His mother picked up the thin thread of conversation. “In New Zealand? I don’t understand? Are you saying it’s over with Samantha? Why didn’t you tell us? George! It’s Nate on the phone!”
Nate moved the phone away to avoid being deafened. When she stopped shouting, he took a big breath and tried again. “Mum. I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say. It ended….suddenly and I didn’t, I couldn’t face anyone. I needed to get away to get my thoughts straight.”
“But the wedding. We’ll have to tell all the guests and cancel the arrangements…And your job. Did you quit? What’s going on, Nate? I’m totally shocked. Wait, dear, yes George, I’m talking to Nate. He’s in New Zealand. Samantha and Nate broke up.”
“Mum?”
“Sorry dear, your dad wants to talk to you. I love you, my darling.”
“I love you too, Mum.”
“Son, what’s this? Your mum says you’re in New Zealand?”
“I am, and I need a favour.”
“Anything, son.”
“Can you check the apartment for me? I don’t want to talk to Samantha right now, and I’m not really sure what’s happening with it. Whether she’s staying there…I left in a hurry.”
“Understood. How long will you be away?”
“Just a month. I took a short-term contract here.” They’d assume it was a medical position. A white lie, but he’d fill them in later. “I have to go to work now, but I’ll call tomorrow and talk more. I promise.”
“Love you, son. Keep your chin up. It’ll all iron out in the end.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
Nate hung up and sat staring out at the parking lot for a moment. First Band-Aid ripped off.
He wondered how many people on set Jess had already told. She came across as a social butterfly type of person. They’d had a good chat after the incident at the cafe, but overall she’d been very hot and cold with him, which, thinking about it now, made him nervous. Yes, she’d acted understanding, but he probably shouldn’t have said anything. Shouldn’t have opened up and trusted her so much. He could imagine her telling the story surrounded by crew, revealing his secret to everyone. No more hiding quietly in his fake role then.
FEELING A LITTLE UNSETTLEDby the waitresses’ close call and by the conversation with Nate, Jess grabbed another coffee, a takeaway one this time, and found a quiet place to park to clear her head before she arrived on set.
Since their conversation, a worrying thought had snuck its way into her mind. If they found out Nate was a qualified doctor, would she get dropped? He seemed far more knowledgeable about the history aspects than she did. And as a male doctor, frustratingly and incorrectly, people might assume he’d be superior to a midwife. That was the kind of thing that drove Jesswild. Although, in this case, they’d probably be right. She was completely out of her depth.
She took a long sip of her coffee. Losing this job now would mean her dream house and her chaos-to-calm plan were so much further away. It would mean returning to her old life and bumping into Dave at work.
No, she needed this month to get everything sorted. She’d just have to work harder and prove her worth to the team.
Laney had said she wouldn’t be required first thing, but wanting to make sure she impressed the director, she threw back the rest of her coffee and headed to set early. By the time she arrived, she’d found her composure again. The set buzzed with people in a way Jess had started to enjoy. There was an excitement and urgency before filming that reminded her of the maternity ward, but where the ward was designed to be a peaceful environment, quiet and calm for new parents and birthing mothers, the set was bright and loud and chaotic. It was a heady mix, and she already knew she’d miss it when it finished.
She hated to admit it, but she could see the appeal of this world.
Quietly slipping into the writers’ room, she hoped to get some research in before the day started, but the minute she sat down, Laney and a crew of makeup, costume, and writers surrounded her. They stared down at her, as if measuring her up for the evening’s meal.
“What? What is it?” She checked her outfit. Was it covered in blood or beans after their incident in the cafe?
“I think she’ll be perfect,” purred Frankie, the makeup artist, fingering a lock of Jess’s hair and tucking it neatly behind her ear.
“Yes, I think this will work.” Laney sounded both stressed and relieved, her voice even higher and faster than usual.
“What will work?” Jess asked, her composure slipping as they poked and examined her like a chess piece.
“I’ve got a nurse’s outfit that will fit. She looks almost exactly the same size as Sarah.” The costume artist let her eyes run up and down Jess’s body briefly. “Close enough. A belt will show off her curves too.” She patted Jess on the shoulder. “You’ll look great, hun.”
Nurse’s costume? She could see where this was going. “Can someone fill me in? I love all the attention, but you’re starting to make me feel like I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. What the heck is going on?”
“Sorry!” Laney laughed, maniacally playing with the end of her messy plait, clearly stressed. “We just need you to step in for one scene. It’ll be fun. It won’t even be like acting. Just think of it as doing your normal midwife job. Nate said you’d—”
