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Zach and Hannah remained stood where they were, slightly unsure of what to do, as they hadn’t been personally introduced. Yet everyone knew who Lucas and Bianca were, had seen pictures of them dotted around, or their names mentioned in countless documents.

Lucas took pity on them. ‘So, Caleb tells me you two are the production medics.’

Hannah and Zach nodded eagerly, Hannah adding, ‘Kirra is the key medic, but you’ll see Zach and me on set more often than not. I’m Hannah, by the way – thanks for inviting us.’

They stared back at him like two geeks on the doorstep of the cool kid’s party. Thankfully, Caleb was now jogging down the stairs from the house.

‘No, problem!’ Lucas smiled warmly. ‘It’s a public beach, but other actors who’ve stayed here haven’t had any problems with privacy. Chill, swim or grab a surfboard if you fancy surfing.’ He pointed to a pile of surfboards a few feet away.

Zach and Hannah slowly lowered themselves onto the loungers beside Emma’s, leaving the one closest to Lucas free for Caleb – the bridge between talent and production.

‘Hi – sorry!’ said Caleb as he approached. ‘You guys all get to know each other okay? Ben wanted to check a few things about Lucas’s training.’

‘Yeah, all good.’ Lucas nodded cheerfully. ‘Ready to catch some waves?’

‘Sure!’ Caleb squinted out at the surf and grinned. ‘Perfect peelers!’

Hannah had lived long enough in Sydney to know that meant good surfing waves. Long and unbroken crests that you could make multiple turns on. However, she wasn’t an expert at doing said turns, or even at standing.

‘The water might still be a bit chilly,’ warned Emma, as she ended her call and returned to her lounger.

‘Oh, there’s a load of wetsuits in the box. Pick something out. Some surfer label sent me a bunch – probably wants to see a photo of us wearing them,’ said Lucas, gesturing to a large black crate, like the ones you kept outdoor cushions in.

‘I brought my own,’ said Hannah, dropping her huge beach bag and pulling out her steamer wetsuit.

‘Same,’ said Zach, getting his out from his duffel bag.

‘Keen surfers, are you? You locals will have to show us how it’s done,’ joked Caleb.

‘Sure thing, mate,’ said Zach cheerfully, but Hannah cringed – she wasn’t an expert or a ‘local’. She probably shouldn’t have bragged to Caleb about being able to stand up. She was only able to do it sometimes – when the stars and moon were in alignment.

The wetsuit was actually an old one of Jules’s and had fit Hannah like a glove when she’d first arrived. But it had grown significantly tighter over the last few months. Too many cronuts and iced coffees – not that she cared. She liked her figure being fuller and stronger; it meant she was doing well.

‘I guess I’ll have to slum it and borrow one,’ laughed Bianca, jumping up from her lounger in a leap that would have made a prima ballerina sick with envy.

Bianca held up a ‘wetsuit’ that could only be described as a swimsuit with long arms. ‘This is cute!’

‘The water is still cold at this time of year, right?’ asked Emma, turning to Hannah and Zach for confirmation.

Bianca’s laughter rippled like a wave of pearls, somehow both hard and elegant. ‘I’ll survive, I’m sure. Are you joining us, Em?’ She picked up another wetsuit, significantly larger than the one she’d chosen. ‘There’s all sorts here, plenty of choice.’

Emma stared at the wetsuit and then tapped at her tablet with a shake of her head. ‘Sorry, I’ve got loads of emails to answer. Perhaps I’ll splash in the shallows later.’

Hannah’s stomach lurched with sympathy for her. Emma was like her friend Ellie – plus sized and gorgeous. But off-the-rack suits were only good on off-the-rack people, and the larger suit Bianca was holding up was obviously for a much larger, taller person – someone with Caleb and Lucas’s build.

‘Chuck one over here,’ said Caleb, and he caught it mid-air.

Zach stripped down to his bright yellow swimming briefs, which had a picture of a squat little bird on the front.

Hannah chuckled. ‘Those really are budgie smugglers.’

Zach grinned, hands on his hips, clearly proud of his nest. ‘I thought you’d appreciate them.’ He glanced at Lucas’s long swimming shorts. ‘Those will be a pain under a wetsuit.’

‘Oh, I’ve doubled up,’ said Lucas, lowering his shorts to reveal black briefs beneath. All three women and Zach tried not to ogle and failed. ‘You going commando, Caleb?’

‘Yeah, can’t stand those things, too uncomfortable. I’d rather wear nothing.’ Caleb laughed as all of the women’s jaws dropped. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t shock you with my naked ass.’ He moved behind one of the upright loungers and began to strip.

Why couldn’t she take her eyes off him? Her mouth became as dry as the sand beneath her toes as Caleb pulled his t-shirt up over his head. She knew he’d been training hard for the production – a dull combination of lots of hours in the gym and bed. Not doing any fun stuff, of course, but sleeping.