She snorted out a laugh. “Gee, thanks.”

  “What I meant was, you need a lot of makeup for the camera. You are not pale and pasty.”

  “Okay.”

  Alexis came in, always a whirlwind of energy. “Okay, is everyone ready?”

  “Yeah,” Kane said.

  “So ready.” Mae offered up a tentative smile.

  “Okay, everyone, let’s get into positions.”

  They waited while makeup did a little touch-up and the cameras got repositioned to shoot Mae from the back.

  “Do you know your lines?” Kane asked.

  Mae nodded. “Yes, but I don’t know why I’m saying them since I won’t be the one on the screen when the movie comes out.”

  “That’s true. Everly will dub her voice and then redo the scene from her angle so they can splice. But I need you to be here, to play off of me so I can get into my character.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  He felt the sincerity in her voice. “I know you will.”

  Alexis came in to give Mae movement directions. Kane already knew his marks, but Mae didn’t know hers, so he figured this would require several takes. But as long as they could put something in the can today, it’d be worth it.

  Alexis took her seat, the set went quiet and Kane and Mae stood on their marks.

  “You ready for this?” he asked.

  She gave a quick nod and blew out a breath.

  “And…action,” Alexis said.

  “He’ll show up,” Kane said.

  Mae tilted her head back and the look she gave him was filled with pain, just like her character would be feeling in this scene. “How do you know?”

  “Because I know him. He’s my best friend. I know he’ll be here. He wouldn’t bail on you, Caroline.”

  She inhaled a deep breath, held it for a beat, then let it out, shaking her head. “He told me last week that maybe we should rethink this whole big wedding, that maybe we should elope instead. He laughed when he said it, wanted me to think he was joking. But you know what, Blake? I think he was trying to tell me something.”

  “He wasn’t trying to tell you anything, Care. He was joking.”

  She cocked her head to the side, and Kane realized she’d read the script perfectly. “You’re lying. You know something. Tell me what he said to you, Blake.”

  “Annd, cut,” Alexis said, coming off her chair with a bouncy step. “Mae, that was excellent. We’ll do it again, but honestly? It was perfect.”

  Mae exhaled. “Thanks.”

  After Alexis left to confer with her staff, Kane looked at her. “You rocked that scene. You have a knack for this.”

  Her eyes widened. “Acting? Me? Oh, no. I’ve likely sweated through this dress. And who wears dresses to run a vineyard, anyway? That doesn’t even make sense. And this hat I’m wearing is making my head sweat.”

  Her eyes were welling with tears, and he could see that she’d held it together to film the scene but now she was about to have a meltdown. She didn’t realize how damn good she’d been during that scene.

  He put his hands on her upper arms to get her to focus on him.

  “Do you know how hard an actor works to get as good as you just were?”

  She looked up at him, confusion written all over her face. “What?”

  “You were brilliant, Mae.”

  “I was not. I just blurted out the lines.”

  “I could get a script assistant to blurt out lines. What you did was feel them as if you were Caroline, as if you felt her worry and anger. The way you made eye contact with me gave me everything I needed to do my part of that scene. Frankly, you’re an actor’s dream to work with.”

  She gaped at him, then finally laughed and jerked out of his grasp. “Shut up. I just read the lines. I’m not an actress, Kane.”

  She started to walk away, so he went with her. “Maybe not, but honestly? You could be if you wanted to.”

  “Well, I don’t want to. I want to get through this scene so I can go do the other part of my job.”

  “Yeah? What’s on the agenda for the other part of your job today?”

  “We’re doing a tour for a prospective bride and groom. And doing some planning for Brenna and Finn’s upcoming wedding. Brenna is one of the Bellini sisters. She’s getting married in a few weeks.”

  “That sounds important. I’ll tell Alexis that the first take was fine and you can go.”

  She reached out to lay her hand on his arm. “No. What you do is important, too. I can stay until we get it right.”

  He wanted to let her go. He wanted her to stay. It wasn’t his choice or his right to ask her.

  “Whatever you want,” he said.

  “Then let’s do this.”

  He nodded, happy to get to spend more time with her, and feeling more than a little guilty knowing that Alexis would have been fine if he’d told her that Mae had to go and they’d have to use the first take.

  But he’d deal with the guilt later. Right now he was going to spend more time with Mae.

  * * *

  ••••••

  Mae was so happy they had only needed her for one scene today. She was drained, physically and emotionally. She’d wanted to be good, or at least good enough that they wouldn’t regret asking her to stand in for Everly Sloane.

  She went back to the house, headed upstairs and took a quick shower, scrubbing off the heavy makeup and rinsing the sweat off. After drying her hair she put on a dress and sandals and felt much more like her authentic self again. She went downstairs, intending to park herself in her office until it was time for the tour.

  She didn’t quite make it to her office, because Brenna was hanging out in the doorway of Honor’s office and spotted her.

  “Hey, Mae,” Brenna said. “Come on and tell us all about it.”

  “Sure. Let me grab a coffee first.”

  She’d missed coffee this morning—deliberately, in fact, because she’d been jittery enough with nervousness and hadn’t wanted to add to it. So she went into the kitchen and poured herself a cup, adding a touch of cream.

