Fox did not like mingling.He gripped the cup in his hand like it was a lifeline. As he made small talk with the owner of the hotel, Alex, and his wife, Willa, he tried to keep his eyes from wandering over to where Sienna stood with her sisters and Reagan.
Sienna was talking animatedly and waving her arms around, and the other three girls looked at her with frowns. Whatever she was so excited about, they were not on board.
Probably just something to draw the camera’s attention.
“Alright, alright, let’s keep mingling!” Jason was moving around the room talking to the small groups of people, leading certain people toward each other to make it look like there was more activity than there really was.
Fox was pleasantly surprised to find out that Alex and Willa were down to earth people, and not the snobby business types he’d been expecting. So, when they, along with their staff, were asked to participate in tonight's shoot, Fox had been relieved. Their presence made this whole thing a little more bearable. Fox still couldn’t believe this kind of farce was what Audrey and Eli wanted, but here he was. And somehow Eli had convinced him to be team leader for the guys. Something about it being his duty as best man to do whatever Eli wanted.
Fox did not remember a clause about that…
“Here, why don’t you come stand next to this handsome fellow.” Jason led Sienna right toward Fox. “His dark hair with your blonde will look great on camera.”
Sienna beamed up at Jason, and Fox fought the urge to gag. Not something he wanted caught on camera.
“Trying to get on his good side?” Fox murmured as the older actor floated off to pair up more people.
“Of course, why wouldn’t I?” She looked genuinely surprised. Or maybe she was just that good of an actor.
“He’s a has-been.”
“He has connections.”
Fox snorted. “To who? The guild for reality show hosts?”
“Why do you care? It’s not your career.”
No, it wasn’t. But someone needed to set her straight. “It’s important not to attach yourself to the wrong people early on.”
She narrowed her eyes, and Fox’s heart sped up a bit.
“At least, that’s what I hear,” he said quickly, running a hand through his hair. “From those in the biz.”
“And what is it that you do, exactly, that makes you so familiar with ‘the biz’?”
He cleared his throat. “I work on boats.”
Her eyes lit up. “Like a performer on cruise ships?”
Fox tried not to laugh. Performing on a cruise ship sounded like the worst kind of hell. Trapped on the water, no thank you. “Like, I repair boats. Motors, technically. A motor mechanic.”
“Oh.” Her brow furrowed. In the brief space of her judging silence, the buzz of voices around them filled Fox’s ears.
It shouldn’t matter what she thinks.
Finally, she looked up at him. “That sounds...interesting.”
“Sorry to disappoint. Nothing to be gained from talking to me.”
She shook her head. “That’s not what I meant. It’s only, you seem so…” She tilted her head to one side. “In control of your body.” She flushed. “I mean, in a way that I’ve only seen in other performers. Not what I’d expect from a motor mechanic.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “And you know many motor mechanics in New York, do you?”
She flushed again. “Well, no. I mostly know other actors.”
“You mean waiter-slash-actors?”
She glared at him. “Is it really necessary to be mean?”
