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“Yep… it was one of those typical stories. Married too young, for the wrong reasons. Charlotte wanted a quiet life in the suburbs with a nine-to-five job, which you don’t get when you’re married to an actor. I dealt with the stress by throwing myself into my job and…” He sipped his water and sighed. “I took it too far.”
Bob brought our meals out and placed them in front of us, but even though I was ravenous, I didn’t touch mine. Not yet. I watched Isaac, waiting for him to continue.
“I don’t blame her for leaving,” he said. “I would have left me, too, if I could have. But I had to deal with it. Not only the fallout for my career, but knowing that I might have missed my only chance to have a family.”
His hands were on the table and I reached over to squeeze one.
“I’m sure that wasn’t your only chance,” I said. “Look at how you’re rebuilding your career — I’m sure you could still build a family, too. With the right woman this time, not one who expects you to be someone you’re not.”
Isaac looked thoughtful, and I suddenly realized how that must have sounded to him.
Holy crap, it sounded like I was suggesting thatIcould be the right woman. I was far too lightheaded to be giving life advice, so I released Isaac’s hand and picked up my fork instead and dug it into the salmon.
“I mean, you’re a handsome man. Sexy, I mean. Wait…”
Crap, crap, crap.
I could tell that Isaac was trying not to laugh.
“It’s okay, I know what you mean.” He slipped a forkful of salmon in his mouth and chewed.
We both reached for the salt shaker at the same time. He got there first, and when I closed my fingers around his, I snatched my hand away as though I’d touched a gas burner.
“Sorry,” I mumbled and returned to eating my dinner as he scattered salt over his meal with the corners of his mouth turned up like he was trying not to smile.
“How’s everything going?” Bob asked, coming up next to us. I knew my face must have been red, so I used all my self-control to pretend that everything was completely normal.
“Lovely.” I gave him a wide smile. “The salmon’s cooked perfectly.”
“Glad to hear it.” Bob looked at our almost-empty carafe of water. “Can I get you more drinks?”
“Water, please,” Isaac said. He leaned forward as Bob walked away. “I know this might make me sound like a square, but I don’t drink alcohol.”
“Neither do I,” I admitted. I knew it wasn’t a big deal, but after seeing Dean’s full bottle of vodka, I’d assumed that drinking a lot was normal for actors. I poured myself more water and held it up so we could clink our glasses together. It was a small thing to bond over, but it diffused some of the tension between us and I felt better as I ate the rest of my meal.
He gave me acting tips as we ate, including advice on how to cry on cue (“Think of your saddest memory”), how to reactwhen other actors were speaking (“Communicate your feelings through your body, rather than your voice”), and how to avoid the things I’d done that had annoyed Preston (“Stop touching your bloody hair”).
“It’s not a four-year acting degree,” he said as he scraped the last bite of salmon on his fork, “but it’ll make a huge difference to your performance.”
“I appreciate it.”
I stayed at the table while he slipped a check, as promised, into April’s brother’s hand. The air was still warm as we walked out into the night and it struck me how natural it would feel to take his hand right now. I clasped my fingers together to reduce the temptation, but it didn’t stop me from feeling that I’d just been on a first date.
Stop it, I told myself. I was being paid a fortune to work for six weeks, and only a week in, I’d already slept with one of my colleagues. The last thing I wanted was to end up being fired like Brooke.
“Should I take you back to your trailer?” I asked, unsure whether Isaac slept there or somewhere else.
“We’re staying in a motel just out of town. The Lakeside Lodge Motor Inn. Do you know it?”
“Know it? I lost my virginity there,” I said with a laugh, then mentally chastised myself for being too open with someone I barely knew. “It was a long time ago, though. I mean… I was eighteen.”
Isaac chuckled.
“At least those rooms have seen some action.” He kicked his legs out in front of him and crossed them at the ankles. “They won’t see any from the three of us.”
Three of us?He must have been referring to Wyatt and Dean. Sure enough, when I arrived at the motel, Dean was out on the patio, talking on his phone and pacing back and forth. Hesquinted into my car’s headlights and then moved his hand in the air like he was arguing with the person on the other end of the call.
“Thanks for the company,” Isaac said, and gave me a smile. “Obviously, I’m not going to invite you in, but I want you to know that I had a good time.”
