A feeling of dread surged through him. Erin might be an adult with a thriving hairdressing business, but she also let her heart rule her head and he knew from experience how devastated she could be when her relationships came to an end.
Callum groaned inwardly. By the look of adoration on her face as she stared at Riley Sharp, Callum was going to have to keep a discreet eye on his sister for the rest of the week. It was the last thing he had planned on doing. As much as Erin acted tough, he had helped her through enough break-ups to know that someone as charismatic and confident as Riley Sharp could hurt her deeply, and he had no intention of letting that happen if he could possibly help it.
14
TASHA
Tasha checked her watch the following morning. She had already called Riley several times but he still wasn’t downstairs and as much as he didn’t bother about keeping their driver Bill waiting, Tasha hated being rude, believing Bill’s time was just as valuable as Riley’s.
She marched upstairs and into his room.
‘Get up now, Riley,’ Tasha said, trying her best not to show quite how irritated she was with him. She pulled open the curtains so that the enormous bedroom was immediately swamped with bright sunlight despite it only being 6.45a.m.
As expected, Riley groaned and pulled his covers over his head, his back to her. ‘Stop bothering me.’
‘You can’t be late, not when you’re the reason they’re all having to do this extra filming.’ She didn’t care if he was cross with her for reminding him. She walked to the other side of the room and opened the rest of the curtains on her way. ‘Riley, you’re already in trouble with Dale and the producers. Do you really want to draw more negative attention to yourself? Anyway you did promise to be on your best behaviour, don’t forget.’
He didn’t bother to respond.
‘Remember Dale telling you this is your very last chance,’ she said, hoping the reminder of his manager’s recent threat might spur Riley into action. It didn’t.
‘I’ve made you coffee; it’s on your bedside table. Now, please drink it and get in that shower. Bill will be here to fetch us in just under fifteen minutes.’ She was sorely tempted to throw a jug of cold water over him but didn’t have the energy to deal with the fallout of his reaction if she did do something that drastic, even if it probably would have the desired effect.
‘I’ll meet you downstairs in fifteen minutes and if you’re not there then, I’ll have no option but to give Dale a call.’
Big threat, she mused, aware that Riley couldn’t give a damn if she completely lost her temper and threw things at him. Not that she had ever done anything like that, although she had been sorely tempted to many times. Riley would more than likely be amused and tease her about finally finding a backbone and standing up to him. Before firing her. She had no intention of being his amusement for the day.
She needed to get him to the location for filming then he would be someone else’s problem, at least while he was working, and she knew from experience that Riley’s manager was the only person he ever seemed to listen to. She wondered when the man would deign to return to the island, because it was getting to the point where Dale had little option but to step up and deal with the temperamental actor if he ever expected filming for this series to finish.
She poured herself another cup of tea and added a dash of milk while listening out in case she heard movement from Riley upstairs. She stilled when she heard the bathroom door slam shut in Riley’s determination to let her know she had annoyed him. She couldn’t care less how angry he might be as long as she managed to get him into the car and get to today’s location on time.
Tasha picked up her bag and placed it on the counter to check yet again that she had everything she needed for a day out filming. There was no need for her to take Riley’s brand of water because there was always enough of that waiting for him. Her tablet was charged as was her phone. She reached up and touched her sunglasses. Yes, she was ready. She blew on her tea to cool it slightly and tapped her foot, anxiously waiting for her boss to get a move on.
Hearing a car pull up outside, she peered out of the window and, seeing Bill, waved. Ten minutes early, as always. Without bothering to ask him, she poured a cup of black coffee, placed two biscuits on the saucer and carried them out to him.
She heard Riley’s bathroom door slam and relaxed slightly.
‘Morning, Bill. Here you go.’
‘Thanks, Tasha. I could do with this.’ He glanced up at some upstairs windows. ‘His lordship up and about yet?’
‘In the shower as we speak, I’m relieved to report.’
Bill laughed. ‘How’s his mood?’
She rolled her eyes. ‘Not good.’
‘Ah, well. Nothing new there then.’
She laughed. ‘I’ll go and chase him along. See you in a few minutes.’
* * *
If anyone ever tried to tell her how glamorous filming a TV series was Tasha would give them a few home truths. Her family assumed she’d left her old, steady job for a more exciting one but never seemed to care that her working hours were long and the pay lousy. Not that she blamed them at all. It had been her decision to give up working in the investment bank three years before to take a different direction in her career, and she guessed they didn’t want to hear about how dull her job could really be.
She watched from a distance as Riley redid a take for the sixth time. They had gone through his lines several times the previous evening after returning from the manor house and she was certain he knew them. Why was he being so useless today?
She sat back in her chair and thought about the party later that evening and whether her dress would be right for it. Amused by her silliness, Tasha reminded herself that she had only brought the one smart dress so, whether she was happy with it or not, she would still have to wear it. There would be no time to go shopping for another one after filming wrapped.
