No Matter What (108 page)

India
threw her head back and laughed, just wanting to put him at ease.
 
“Come on.
 
Let’s go get a drink and you can tell me how not doing ‘Covert One’ will be a major blow to my career.”

He smiled.
 
The most relaxed smile she’d seen from him yet.
 
“Because it will, you know.
 
So, I really think you should do it, I really do.
 
I mean, it could change your life.”

She smiled back.
 
“Yeah.
 
I think you just might be right.”

CHAPTER 53

India
had never done TV work before, but she’d wanted to take a break from movies for a while and stay close to home.
 
Ethan needed some stability and she wanted to spend as much time as she could with him while he was so young.
 
So working on ‘Covert One’ seemed like a no-brainer.
 
The more she’d thought about it the more perfect it had seemed.
 
Filming was in and around
Los Angeles
, which meant she could be at home for Ethan, and it was steady work for a few months.
 
It was also something different.
 
And different was what she needed right now.

Having
India
on board was a massive coup for the show, but they really needed to thank JJ for her decision to say yes.
 
It was his warmth and his ability to make
India
feel instantly at ease that had finally swung it for her.
 
After just half an hour in his company at her premiere party a few weeks ago she’d immediately known she wanted the chance to work with him.
 
He had a big future ahead of him too, that was obvious.
 
For him, ‘Covert One’ was only the beginning.
 
For
India
, it was a much-needed break from the norm.

Michael was away filming a movie in Pittsburgh for the next few weeks so it was more important than ever for Ethan to have at least one parent there for him and her work on ‘Covert One’ meant that, when he wasn’t at kindergarten, he could either visit her on set or be with Emma or his grandparents.
 
It was the perfect set-up, and for the first time in a long time
India
felt settled, and happy.
 
She felt truly happy.

She’d been working on the programme for almost a month now and she was loving every minute of it.
 
The cast and crew were fabulous and so down-to-earth, it was like being part of one big, friendly family.
 
There were always a lot of laughs on set and
India
felt relaxed, she felt part of a team.
 
It was hard not to have fun.
 
The only fly in the ointment was the occasional presence of Layla Boyd hanging around.
 
She and JJ were, apparently, still an item and whenever she could she’d be stuck to his side like some demented limpet.
 
Especially when he had scenes with
India
.
 
It was as though she read his scripts, found out what he was doing the next day and then decided whether or not she should be around to keep an eye on him.
 
But
India
had no idea what Layla thought she had to protect JJ from.
 
He was a colleague, he was fast becoming a friend but that was all.
 
But then, Layla’s insecurity was her own problem.
 
India
was past caring about anything she did anymore.
 
As long as she kept well away from her family.

“Ok, angel, I think that’s everything sorted now,” Bobby said as they went through the usual morning list of things to do in her trailer on the set of ‘Covert One’. There were always calls to make or appointments to set up and she and Bobby always had breakfast while they were doing it.
 
It made it feel less like work.
 
“Oh, Ethan’s kindergarten teacher needs to know who’s picking him up this afternoon.
 
Shall I call her and let her know it’ll be Reece?”

“Please.
 
Thanks, Bobby.
 
Dad’s taking him back to his and Martha’s.
 
He’s sleeping over there tonight seeing as I’ve got an evening shoot.”

Bobby crossed his legs and raised an eyebrow as he closed his notebook.
 
“Oh yeah?
 
You and Mr Gorgeous, together?
 
Under cover of darkness?”

India
just looked at him.

“What?” Bobby asked, feigning innocence.
 
“What did I say?”

She turned back around to look in the mirror, brushing her hair.
 
“I have no attraction to JJ whatsoever.
 
Besides, not only is he nearly six years younger than me but he’s also attached to Bleached Blonde Barbie, and that’s enough to put anyone off going anywhere near him.”

Bobby just snorted, looking out of the trailer window.
 
 
“She’ll dump him as soon as something better comes along.
 
She always does.”
 
He looked back at
India
. “What does JJ stand for anyway?”

“Joseph Joshua.
 
I’m surprised you haven’t done your internet homework on him, Bobby.”

“Oh, we have princess.
 
We just weren’t looking for his name.”
 
He stood up and gathered his things together, kissing
India
quickly.
 
“Ok, angel, I’m off to run those errands for you and get the shopping done.
 
I’ll be back later.”

“Don’t forget to call the kindergarten.”

“Already dialling, honey.”

He’d been gone less than five minutes when there was a knock at her trailer door.

“
India
, it’s JJ.”

“Come in!
 
It’s open!”

She turned round and smiled as he walked inside.
 
He was dressed and ready for the day’s first scene in jeans and a white shirt, his sleeves rolled up to the elbows, his short brown hair spiked up.
 
