Page 79 of Cast to be Mine

Uh-oh.

“We need to talk,” she said. “Now.”

I followed her away from the tent, down a narrow path that led to a small clearing hidden from the main. The moment we were out of earshot, she spun to face me.

“What the hell is going on with you today?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me. You’ve called cut on perfectly good takes. You’re trying to restructure a sequence we’ve already rehearsed and approved. Rick looked at you like you’d lost your mind.”

“I’m just trying to make sure you’re safe.”

“I am safe! That’s the whole point of the stunt team. That’s why we have safety meetings and harnesses and crash mats and a hundred other precautions.” She stepped closer, her eyes blazing. “We just talked about this, Micah. We agreed that whatever is happening between us wouldn’t interfere with the work.”

“I know.”

“Do you? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re letting your personal feelings compromise the shoot.”

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “You’re right. I’m being an idiot.”

“We’ve both worked too hard to get here.” Her voice softened slightly, but the frustration was still there. “This movie is your chance to prove you’re more than your father’s son. My chance to prove I’m worthy of being cast as a leading lady. Don’t take that from me.”

“I have to make sure this is safe.”

“It is. It’s hard as hell. The best kind of challenge, but I know I can handle it.”

“I know,” I muttered.

“Micah, if you keep acting like that, people are going to suspect we’re a thing. The whole world already thinks I was kissing Jack in the parking lot. I don’t need everyone thinking I’m running through the whole crew.”

“We still need to squash that rumor,” I said. “I don’t like it. I think we’ve let it generate buzz long enough.”

“Let’s wait for the studio to tell us when it’s time,” she said softly. “It’s still good publicity.”

I didn’t like it. “Fine. Whatever.”

“Let’s just get this scene over, okay?”

“Yep. I’m good.”

I wasn’t good. And neither was she.

We got every shot on the list over the next several hours. Jack behaved himself. The stunt team executed flawlessly. When Grace finally did her run to the cliff edge, she nailed it in one take. Pretty sure my literal heart was lodged in my throat the whole fucking time.

Something had shifted between us.

She was professional and completely focused on the work. She took direction, but none of the smiles or looks that we usually shared.

And I hated every second of it.

During setups, she chatted with the crew instead of finding excuses to drift near the monitors where I was stationed. I missed those small, private smiles that had become the highlight of my days.

She was doing exactly what we’d agreed to do. Keeping work and personal feelings separate. Being a consummate professional.

And it was driving me insane.

I found myself watching her constantly, looking for any sign of the woman that showed up on set that morning. But she gave me nothing. She’d built a wall, and apparently I wasn’t getting over it anytime soon.