Red Lines (10 page)

A waitress arrived with a tray carrying four shot glasses. She placed them on the table in front of the girls.

Carly handed Haven the first one. “Ok, to our first night out in Austin.” She smiled before slinging the drink back.

Haven followed her lead.

The drink was both sweet and sour. She tried to curb the puckering her mouth wanted to make.

“Have you heard from Evan yet?” Carly asked before handing over the second shot glass.

“He texted me when he landed and he said he’d call tonight from the hotel.”

“I still can’t believe he’s going to be in
Red Lines
. You have to be freaking out.”

“What do you mean?” Haven licked her lips. The second shot went down smoother than the first.

“If my man was getting ready to be seen by the entire world doing all of that stuff with Emmy Harper, I would probably have a heart attack, but you seem really chill about it. You two must be on solid ground.”

“We are.” They had talked about the role. They had talked about Emmy. But the way Carly made it sound, Haven wasn’t sure they had talked about it enough. What exactly would Evan be doing on the set? Surely, they had clothes on for those scenes. Actors weren’t really naked for those scenes, were they?

“Good. Because he’s going to be a busy man the next three months, and I need your musical brilliance focused right here.” Carly waved her hand in the air for the waitress. “Want another?”

Haven could already feel the vodka numbing her limbs, but it was welcome after the torture she had felt all day. She nodded. “Yeah, I’ll take another.”

After the next round of shots, Carly jumped from the booth. “Come on. Let’s dance. I love this band.”

Haven skipped behind her, letting the crowd close in around them while they swayed their hands in the air, and wiggled their hips to the music.

She felt a hand glide around her waist, and for a second, forgot she wasn’t out with Evan. She whipped around to see a brown-haired college boy raking her over. She sidestepped his next dance move and pulled Carly with her farther into the mob.

“Isn’t this awesome?” Carly yelled over the music.

“Yes.” Haven nodded and got lost in the music again. She let her body take over as the beat consumed the club.

Two hours later, arm in arm, the duo walked out the front door. As soon as the flashes started going off, Haven realized she had forgotten to text Bud that she was leaving.

“Shit.”

“What’s wrong?” Carly asked, smiling and waving at the photographers outside the club. She seemed at ease in front of the reporters. Haven tried to quell the panic that was bubbling and stood behind her friend.

“I forgot to text Bud.” She searched for her phone, and when she retrieved it, she saw there were five missed calls from Evan. “Double shit.”

Carly’s driver ushered them into her car before another picture could be snapped. “Just wait it out in here with me until Bud can drive over,” Carly offered. “He’s used to all of this mess with Evan. He’s the best.”

“You know Bud?” Haven questioned. Carly kept dropping overly familiar hints about Evan’s life. How close were they?

“Of course I do. Evan never goes anywhere here without him. Go ahead call him. He’ll know what to do.”

“Ok.” But Haven already felt a sour pit in her stomach. She wasn’t sure if it was too many lemon drops, screwing up the protocol for her first night out, or if because more than anything she wished she was back at the ranch talking to Evan.

Bud pulled up next to Carly’s limo within minutes. The two drivers exchanged ideas on how to transfer Haven from Carly’s limo to Bud’s car. They simultaneously opened the back doors, creating a shield, and with Haven hunched low, shuttled her into the empty car.

“See you in the morning,” Carly called.

Both doors were shut and the cars took off.

Haven gripped the phone in her hand with the quietness around her. She waited for the city lights to be behind them. It seemed more private that way. She was about to call Evan when she felt the lurch in her stomach.

“Bud, can you pull over?” she eked just in time.

The car stopped. She threw open the door and hovered near a bush, hoping Bud couldn’t see the embarrassing mess she was making.

“You ok?” he asked, not stepping too closely.

When she thought her stomach was empty, she walked back to the open door. “I’m fine. I just want to go home.”

“Sure thing.”

Mortified that she had just thrown up on the side of a Texas highway in front of Evan’s head of security, she slumped down in the seat and closed her eyes, anxious for the coolness of Evan’s bed.

T
HE DAMN
crickets wouldn’t stop chirping. She slammed the phone with her palm, not caring if the impact cracked the screen or not.

When she heard the ringing a few seconds later, she jerked the phone off the charger.

“Hello?”

“Darlin’, I tried calling you all night. You ok?” Evan sounded panicked. There wasn’t a trace of his easygoing drawl.

“Yeah, Yeah. What time is it?” Haven rubbed her head where a piercing sensation had taken over.

“Early. I’m getting ready to start read throughs for the day, but you had me worried. Where were you? I was going to call out the Texas Rangers to look for you.”

She sat upright, squinting at the sun filtering through the windows. “I went out with Carly and I didn’t hear my phone ring. It was so late when I got home, I didn’t think I should call. Sorry.”

“Carly, huh?”

She could hear background noise on the call, but wasn’t sure what the sounds were.

“Yeah, we had a good time.”

“I bet. She can party. Hold on.” He covered the phone and mumbled something. “Ok, I’m back, but I won’t be able to talk the rest of the day. The schedule they have us on is crazy. They want to start shooting by the end of the week and that only gives us a few days to get the script down. I was the last one to show up on the set, so I’m behind.”

