Moreover, he’d observed his father being unfaithful to his mother. She, however, had been loyal to her husband—to a fault. Even after he’d left her for another woman, she’d begged him to come home. It turned Liam’s stomach to remember all the ways she’d tried to win back her philandering ex-husband.
Was it any wonder Liam shied away from commitment?
But he didn’t have tobeLedger. He just had to understand the character well enough to get into his skin. He could handle that. He’d played many characters who were different from him: a shyster tycoon, a disabled veteran, a grieving widower. He could surely play a sentimental boatbuilder.
He woke up his phone and sent one of the links to Chloe.Andsoit begins... Stay off the socials!She was working so he didn’t expect to hear back from her right away.
Tomorrow they had plans to meet at the coffee shop, and he found himself looking forward to it. They had a little over a week before filming began. She was holding up her end of the bargain,and he was determined to hold up his as well. He’d nail the part of Ledger if it killed him.
His Milwaukee ball cap and sunglasses did little to fool the barista behind the counter. She stood frozen, wearing a blank stare as he ordered Chloe’s and his drinks.
When he finished, the young brunette closed her gaping mouth and attempted speech. “Um... sorry, I guess I missed that?”
He repeated the order and she entered it into the computer with hands that trembled. When she was finished she gazed up at him wide-eyed. “That’ll be eleven dollars and thirty-five cents. You’re Liam Hamilton.”
He flashed a smile. “Guilty.”
She blushed. “I’ve seen all your movies.Valorwas my favorite.”
The military romance had been a hit, especially with teens. “Thank you”—he glanced at her name tag—“Veronica. I appreciate that.”
“I can’t believe you’re filming a movie in my hometown. Or standing in front of my register right now. Shoot. I should’ve comped your coffee. I’m a little starstruck.”
He chuckled as he paid via his phone. “You’re doing fine. You should come over to the set one day if you can work it out with your schedule.”
She handed him the receipt. “Really? I could come watch?”
He took one of the coffee-shop cards and jotted Simone’s name and number on the back, then handed it to Veronica. “Give this woman a call and she’ll set it up for you. I’ll let her know you’ll be calling.”
“Oh my gosh. You’re so nice.”
“Bring a friend if you like. But keep the number to yourself, please. We can’t have the whole town turning out.” He softened thewords with a smile. The studio was careful about who came on set since they wanted to control the narrative about the movie.
“I will, I promise. Um, there’s a table in the corner that’s kinda private.” She winced. “Jeez, I forgot to ask—here or to go?”
“We’ll be sticking around awhile.”
“The table’s over there, around the corner. I’ll bring you the drinks.”
“Thanks, Veronica.”
***
As Chloe made her way through the coffee shop, she tried to shake the disgust that had been roiling in her gut since late last night. An eighties melody played in the background, and the scent of coffee beans was so strong it nearly gave her the caffeine buzz she sought.
She glanced around the café in case Liam had beat her here. Not likely since she was a few minutes—oh, there he was. He’d taken a table on the smaller side of the shop, facing the wall. Since there were already two steaming mugs on the table, she joined him.
“Good morning.” She lowered herself into the seat opposite him.
“Morning.”
There were only two other customers in view, and they were far enough away not to overhear their conversation if they spoke quietly. “Thank you for the coffee.” She took a sip. Double-chocolate mocha. He’d been paying attention when they’d discussed their preferences yesterday.
His gaze narrowed on her as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “You went digging around, didn’t you?”
“They’ve made me out to be your little plaything.”
“Of course you’re not. I did warn you about this though.”