  “How did it go?” Louise asked. Though she was the cook for the family, Louise was family.

  “It went fine. Thanks for asking.”

  Louise held out a tray. “I made cranberry muffins this morning.”

  Mae also hadn’t eaten. “You always know exactly what I need, Louise. Thank you.” She placed the muffin on a plate and went to Honor’s office. Erin had just come in as well.

  “I just put JJ down for a nap, so I’m all set to hear the juicy details,” Erin said.

  Mae couldn’t help but smile. Working with Erin, Brenna and Honor had been a lot like having sisters. And being an only child had sucked, so she couldn’t complain that they wanted to know everything.

  They were in the midst of a conversation about Erin’s baby, which gave Mae time to eat her muffin and take a few sips of coffee. So when they turned their attention to her, she felt almost like herself again.

  “And how was it?” Honor asked. “Do you feel all Hollywood now?”

  Mae let out a soft laugh. “Hardly. I was a ball of nervous sweat. My hair was weird and there was so much makeup. But Kane helped settle me and we got through the scene.”

  The sisters all exchanged glances with each other before turning their attention back on Mae.

  “Ohhh, so Kane helped you, huh?” Brenna gave her a knowing look. “Was it a kissing scene?”

  “Of course not. They’re only filming me from behind. Remember, I’m just filler until the real actress shows up.”

  Erin rested her chin in her hands. “He’s very attractive, Mae. Though I haven’t seen him up close and personal like you have. Is he just as handsome?”

  “Ridiculously good-looking. Like, it’s a crime for a man to be that hot.”

  Honor leaned back in her chair, drawing in her notebook. “Hmm.”

  “No. There’s no hmm. I just said he’s hot. You know I don’t go applesauce about celebrities. I was just stating a fact about his level of hotness.”

  “I have no idea what applesauce means,” Brenna said. “Does that mean soft and liquidy?”

  Erin snorted out a laugh.

  “It does not mean that. I am immune to hot men except as a one-and-out.”

  “And by that she means in and out. Then she throws them out.” Honor smirked.

  “Honor!”

  The sisters burst into a fit of laughter.

  Mae rolled her eyes and got up. “You’re all evil.”

  “Yeah, but now we know you like Kane August,” Honor said.

  Mae pivoted, glaring at all of them. “I do not like him. I mean, I don’t hate him, but I don’t like-like him. Not that way. What I meant was…” She realized she had run out of coherent sentences. “Whatever. I’ll be in my office until it’s time for the tour. And then I’ll see you all at the meeting later.”

  Before they could make any other innuendos, she walked out, went to her office and shut the door. She sat at her desk, opened her laptop and checked her calendar to make sure there hadn’t been any changes. When it was time for her to meet the prospective bride and groom, she headed outside to wait for them.

  She walked the length of the front porch, her thoughts filled with that scene she’d done with Kane today.

  He was a very good actor. She’d felt his angst and sincerity. She wasn’t much for movies, but she made a mental note to watch some of his—just to get a feel for how he acted. She’d only do it to help him out, of course.

  A car pulled up and a couple got out. She was gorgeous, with dark skin and beautiful braids. He was equally good-looking with the same beautiful skin, and totally bald. And when they took each other’s hands and gave each other that love look, wow. Mae could swear the sun shone brighter.

  This was what she loved about the wedding business.

  She walked toward them and smiled. “Hello and welcome to Bellini Weddings. I’m Mae Wallace, one of the wedding coordinators. And you must be Rashida Rowell and Benjamin Davis.”

  “We are,” Rashida said, beaming with excitement. “You have a lot going on here, what with the filming and all. I can’t wait for our tour.”

  “I’m excited to walk you through and tell you all about what Bellini Weddings has to offer.”

  She started at the bride and groom private dressing areas, explaining how much space and privacy they’d have as they prepared before the ceremony. Then she took them to the arbor overlooking the vineyards.

  “When it’s weather appropriate, this is where your ceremony will take place.”

  “Oh, it’s perfect,” Rashida said.

  “What if it rains?” Benjamin asked.

  “We always take the weather forecast into consideration and will have the barn prepared just in case we need to switch to an indoor ceremony.”

  Rashida turned to Benjamin. “See. I told you.”

  “Hmm” was all he said.

  Mae could tell right away that Benjamin would be the tough sell. She’d thoroughly read through their bios and their likes and dislikes, so she knew what would hit his hot buttons.

  “You know, Benjamin, we also have a wine tasting room. In fact, we would be happy to incorporate that into your bachelor party if you’d like.”

  His brow rose. Just enough to know she’d captured his interest. “Really.”

  “Yes. Would you like to take a tour of the tasting room? I could arrange for Brenna Bellini, who manages the winery, to give you a personal tour of the vineyards as well.”

  Now both brows rose. “That would be great. Thanks.”

  “Follow me.” She sent a quick text to Brenna, who told her she was already set up.

  Perfect. She walked them across the property to the tasting room. She loved it here. It was always cool, slightly dark and atmospheric. Perfect for sipping Red Moss Vineyards’s excellent wines.

