Page 75 of Never To Be Mine

The bottle was taken from my hand. A new one was put in Hollis’s hand. And we did it all again. I had no idea if I was supposed to smile big. Not smile. Look concerned. Weren’t directors supposed to tell you what to do?

“Juno, look at Jack and hold up your bottle.”

Shit. Look at him? Like in the eyes? I felt like this was the kind of thing one needed to prepare for mentally. My hands were shaking but I pushed through and did as instructed, doing my best not to dump my smoothie on the movie star.

We did that at least ten times. Hollis and Jack spoke while I stood there like a mannequin. I doubted my part was going to be kept in the final edit. I felt ridiculous.

“Cut. Perfect,” Micah said. “That’s exactly what I needed. You two look great on camera. I can feel the tension.”

“Tension?” I repeated flatly.

“Chemistry, tension, whatever you want to call it. It works.” Micah was already scrolling through the playback on his monitor, nodding to himself. “Yeah. That’s the shot. We’re done.”

“Done?” I asked. “That’s it?”

“That’s it. Got everything I need.” He waved a hand toward the crew, who immediately sprang into motion, breaking down lights and coiling cables like they’d been waiting for the signal their entire lives. “Great work, everybody. That’s a wrap for today.”

Jack came over to shake my hand again before he left, thanked me for being a good sport, and told Hollis his product was actually decent. That seemed to make Hollis absurdly happy. It was strange to see him look so eager. The guy was confident. Nothing got in his way, but it was the first crack in his armor I’d seen.

Jack was swallowed up by his entourage and they took off, leaving the sound stage feeling strangely empty in his wake. I stood there for a second, adjusting to the sudden quiet after all that chaos.

“You survived,” Hollis said, coming to stand beside me again now that there wasn’t a camera forcing proximity between us.

“Barely. I can’t believe I not only met Jack Montana but stood next to him.”

“You didn’t say a word. Very disciplined.”

“I have incredible self-control. Everyone knows it.” I felt my face heat before I could stop it.

He winked at me because my recent actions proved I did not have self-control.

“Anyway,” I said, desperate to move past that particular land mine. “I should get back to the office.”

“Or,” he said. “You could let me buy you lunch. Let’s celebrate a little. Today went great.”

I should have said no but I was hungry. “Fine,” I said. “But nowhere with a wine list. I need to be functional this afternoon.”

“No wine, I promise.” He grinned, and damn him, it made my heart beat faster.

24

HOLLIS

Idrove to a place in Venice that specialized in whole foods and organic ingredients with Juno following behind me in her car. The restaurant went out of their way to locally source every ingredient. The menu changed based on what was in season. Juno would appreciate it, or at least I hoped she would. It was all very farm to table.

Inside, the host recognized me immediately and led us to a table. The space had that California-casual vibe. Lots of natural light, plants everywhere, reclaimed wood tables. The kind of place where you could show up in yoga pants or a suit and no one would bat an eye. The scent of fresh herbs wafted out from the kitchen.

Juno settled into her seat and picked up the menu. I watched her scan the options, saw the moment her expression shifted from wary to intrigued.

“Okay,” she admitted. “This actually looks good.”

We ordered. She went with a grain bowl loaded with roasted vegetables and tahini dressing after I recommended it. I got the grilled salmon with quinoa. The waiter brought water with lemon, and we settled in to wait for our food.

“So,” I said, breaking the silence. “Dietitian. How does someone decide to go into that line of work?”

She took a sip of water, considering the question. “It was my way into the family business, honestly.”

“Your dad pushed for it?”