Maybe lack of sleep was preventing him from learning his lines this morning, though he’d fought enemy combatants in the field with no rest for three days straight. Mac pulled out his phone. Instead of texting, he pulled up FaceTime because he needed to hear Keely’s voice and see her.
She answered, her hair damp, “Hey. How is learning your lines going?”
“Dead in the water. I can’t remember anything I read. I know you told me to devote all day to this but I’m spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere.”
“Hmm.” She thought a moment. “My friend, Knox, tapes his scripts and listens to the tape to commit lines to memory. Maybe you could do that.”
“Maybe.” He paused. “It didn’t seem like work when we ran lines together.”
Her smile caused his heart to skip a beat. “You did learn pages pretty quickly as we rehearsed. Would you like to come over and—”
“I’ll be there in half an hour. If that’s okay.”
Keely’s smile widened and Mac thought it could chase away storm clouds because it was so sunny. “See you then.”
He grabbed his keys and hurried out the door, only to return and pick up his script. Laughing, he thought he was as excited as a fifth grader who’d passed a note to the girl he had a crush on and she’d checked the “like” box. His heart soared, happy that he’d be able to spend at least part of the day with the woman he loved.
As Mac pulled out of his parking lot, he marveled at how his life had changed so rapidly. It seemed normal to be in love. To be excited about work. After the Ellen fiasco, he’d barely looked at a woman and never saw himself falling in love.
Then again, he hadn’t known Keely Kennedy was out there, a perfect fit for him.
Mac arrived and rang the doorbell, immediately hearing Jax yodel from inside. The dog proved protective of Keely but he’d started to grow use to Mac being around. Jax better because Mac wasn’t going anywhere.
Keely opened the door and he stepped inside. She closed it quickly.
“Did you see anyone on a motorcycle lurking outside?”
“I didn’t notice anyone.” He saw the worried look on her face. Keely had shared that a photographer had followed her for a couple of days, ever since filming had begun. “You’re worried about nothing, babe,” he said reassuringly.
She shook her head, a spark of anger in her eyes. “Don’t dismiss me, Mac. I know what I’m talking about. I’m not an A-lister. I’m a B-lister, at most. I make the columns every now and then where it’s ‘people like us.’ They’ve snapped me gassing up my car or coming out of Costco with toilet paper and paper towels. I’m not someone the paparazzi usually follows around, though. I think someone’s sniffed out our relationship.”
She went to her iPad and brought up an article. Handing it to him, she said, “Read this. It was online this morning.”
He skimmed the story, which reported he’d taken over the Beau Braxton role in Murder at Magic Hour. It surprised him it had taken this long for the news to break. Sydney had told him she was lowballing his hiring so they could get as much in the can as possible before the press discovered his casting and had a field day with it.
“Okay. So, the public now knows I’m in a film.”
Keely growled. “Never mind. When you get sucked into the vortex, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She kissed him quickly. “Let’s get to work.”
As before, they practiced their lines, bouncing them and ideas off each other at the end of each scene. They discussed the notes Sydney had given each of them. The more they rehearsed, the easier it became for Mac to focus on not only memorizing the words but his delivery of them.
Keely tossed her script onto the coffee table. “We need a break. A long break. We’ve been at it for hours and it’s the weekend. Time to play.” She glanced at Jax. “Want to go hiking?”
The basenji yelped and began turning in circles.
“I guess that’s a yes from Jax.”
Mac jumped to his feet and turned twice, imitating the dog. “Same from me.”
“Let me slather on some sunscreen. Back in a moment.”
He scrolled through his cell and replied to a few emails as he waited. When she returned, Keely wore a ball cap and sunglasses and had a small backpack which she loaded with water and peanut butter crackers.
“Ready.”
They crossed the PCH and headed east in order to hike part of Topanga Canyon. Being outside had Mac as happy as Jax, who scrambled over the landscape, continually doubling back to make sure they followed him. They stopped on the rise of a hill at one point and Mac pulled her close for a quick kiss. Keely pushed away quickly.
“Not outside. I keep telling you.”
He let out an exasperated sigh. “Keely, we’re in the middle of nowhere. I can barely see that couple hiking over there. No one else is around.”
“You’d be surprised. Long-range lenses. Drones. The paparazzi has gotten clever over the years. Besides, anyone you pass today has a cell phone camera. People take pictures and videos of cops making arrests. Car accidents. And in LA, everyone’s looking to make a quick buck and take a picture that’ll make them famous.”
“Okay. No more kisses. For now.” He glanced at his watch. “We should probably head back. My head’s cleared. If you want, we can put in a couple of more hours and then have dinner.”
They returned to her cottage. Jax eagerly lapped up an entire bowl of water and then curled on top of his doggy pillow next to the fireplace. Keely mixed a meatloaf and put it and a couple of potatoes in the oven to bake. They returned to the sofa and the next scene. By the time the timer went off, Mac had a sense of relief, knowing he knew his lines for at least the next three days of filming if not more.
From the kitchen, Keely called out, “Do you mind eating in front of the TV? I’d like to watch the news.”
“I’ll queue it up,” he called.
She brought in their plates and returned for a large bowl of salad while he set up snack trays. They situated themselves as the nightly broadcast came on.
“I’m a bit of a news junkie,” she confessed. “Especially when it comes to politics.”
“I like that about you. You’re not only interested in show business.”
“That gets old fast. I enjoy traveling. Play beach volleyball. I also meditate.”
He grimaced. “You meditate? Too New Age-y for me.”
“I thought the same until I tried it,” Keely told him. “You might like it.”
“Not a chance. I hate to sit still. I like boxing. Running. I’ve done a few half-marathons. I’ve been thinking about training for an iron man competition.”
She squeezed his bicep. “No wonder you’re in such good shape,” she said playfully.
They ate and discussed the various news stories that came on. Mac thought how normal—and wonderful—it was to share a meal and intelligent conversation. He’d spent too many dinners alone, eating takeout or microwaving something, clicking through a hundred different channels and not finding anything to hold his attention. Keely grounded him.
He wondered if he suggested they move in together if she’d think it was too soon.