“Oh.” She wasn’t alert enough to say anything encouraging.

“You sure you’re ok?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m going to take a shower and see if Lenny has any coffee for me.”

“All right. All right. Gotta go, baby. I’ll call you tonight.”

“Good luck or break a leg, or what am I supposed to say?” She didn’t know if the stage was the same as the screen.

“You’ve got it. Bye.”

Evan hung up, and she wished she had been more awake to talk to him. She looked at the empty covers beside her and lay back on the bed.

E
VAN SHOVED
the phone in his back pocket. He didn’t want to walk into rehearsals. Haven didn’t sound like herself. However, he didn’t have a choice. They had called him in three times already. A night out with Carly was probably something she needed. He had left her alone on the ranch, and she hadn’t been in town long enough to make friends. He tried to forget what Carly’s nights out were like. More than one morning he had awakened on her couch with a vicious hangover and a handful of crazy stories.

The first time he met the singer, she was performing at an open mic night at one of Austin’s dive bars. She was cute, spunky, and damn the girl could sing. After he bought her a beer, it didn’t take long to realize she was more like the little sister he never had. Although, he didn’t know many little sisters who could party like Carly. It was rare to meet a girl who was happy with buddy status. Evan’s celebrity didn’t seem to matter. She had her sights set on singing, not relationships.

The bar was getting ready to close and Carly slammed her beer on the table. “Come on. I know a place that stays open all night.” She winked at Evan.

“Hold on, darlin’. Don’t you think it’s past your bedtime?” He glanced at his watch.

“Bed? You are old!” She giggled and hopped off her barstool.

“I am not old. Just lookin’ out for you.” She was already headed for the door.

“Then prove it,” she taunted.

Evan hesitated. It was 2 a.m. “One more drink?”

“Whatever.” Carly grabbed him by the hand and led him from the bar. “You can always crash at my place. No big deal.”

He shook his head. This girl was crazy, but he let her lead him from one hole-in-the-wall bar to another. This was another side of Austin’s nightlife he had never experienced. By six, he was sprawled across Carly’s couch, facedown on a pillow with his boots kicked under the coffee table.

He vowed one night on the town with her would be the last, but it never seemed to work out that way.

Evan laughed, hoping Haven’s experience wasn’t like his.

He strolled into the reading room.

“You ready this morning?” Emmy chirped. She was sitting at one of the reading tables holding a cup of coffee for him.

“I was born ready.” He took the coffee and flipped open the first page of the script.

“I think it’s going to be a long day.” Emmy slid her seat closer to his chair. “How’s the coffee? Did I get it right?”

He eyed her suspiciously. He had to remind himself what he signed on for. This wasn’t just the biggest movie of his career; it also came with baggage. And that baggage was in the form of a curvy, bright-eyed blonde.

“Yeah, it’s good.” He pushed it away from his pages. He had hoped one of the set assistants had delivered it.

“I haven’t forgotten about when we were on that little island, and you remembered how I liked my coffee. I guess, when you wake up with someone, you’re bound to keep those details in your heart.”

Evan shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“Let’s get started this morning.” One of the producers closed the door behind her and smiled at the small group gathered to hear Evan and Emmy read. “We’re going to get as far as we can then break for lunch around one.” She smiled at Emmy. “Emmy you’re getting us started. We’ll skip to the third scene where Dexter and Karina are about to go to bed. You know the scene?”

“Oh yes, I know the one.” Emmy grinned.

She exhaled, turned toward Evan, and ran her hand along his jaw.

He looked at her quizzically. “What are you doing? This is only a read through.”

“I already know all the lines,” she whispered. “I thought I’d start with our connection. It is the most important part of the film.”

Evan withheld an eye roll, but God help him, he was already on edge about Emmy.

“Quiet please,” the producer called. She hushed the crowd around them, already buzzing about the closeness between the stars.

Someone dimmed the lights and Emmy began her lines.

T
HE LUNCH
break started closer to two. Evan rushed out of the room before Emmy had a chance to corner him into splitting a turkey sandwich. Although, knowing her, it was likely to be half a salad.

He reached for his phone. Jeff had called, and there were texts from Haven. Dammit, she was in the recording studio with Carly until eight tonight. He ran his hands through his hair. Day one and they were already on opposite schedules.

He had to get her out here. There was no way he was going to make it three months without being with her.

He pushed open the exit door and inhaled the California air. At least he had an hour before he had to get back to the script reading. He was going to make the most of a beautiful day.

It had been awhile since he had been at the studios. The last movie he made was
Masquerade
, and that had turned into a media circus when Emmy was kidnapped. He liked that they shot on location in New Orleans. Authentic locations were his favorite part of the movie process. He was able to sink into the role, feel the city, and breathe the same air as his character. It added to his transformation in a way that studio films just couldn’t.
Red Lines
, however, could be filmed anywhere. The sets consisted of fancy penthouse apartments, offices, and a few out-on-the-town shots. There was nothing unusual about the setting, other than it had taken him back to Tinsel Town.

The movie executives had decided to keep the filming location a secret. The buzz around the movie was so intense that they were worried the cast would be mobbed anywhere else. A studio locale kept everyone under the watchful eye of the movie company.