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“All we have is now,” she said quietly. “May as well enjoy it.”
“Exactly.” Christian nodded. “Life is short. You never know when your own time will be up.”
“This conversation has gotten a little depressing.”
He laughed. “Yeah, but you know what I mean. Landon may leave in a couple of months or a week or two, and you’ll never see him again. Does that mean you can’t be happy now? Let’s get back to the barn.”
It took her a second to register that he was ending the conversation so abruptly. But she should have known he wouldn’t sit still for long.
As Audrie followed her best friend back to the barn, his words weighed heavily on her. Yes, all she had was now. Nobody was guaranteed tomorrow, but she knew herself. If she let herself fall for Landon, when he did leave, she’d be devastated. She wasn’t sure she could handle her heart being broken yet again.
10
They tried four different locations for the Christmas card scene, finally deciding on the living room. Landon was just glad they were at the main house after a long day out in the heat, shooting a few scenes inside the barn. They’d also worked on a scene requiring Jessica to ride the horse on a big stretch of land near the barn.
That was one thing Landon would never get used to—how long it took to shoot even just a page or two of the script. He’d heard these productions moved much faster than other TV shows and movies, so he couldn’t imagine what other sets were like.
They didn’t need his advice on the Christmas card scene, so Landon snuck out onto the back deck where he enjoyed his afternoon cup of coffee. It was cooling down, thanks to the sun having disappeared off behind the house. The back deck was fully shaded now, and it was a huge relief not to have the sun beating down on him.
A crunching sound off to his left put Landon at attention. He leaned forward in his rocking chair, but he couldn’t see anyone. It could be someone on the crew taking a break or coming around to the back of the building to check out the property. Or it could be Audrie.
It was that last thought that got his heart beating a little faster.
Every time they were in the same room, Landon had to resist the urge to look at Audrie. He didn’t want to be caught making eyes at his coworker, especially since Jessica seemed to get even more flirtatious when Audrie was around. The last thing he wanted to do was push Jessica to flirt harder than she already was.
“Hello?”
The unmistakable sound of Audrie’s voice floated up to him. This time, he pushed himself forward and stood, walking to the railing and looking over. She was coming around the side of the building, her long hair pulled back in a ponytail. She wore very light makeup today, probably because of the heat. The natural look was beautiful on her.
Landon set his coffee cup down on the railing and smiled down at her. “Are you finished for the day?” he asked.
“Yes.” She stopped, hands on hips, and looked around. “Where is everyone?”
“Inside.” He nudged his head backward to indicate the building behind him. “They’re using your box of Christmas cards.”
That got her attention. She looked up at him with a big smile.
“My box?” she asked.
He nodded. “Turns out, you were better at picking out the right cards than I was. My brother said most of mine are unusable.”
Suddenly, the door behind him opened. Landon spun around, nearly knocking off his coffee mug in the process. He grabbed it with both hands just in time.
“Could we keep it down out here?” the production assistant poked his head through to ask.
Landon nodded. “Sorry.”
He’d forgotten all about the movie set behind him. He could only imagine how it sounded inside, the two of them yelling at each other with filming going on mere feet away.
When Landon turned back around to suggest Audrie come up to the deck, he saw she was no longer in the same spot. She was making her way along the bank, arms out in the air on either side of her to balance. He found it cute, the way she did that. The land beneath the deck had steep spots, but for the most part, it was fairly easy to walk. Still, she seemed extra cautious.
He took his mug back to the rocking chair he’d been sitting in, which was right next to another one. Both chairs had a view of the lit-up Christmas tree, which would only become more pronounced as the sun went down and darkness fell.
After a minute or so of stair creaks as she walked up, Audrie appeared at the top of the steps. She came straight to where he was sitting, taking the rocking chair next to him just as he’d hoped.
“I guess we’re in trouble.” Audrie smiled over at him. “We were talking in class, and we got reprimanded.”
He liked that. He was going to be in trouble. He could think of no better partner in crime than the beautiful hairstylist seated next to him.
