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“Hey,” I said. “Still hungry?”
Finn sat up a little and swung his legs over the edge. “Starving. Let’s go eat at the table in the kitchen. I don’t want to get food in the bed.”
Things were awkward between Finn’s mom and me before Finn realized we hadn’t exactly been introduced. “Declan, this is my mom, Lola Heller. Mom, this is Declan Stone, the sheriff of Aster Valley.” His eyes sparkled at me despite how tired he looked. “And my friend.”
I shifted the food to my left hand and reached out my right to shake hers. She was obviously hesitant, maybe unsure of why local law enforcement was on the scene.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” I said. “Excuse the uniform. I came from work, but I’m not here in any official capacity.”
She seemed to relax at my words and consented to a handshake. The three of us moved out to the living area of the small chalet and sat at the table. Nolan and Shelly still stood in the open space and stared at me like I was a bomb about to detonate. I ignored them and began unpacking food for Finn.
He looked a little better, but seeing the bandages pissed me the fuck off. I wanted to speak my mind, ask in a loud obnoxious tone why the climbing supervisor hadn’t been on set for one of the most challenging technical climbing scenes of the entire film. But it wasn’t my place.
As Finn had said, I was a friend.
And I had to trust him to manage his own career the way he saw fit.
Until his mother didn’t freaking shut up.
“I’m sure you’ll feel better in no time,” she said, fluttering around him and pushing healthy side items toward him while surreptitiously moving the unhealthy ones away. Fries were replaced with cut-up fruit, and potato chips were replaced by a side salad. It was a routine she seemed to do without even thinking of it, and other than a small frown between Finn’s eyes, he seemed to go along with it.
“Finn, dear, I know the little mishap shook your confidence,” she continued. “The best thing for you to do is get back on the horse. Nolan says you have at least another scene to film this afternoon. I say we get you fed and—”
Finn didn’t even glance at the director when he calmly said, “I won’t be shooting another scene today unless Kramer himself shows up and suggests I should. Otherwise, everyone will have to be content with moving those scenes to tomorrow.”
I remembered Finn telling me about his relationship with his climbing coach. Kramer was a man Finn respected and admired. He trusted him.
Nolan stepped forward. “We’re shooting the cave explosion scene in a couple of days. There’s not much time—”
Finn’s eyes widened in surprise. “That scene isn’t on the schedule until later this month. We haven’t even blocked it yet.”
Nolan glanced at me and thought for a minute before nodding. “We’ve made some changes, but don’t worry about that right now. We’ll work it out. Shelly will clear you for the rest of the day, and we’ll see you in the morning. Get some rest. Sorry you had a rough time of it out there today. Good work. You’re a trooper.”
If looks could kill, I would have to arrest Finn for aggravated homicide right now, but thankfully both the director and show runner said their goodbyes and departed the chalet. I saw Shelly talking to the PAs and the set medic out the window, and before long, all of them seemed to have taken off. Just when I thought Finn might have a quiet enough environment for some true rest, the McLaren came screaming into the drive, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. The blond-haired sidekick hopped out and raced toward the chalet.
“Holy fuck,” he said, pushing the door open with a bang. “The websites are reporting a near-fatal climbing accident on set with Fi…” He saw Finn comfortably munching on his cheeseburger. Finn’s eyebrow lifted. The kid at the door clutched his chest dramatically. “Oh Finn. I didn’t see you there. I figured you’d be in bed. Thank god you’re okay. What happened? Tell me everything. I came to get it straight from the horse’s mouth.”
Finn’s face paled. “The media have it? But Nolan insisted on keeping it locked up tight.”
I stood up and began cleaning the takeout containers from the table. “You don’t need to worry about it. You only need to be concerned with getting some rest. Maybe your friend can get the story from Lola while I help you get settled in bed.”
Hopefully my tone had sent the message this wasn’t up for discussion. No one said a word as I carefully helped Finn up and led him to the bedroom before shutting the door.