He looked a lot younger than his thirty-three years with his perfect tanned skin and his strong jaw line.
 
He had the knack of making
India
feel quite old at times.
 
The fact she was coming up to thirty-nine was on her mind more and more in a town where age and looks were everything.

“Hey, you drink tea,” JJ smiled, noticing the pot of tea on the kitchen counter.

“Yeah, although I’ve got an army of American’s and two Canadians trying to switch me over to coffee.
 
Can’t touch the stuff until after 10am though, and sixteen years in the
U.S.A.
isn’t going to change that.”

“I’m the same,” JJ said, leaning back against the wall, folding his arms.

India
looked at him in surprise.
 
“You don’t drink coffee for breakfast?”

He shook his head.
 
“Nope.
 
Got to be tea for me.”

India
laughed.
 
“Get out of here!
 
An American who drinks tea in the morning?
 
You’re the first one I’ve met.”

“Ah, well, you see, the surprises aren’t over because, strictly speaking, I’m not really American.
 
Not American born, anyway.
 
I was actually born in South West London, my brother Ray still lives in the
U.K.
 
My family moved over here to
California
when I was six years old so I kind of lost the accent.”
 
He smiled at her.
 
“Please, never lose yours.
 
I think it’s great.”

She laughed again.
 
“You’re such a charmer, but thank you.
 
So, you’re British born then.
 
I didn’t know that.”

He shrugged.
 
“It’s not huge news.
 
But I guess I never really lost all of the British-ness that was obviously still in me.
 
Something we have in common.”

She smiled.
 
“Yeah.
 
I suppose it is.”
 
She stood up, walking over to the kitchen to put her empty mug in the sink, her arm accidentally brushing his as she walked past him, causing her to almost drop the mug she was holding.

“Have you ... have you got everything sorted for the shoot tonight?” he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking down at the ground for a second.
 
“You know, getting Ethan looked after?”

She rinsed out her mug and left it in on the draining board.
 
“He’s staying with Reece.”

She turned round and looked at him, their eyes meeting.

“It could be a long night,” he said.
 
“These things sometimes go on a bit, but, you probably know that, don’t you?”

She nodded, looking away, out of the window.
 
“Is Layla with you today?”

“Layla?”

“Your girlfriend.”

“She ... she’s not really my girlfriend.”

India
turned round and looked at him, raising her eyebrows.
 
“Isn’t she?”

He shook his head.
 
“She’s as much my girlfriend as Kenny Ross is your boyfriend.”

She narrowed her eyes as she watched him look back down at the ground, scuffing the heel of his boot in a nervous fashion as he dug his hands deeper into his pockets.
 
What had he meant by
that
remark?

He looked up, their eyes meeting again, and
India
felt a strange sensation, a kind of tightening across her chest as they looked at each other.

“I’m sorry,
India
.
 
I shouldn’t have said that, that was way too personal.”

“But you’re right,” she said, sitting down on the arm of the sofa.
 
“He isn’t my boyfriend.
 
We sleep together, it’s sex, that’s all it is … Jesus, I can’t believe I’ve just told you that.
 
I’m sorry.”
 
She got up again almost immediately, suddenly feeling oddly uncomfortable in his company.
 
“I should really be getting into make-up.
 
I’m going to be late.”

He pushed a hand through his hair again; something
India
realised now was a bit of a nervous habit for him.

“Ok.
 
Yeah.
 
I’ll leave you alone now.”
 
He turned to leave, but something made him turn back around.
 
“Can I ... can I ask you something,
India
?”

She nodded, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

“Come to dinner with me.
 
Tonight.
 
After we’ve finished here.
 
I ... I’d just like to get to know you a bit better.
 
As friends, that’s all.
 
Friends.”

“As friends ... yeah, I’d like that, JJ.”

His face broke into a smile as he opened the trailer door.
 
“Call me Joe.
 
All my friends do.”

India
couldn’t help but smile back, that uncomfortable feeling she’d felt before slowly slipping away.
 
“Ok.
 
Joe.”

“I’ll see you on set then.”

She watched him leave and leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes as the trailer door shut behind him.

JJ Foster had walked into her life for a reason.
 
And she was beginning to think she knew just what that reason was.

***

“Do you have any idea why she hasn’t even spoken to Michael in over three years?” Reece asked Kenny as they tidied up after Ethan, who was now tucked up in bed and sound asleep after a hard afternoon’s playing.
 

Kenny shook his head.
 
“No idea.
 
She wouldn’t talk about it then and she certainly won’t talk about it now.”

“Have you tried?”
 
Reece wasn’t letting go of this subject, no matter how much
India
wanted him too.
 
Whatever had happened between her and Michael was still affecting her now, as far as he was concerned, and he wanted to find out exactly what had gone on.
 
Because only then could he really start to try and help her move forward.