"You said you left your friend's purse there," I said. "Don't you think someone needs to know about this in case those guys come after…"
"In case they come after who? They won't come after anyone."
"What if they need to be investigated? It's not good that they have her purse."
"It's a fake ID in her purse, anyway. It's some other girl from our school who graduated like three years ago."
Chapter 17
By the time I went to sleep, I knew I would have a pretty nice black eye. I didn't think there would be enough swelling to cause a stir with the directors, but it was bruised, and I knew that I would have to cover it with a good amount of concealer and makeup. My eye had a dark reddish-purple triangle of a bruise with the point of it touching the inside corner of my eye and then going downward, widening, and creeping onto the top of my cheek.
I didn't get back to the trailer until 5am, and I spent an hour stirring and lifting my head up to look at my reflection in a nearby mirror so I could assess the damage. It was dark, but I could see the bruise.
I left a note for my sister saying I needed to sleep in, but I was still the first one to wake up. We both slept until after ten o'clock, even though I usually woke her up at eight to start rehearsing at nine.
There was a whole scene when she saw my eye. She insisted that Alex wouldn't want to shoot with it and that he would want to do scenes without me. But I told her it was nothing makeup couldn’t fix. She was so focused on the bruise itself that she hardly asked me what happened. We were on our way to the kitchen tent to get some breakfast and ask Alex what he thought of my eye when she asked me to clarify what happened.
I told her the truth… that I had made friends with Bailey and that I had gone to bail her out of a little bit of trouble with her friends when I got accidentally headbutted. I swore her to secrecy about it, and she easily agreed since it was a sensitive situation with Bailey's parents owning the ranch.
She didn't know about Henry and me, but my story with Bailey seemed to check out with her, and she agreed not to mention it. I didn't consider that I would be asked that question every time anyone saw my eye. The questions started as soon as we saw Alex and Cameron. The first thing anyone wanted to know was, "What happened?"
"I headbutted her by accident," Ty said, seeing me short-circuit when Alex asked and I didn't want to lie.
He looked at her. "Why do you want to go injuring my cast?" he asked in a teasing tone.
"I think we can cover that with concealer," Cameron said, checking me out with the flashlight of her phone.
"I didn't know if you would say we needed to just do one of my scenes," Ty said. "That's why I wanted you guys to look at it."
"That's nothing makeup can't handle," Cameron said, still staring at my eye. "When did that happen?"
"Last night," I said, feeling good that I could answer something with the truth.
"In our trailer," Ty lied. "One turn, and bam."
This information was boring enough that it seemed to stop all further questions.
It was later that afternoon when I went to the makeup tent to get it covered. Barb was the main makeup lady, and normally we didn't work together much since I was able to do the look that Alex wanted on me. Barb stepped in this time, though, and by the time she was finished with me, it was like nothing ever happened.
I was exhausted, and I still hadn't decided what I was going to tell Henry. I knew I would hear from him that afternoon and that I would go see him in the barn when he texted me.
Last night had thrown me for a loop, and today had been a whirlwind of a day. I was relieved when I got his text, and I felt like seeing him would help me recharge and get ready for shooting our scene before sunset. Henry's text told me that he was heading to the barn from his mom's. It was starting to become a routine for us… Henry would take a shower before he texted me, and then we would meet at the barn for a while before I went to work. He either went home after that or worked with us filming a scene.
We still hadn't told other people about what was going on with us, which made for some funny close-calls. Henry was playful and funny for such a big, burly guy, and I walked to the barn with a smile on my face because I knew encountering him was about to be the best part of my day.
My makeup was so good that I thought Henry wouldn't even notice my bruise. I beat him to the barn, and I went to see Candice. I could hear it when he opened the door, and I ran into the supply stall, moving quickly and quietly and trying to get in there before he saw or heard me. I wasn't running or hiding from him for any other reason than for fun. He wasn't chasing or even looking for me.
"Hello?" he called, causing me to cover my mouth and stifle a laugh.
"Hello," I said in a small, strained tone, trying to throw my voice and confuse him.
"Where are you?" he said. But even as he said the words, I could tell he knew where I was and was heading my way. His voice was closer to me now.
"In here," I said. I was excited and antsy about seeing Henry come around the corner, and I fidgeted in place as I waited. Hewas right there next to the stall door. I could hear him. It opened, and he stepped into my sight, came around the corner. Henry.
My goodness, this man was a sight to behold, even in a t-shirt. Especially in a t-shirt. It was a thick white shirt with some sort of logo on the front. He was clean with damp hair and smelling good. I encountered him in this exact state most days, and it never got old. It always seemed like a surprise when I saw him. I loved to meet up in the barn after a day of doing our own chores.
He gave me a relieved smile before he reached out and took me into his arms, and it was the best expression he could have given me. He wanted me as much as I wanted him, and it made me so happy to see him.
