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“I’ll be walking next to the float. Support crew.”
“Nice.” I must’ve still looked confused because he smiled at me. Dave rarely smiled.
“Dude. I don’t talk about things, but it doesn’t mean I don’t have a life. And I enjoy my job, so sometimes keeping those words on the inside isn’t a bad thing.”
“Silent Dave.” I was a dick.
He rolled his eyes. “I could say the same about you, Silent Con.”
Now I was smiling too. “Just two silent dudes running around in a big fancy car.”
“Just two silentqueerdudes running around in a big fancy car. Sometimes silences are comfortable. And to be honest, you’re a good guy to work with. Easy. No stupid demands. Regular pitstops. No drunk hook-ups in tow. It’s appreciated.”
OK. If I had been confused before, now I felt totally blindsided.
Dave threw his hands in the air. “Look. My husband works on set too. It’s chill. We just keep it real. Private. And that’s the way things should be. Doesn’t mean anything is different. But I’m really pleased you’re here. It’s needed, OK? You being here will mean the world to people, so just roll with it. Have fun. And don’t worry too much. The world doesn’t change just because some bloke rides around on the back of a lorry, but sometimes it can be just what someone else needs.”
“Yeah.” Too many words from Dave was weird, and my own words were in short supply as my brain seemed to have imploded. I swallowed and blinked to refocus.
“You’re a cool guy, Dave.”
“Ditto,” he said. “If you need me, I’ll be walking on the left of the float.”
Then he walked off. Typical Silent Dave.
“Connor!” As if my brain wasn’t already fried, here was Caroline looking far too serious for my liking as she dragged me towards a corner, slipping us out the back of the tent. I hadn’t realised how hot it was inside, and the cool shade against a concrete wall was heavenly.
“Need a word,” she said, sounding concerned.
“OK?” I had no idea what was happening right now, but I had a bad feeling in my stomach, as she got her vape out of her pocket and took a deep drag.
“You need to get off those things,” I scolded her.
“At least I’m off the cigs.” She blew out air. “Not that I haven’t wanted to get back on them. I almost bought a pack yesterday, having a panic in the car.”
“You OK?” I asked. She looked a little unhinged, and that wasn’t Caroline. She was usually much more put together than this. She was wearing an un-ironed shirt tied around her waist and her hair was up in a messy top knot, yet herWhite NoiseT-shirt was immaculate and tucked neatly into her jeans.
“Not really. But listen, Con…”
“I’m listening,” I grabbed her arms, holding her as she took a deep breath.
“I don’t know if you know, but I’ve had some interesting conversations. Did you know that the entire set is still up in Norfolk? Everyone is still there, but they sent us home.”
“Really?” That made no sense.
“They have Hamish, Justin, Natalie and Paya up there, the whole stunt team alongside our body doubles. You know Paya and I talk all the time?”
“OK?” I needed coffee and a sit-down. My heart was doing strange things and my thoughts were making no sense, but Caroline was looking at me, waiting for the coin to drop.
Goosebumps formed on my arms when it. Oh…shit.
“First, they sacked Sally. Rightly so because that last scene you filmed? People were worried. It wasn’t right.”
“It was fine. I was just over-emotional.”
“You were a bloody wreck, Connor. Even I was worried. Production was having emergency meetings.”
“And nobody talked to me?”
