And while things looked up, for some reason he had the feeling he was falling. Not a good amusement park falling, but the kind that hurt when a guy finally hit the bottom.
Chapter Twenty-One
IRINA
1 Month Later
The dusty setwas not her favorite place. But she enjoyed all she’d learned about being a lead on a high-level production. People called her Ms. Carmichael instead of “you there!” She had her own trailer that came with a mini fridge. Her assistant—she got one!—Terri, was super sweet and helped her run lines when she needed.
Where Irina preferred bright colors and loads of prints, Terri seemed to have stock in Lululemon. Always going for comfort, always looking like she could assist on set or hit the gym. Irina figured this was the balance she needed in an assistant. Terri could hit the gym and dress in yoga pants, she’d eat cookies and wear bright prints.
“Knox called,” Terri said, catching Irina as soon as she stepped from the soundstage. “I told him you were on set until five. We did the math. He’ll be onstage right about now. So he suggested you text when you’re around and he’ll call you back.”
This was the story of their lives right now. The whole “call you back” bit. Irina did her best not to let it get her down, but dammit, she missed him.
“Thanks.” Irina grabbed the envelope from Terri. It held the call sheets for the next day and gave her something to focus on instead of missing her husband.
Oh boy, she missed him a freaking lot.
“Knox also sent you this,” Terri said, singsong, as she held out a red velvet-wrapped box with a big-ass gold bow.
Irina knew what was in the box, but that didn’t matter. She pulled the lid off and grinned. He’d sent her a Cup o’ Noodles.
Some guys sent flowers, but they weren’t as sweet as Knox and his daily delivery of noodle cups.
In return, she talked dirty to him whenever he wanted her to, and she sent him a pie at every venue. Not homemade, since she wasn’t there to make it, but they were both doing their best.
Generally, she kept herself busy so she didn’t think about him or what he might be doing. Went to lots of Los Angeles parties she’d never been invited to before. Her picture came up regularly on the tabloid sites in the best ways, making her scoot on up the Hollywood list pretty dang quickly.
But at night when it was just her, and the room was quiet, the noodle cup finished, she curled up in a ball and she cried. Let the tears flow, because dammit, even with her mom and dad stopping by every other day and all the naked models in her living room…she was lonely. The kind of lonely only one person—Knox—could fix.
“Stunt director wants to talk to you about the mountain scene. He’s thinking you might want to go with a double? I told him I’d ask,” Terri continued, setting the pace for their trek back through the sets and racks of costumes to Irina’s little trailer, where she’d change and get ready for another night without Knox.
She frowned at that, because that’s what she did these days when she thought about how much she missed the guy.
“Nah, I wanna do that stunt myself.” She flipped through the call sheet folder, her box of noodles tucked under her other arm. Not every day a girl got to pretend to climb a mountain with one of the Hemsworth boys.
Her character on set wore blue jeans and those super tight shirts with a low, low, low neckline, so that’s what she was wearing. And bright-pink cowgirl boots, since her character was kind of awesome. She sort of hoped the producers would let her keep the boots when filming stopped.
That thought didn’t make her smile. Nothing seemed to do that these days—except the noodle deliveries from Knox. It didn’t make sense, because this was the life she’d dreamed of since she’d started playing games of pretend. All her dreams were coming true.
So why did she feel so sad all the time?
“What are you doing later?” she asked Terri. “Want to get dressed up and hit the town withmoi?”
Terri grinned. “Always, but we can’t tonight.”
Oh, so Terri had plans. Irina waggled her eyebrows. “What kind of plans doyouhave?”
At least needling them out of her new friend would give her something to distract her from missing her guy.
“I don’t have plans, but you do.” Terri tilted her head toward the trailer, and there, leaning against the door, was her bestest best friend, Courtney.
“You’re here,” Irina rushed to her friend and met her for a hug. “I’ve missed you so dang much.”
“I brought you a present,” Courtney said against her hair when Irina didn’t release her right away.
“Gimme.” Irina stepped back, making grabby hands.
