‘No. Not me. I’m just the junior,’ she explained. ‘But I’m going to fetch you some breakfast and coffee. Or tea. If that’s what you prefer.’
Finally, he let go. ‘Oh, wonderful. Coffee please. Two sugars, black. And some orange juice. What is for breakfast?’
‘I’m not sure. I’ll fetch your coffee and find out for you, shall I?’
‘Oh, just use your best judgement. I’m not too fussy, but I like a little something sweet.’ He winked at her, and Lila tried to smile but wasn’t sure the muscles in her face obeyed.
‘Okay. I’ll be back soon.’
‘I look forward to it.’
Lila hurried out of the trailer and scurried down the steps, immensely pleased to be out of there. Should she have left him on his own? Would Sibyl be mad at her for that? Maybe she should have waited for Ruth to come back but some lizard-brained instinct had screamed at her to escape.
Her lizard brain screamed at her far too much though. Long handshakes, winks and saying she was pretty was probably just him being friendly, and she was overreacting, because she overreacted to everything.
She’d go fetch his coffee and breakfast and get straight back over there.
Rowan
Rowan was aware that he had a bounce in his step. He’d slept slightly longer than his customary three hours, so he could have attributed it to that…but he wasn’t in the habit of consciously lying to himself. This had been a good week. Wesley was really happy and he was going to be working with Stan Gillian today, up at that beautiful old church. It would be a change of pace and a challenge but wasn’t that what he wanted? He didn’t want to get typecast and this role might be his ticket to getting more than the standard action hero scripts forwarded through Gerrard.
The prospect of seeing Lila at the makeup trailer might have had something to do with it as well. Even if they weren’t going to be alone.
He pulled open the door to the trailer and at first it looked empty. Then he saw them. One person in a chair – Stan Gillian – and Ruth, who was reaching for something on the dressing table. Rowan closed the door softly behind him, not wanting to bang it loudly when there was no music or background noise. He didn’t fancy his first impression with the legendary actor to be that of a bull in a china shop.
But then he saw Stan reach his hand out and run it up the back of Ruth’s leg, right under her skirt. And Lord knows what else he would have touched if she hadn’t jumped away in fright.
‘What the fuck?’
She jumped again at the sound of Rowan’s voice, her face ashen. She was clutching the tube of foundation in her hand and leaning away from Stan but her every muscle was rigid, like she was too scared to move.
There was roaring in Rowan’s ears. Before he knew what he was doing, he’d spun Stan around on his chair and yanked him up by his black cassock costume, the tissue tucked into his collar dropping out. ‘What d’you think you were doing just then?’
‘Get your hands off me, boy. What’s your problem?’
‘Myproblemis where you were putting your hands uninvited.’
Stan lifted his eyes to the ceiling. ‘If she didn’t want me to do it, she should have said. I was just being friendly, and she’s been flirting with me since I got here.’
Rowan’s breaths came short and sharp. He’d acted fast, but his instincts had known what was happening, even before his brain computed it. Ruth’s eyes were fastened on the floor. The defensiveness, the submission, was written all over her and Rowan couldn’t stand it.
‘Nope. No.’ He kept hold of Stan’s collar and pulled, leading him to the door of the makeup unit.
The older man struggled once and then realised it was a lost cause and allowed himself to be dragged across the lot to Wesley’s trailer. Rowan banged on the door with his free hand.
Sally answered, her headset on and clipboard already in hand but early morning weariness written all over her face. ‘What’s going on?’
‘I need to talk to Wesley.’
Sally’s eyebrows rose as Stan muttered, ‘This is ridiculous. You’re going to be toast, you insolent little shit.’
She stood back and Rowan shoved Stan up the steps first.
Wesley was sitting at the table with his tablet and pad in front of him, and all the heads of departments surrounding him. Their expressions ranged from puzzled to horrified but it was Wesley Rowan cared about. He didn’t look amused at the interruption, but Rowan didn’t feel the least bit amused either. ‘What’s going on? Is there a problem?’
‘Yes.’
‘No.’ Stan spoke at the same time as him, then hurried on, with his deep southern drawl. ‘He’s got his panties in a bunch because he saw me having a bit of harmless fun with one of the makeup girls. Maybe she’s been doing the same with him and he’s jealous.’
