Jess followed Laney over to where he was standing. Even with the overly-styled hair and layer of makeup, Nate had to be one of the most attractive men she’d ever met. No surprise he’d become an actor. He likely thought of himself as the most attractive man on the planet.
She smiled just enough to be considered polite rather than friendly. Might as well get the introductions over with.
“Nate, this is Jess Williams, the midwife consulting for us.”
He looked up from the script and ran his eyes over Jess, head to heel, his face turning visibly dark.
“Right, I see,” he said, in what she noted as a British private school accent. “If you’ll excuse me.” He dismissed them with a sharp turn and placed his attention back on his script.
What a snob.Taken aback, she stood staring at his profile for a moment. The fine lines around his eyes hinted he was older than her, but not by much, perhaps mid-thirties. His three-pieceformal suit emphasised his trim figure and broad shoulders. Clearly toned under the waistcoat and jacket, the tailored-fit nicely showed off a flat stomach. But the suit also highlighted the stern expression on his face. Even the British accent added to the effect. Jess recoiled at the old-school authoritarian energy, her lip curling in disgust.
Obviously, Nate Mitchell was not a real doctor, but his whole vibe reminded her of a time when doctors, even young ones, thought themselves superior to midwives like herself.
A sense of rebellion stirred instantly within her. She clenched her fists and resisted the urge to slap him, surprised at the strong reaction.
“Sorry, we’ll leave you to it, Nate.” The director shrugged at Jess and guided her away by the elbow. “He’s not usually so… abrupt,” she whispered. “Probably just trying to focus. Actors can get very single-minded, especially on the first filming day, you know.”
“Sure, I totally understand.” Jess bit her tongue to avoid sharing her far less savoury thoughts about Nate. Words like pompous and conceited came to mind. She’d met men like him more than once. Gorgeously polished and charming when it suits them, but cold and arrogant the rest of the time. Men in general she could do without right now, but this type of man she couldn’t stand. Ever.
He wasn’t especially tall, she noted, about level to Jess’s 5 '10’’ with heels on, but he gave off the presence of a much larger man. Solid. Someone who’d expect you to melt into his arms, swoon in his presence, and you probably would.
Until he dropped you for the next woman who came along.
Mental note: steer clear of Nate. She whispered a silentthank youthat she’d be working with the female actors, not the leading men.
3
BY THE END OF THE FIRSTfull day of filming, Jess almost collapsed with mental and physical exhaustion, sure she’d been nothing but in the way. Being on set was so far out of her comfort zone. Laney, the director, had been super sweet and encouraging, but the doubt in her gut solidified into a solid steel anchor, dragging her down with it.
If she couldn’t do this job, would they replace her? Then the consultancy payment, the deposit on her dream home, and the chance to recreate her life would all slip out of reach.
She shook off her heels and tucked her feet under her on a threadbare couch in the lunchroom. Leaning her elbow against the sagging armrest, she supported her heavy head with her hand. Getting no sleep the previous night didn’t help but, as a midwife, long days were routine. You slept when you could and pushed your way through the rest.
The director leant against the bench in the small kitchen area opposite. “Why don’t you join us for drinks tonight? Everyone’s heading down to the local tavern. The Five Stags, I think it’s called. You deserve it after today.”
Jess usually adopted a work-hard, party-hard philosophy, but she’d had more than enough of both for the past 24-hours. Afew minutes earlier, she’d been swaying unsteadily on her heels with fatigue.
She shook her head. “I don’t know about deserving it. I was like a wide-eyed idiot in there today. I feel so bad about tripping up that cameraman, too. Hope he’s okay?”
Laney waved her statement away and scrunched her nose. “Ah, he’s fine. No biggy. Bit of a nosebleed. He’s tough. You should come! It’ll be fun.”
“Oh, poor guy.” Jess winced at the memory of the cameraman face-planting into the floor, tangled in wires and equipment surely more expensive than her entire worldly belongings. “I’ll keep out of the way tomorrow, I promise. I think I should get an early night though, tonight. All I need is a greasy slice of pizza and a pillow. I don’t even care if there’s a bed attached at this point. This lumpy couch will do.”
Laney’s face transformed, full lip pout and sad puppy-dog eyes. But, in what Jess had come to think of as Laney’s television-presenter perkiness, she bounced back quickly.
“The pizza I can help with,” she said, jumping towards the fridge.
In one effortless move, Laney swung it open and pulled out a pizza box. Did this woman never get tired?
The young director offered her a slice. “Sorry, it’s cold. As for a bed, we can do better than that lumpy couch. Tom’s the guy to see. He’s in charge of accommodation. We found out there’s not a lot available at this time of year, and some of it’s a bit sus, but we have some cool host families and a bed-and-breakfast, if you’re lucky. A dodgy hotel if you’re not.”
Jess accepted the cold pineapple and ham pizza, thanking the director. “This is perfect. I’m used to my pizza being cold from night-shift.” Pineapple on pizza wasn’t her first pick, butshe took a large bite, deciding it might just be the most incredible thing she’d ever tasted. The catering on set was world-class.
“Tom’s that old guy over there in the hallway behind the desk. See him? Grey hair. Polo shirt.”
“Thanks, I’ll learn who everyone is, eventually. Honestly, I’m so tired a cheap hotel sounds just fine. Give me a squeaky bed with cockroaches and I’ll be asleep in seconds.”
Extracting herself from the couch, she slipped on her heels and made her way to Tom, quickly chewing down the rest of her pizza slice and wiping at her lips.
