The backup bride proposa.., p.2
The Backup Bride Proposal, page 2
Who knew that making a movie took so many people and so much stuff?
“It’s a nightmare out there.” Erin bounced her six-month-old son, JJ, in her arms while staring out the dining room window. “An actual nightmare.”
“I know we’re going to regret this,” Brenna said, reaching over to play with JJ, who giggled in response.
“It’ll all be fine,” Maureen Bellini said.
Honor sighed. “Will it, Mom?”
“Yes, it will. We were very clear in the contract about where the crew can and cannot be, including stiff penalties for any damages to the property. They’ve assured me they’ll use utmost care while prepping and filming. Johnny and I went over earlier this morning to meet the director, the crew and the actors. We brought wine, and everyone was very nice and accommodating.”
“Hmph” was all Brenna had to say in response.
“I’ll be interested to see what changes they make to the wedding area,” Mae said.
Four sets of eyes turned to her. She grimaced. Okay, wrong thing to say.
“Anyway,” Maureen said. “Back to today’s agenda.”
Since this was the first week of the film crew being on board, they hadn’t booked any weddings. Wine harvest had already been done, so the crew wouldn’t be in the way other than people who wanted to book an appointment to tour the wedding venue.
“Honor and Mae will handle tours, mentioning that filming will be taking place,” Erin said, handing off a suddenly fussy JJ to Maureen, who smiled and made baby sounds to him. “Brenna, you and Dad will fiercely guard the vineyards.”
“As if I’d do anything else,” Brenna said.
Louise brought out breakfast. JJ grabbed for a potato, so Maureen gave it to him to munch on. Mae was amazed how the whole eating-solid-foods thing was going. Young mister JJ was a champion at it. An expert with sliced bananas, too.
“I also think it would be a great idea if Mae acts as our official liaison to the production company,” Erin said.
Mae blinked. “What?”
“Oh, excellent idea,” Brenna said.
“Agreed,” Maureen said.
“Uh…what exactly do I need to do?” she asked.
Brenna shrugged. “You know. Just…be our point person with the production staff. Oh, and the actors. That way if they have questions…”
“Or if they step out of line,” Honor added, “you’ll be the one to tell them to knock it off.”
Maureen nodded. “Agreed. I’ll let them know to come to you with anything they might need.”
“But…” She fumbled for some way out of this. “What about the Everson/Hones wedding? It’s another large one. Plus, there’s Brenna and Finn’s upcoming wedding. I was going to handle—”
Honor waved her hand back and forth. “Don’t even worry about it, Mae. I’ve got it all covered. And besides, the whole liaison thing isn’t a full-time gig.”
“It would be a huge help if you could handle it,” Maureen said. “We need someone to get close to production, make sure they don’t mess up our beautiful grounds.”
“Or violate the contract,” Erin said. “We know they’ll try to cut corners.”
“And there are so many people here already, Mae,” Brenna said. “You’re so good at managing. If anyone can do this, you can.”
Well, crap. She knew this family. They weren’t pushing this off on her, and they weren’t blowing smoke. They trusted her to protect the vineyards and wedding venues. “Sure. Of course.”
“Great.” Honor smiled. “Though I will miss you at Bellini Weddings.”
“Don’t think you can get rid of me that easily. I can juggle all of my responsibilities plus this. Expect me at meetings. And weddings.”
“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Maureen said.
“Exactly,” Erin said. “After all, we’ll need regular reports about what the movie people are doing.”
They put a plan together, and then Maureen contacted the director, Alexis Black, who set up a time today for Mae to meet with the team. After the Bellini meeting, Mae went into her office to go over her notes and plot her strategy. Also, to breathe, because she was nervous as hell.
She enjoyed the job she had, which allowed her to be more of a background player. She liked helping the wedding party with their special days, and also doing whatever she could to assist the Bellinis in whatever way they needed her. But this? This made her a key player, would put her front and center in a project that would give the Bellinis a serious amount of recognition.
She could not screw this up. She would walk over to the set, look around, start meeting people and get a feel for how it was going, and then she’d meet with Alexis Black and they’d gain an understanding.
She was so ready. Except she needed to step into the restroom and check her face and hair and outfit first. Hair, good. Face, outstanding. Outfit? Hmmm. It was a warm September day, and since it was Monday and meeting day, she hadn’t planned to see any clients, so she’d worn capris and a short-sleeved top. It was hardly the outfit she needed to be wearing to meet a Hollywood director.
She knocked on Honor’s office door.
“Come on in, Mae.”
She stepped into the office, waiting for Honor to look up from her laptop, but she didn’t, so she was obviously busy. Mae wanted to take up as little of her time as necessary since this was such a trivial thing. “I need to borrow a skirt and top for my meeting with Alexis Black.”
Now Honor looked up. “Of course. Go on up and help yourself.”
She was already halfway out the door. “Great, thanks.”
Even though Honor had moved out and now lived with her husband, Owen, she, like both her sisters, always kept extra clothes at the house. Since they all spent a lot of hours there and sometimes had to adjust from casual office attire to meet prospective clients, changes of clothing came in handy.
