“Love that for you.”
My shoulders relax as the attention shifts away from me and onto the script and our upcoming shooting schedules. The sandwich is truly incredible. The meat is so tender it practically melts away in my mouth, and the sauce on it is top tier. Everyone else must agree, because we’re well on our way to clearing off our plates when a group of women walks up to our table.
They’re zeroed in on Hayden, and I can spot the strain in his bright blue eyes hiding behind the charming smile. That’s the difference between him and Quint. Quint’s easy smile is natural, genuine. Hayden’s looks amazing on camera and if you didn’t look too close, you’d think it was real too. But I know what it’s like when fans come up, wanting a piece of you just because of a character you’veplayed. They think they know you because they’ve seen you playing a role or read an article about you. But they don’t.
Sometimes I wonder if I even know who I am anymore. It’s lonely as fuck. Even sitting here with a group of what I hope will be new friends.
We’re like our own little islands.
Chapter 24
Quint
“Seemslikethey’vemadethemselves right at home,” Caleb says, glancing across the field to where the crew is set up with cameras, lights, all kinds of equipment that is totally foreign to my eyes. And, yes, the cast is also there. Including Aura.
I keep pace with him, catching myself as I stumble on a rock. I send an irritated look at it, cursing under my breath.
“Don’t think the rock is the problem,” my brother says.
“What are you talking about?”
He laughs. “Maybe if you peeled your attention away from her, you would have noticed where you were putting your feet.”
There’s no way I’m admitting to him that he’s right. I reach up to rub the back of my neck. “I’m just curious about the filming. It’s interesting, isn’t it?” But in reality,the image of her is seared into my brain. She was looking casually beautiful in faded jeans and worn boots, her silky hair pulled back in a ponytail as she chatted with one of the male actors.
“Didn’t know you were interested in a career change. Maybe you should go talk to Maggie, see if she could use a lovesick cowboy in the cast. You can join Preston. He couldn’t be bothered to help out on the ranch, but I did see him nosing around the set this morning.”
He’s not wrong. Our other brother has been spending a lot more time at the ranch since filming started.
We walk into the bright, airy breeding barn, and I head straight for Chipper’s stall, trying to ignore my brother’s teasing words.
I unlatch her stall door, stepping up beside her heavy belly. She shifts on her feet, nudging me with her nose.
“Oh yeah? You think you can sweet-talk me?” She bobs her head as I reach into my pocket to pull out the apple I brought down just for her. Caleb steps in beside me and the sweet smell of the fruit fills the stall when the horse crunches down.
“She knows she can. That’s the problem, brother, you’re a soft touch. Too soft for the Hollywood star. You need to get her out of your head. Why don’t you go on down to The Grove tonight? I heard Macy’s back in town.” Caleb casually name-drops my high school girlfriend. The first girl I fell head over heels for. But it was never really love, just the intense infatuation teenagers get when they first fall. We’ll always be friends, but nothing more.
I run my hands along Chipper’s belly, checking her over. “I didn’t know you had a thing for Macy. It would be totally fine. Things are long over between us.”
He sighs, and I duck down behind the horse to hide my smile.
“You know that’s not what I meant. If not Macy, I’m sure there are plenty of women around town who’d love to go out with Quinton Holloway.”
I give Chipper another pat before heading out to check on the next mare. My irritating older brother tags along, determined to have his say.
“You know I couldn’t do that. Even if I wanted to. I can’t be seen dating another woman.” I glance around the still empty barn. “Not while the whole world is watching me with Aurelia.”
Caleb leans up against the stall door, blocking my way. “That’s what I’m saying. This is a bad idea. You’re pretending to date her, and she gets whatever publicity thing she needs out of it. But what do you get, Quint?” I flinch, but he barrels on. “You can’t date anyone else, which isn’t going to help you get over the little crush you have on her.”
I step into him, shoulders back, while a rare streak of anger shoots through me. “It’s not some ‘little crush.’ I actually like her. A lot. I don’t want to date anyone else.” The anger flames out, leaving behind a knot in my chest. My little house feels lonely since she moved over to Chicory. I’ve barely seen her all week. Ever since they started filming, she’s been constantly busy. And that, I can understand. It’s the way she avoids meeting my gazewhen I do cross paths with her, and the way she does everything she can to avoid being alone with me.
My brother claps a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Oh, Quint, we were afraid of this happening. I should never have signed that NDA.”
That sparks the anger up again. “What? You’d rather she lose that job she needed? For what? To protect me? I don’t need protecting anymore. I’m sick of the three of you treating me like I’m still a kid. You don’t get to decide what’s best for me. You know I appreciate everything you did for me, everything you sacrificed, but you have to let go.”
Caleb squints down at me with concern. “I’m sorry you feel that way, but you have to understand the way we’re seeing this play out. You’re fake-dating a celebrity, an actor. And she’s pretending to be in love with you, but you’re falling for real. We just don’t want you getting hurt.”
“You don’t know her like I do. But don’t worry. I know it’s not real for her.” Even if the way she looks at me sometimes, I really believe it could be. “Come on, let’s go check on Bella.”
