Chloe sat in the video village the next day, watching on-screen as the crew began yet another take of the last scene they’d film. Her friend had talked her into coming today.“You’ll feel better if you face this head-on. You have nothing to be ashamed of—quite the opposite! And you shouldn’t let him rob you of seeing your movie’s last day of filming.”
From the moment Chloe had spotted Liam on the end of the marina’s pier, she’d felt awkward and uncomfortable. She’d come today perfectly prepared to be cordial despite the terrible turn their relationship had taken.
But as far as Liam was concerned, she wasn’t worthy of so much as a glance. She might as well be a production assistant. No, not even that. Liam was friendly with everyone on set no matter their place in the crew hierarchy. It was as if she were completely invisible.
Watching Liam in action was hard. He was obviously doing just fine without her instruction. She thought back to the first days of filming when she was so concerned with his portrayal of Ledger. That all seemed so meaningless now. Who cared about her perfect book boyfriend when her actual life had become so complicated and messy and painful?
The scene ended. There was a pause. Then the assistant director called, “It’s a wrap! Good job, Daisy and Liam. Thank you, everyone!”
A ripple of applause sounded. Then the crew went into action, cleaning up the set and storing the equipment, eager to be on their way.
As she stood, Chloe caught a glance of Liam embracing Daisy. She jerked her gaze away.
Simone nudged her. “Well, we’ve done all we can. Now it’s time for postproduction to do their magic.”
“Everyone did an amazing job.”
“I’m so glad you’re pleased. Rex is a genius, isn’t he?”
“He certainly is.” She’d been intimidated by the director at first, but he’d turned out to be a big teddy bear. A seriously talented teddy bear.
“You’re coming to the wrap party tomorrow, aren’t you?”
After the awkwardness of today, it was a hard pass for her. “Unfortunately, I have to work. But you have a great time. You certainly earned it. And thank you so much for all the work you’ve put into this movie. I know it’ll be wonderful.”
Simone hugged her. “It was a pleasure. Keep in touch. And if you ever get that second book written, I’d like to take a peek. You do good work, Chloe.”
That was nice to hear, but after all the havoc this movie had brought into her life, the idea was less than appealing. “Thank you. You’ll be the first to know.”
Chloe shook hands with the director on his way off set and everyone who lingered in the video village. And by the time she’d finished saying her good-byes, Liam was nowhere to be seen.
Chapter38
Liam was unpacking when he got the call.
He’d returned home two days ago to a clean, cool house, thanks to the service he paid to keep it up while he was away. He told himself he was glad to be here, back in the familiar surroundings of his cliffside home, which offered stunning views of the sunset over the Pacific. Everything was better here. His skin didn’t bead with humidity the moment he stepped outdoors, and the heat didn’t suffocate him with each breath. His mattress was like a cloud and his steam shower rivaled the finest spas in Europe.
Even so, leaving Stillwater Bay had gutted him. He’d slumped in that window seat, watching the shoreline grow distant and thinking only of the miles that would soon separate him from Chloe. Even now his chest tightened at the memory of her: laughing at herself when she tripped over air, peeking out of that clothing rack the first time he’d seen her, hair askew, a blush blooming in her cheeks. She’d grown on him over the past three months.
Liam gave a grim laugh. “Grew on me?”
What a joke. She’d broken his stupid heart. He used to scoff when he saw such cheesy lines in a script. But he understood it now. His chest ached as if there was something actually wrong with the organ. And the only thing wrong was that it missed Chloe.
He thought of the way his mom had mourned the loss of her husband all these years. Was that what his future held?
It was his worst nightmare.
He pushed away the thought as he gathered the pile of clothes from the suitcase. Cat hair clung to most of the items. He tossed them in the hamper for the housekeeper to handle.
There at the bottom of the suitcase was the well-worn script he and Chloe had pored over together. The miniature flag he’d waved on the Fourth. And one of the books he’d bought at Meghan’s bookstore but hadn’t had time to read. The reminders were like a sucker punch. He should just toss them. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead he shoved them into the back of his closet where he wouldn’t have to see them. But hiding the mementos didn’t keep the memory of Chloe from playing in his mind.
Being on set with her Wednesday had been difficult and painful. He felt bad about what she was going through. The media was no doubt hounding her and her family about what they’d revealed. But he was also angry with her.
What happened to all that communication she’d advocated during their first misunderstanding? She wouldn’t even take his call. She’d blocked him! He’d never in his life been blocked by anyone.
Fine, let her be that way. It never would’ve worked anyway. This whole situation only proved she didn’t have what it took to be his partner. The thought weighted his chest, because before all this he’d begun thinking she just might be the perfect fit.
When his phone vibrated in his pocket, his first thought wasChloe.
