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Chapter 13
Oh, to have that kind of love.Callie could only imagine it.
“I can’t believe Rick did that for her.” Breaking out of her reverie, she sat up slowly as the black-and-white credits forCasablancabegan to roll. The patrons in the half-filled theater began rising and chattering as they collected their empty popcorn buckets.
“I can.” Jake picked up her jacket and stood to hold it out. “When you love someone that much, you’d sacrifice anything for them. Even your own happiness.”
“Have you ever loved someone that much?” She wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to know if Jake had a passionate, be-all-end-all love in his past, but she couldn’t help asking.
“Not romantically. But I’d do anything for my mother and sister, especially fight the good fight. Like Blaze Ripley, I guess.”
“No.” Callie slipped her arms into her jacket. “Blaze is like Jake Ryan, not the other way around. Anyone can see how much of you is in that character, which is why he’s become so iconic. You’ve calibrated and polished your role to perfection. But I think that’s also why you’re looking for different roles now. Even if it weren’t for the lousy script and all the rest of it, Blaze wouldn’t be a challenge for you anymore. You’re too good an actor to have a career that doesn’t challenge you.”
She reached back to pull her hair out of the collar just as Jake took hold of her ponytail and tugged it free. His warm fingers grazed her nape, sending a rush of heat down her spine. Then he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“I like you a lot, Professor Prescott.”
Her heartbeat quickened, and she turned to face him. “I like you, too. And I’m glad you’ve taken a step that will show the world how much more there is to you. Have you heard anything from Conrad Birch about theTruthrole?”
He shook his head, his eyes clouding. “He’s probably cast it already, and my agent is pissed off so he wouldn’t have pushed me for the part.”
“Sounds like you need a new agent, then.”
“Yeah, but I have to wait until this mess dies down.” He took his phone from his pocket and turned the screen toward her to show her the hundreds of text and email notifications he’d received. “Everyone is talking about me walking away fromFatal Glory. I don’t need more crap right now about firing my agent.”
She frowned at the phone. “What are they saying?”
“I’m trying not to pay much attention to it, but it sounds like what I’d expected. People are shocked and upset, and there’s a lot of buzz that I was greedy and wanted more than the studio would offer.” He held her hand as they filed out of the row and descended the mezzanine steps. “I gave my PR firm a statement to put out, especially for the fans. If nothing else, at least this news has lessened the rumors about the paparazzi incident.”
“Since you’ve walked away fromFatal Glory, are you free to do what you want now?” Callie asked. “Can you make your own movies?”
“With the right backing, I could. But I should work with different filmmakers first, see how they do things.”
“Why? You should do things the way you want to, not how they would. Make the movies you want to make.”
“Eventually I’d like to.” He opened the auditorium door for her as they stepped into the lobby. “I love movies that have something to say. I mean, something more nuanced thangood triumphs over evil. I’ll never get tired of that message, but there’s just a lot more than that.”
“What’s the message ofTruth?”
“That at the core, we all want the same thing. That everyone has a unique and fascinating story, if we take the time to listen. That nothing is everordinary.Every minute of our lives is amazing.”
A mixture of pleasure and sorrow swirled through Callie. She’d never thought of every minute in her life asamazing. Just the opposite, in fact. Her life was composed of minutes packed with work and responsibilities. She had enjoyable moments with her family and proud moments when she broke through a difficult theory or received a copy of a published paper, but…amazing? Not so much.
Except for these moments with Jake.
“That’s the appeal of smaller movies.” He shrugged, looking faintly embarrassed. “I know it sounds stup…silly, but it’s like the difference between going to a big, wild, extravagant party with five hundred of your closest friends or sitting down for a quiet candlelit dinner at home with the woman you love. The first one is fun and crazy, and you have a great time and are lucky to be there…but the second is the way you want to spend most evenings for the rest of your life.”
An ache of longing pushed at her heart. She was enough of a realist to know she could never be the woman sitting across from Jake at the candlelit table, but she loved that hewantedto be at that table. For the rest of his life.
She squeezed his hand and let go as they stepped outside into the cool evening air. “The Mousehole again?”
“Let’s go for a drive.” He peered up at the sky, which lacked its usual cover of marine fog. “I haven’t been outside of town much at all. Do people still visit the lighthouse?”
“Yes, but it closes at dusk. We can drive up there, though.”
They walked to his car, and Jake started on the coastal road leading out of Bliss Cove. The ocean spread out along the base of the rocky shore, moonlight glimmering on the water’s surface. The Bliss Cove Lighthouse sat at the top of a steep cliff, silhouetted against the sky like a pawn in a game of chess.
A gate barred access to the parking lot, and Jake stopped the car on a turnout near the cliff’s plateau known as Lighthouse Point. Callie leaned forward to peer out the windshield at the star-sprinkled sky.