Mae stared into Honor’s closet, trying to figure out what the best outfit would be. She flipped through hangers over and over until she made herself dizzy. The problem was, she didn’t know what the hell she was supposed to wear to impress Hollywood types.
“Go for the red skirt and the white blouse.”
She turned around to see Brenna leaning against the doorway. “Red and white, huh?”
“Red screams attention, and the white silk top gives you that ‘I’m damn serious, but also check how hot I am’ look.”
Mae laughed. “All from two pieces of clothing, huh?”
Brenna shrugged. “Hey, it’s all about the ensemble. Oh, and here.” She took off one of her bracelets, a turquoise beauty. “This’ll look amazing against your skin.”
“Thanks.”
After Brenna left, Mae closed the door, changed clothes and slid the bracelet on, then checked herself out in Honor’s full-length mirror. She always kept black heels in her car, so those would go well with this ensemble.
Okay, she did look professional. And hot.
Now all she had to do was impress the director so she’d think Mae was completely in charge of this thing.
And Mae could totally do that.
* * *
••••••
“Why are you here? I don’t want to see you yet.”
Kane smirked at the aggravated look on Alexis Black’s face. She was more of a big sister to him than a director. They’d known each other for more than fifteen years. She was the star of the first movie he’d ever been cast in, when he had been only seventeen years old. He’d been terrified and unsure of himself and Alexis had befriended him, taught him everything he needed to know about the business, both the insides and outsides of it, and had gotten him roles he otherwise might not have gotten. Then, when he’d gotten his big break in that big-budget action movie directed by Oscar Valentine, Kane had brought Alexis as his plus-one to the premiere. Oscar and Alexis had fallen madly in love in one of the greatest Hollywood romances of all time, though Alexis still refused to marry him, calling the institution antiquated and unnecessary.
He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “How’s Oscar?”
“In Switzerland filming. And here I am in Oklahoma.” She patted his cheek. “Everly is still working on her film. She’s going to be late.”
Kane hated delays, but he’d been late to show up before, so he had to respect Everly being needed on one of her other films. “Of course she is. So what’s the plan?”
Alexis shrugged. “No clue. We may need to get a stand-in to get early shots. Are you ready to film?”
“Like always.”
“That’s what I love about you, Kane. You’re always prepared.”
There was a knock on the trailer door. It opened, and Brian, Alexis’s assistant, popped his head in.
“There’s a Mae Wallace here to see you, Alexis. She said she has an appointment.”
“Oh, right. Show her in, Brian.”
“She’s with the Bellini Weddings folks,” Kane said.
Alexis arched a brow. “You’ve been doing your research.”
“I like to get the geography down on a location shoot. And maybe check out the people I’ll be working with.”
She wagged a finger at him. “You will not be working with them. I will be liaisioning with them.”
“Uh-huh. Sure.”
“Hi. Hello. Are you Ms. Black?”
Kane turned around and smiled at Mae Wallace, who looked just as beautiful today as she had when he’d first seen her. Her wild curls had been somewhat tamed by pulling the upper strands back with pins, but Kane could imagine how lush and soft her hair was. Not that he’d ever get a chance to run his hands through it, which was a damn shame. He smiled at her.
She frowned at him. “Didn’t I throw you out of the wedding the other night?”
“You did.” He walked over to her and held out his hand. “Kane August.”
She barely shook his hand. “Mae Wallace. What, exactly, are you doing here, Kane August?”
Alexis snorted out a laugh. “Kane is the star of our movie, Ms. Wallace.”
She didn’t look the least bit starstruck. “Oh. Sorry. Didn’t recognize you. But you still shouldn’t have been on the property, or at a wedding uninvited.”
Alexis leaned back in her chair, her smirk evident. “Guess she laid those rules down fairly clearly, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, well, I’m not much for rules.”
“You should probably get used to them. We take pride in both the vineyard and our service to our wedding clients. We wouldn’t want their privacy disrupted as they celebrate their big day.”
Alexis stood and walked over to Mae, shaking her hand. “It won’t happen again, will it, Kane?”
“Sure.” He wouldn’t promise anything, and he enjoyed the high color of irritation on Mae’s cheeks.
“I won’t take up much of your time,” Mae said to Alexis. “I just wanted to meet you and let you know I’ll be your primary contact during this shoot.”
“Excellent. We’ll trade numbers and I’ll give you the production schedule. And if you wouldn’t mind, could you give Kane a tour of your grounds? It’ll help him get a feel for the atmosphere of the shoot.”
From the grimace on Mae’s face, that was the last thing she wanted to do, but she nodded and forced a smile. “Of course. I’d be happy to.”
“Great. I’ve got things to do, so I’ll email you the production schedule.”
They exchanged phone numbers and email addresses.
“I’m looking forward to working with you, Ms. Black,” Mae said.
“Same. And call me Alexis.”
“Only if you call me Mae.”
“Consider it done, Mae. Text or email if you have questions. And you’re welcome to sit in on meetings or any of the shoots.”
