She paused, glancing at Charlie. “I need to go. My bodyguard just walked in. Doesn’t that make you happy? I have abodyguard. Nope. We’re done. Goodbye.”
She disconnected and tossed the phone on the bed. She glared at it like it was a snake about to strike. “Do Ihaveto take that thing with me?” she asked Charlie.
“I take it somebody’s upset with you.”
“Yeah. That’s one of the producers. Apparently, someone sent another ‘warning’ to the studio.” Vivienne pinched the bridge of her nose. “A photo of me at the Ren Faire, with redcrosshairs painted across my head and a demand that they fire me.”
Dammit. There were so many people in the crowd, anyone could have taken that photo. It was probably the second group before they approached.
“So, what does that have to do with CGI?”
“They want me to come straight home. They see the Caidansworn incident as more of an attack than I do. Honestly, it’s just a few entitled fans with their noses bent out of shape. They’ll get over it once they see how it all plays out in season three. They don’t have my vision. Not even the writers do…”
She stopped and shook her head. “I know how that sounds. Probably like I’m some spoiled director throwing a tantrum. But I know where I want the story to go. It’s not the same as what happened in the books, but it’s going to work better for the series overall. I don’t want to compromise. I don’t want to do CGI just because of a few idiots who think they know how to direct the show better than I do. I’m a Colorado native, and when I read the chapters about the avalanche I pictured ithere.”
Charlie tilted her head. “No, I actually understand about letting your artistic vision come through.” She felt a little surprised at herself. “I’m not a director or anything. I’m not even really an artist, but?—”
Viv had perked up and was smiling. “What do you do, my dear? You’re full of surprises. Come on, tell me.” She held up a hand when Charlie started to deflect. “No. Tell me. You’ve sparked my interest. What do you do on your days off? I know you don’t have a suit of armor to polish.”
Charlie grinned at that. “I like drawing things.”
Viv tilted her head. “Like what?”
“Landscapes, mostly. Sometimes people.”
Viv’s eyes brightened. “You have to show me sometime, okay?”
Charlie looked at the floor. “Like I said, it’s just a little hobby.”
“I imagine it’s more than that,” Vivienne said quietly. “There’s some serious depth to you.” She grinned and pointed at Charlie. “Does Ben have any idea you?—”
Mayday! Mayday!
“Let's get Rowan from his room,” Charlie interrupted, already moving toward the door.
“Oh.” Viv laughed self-consciously. “No need for that. He's, um?—”
“Here!” Rowan called from behind the closed bedroom door. “Give me a sec.”
So they're sharing rooms now. Not her business unless it became a security concern, but it was good to know.
“Take your time,” Viv called back, then met Charlie's eyes with a sheepish smile.
“Your secret's safe with me,” Charlie said. And meant it. She understood wanting to keep something precious hidden from the world.
Hide what you love.
The bedroom door opened and Rowan strode out, wearing a beat-up ball cap with a nondescript t-shirt, jeans, and work boots.
“Morning, Sir Mariel.” His eyes went straight to Viv and stayed there. “And how are you, Madam Director?” he asked.
Viv rolled her eyes. “Oh, cut it out,” she said.
“Are we ready for today’s adventure?” Rowan asked, already crouching to pet Flo. The dog wagged her tail at the attention. Charlie was pretty sure Flo had developed a crush on the handsome actor.
“If all goes well, wewon’thave an adventure,” Charlie said.
Rowan chuckled. “Right. Just a boring old day up in the mountains. Got it.”
