He seemed earnest enough. And she was actually relieved he’d already read it. She’d thought she’d have to badger him about it. After publication it had taken six weeks and a few not-so-subtle threats for Sean to get through the book. A reader he was not.
“So why’d you read the book?”
“Despite what you seem to think, I take my job seriously. You were obviously worried I wasn’t up to the role, so after that phone call I wanted to make sure I understood the character. And maybe prove you wrong in the meantime.”
“You’re competitive.”
“You don’t get very far in this business if you’re not.”
She could see that. Both publishing and acting were full of competition. If you didn’t embrace it, you probably wouldn’t last long. She almost hated to ask the next question, but it couldn’t be avoided. “Well, don’t keep me in suspense. What did you think of it?”
“The book or the character?”
“Both.” She steeled herself for disapproval as she did when she read online reviews. Somehow criticism would feel more personal coming from Liam. Besides, a man might have an entirely different take on Ledger.
“I liked the story. I read it in two days, so that says a lot. It gripped me. The setting was palpable—and dead-on, I can say now that I’m here. You really captured the essence of the place.” He tilted his head, his gaze intent on her. “Also, now that I think of it, there’s a lot of you in it. I didn’t know that when I was reading it though.”
She squirmed. Took a sip. “What do you mean?”
“The voice, I guess. It has your quippy voice. A little sarcasm, not biting, just humorous in a low-key way. But there’s a vulnerability in the tone of the story that kind of balances out the edge.”
His assessment took her aback, made her feel a little exposed. She hadn’t realized so much of her had leaked into the story. None of her reviews had put it quite that way. Then again, the readers didn’t know her. On the other hand, neither did he.
She’d rather talk about her hero. “And Ledger? What are your thoughts on him?”
“He’s quite the hero. A man who came from very little but has an innate sense of right and wrong. He’s brave, even in love, which is maybe the hardest thing of all to be brave at.”
She blinked at his evaluation. Maybe he understood Ledger better than she thought. “I like that. What else?”
“Do you want me to be honest?”
“Of course,” she said even as she braced herself.
“Well... and this is a man’s perspective, but he’s a lot to live up to. When Cate starts pushing him away, I don’t know many men who’d continue to pursue her so patiently.”
“But she only does it because she’s scared. She’d lost him years before and then her husband died. She’s deeply scarred and afraid of loss.”
“I realize that. I’m not saying she didn’t have her reasons. I’m just saying he’s impressive in his ability to see her through that fear and press on.”
“It’s because he loves so deeply. He lost her before and he’s not aboutto lose her again. But he has his flaws too. He’s admirable but he’s not perfect. For instance, he’s loyal to a fault. Even though his brother constantly took advantage of him, he still wouldn’t give up on him.”
“That’s true. Ultimately, I was rooting for Ledger and Cate. Rooting for him to stick by her, so you did your job. The ending was very rewarding.”
“You liked the storm scene?”
“It was moving and passionate, dynamic. It’ll be a great scene to film. Very visual.”
Pleasure bloomed inside at his compliments. At the way he stared at her, his eyes full of admiration. “I’m glad you liked it.”
She couldn’t believe she was sitting here with Liam Hamilton, discussing her book, and he’d actually enjoyed it. But he might not understand Ledger’s background and how that propelled him to become the man he was. Or the depth of love he felt for Cate. Chloe still had some work to do.
She was staring at him. She pulled her gaze away, surprised to realize she’d finished her meal. They both had.
“Well, we’ve had at least three different people taking photos,” he said. “That’s a good start. Someone’ll post on their socials or a tabloid site.”
She glanced around the park, suddenly remembering where they were and what they were supposed to be doing here. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?” No one was looking their way at the moment.
“Because we were doing just fine, making conversation, connecting. Better to keep it natural.”