  “Now this is what I’m talking about,” Benjamin said as they stepped up to the bar.

  Brenna wasn’t the only one in there. Kane was there as well. She hoped against hope that Rashida and Benjamin had no idea who he was.

  “Oh my God,” Rashida said, grabbing Benjamin’s shirt. “That’s Kane August. You’re Kane August. I’m sorry. I’m fangirling. I can’t help it. Lone Stranger was one of my favorite movies. Oh, and Where He Roamed. You gave a fantastic performance.”

  Mae tried not to grimace, but Kane just turned and smiled, shaking Rashida’s hand. “Thanks so much. What’s your name?”

  Rashida and Ben introduced themselves, and then Brenna interjected with some wine offerings, so they got down to tasting. Kane joined them and talked about his favorites, but once Benjamin and Rashida’s attention had turned fully to the wine, he stepped away.

  “Sorry. Brenna didn’t tell me you were expected in here with your guests.”

  “I didn’t know, either. I had to think on the fly.”

  “Does that happen a lot during your tours?”

  “Not all that often, but sometimes if I have a semi-reluctant bride or groom, I have to do something to entice them. With Benjamin, it was wine.”

  “I see.” He leaned against one of the tables. “How about dinner tonight?”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because you had a date last time and couldn’t go with me. I thought you could find a fun spot for us to eat.”

  “Oh.” She supposed it wasn’t a date, that he just wanted to get out and around the city. “Sure. How about seven?”

  “Sounds good. Give me your phone.”

  She handed her phone over and he put in his number, then handed it back to her. After that he took his phone out. “Now give me your number.”

  She did, realizing a movie star now had her phone number.

  No. Kane had her phone number. She still didn’t think of him as some big-time movie star. He was just a guy. Some guy who wanted to go to Oklahoma City for dinner. That seemed normal to her. If she kept him in the “just a guy” category, everything would be fine.

  He straightened. “I’ll get out of your way. Text me when you’re ready to go.”

  “Will do. See you later.”

  He walked out and Rashida turned around. “Oh no. He left before I could get a pic with him.”

  “Yeah, he had things to do. Sorry.”

  “Oh well. At least I got to meet him.”

  “Very true. Are you ready to continue the tour?”

  Benjamin nodded. “Yes. And then we’ll talk about adding the tasting room to my bachelor party.”

  She looked over at Brenna, who gave her a double thumbs-up.

  Boom.

  Chapter

  seven

  Kane was looking forward to getting out tonight.

  He had a car of his own. It was one of the things he insisted on, contractually. Unless they were on some remote island where transportation was impossible, he couldn’t handle being stranded on a location shoot and forced to stay in his trailer. One or two days he could deal with. Months? No way.

  Besides, he could easily throw on a ball cap, T-shirt and jeans and blend in. He’d been doing it for years. It helped that he was just an average-looking guy.

  Tonight he just wanted to eat a meal in a restaurant with a beautiful, intelligent woman.

  She’d texted him at six thirty to say she was ready, so he drove over to the main house to pick her up. She walked outside and got in the car.

  “I’m surprised you don’t limo everywhere.”

  He shook his head. “You have the wrong impression of actors. At least of this actor.”

  “So some of them do limo everywhere.”

  “Some. Not many. Most of us drive around like normal. Unless you live in New York. No one wants to drive there.”

  She laughed. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been there.”

  “Amazing city. Lively and friendly and so much to do. The shows are amazing if you like music or theater.”

  “I enjoyed the plays in high school and college, so I probably would.”

  He pulled onto the highway and headed north toward the city. “Okay, so you’re not a movie fan. Tell me what you do like.”

  “Oh. Well. I like a lot of things. Museums and art, and I love to read, so I spend a lot of time in bookstores or the library. I love sports, both watching and playing. I also enjoy boating and hiking and I could swim all day long. I was on the swim teams in high school and college.”

  He cast a glance over at her. “I could see that. You have the body for it.”

  Her lips curved into a half smile. “Actually, I don’t. I’m short and a little chunky, whereas most of my teammates were long and lean. But I made up for it with sheer determination because I loved it so much.”

  “Sometimes that’s all it takes. No one ever thought I’d be good at acting. I was kind of a slacker in high school and college.”

  “I could see that about you.”

  He laughed.

  “Hey,” she said. “Do you have any idea where you’re going?”

  “I figured we were headed to the city for dinner, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “I mapped it so I know where it is. I figured you could choose a restaurant and give me directions while I drive.”

  He felt her gaze on his. Then she said, “Okay, that works.”

  They ended up at a place called Bricktown, which seemed touristy but was actually pretty cool. Awesome brick buildings and walkways along with water and bridges and lots of things to do. They walked along the path next to the water.

  “Okay, so,” Mae said. “Fancy or regular or a bar or down home?”

  “That’s a lot to choose from. What do you like?”

  “Hmm. Let me think a minute.” She pondered as they walked along the tree-lined walkway. He could see why she liked this place. It might be commercial as hell, and it was probably crowded in the summer, but there was something peaceful about it. He really wished he could take her hand while they walked, but they weren’t there.