A resigned sigh met the suggestion. Clearly potato chips just weren't the same as a nice crunchy mouse. Which was hard to argue with, if Kayla thought about it.
Less fun to chase, too,her owl said sadly.Potato chips don't skitter.
They do if you spill them,Kayla said absently.But tell you what, on my next day off we'll go for a nice long hunt.
With our mate?
Maybe, but he probably won't want any mice.
Humans,her owl said with profound disappointment. Kayla giggled, got a few potato chips, and went back to work for the rest of the day feeling light and cheerful. Milo was a great scene partner, though Kayla found herself comparing his square-jawed beauty to Jordan's longer, more-slender face, and finding the actor to come up wanting. She'd never wanted to wrap up filming early before, but the fact that she was only in Virtue for a couple of weeks made her want to hurry through work so she could spend the evening hours with Jordan.
She'd told him she was sure he'd work around it somehow, but they'd both been being silly, pretending they were the characters in her romantic comedy. The truth was, working around a career like hers was difficult. She had no intention of staying in Virtue, no matter how vibrant her hometown had become. But that was a problem for later, Kayla told herself fiercely. Right now she wanted to enjoy the moment, and when it came time to tell Jordan about fate…well, she'd see what happened then.
It'll work out,her owl said airily.Fate always does.
"I know, but…"
"Hm? Did you say something?" Milo glanced over at her, flawlessly handsome under the bright lights, and yet all Kayla could think was that she'd rather be with Jordan.
"Nope, nothing important," she assured her costar, but her thoughts drifted right back to the gorgeous ball player she'd recognized as her mate.I know fate means it'll work out,she said to her owl,or at least, I know fate means it'ssupposedto work out, but…I think the reality of making it work is a lot harder than the fairy-tale ease that stories about fated mates always seem to make it out to be.
Her mind filled with a feathery shrug.It'll work out.
There was clearly no point in discussing her worries with the owl. And it wasn't even that Kayla disbelieved the big bird: she just didn't seehowit would work out. Even telling Jordan about fated mates didn't seem like the thing that would magically make it all happen smoothly. Life had more hiccups and bumps than that.
But that didn't matter for now, she promised herself. They had a couple of weeks ahead of them, even if their time together would be squeezed in around her job. And if the moment was right, shewouldtell him about fate, even though it seemed like a kind of pressure she didn't want to bring to the beginnings of a new relationship. It was enough that she was sure about him. Jordan could come to his own conclusions in his own time.
The owl rolled its huge golden eyes, but didn't actuallysayanything. Kayla, amused and grateful, made it through the last scenes for the day and checked the schedule for the morning. They only had half a day left of outdoors scenes, which was good, because the real snow was melting under the stage lights, and the real market needed to open just a few hours after they finished filming. It was late now, but there were both set dressers and actual sellers scurrying around the market,completing the setup for the last scenes tomorrow, which took place inside the market itself.
"You know, the problem with these movies is I always look at the small town side of them and think, 'that seems nicer than the rat race,'" Milo said with a chuckle. "Like, I think my Jeremy should stay with your Rachel and they can live happily ever after in her family's B&B."
"You're not from a small town, are you," Kayla said wryly.
"No, I grew up in Phoenix."
Kayla laughed. "I can't believe you're not complaining about the cold! And trust me, you realize the disadvantage to growing up in a small town when everybody knows everything about your business."
"No, man, I love the snow! I never got any, growing up! And yeah, I guess so, but I don't know, having everybody know your name seems kind of great to me."
"Yeah? You'd give up your burgeoning Hollywood career to come live here with a nice local girl?"
"Uh…" Milo's gaze danced guiltily over the pretty little market centered in the massive town square. "…well…"
"That's what I thought," Kayla said with a smile. "It's wonderful for the little while that we're filming, but reality would set in pretty quick. Trust me, that's why I got out of—" She realized Milo might not yet know she wasfrom Virtue, and decided to keep it that way: "—out of my own small town."
"Yeah, I see your point. All right, I'll see you in the morning. G'night, Kayla." Milo waved and went off, scuffing his feet through the snow, and Kayla checked the time again. It was nearly ten p.m., too late to reasonably go over and visit Jordan. With a sigh, she texted asee you tomorrow?to him, and a moment later got back a blurry screenshot of one of her own films.
I see you tonight,the accompanying text said,but it's not the same. See you tomorrow.
Jordan was going to know her movies better than Kayla herself did. Charmed by the thought, she headed for bed happily, and wasn't surprised when Jordan was on set again in the morning, this time with blueberry muffins. "Just for the record, I didn't have two gallons of blueberries lying around," he whispered to her as the crew crowded around to take his baked offerings. "I had to buy them."
"I'll repay you for your efforts," she murmured back. "Possibly by protecting you from the catering unit."
Jordan's eyes widened in alarm and he glanced around, looking for those he had offended. "Shoot. Is this a faux pas? Am I not supposed to bring food to set?"
Kayla wrinkled her nose apologetically. "You're really not."
"Shhhhhoot. I'll go apologize to the caterer. What's her name?"
