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“Why is she on set?” Jessica asked as Audrie spritzed a light layer of anti-frizz spray on her hair.
It took under a second to realize the actress was actually talking to her. And she was referring to someone else as the “she” who wasn’t supposed to be on set. Since when had Jessica started confiding in her hairstylist? Maybe that morning was just an anomaly, and she’d be nice to Audrie from here on out. But she still sounded angry. She was just speaking under her breath so nobody else could hear.
“Who?” Audrie looked around.
“That nobody actress over there.” Audrie pressed her lips together and shifted her gaze to the right.
There were plenty of people around, but there was only one actress that Audrie could see. It was Tracie, the actress who was flirting with Peter.
“I think she said she’s waiting around to shoot her scene with you this morning,” Audrie said.
Jessica rolled her eyes. “Of course, she’ll say that. She doesn’t want to admit she’s just here to flirt with my ex-boyfriend.”
Audrie kept her expression neutral. It was a look she’d perfected over the years. Hairstylists heard it all, even in a small town. Women confessed they were having affairs, people gossiped to others in the salon about acquaintances, best friends bad-mouthed each other…
Yes, it wasn’t unusual for people to confess things to her they’d never admitted to anyone else. She kept their secrets. She was kind of like a therapist in that sense. She had a selfish reason for being discreet, in addition to a basic desire to be a good person. It made her job interesting, hearing all the gossip.
“He’d just better watch out,” Jessica said, still speaking in that low tone that kept her from being overheard. “Two can play that game.”
“Okay, we’re losing that morning light!” Michael called out. “Places, everyone.”
Those orders cut into their conversation, eliminating all hope that Audrie might get some clarification on what Jessica meant. Was she threatening Peter or just promising some sort of revenge? Audrie really wanted to know.
There was no time to even ask about it, though. She could only step off to the sidelines and watch while the scene started up again, Jessica jumping right back into character. No one else would have any idea of the evil, determined glint that had been in her eyes just seconds ago.
4
Outside, it might be August, but inside the food tent, it was full-on December.
Someone had covered the interior of the tent in Christmas lights, strung all across the roof. There was a Christmas tree in the back corner, and the serving tables bore bright red tablecloths with fake poinsettias. At least, Landon assumed they were fake. He doubted someone could track down those plants this time of year—not in a small town like Corbin, anyway.
“Hey.”
He was so caught up in taking it all in, he didn’t realize he wasn’t alone until he heard that voice. His first thought was that it belonged to the beautiful brunette he’d met earlier that day. Instead, it was a completely unfamiliar sight—Jessica Marlowe with a big smile on her face. At some point, she’d snuck into the food tent without him noticing.
“Hi?” He worded it as a question.
His gaze was already scanning the area behind her. Not just for signs of Audrie but for signs of anyone who could make this make sense.
“What’s up?” He was still not looking directly at her.
“I heard you rounded up lunch for us,” she said, taking a step closer.
He resisted the urge to immediately step back. Would that be rude?
“That was really nice of you,” Jessica said.
He frowned at her. “Christian actually—”
“Maybe you can help me a little later,” she interrupted. “I’ve never been on a farm before, so I’m not sure how things work, and you’re a cowboy. You’ve spent time on a farm.”
“Ranch,” he said. “This is a ranch. So is the location in the script.”
She shrugged. “Farm, ranch. Same thing.”
“Actually, they’re not—”
“You’re a consultant,” she interrupted again. At this point, he wasn’t even sure she knew he was speaking at all. “I just need you to, you know,consult. Isn’t that what you do?”
