“Right, right. Sorry to bring up...” He clapped his hands together and motioned toward the window where the crew was setting up for Hamilton to rescue Esther from a runaway horse. “Big first scene. You ready? I was so excited I couldn’t sleep last night.”
“Me either.”
“I bet. You’re being saddled to a runaway horse on opening day.”
“I just have to hang on for fifteen seconds, look terrified, and the stunt double will do the rest.”
“Stunt double?” He made a face. “Coward.”
Chloe popped him on the arm. “I’d like to live to see this film in theaters.”
“Jesse? You coming?” Jeremiah walked through the house with determined purpose. “We’re setting up.”
“Yes, sir.” Jesse started after him with a passing comment to Chloe. “Off to learn from the master.”
“Jesse?” she called.
He paused at the door. “Yeah?”
“This scene, with Esther on the horse—it’s about Loxley and the riptide, right? You’d have saved her if you’d known.”
He regarded her, then shifted his gaze away and scanned the grounds. “Don’t read too much into everything, Chloe.”
“But it’s the riptide, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s the riptide.”
He walked away with his back straight and proud, and she tipped just a little over the edge of love.
Lori Twichell, the unit manager, came into the room. “You ready?” She smiled. “The trainer and horse are here. We want a quick run-through.”
“Fine, but is myherohere?” Chloe had been in South Carolina for a week and had yet to see Chris Painter, her esteemed costar.
“We think he’s here. Not sure, but we’re setting up anyway. Especially since the trainer is here... You might as well rehearse. Jer can get shots of you looking terrified.”
“Which won’t require much acting, if any.” She loved horses. From afar. Her one and only childhood foray into horseback riding ended with her face-first in a pile of... Well, you know. Fill in the blank.
Chloe headed out with Lori just as Jeremiah charged up the sloping lawn toward the house, phone to his ear, arms waving. The director of photography, Sandy Logan, charged up the slope next to him, along with Jer’s militant assistant, Becky.
“He’s not here!” Jeremiah tucked his phone into his pocket, steaming, pacing, hands on his belt, his blondish hair on end.
“Painter’s not here?” Lori said.
“If he is, we can’t find him,” Beck said. “I’ve called and called.He doesn’t answer.” She clutched her iPad, her lifeline, to her chest.
“That arrogant son of a... I knew it.” Jer walked to the end of the porch and back. “I told Laura over Christmas that Painter was going to be a pain in my—”
Jesse joined the huddle, standing back, arms crossed, listening.
“Jer, I have his agent on the line,” Becky said.
Jeremiah exploded into the phone, his face red, his free arm waving all about. But it was a short call and he tossed the phone back to Becky, then peered at Jesse and Chloe.
“He did this to me onSomeone to Love. If the studio didn’t want him for this film, I’d fire him and cast Jesse as Hamilton. We’ve already lost the first shoot. Lori, reschedule the horse and trainer. On to the next scene.”
“Now, wait a minute, Jeremiah.” Sandy, the director of photography, followed him off the porch toward his office trailer. Lori and Becky dispersed in different directions, phones to their ears.
Jesse leaned against the porch post. “You think he’ll show?”
