chris walked in. Just as handsome as ever, he was more ripped than the last time she’d seen him, just a few weeks ago. Every line of him was chiseled and perfected. And when his eyes landed on her, warm tingles swept up her spine.

  I’m in so much trouble.

  Chapter Four

  Looking around the room, Chris’s eyes caught on Veronica. The immediate sense of pleasure he felt was…concerning, to say the least. But surely that was just because he was excited to work with her. He was definitely not going to let himself be attracted to her.

  Rob Drummond, the producer, came up to him, cutting off his line of sight. “Chris, you’re here. Great.”

  Chris shook his hand. “Are we ready to go?”

  “Any minute now. They’re passing out the latest version of the script, and then we’ll get everyone.”

  “More script changes?” Chris asked, looking down at his creased and highlighted script where he’d carefully written notes.

  “The last ones, I promise. At least, that’s what Sam promised me.” Rob shrugged and pressed his lips together.

  “I guess I’d better go through it while I have a chance.”

  Rob led him over to the seat next to Veronica. He smiled down at her and then quickly shifted his eyes away. It was too easy to stare too long int
o their green depths.

  There were thirty or forty chairs around tables that faced each other in a square. Microphones and double-sided place cards were positioned at each seat, along with the thick pile of freshly printed pages that was script number five––by his count, a pen, and a bottle of water.

  As he scooted in his chair and pulled the script toward him, a light floral scent drifted from Veronica’s hair, distracting him for a moment. With stern discipline, he reminded himself that he was not actually attracted to Veronica and that he couldn’t let himself be. Never again would he fall into the trap of getting involved with his costar. Needing to focus his attention elsewhere, he picked up a highlighter and began marking all his dialogue in the new script. He didn’t have any lines until the second scene, but after that, there were few scenes where he didn’t play a major role.

  Chris frowned. He’d spent a lot of time preparing for today, so it made him feel on edge that there were changes made. Of course, that would happen all through filming. Small, half-page printouts of the script would be given to the actors every morning for that day’s schedule, complete with whatever edits had been made to it. Learning lines was one of the things he struggled with most.

  Thumbing the pages, he opened randomly to a page near the end, his eyes locking onto the stage directions that said “They share a passionate kiss.” His heart rate accelerated. If the shooting schedule remained the same as the last time he’d seen it, that scene would be one of the first scenes they shot. There would be little time for them to ease into it. If Veronica’s stiff posture next to him was anything to go by, he still had work to do to get her to relax around him.

  Another man came over and sat down on Veronica’s other side. It was Keith McMillan. He’d been cast as the villain, so Chris knew he’d have a lot of scenes with him. He only knew Keith by reputation. He was reputedly a great actor and a notorious playboy. Chris clenched his teeth as he watched the man doing his best to charm Veronica while Rob got everyone to settle down.

  At last, Sam spoke from the seat directly across from his at the opposite end of the room. Her voice was pointed and concise, but he could hear a note of excitement in it. She had a reputation for being demanding and sometimes grouchy, but Chris was thrilled to be working with her. A former actress herself, she’d turned to directing in her forties and was quickly gaining a name for herself in her new field.

  “Okay, let’s get started,” Sam said. “Welcome, everyone, to the reading of the script for Portent of the Fated series.”

  Chris dropped his highlighter to join the round of applause that swept around the room. After a long round of introductions, the whole cast settled down for the momentous moment when the reading began. There was a pause of silence like the hush before a storm, and then the reading began. As assistant director, Alan read the stage directions and narration, describing Veronica’s character, Eden, dancing ballet in her room in the dusty, tumbledown bones of a house.

  “The sounds of raucous laughter filter up from below. Furniture crashes as a fight breaks out. Eden freezes mid-pirouette.”

  “Eden, get down here and clean up this mess,” read the actress who would play Eden’s mother.

  The stage directions came again. “Eden picks up a knife and examines the blade before sliding it into her pocket.”

  Chris felt himself tense as he saw that it was time for Veronica’s first line.

  “Coming.”

  It was one word. One single, simple word. And yet, the story awoke and became a living creature as soon as Veronica opened her mouth. Because that was all it took for her to become Eden.

  He listened as the reading went on, keeping an eye on the text before him. But mostly, he was watching the cues on the faces around him. Each face showed the same emotions of satisfaction and relief and gathering excitement. Even Sam’s lips were twisted in a half-smile as she listened and watched intently.

  Finally came the second scene, where Chris’s character, Xander, has to reveal himself and rescue Eden from a kidnapping attempt. Xander was her guardian angel and a soldier in the army of angels fighting against the darkness in a world destroyed by war. It was the moment the characters’ lives changed forever—the moment fate took over. And that moment in the reading was the first chance Chris would have to gauge how well they would work together as love interests in the film.

  “Get off me. Let me go,” Veronica read aloud.

  Chris took a deep breath. “Not till you’re safe. Now, run.” He swallowed. Tension had made his voice deeper than usual, but it worked for the scene, so he didn’t worry about it.

