He damn well better be here soon,I thought as I watched the photographer and his assistants finish setting up in the kitchen. They’d already photographed the rest of the house, while I’d stalled and tried to get a hold of Hunter.
He knew how important this was to me. He’d acted like it was important to him, likeIwas important to him. And now he was nowhere to be seen.
“We just have the kitchen left to shoot, apart from the two of you,” Vivian said, as if I didn’t already know.
I nodded, the muscles of my stomach wound tight with nerves. I glanced at my phone. Still no word from Hunter, and I’d texted, called, and emailed him. I was beginning to feel a bit pathetic.
I wondered if he was having second thoughts, and not just about the shoot. I was about to give Vivian some excuse and tell her and her team to pack it in when the front door swung open. Hunter stood there in his three-piece suit, staring at his home, which had been overrun by the crew. When he caught sight of me, I couldn’t read his expression.
“Hey,” I said, striding over to him. “You made it.” My voice sounded unnaturally high.
He frowned, glancing between me and everyone else as if surprised to see them.
He’d forgotten.
Vivian sidled up next to us, extending her hand to Hunter. “Hi, I’m Vivian Smith. I work withCasa Beautifulmagazine. Thank you again for allowing us to photograph your stunning home.”
“Of course,” he said, flashing her one of his megawatt smiles.
Anyone else might think it was a genuine smile, but I knew better. And as I continued to study him, I wondered just how good an actor Hunter was. Because something was clearly going on.
Dark shadows lined the skin beneath his eyes. His face was pale, and I didn’t think it was just from lack of California sun. He seemed distracted, off his game.
Vivian went to grab the makeup artist, leaving Hunter and me alone.
He turned to me as soon as she was out of earshot. “I want them gone.” He gestured to the camera and crew.
“They’re almost done. Besides, you agreed to this, and you knew they were coming.” I was aggravated that I had to remind him about something so important to me. “I texted you.”
His brow furrowed in concentration, and it was so sexy, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to kiss him or slap him. I was that frustrated and conflicted by this man.
“And I tried calling.”Ten times. And emailing.
“I lost my phone on New Year’s Eve.” He kept glancing around, looking anywhere but at me.
“So…you didn’t see my text?” I asked, referring to one specifically. One where I told him I missed him.
He shook his head. “The past few days have been a blur.”
I softened, hoping that he’d never seen that fateful text. I didn’t care so much about the others, though they did read a bit desperate.
He was silent a moment then hung his head. “I’m sorry. I know how important this is to you. Things in New York were crazy. I’ll just head to my room and crash. I don’t want to be in the way.”
“Oh no.” I placed my hand on his arm to stop him. “They expect you to be in the picture with me. That’s what you agreed to.”
“No.” He leaned forward, his cologne cloaking me in his scent. “I agreed to have my home photographed, not me. Was this your plan all along? To wait until it was time for the photo shoot and then spring this on me?”
“What?” I jerked my head back. “No. I thought you understood they wanted your photo as well.”
A cameraman maneuvered around us, and others worked on getting the lighting just right. He acted like he was oblivious to Hunter’s and my disagreement, and it made me wonder just how common arguments were on set.
Hunter huffed, shifting from one foot to the other. His eyes kept darting to the front door, and I feared he might bolt and cost me the chance to be featured inCasa Beautiful. More than that, I wondered why he was so pissed off. Why he was so closed off.
“I don’t like being played, Lauren.” His tone was dark, as were his eyes.
I crossed my arms over my chest.Unbelievable.He knew I was never anything but honest, sometimes even to my detriment. So, it pissed me off that he had the gall to question my integrity.
“Is there a problem?” Vivian asked, startling me.
