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His comment instantly raised her hackles. That was one thing that bugged Lana to no end. All through the time they dated, people kept focusing on the fact that Hayden wasn’t an actor but was merely a prop manager. As if dating a prop guy was somehow beneath her. No matter what had happened between the two of them, she didn’t want anyone putting Hayden down.
“He has a name,” Lana said under her breath. She tossed a glare at Brent before exiting the med tent.
Lana took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as she walked toward the beach. She’d allowed herself to get all worked up and needed to cool off. Who cared if she had to film in a couple of hours? She needed to ground herself. She tossed her heels to the sand and walked toward the ocean. Maybe she could lose herself in the gorgeous aqua tones of the sea and forget about Hayden for a few moments. Maybe then she could get into the headspace she needed to do her job.
And maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t spend the next few hours thinking about the way Hayden smelled, or how it had felt to be held by him once again.
CHAPTER2
Hayden watched Lana stalk toward the beach, her feet kicking up sand as she went. She always did have a spit-fire temper. But that spark gave her personality. He liked that she didn’t take any guff from anyone. She also didn’t care what anyone else thought.
Feelings of regret surfaced. If he hadn’t broken up with Lana, would they still be together? Would they be married now? Or would it have ended in heartbreak, like everyone kept warning him? As Lana reached the water, movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention.
“Lana, dear!” Gail Wentworth, Lana’s mother, waved her arm high in the air as she made a beeline for the ocean. “Don’t go in too far. You don’t want to ruin your hair,” her voice carried over the breeze.
Hayden let out a breath as Gail reached Lana and fawned over her. As much as he liked Lana, he couldn’t stand her mother. And, unfortunately, they came as a package deal. Wherever Lana was, Gail would be sure to follow.
He did have to admit that Gail had aged well. Even in her sixties, she commanded attention with her long, dark hair and large eyes. It wasn’t hard to see where Lana got her beauty. Lana had the same exotic look with her high cheekbones and smooth skin. Gail had been quite the star in her prime, thirty years ago, before Lana was born. After a million movie deals and just about as many husbands, she was the epitome of a has-been. Now she played bit roles and relived her glory years through Lana’s success.
And she spent the rest of her time making sure nothing stood in Lana’s way. Especially not a lowly prop guy.
Hayden sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. He’d ignored Gail at first, when he and Lana first started dating. But the more he fell for Lana, the harder Gail came at him, and the more she convinced him that dating a nobody would be bad for Lana’s career. The final straw was that stupid news story that broke about their relationship. He couldn’t believe all the hate that spewed out over the internet toward them. He couldn’t stand by and let her career go down the drain because of him.
It killed him to break things off with her, but he was glad he did it before things got too serious between them. She was surely over him by now. It hurt to see her stiffen when he touched her, but it was better for her in the long run. If only he could cage the feelings that kept rising in him. He’d almost blown it back at the med tent. He should never be alone with her again. He might say something he would regret.
Spencer appeared and sprinted toward him. Spencer was one of the runners on his team. He’d hired him six months ago in Los Angeles, fresh out of college. He was young and energetic, and Hayden couldn’t help but like the guy.
“There you are,” Spencer said, out of breath. He ran a hand over his spikey red hair. “I’ve been looking all over for you. I can’t find the camera we bought for this scene. I’ve looked everywhere.”
Alarm spread through Hayden. “The Canon? It has to be around somewhere. You checked the trunks for this set?”
“Yes. It’s not in any of them.” Spencer glanced out at the beach, as if the camera would appear on the sand.
Hayden clenched his fists. That was an old 35mm. They needed that specific model for this scene. How could it have gotten lost? “Go check again. I’ll help you look.”
“Okay.” Spencer scampered away.
Hayden took one last look at Lana before turning to follow Spencer. The two of them tore the prop tent apart, but Spencer was right. The camera wasn’t anywhere. Hayden’s throat tightened as he looked at his watch. “Filming is supposed to start in a couple of hours.”
Spencer stared at him with wide eyes, his freckles standing out against his stark skin. “I know.”
There was no other choice. He had to go out and try to find another 35mm Canon. He let out a heavy sigh. “Keep looking. If you find it, call me. I’ll try sweeping the pawn shops.”
Spencer nodded. “I’ll call the second I find it, I swear.”
Hayden left knowing it wasn’t going to be found. Someone had probably checked it off the list before putting it in the trunk, and it got left on the lot in Hollywood. Blast it all, he’d have to run to make sure they had something similar before the entire day of shooting was ruined.
The missing camera, along with Lana’s loathing, was going to make his day just fantastic. Maybe tonight he could soak his head in lighter fluid and crawl into the dryer. Sounded like that would be fitting.
CHAPTER3
Lana flipped the page and read her next lines from the script, crossing her feet on the lounge chair. The breeze picked up and caught the edge of her floppy hat, pulling it off her head. She caught it before it flew into the sea and clamped it back in place. She’d been trying to catch some sun while still making sure she didn’t get a burn, but the wind had different ideas.
What she needed was to focus. She knew the lines already. She just needed to get into character. Charlotte Smith, the newspaper photographer. Charlotte had lost her father the previous year. His camera, the old kind that used film, was the one possession of his she had. She needed that prop so she could walk the beach and feel that connection. Which meant she needed to go talk to Hayden.
Lana swallowed. No, she wasn’t making an excuse to go see Hayden. This was just a normal part of her job. She shoved aside any awkwardness and stood. She had to work with Hayden. So, what? It wasn’t like she was stalking him.
She psyched herself up so much that when she got to the prop manager’s tent and realized he wasn’t there, her shoulders fell. “Who are you?” she asked the man who couldn’t be much older than the legal drinking age. She cringed when it sounded rude. “I mean, where’s Hayden?”
