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Uh-oh. The boss is on the war path.
Luca is known for being tough and unforgiving, and the saying follows him. I don't know who is in the firing line this time, but it won't be me. It never is.
"Thanks for the heads up.”
Edie dips her head and shoots out the door, no doubt on her way to warn other people. I turn my attention to work, helping Scarlett remove the thick pancake make-up and false eyelashes.
Scarlett meets my eyes in the make-up mirror, her beautiful face lit by bulbs around the frame. Her mouth curves into a smile and she gives me a sassy wink. "What is it with you two?"
I twist away to hide my surprise. "There's no us two," I say, blowing off her question with a light-hearted response.
"Really? I saw the way he was looking at you," she teases.
"We've known each other for a long time, that's all."
I reach for a cleansing wipe, sensing Scarlett’s observant gaze but don't elaborate. It's none of her business. So what if she noticed a connection? Everyone notices. They always have, but it doesn't mean anything.
Although I don’t share the details with her, our grandparents emigrated from the same Italian village. Our parents are close friends, but from the first moment I fluttered my eyelashes at Luca, they made it clear a relationship between us was taboo.
Luca’s parents caught us kissing inside a parked car at a party they hosted. Both sides of the family reinforced rules and drew lines not to cross, but when we asked why, they gave us the same answer. It was either,hush, you're too young to understand,orwe don't speak of these things.
They made us feel so ashamed we stopped seeing each other. My parents cut social ties with his family. Dad still worked for Luca's father, but we didn't see his family for months.
The separation didn’t stop us from having feelings, but we didn’t act on them. Except for last New Year’s Eve, when fueled by champagne, Luca chased me around the maze in his garden. We were interrupted before anything happened, but it was the closest we came to crossing the line.
Regardless of how much I want Luca, there can never be an us. Too many people oppose the union. I hope I can get to theend of the shoot without doing something stupid or losing my mind.
The steps leading into the makeup trailer rattle and groan. Luca bursts through the door as though every part of the movie set belongs to him and I am part of the set. He doesn't bother knocking.
“What’s wrong with your hands?” I sass. “Don’t you believe in knocking?”
Scarlett gasps despite being a sassy, no-nonsense woman, finding it hard to believe anyone would dare speak to him that way.
Luca's fists are balled by his sides, and a muscle ticks in his jaw. He's not in the mood for games and glares at Scarlett. "Could you please report to Security and get your name checked off the list? Ryder's doing a head count."
Security?
Concerned, I hand Scarlett a mini make up remover pack which she gratefully accepts with a nod before skedaddling. I unclip the tool belt around my waist, place it on the counter with the makeup brushes, and grab my phone.
"Did something happen?" I switched off my comms unit when I left the set, assuming I wouldn't need it.
Luca places his hands on my upper arms, forcing me to stop moving. His eyes bore into mine and he looks me over intently before pulling me into his embrace. His warm, familiar scent comforts me. There's no need to fight my way out of his arms since we're alone in the trailer.
Luca strokes my hair lovingly, murmuring my name repeatedly. Crushed against his hard chest, my voice comes out muffled. "What is it? You're worrying me."
The comms unit attached to his belt crackles with an incoming message.
"All clear on set. Fire is contained.” It’s Ryder, head of security. “I repeat. Fire is contained."
Startled, I pull back far enough to look Luca in the eye, but he doesn't release his grip. "What fire? Oh my god, what happened?'
Luca shakes his head and waves his hand dismissively.
"Luca!" I admonish. "You mean you don't know?"
"Security called it when I was in the edit suite going over the dailies, but I ran straight here to find you." He runs a hand through his hair and blows out a breath. "I had to know you were okay." The depth of concern in his gaze makes my heart ache.
"It sounds like the experts have things under control," I say. "It's why you always hire the best."
