“Whatever you need, I will make sure it happens,” Decker said.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Opal said. “There is no need to shut down the set. Even for a day.”
“Shut down the set?” Jack yelled, frantically jumping from his chair. “We can’t shut down anything. We have to go on as if everything is normal.”
“But everything isn’t normal,” Decker said. “Opal is hurtand Poppy needs to make sure her family is taken care of. That’s more important than a few days of filming.”
“Can’t we park her in a rehabilitation place for a few days? We’ll count it as part of production cost, I promise,” Jack said.
“I’m not sending her to a rehab place,” Poppy snapped. “She needs family and love around her, not sterile rooms and strange people coming in and out.”
“Depends on just who those strangers are,” Opal said. “My Words with Friends buddy went to rehab after she broke her hip and said that the male nurses were particularly talented with their hands.” She looked at Jack. “You assure me there are hot male nurses and I’m game.”
Jack’s eyes went wide with relief. “If there aren’t, I’ll hire some strippers to keep you company.”
“Not happening,” Poppy said.
“You stop working and so does the entire crew,” Jack pointed out, and the asshole knew exactly what he was doing. He was using Poppy’s huge heart against her and putting her in an impossible situation.
She looked up at Decker, and he wanted to pull her back into his arms. “What do I do?” she whispered, uncertainty in her voice. Right then, Decker decided he’d do whatever it took to erase the sadness from her eyes.
“You want her to be with family, right?” Decker asked.
“Yes. But how can I do that and not let the crew down?”
“Can we have a board meeting in the corner?” he asked.
“Another one? Right now?”
“Right now.” He took her hand and led her to a quiet corner. “Let her stay at Brian and Lauren’s. I know that Lauren would love to have her. And even though Brian is a jerk to me right now, he’s really an amazing husband and guy.”
“Why would they do that?”
“Because that’s what family does.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“I think you already know the answer to that question. But if you ever need clarification, I’m right here.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. Then she did the most amazing thing. She rose up on her toes and kissed him. It was more of a drive-by, a chaste kiss not fueled by lust or desire. Nope, this kiss was one hundred percent emotion.
“No kissing off camera,” Jack said, and Decker nearly punched him.
DIARY ROOM:
Opal: Perfect display of romance, if you ask me. Reminded me of Rocky when he raced across the patio hollering her name. A clear sign that Cupid’s hand is at play. America doubted that I still had the touch; well look at that, America, true love is a-brewing and I just wanted to be the first to say I called the match.
Producer: Do you feel any guilt that you’re using your injury as an excuse to pull them together?
Opal: I knew the only way my niece would open up was to see Decker’s protective side. It pairs perfectly with her desire for connection. And if there’s one thing I know about high-adrenaline situations it’s that they bring people together. So who’s Team Doppy? Wait, that doesn’t sound right. How about Team Pecker?
Producer: Let’s forget about shipping-names for now.
Opal: As long as America is shipping the perfect pair, then my job is done.
18
“He’s not as bad as you think he is. And you kissed him—in front of an audience! It doesn’t change anything,” Poppy said, giving herself a stern lecture. The bathroom mirror was still foggy from her shower, so she swiped her hand in a face-sized circle. What she saw concerned her.