  “Not with you,” Veronica read. She looked up at him then—her lash-rimmed, moonstone eyes cutting deep as she met his eyes. “I don’t even know you.”

  “You will before this is over.”

  The rest of the room forgotten, Chris sank into the electric current coursing between them. He grinned at her with sheer excitement. He didn’t know why she was keeping him at a distance, but the chemistry was still there, as vibrant and pulsing as a heartbeat. Everything was going to be fine.

  Before Veronica could say her next line, however, the door behind the director creaked open and a tall, blonde-haired woman slipped inside. Chris wouldn’t have been more surprised if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over his head. Why—and how—had Kim slipped her way past security to crash their table reading?

  “Hello, everyone. Don’t mind me. I’m just here to support my man,” Kim said. Her voice was slurred and heavy, her eyes bright and watery—signs Chris knew all too well. She was drunk.

  Angry beyond words, Chris stared at her, but didn’t move.

  Rob, Sam, and a whole host of the production crew raced over to Kim, but she ignored them and made her way over to Chris.

  “Chris, baby, aren’t you glad to see me?”

  Like a hole in the head, Chris thought. But out loud, he said, “Kim, let’s go somewhere and talk.”

  “We can talk here.”

  He put his arm around her waist and led her toward the door. Shocked, he realized as he touched her how much weight she’d lost since he’d last seen her.

  As he pulled open the door and directed Kim through it, he looked back toward Veronica and saw her standing with her arms folded and her shoulders hunched. Her expression was blank, but her eyes were open wide. For the most emotive actress he’d ever worked with, it worried him to see her so locked down. But before he could worry about that, though, he had to deal with Kim.

  Chapter Five

  Veronica watched Chris lead Kim from the room. The tangle of emotions in her chest made it hard to breathe. Guilt, anger…shock. Why did this have to happen just when she was starting to relax and get into the role?

  “Are you okay?”

  Veronica looked away from the closed door to Deb. “This was a mistake.”

  “No, it wasn’t. She never should have been here. Believe me, I’m going to talk to the producer and make sure nothing happens like this again.”

  “Did you see the way she looked at me?”

  “She was drunk, Veronica.”

  “I know. That doesn’t make it any better.” Veronica picked up her bottle of water. Deb clearly didn’t understand that seeing the truth behind all the rumors that Kim was on a heartbroken bender made everything worse. “I need a minute.”

  “Sure. I’m going to go talk to Rob.”

  Veronica walked across the room, not wanting to use the doors Chris and Kim had gone through. Blind to all the people around her except for a claustrophobic tightening of her shoulders, Veronica kept going until she found a set of metal double doors leading to a narrow patio. Luckily, no one else was using it at the moment.

  Instead of choosing one of the comfortable lounge chairs, she pulled herself up on the retaining wall of a small flowerbed, letting her legs dangle over the edge. After taking a few deep breaths, she began to relax.

  “Hey, Curly Top.” The deep, familiar voice coming from the doorway made her
jump Hearing the nickname he’d given her on the set of Chain Reaction made her stomach flutter.

  “Hey, Captain Wonderful.”

  He stuck his hands deep into the pocket of his jeans, the motion making his biceps flex. She rolled her eyes because it was clear he didn’t even realize the effect it made. His dark hair gleamed in the bright sunlight of early afternoon. He’d grown his hair out longer on top just for this part, and it looked good on him—as did the dark stubble on his square jaw. But somehow, as beautiful as he was, she felt perfectly at ease with him. Still fascinated enough that she couldn’t look away while he pulled his sunglasses out of the pocket on his T-shirt, but at ease.

  “I’m even more sure than ever that I don’t live up to that name.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Have you looked in a mirror lately? You’re even more like an idealized superhero than ever.”

  He gave a self-deprecating laugh and walked over to her. “Well, if that’s all you mean by it. Credit goes to my trainer for that though. Scoot over.”

  Veronica shifted and looked down at her bare knees as he pulled himself up next to her. “Where’s Kim?” she asked.

  “On her way out with Rob and a few security guards escorting her. Let’s just hope she doesn’t try to come back. Hopefully, Rob will have someone guard the door.

  She nodded. “It would be a brave guard who would be able to say no to Kim Donnely.”

  “You’ve got that right.” Chris paused a moment, clearing his throat before speaking. “She had some sort of idea that she just needed to show up and your part would be handed to her. She knows Sam wanted her, originally.”

  Veronica’s stomach sank at having her theory confirmed. “That’s what I figured.”

  “But not any more.”

  “You think she’s changed her mind?”

  “After that exhibition? Yes. A stable, talented actress is worth a lot more than the mess Kim has become.”

  She certainly agreed with that. Not that she’d ever think Kim was better for the part anyway. She didn’t have the chops for it. But Kim had been so much more to Chris than just his costar. “Is it hard on you to see her like that?”