She searched his eyes for a moment, then nodded. “Sure.” She turned and headed back to the golf cart.
Ryder nudged him in the ribs and raised his eyebrows in an are you kidding me look. Chase grinned and shrugged. Yeah, so he’d asked Becca Sandoza out. Sort of.
Becca got in beside the driver in the front, while Chase and Ryder got in the back. He was feeling every bruise and burn now. Hot shower was definitely out. Cool to lukewarm would have to suffice.
In the staging area bathrooms, he stripped off his gear and showered as quick as he could. After putting on fresh clothes, he stopped at the mirror and grimaced. It looked like he’d been baking in the sun for two days without any sunscreen. The skin on his nose and upper cheeks was definitely going to peel, and his eyebrows were thinner.
All in a day’s work.
When he came out, Ryder and Becca looked up from the picnic table they were sitting at. “Food trailer was closing to get dinner going, so I got you a plate,” Ryder said, pushing it toward him.
“Thanks.” He swung his leg over the bench seat and sat next to Becca.
“You sore?” she asked him.
Oh, hell yes. “Not bad,” he said, not missing Ryder’s grin.
“Here, I brought you this,” she said, and pulled a tube of aloe vera from her purse. “It’ll soothe your skin, and it’s all natural.”
“I can’t tell where I need to put it,” he lied. He could feel every exact square inch of the scorched area.
She squeezed some out on her fingertips and turned to him. “Can I...?”
“Sure.”
With a gentle touch she began dabbing the gel gently on his stinging skin as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Getting burned was totally worth it if it meant Becca Sandoza doctored him up afterward.
Her touch was cool and light as she smoothed the gel across his cheeks, nose and forehead. “Close your eyes,” she murmured.
Chase did, sitting complacently while she put it on his eyelids, aware of Ryder watching them and imagining his amused grin the whole time.
“There,” she pronounced.
He opened his eyes to find her closing the cap, watching him. “Feels a bit better.”
“Good. Put it on every hour at least until the redness goes away.” She pushed the tube into his hand and gave him a half-smile that made his heart thud against his ribs. She shook her head. “Ryder’s right, stunt performers are crazy.”
Probably. But it beat the hell out of a day in the office, and Chase was planning to do as much of it as he could for as long as he could, socking away money while his chance lasted. Given the dangerous nature of the job, he was well aware that every shoot could be his last.
He eyed Becca’s plate. “Is that all you’re eating?” A few veggies, some salad and a bit of fish. Hardly enough for a snack.
“Unfortunately, yes. It’s portion-controlled fish and chicken and veggies for me until the shoot’s over. Until I start prepping for my next role.”
He understood the pressure of keeping your body in top condition, but from what he’d seen it was way worse for women in the industry. Chase thought it was ridiculous and wrong.
Becca took her job seriously, and her reputation as well. She was known for being a hard worker and a team player, but she never got too friendly with the cast or crew. Her private life was exactly that, and Chase had never heard anything about it except for the occasional rumor that went around about her dating someone.
She’d been filming on and off since he started his stunt work on this film, and so far, their schedules had mostly conflicted. They’d only seen each other on set a couple times until today, and yet it felt like no time at all had passed since he’d last talked to her.
“How’s it going so far,” he asked, forking up a bite of his lunch, totally ignoring Ryder.
“Pretty well, I think.” She ate a bite of salad, frowning at him. “Do you have to be lit on fire again for this one?”
“No,” he said on a chuckle. “But if I do, will you promise to put aloe on me then too?”
Her cheeks flushed slightly, her eyes sparkling. “Sure. I heard you’re going to be body doubling for Patrick now?”
Her co-star. Chase nodded. “Other double got bronchitis or something, so they thought they might as well make use of me while I’m around.” That on top of his stunt work made for a damn nice paycheck.
“Good. That means we’ll see each other more.”
Was she flirting with him? He couldn’t even tell at this point. Becca was the consummate professional on and off set, so no, she probably wasn’t flirting. “Yeah, we will,” he answered, swallowing the flirtatious comeback on his tongue.
“What about you, Ryder? Are you rethinking your career choice and contemplating more stunt work with this guy instead?” she nodded at Chase.
“No, ma’am. Just waiting for my background check to go through, and then for my first official assignment. Probably in the LA area.”
Ryder had done work as an extra and joined SAG while training with him over the past two months, all to have the chance for a gig like this. Chase was enjoying every moment of working with his best buddy. The last time, they’d been in uniform together overseas.
“Maybe I’ll hire you,” she said with a friendly smile.
Chase’s attention sharpened on her in surprise. “Don’t you already have personal security?” She should have someone with her all the time. She was too big a name not to.
She grimaced, and something flashed in her eyes, gone too fast for him to decipher before she lowered her gaze. “No, I’ve been holding off on that for as long as I can except for when I travel or do events. But I think it’s time to reconsider that now.”
Chase and Ryder both stared at her in astonishment, but a ring tone sounded before either of them could ask what she meant by that.
She fished her phone out of her purse, read the message, and sighed. “It’s Patrick. He needs to go over some lines with me for tomorrow morning’s shoot.” She put the phone away and stood, giving them an apologetic smile. “Sorry to eat and run, but duty calls.”
“No worries. Take this with you,” Chase said, holding out her barely-touched plate when she would have walked away without it. The woman needed to eat.
“Thanks.” She took it, smiled at Ryder. “Make sure he takes care of himself.”
“Will do.”
Facing Chase once more, she gave him a gentle smile that hit him dead in the heart. “See you around.”
“You bet.” He went back to eating, allowed himself only two sideways glances at her as she walked away. And then she was gone.
“Wow,” Ryder muttered.
Chase lowered his fork, leaning closer to his buddy. “Was she flirting with me?”
Ryder chewed his food thoughtfully and swallowed. “Honestly? I’m not sure.”
Maybe he was reading something into it that wasn’t there. But when she looked at him, he felt something deep inside. Or maybe that was wishful thinking.
Ryder reached out and slugged him in the shoulder with a grin. “It’s good to have dreams, man.”
“Ha-ha,” he muttered, and went back to wolfing down his lunch. He was starving. But his face hurt less now.