“I appreciate that.” She turned to Kane. “Are you ready for the tour?”
“Ready when you are.”
“Now works for me.” He motioned toward the door, so Mae turned.
“Behave yourself,” Alexis said, giving him a knowing grin.
“You know I will.” He gave her a wink.
Behave himself? Not likely.
Chapter
three
“We have several acres of vineyards,” Mae said, grateful for the overcast skies today as they walked among the grapes. “We just completed harvest so the vines are dormant at the moment.”
She walked side by side with Kane, trying not to notice how tall he was, or how his dark hair rustled in the breeze. He’d casually tossed on a cowboy hat as if it were the most natural thing for him to do. He walked with that predatory manliness that made her insides quiver with sexual awareness. His dark sunglasses gave her no sign of his expression, and she was glad she’d tossed on her shades despite the overcast skies, because she was definitely feeling things she would not like showcased on her face.
“The vineyard is still beautiful, though,” he said. “They need their rest. The vines work hard during the growing season.”
She titled her head to the side, openly ogling him now. “Well, wow. That was deep. And pretty knowledgeable.”
He laughed. “My grandpa has a small vineyard on the ranch. I spent my summers there.”
“The ranch. You grew up on a ranch?”
“No. I grew up in the city. My grandparents have a ranch.”
“Where?”
“Texas. North of Dallas.”
“No shit?”
“No shit.”
“Does your grandpa still have said vineyard?”
“He does. I figured if I get a break while I’m here, I’ll drive down and visit him. I’ve done back-to-back movies so it’s been about a year since I’ve been to the ranch. My gran died a couple of years ago and I’d love to see him.”
“I’m sorry about your grandma.”
“Thanks. She was pretty awesome. Made amazing pie. I miss her.”
He sounded so sincere. She would not think about him having a family. Or grandparents that he might actually care about. She preferred to dislike him on the spot like she had the night he’d crashed the wedding.
“Anyway, Johnny and Brenna are now in the process of preparing the grapes for crushing and fermentation, while also processing other vintages for production.”
“Sounds fun. I know the character I play is the best man in a wedding, and I know we got approval to do a chase through the wine cellar, along with my big fight with the groom.”
She stopped, turned and faced him. “Really.”
“Yeah.”
She pulled out her phone and made a note to ask Brenna about that, because she couldn’t imagine strangers being allowed in the cellars, let alone staging a fight there. “Anyway, on to the wedding venue.”
She walked him through the vineyards and stopped at the arbor that looked out over the grapes. Seeing acres of vineyard never ceased to inspire her. “We perform ceremonies out here. It makes for spectacular pictures. We also do ceremonies in the barn during inclement weather.”
He nodded. “We’ll be shooting some scenes out here, including a big romantic declaration-of-love scene for the end.”
“Huh.” She would not ask, didn’t want to know, didn’t even care. He was just making a movie, so it would all be fake anyway.
Just like real love. Not that there was anything real about love. Or relationships. Or marriage.
She was much happier without any of those in her life.
“Anyway, if you follow along this path, it’ll take you to the barn, where we typically hold receptions. Of course, you’ve already been there.”
“Yeah. Sorry about that. I like to show up early to location shoots to get a feel for the places I’m going to be filming. I tried to stay out of the way and under the radar. No one even paid any attention to me and I didn’t eat the food.”
She couldn’t hold back her laugh this time. “It’s fine. Just don’t wander in areas you’re not supposed to be.”
“Which are?”
As they walked up the steps of the barn, she pointed across the way toward the main house. “That’s the Bellinis’ private residence. You would definitely not be welcome there.”
“Noted. And where do you stay?”
“I live off-site.”
His smile was like lightning in a bottle, making his blue eyes sparkle. “Too bad.”
She resisted shivering at his husky tone. Quite the actor, this one. He probably knew how to push all his leading ladies’ buttons.
Her button, on the other hand, would not be pushed unless she wanted it to be. And the last person she wanted touching any of her buttons was some good-looking, sexy-as-hell hotshot actor.
She might be their liaison, but she intended to keep her distance from Kane August.
“I’m getting hungry,” he said. “Could you recommend some good places for lunch?”
“Oh, sure. But they’re all in the city. Are you sure you want to risk being recognized?”
“You know, I’m pretty good about going places incognito. But I really could use someone to show me around.”
She knew that GPS could show him around easy enough. But being new in town—and alone—also sucked. And she was hungry, so it was a self-serving gesture. “Sure. Let’s go get some lunch. Anything in particular you want to eat?”
He shrugged. “Surprise me. I’m not a picky eater.”
Their property was well outside Oklahoma City, and she intended to keep Kane from too many eyes that could recognize him, so she drove them to a place that had amazing barbecue. Of course, most of Oklahoma had amazing barbecue joints, but this was one of her favorites. She’d been coming to Ray’s in Norman for as long as she could remember, and it was the best.
It wasn’t fancy inside, and she was sure that Kane was used to high-class eateries, so she expected him to look down his nose at the place.
