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“I can help,” offered Sunita. “Enlist Jamie and we could do it all in half the time.” She peered out the concession window. “Where is the little delinquent, anyway?”
Evie left her phone on the counter. “Good question. I sent him up to the castle to restock the craft table over an hour ago. He hasn’t answered my texts either.”
“Well, why don’t you walk up there, bring him back?”
“You know why.” Stepping away, she opened the fridge and removed bags of freshly washed spinach and baby greens.
“Eves, you can’t avoid he-who-cannot-be-named forever. Besides, don’t you wanna see a historical romance being filmed?”
“Of course I do, but—”
“Then go! I’ll hold down the fort.” Sunita snapped the stem off the apple. “I’ll even make your salad.”
* * *
He could be lurking anywhere.
Wandering the halls of Balfour Castle, Evie was too preoccupied with skirting Nick and searching for Jamie to absorb any of its Victorian beauty or the television magic unfolding around her. The castle’s paintings and priceless sculptures collected around Europe, its exquisite plant-filled sunroom, and the elaborately dressed actors swishing past—all overlooked.
Voices and light spilled out of a nearby room. Evie paused in its doorway, standing behind a tattooed makeup artist, his blotting powder and fluffy brush at the ready.
“And…action!”
With those two words, the castle’s drawing room came alive with an amorous couple in colorful Victorian evening dress twirling and dancing to…well, nothing.
Where’s the music? Evie rose onto her tiptoes for a better look. How do they dance without it?
The choreographer stood off to the side counting out the beats while a boom operator holding a microphone aloft and a Steadicam operator strapped into a vest with the camera closely followed every box step, whisk, and spin of the characters.
“CUT!” shouted the director from the far corner, his command halting the actors mid-twirl. “That reverse turn was too fast again.”
The male lead pointed angrily at his muttonchop sideburns. “That’s ’cause my earpiece isn’t working. I can’t hear the music at all.”
His female partner twitched her long nose. “It would be easier if you played it out loud.”
“It would,” agreed the director, nudging his wire-framed eyeglasses, “but then the mics won’t pick up your lines.”
Aha! That’s why it’s silent! Evie blinked, thrilled to be privy to this production secret. She admired the room, taking in its gilded neo-Jacobean plaster ceilings and silk wallpaper in an elegant shade of sage. So stunning. Her mind wandered, imagining sitting down to an indulgent high tea with scones and crustless sandwiches while savoring the unforgettable sea view.
“Sound crew, could we get a replacement, please?” The director pulled off his headphones and stepped back from his camera monitor. “And in the meantime, let’s take five.”
Both actors and a camera assistant bolted from the room. Evie jumped back from the doorjamb, allowing access to the dining room across the hall where the craft table’s granola bars, fresh fruit, candy, and drinks could be enjoyed freely. From the abundance of food Evie had seen upon arrival, it was obvious Jamie had followed her instructions, but his whereabouts were anyone’s guess. Keeping clear of crew traffic, she edged along a wall painted a rich clover green and found a quiet spot tucked beside a rack of costumes. She began texting.
Evie:
J, you still at the castle?
A few feet away, a pair of crew members darkened the dining room doorway and were joined by a tall male in black trousers and a silky black dress shirt stippled with white polka dots.
Evie could recognize Nick’s flair for fashion anywhere.
Great. She hit send and bowed her head, pretending to type additional texts, hoping she’d remain inconspicuous while spying from afar.
“We’ll definitely reap the benefits.” Nick popped a strawberry in his mouth.
A doe-eyed woman in overalls flipped pages on a clipboard. “Is there room in the budget?”
Tearing into a muffin, a brawny fellow wearing cargo pants shrugged. “Doubt it. Special effects ain’t cheap.”
