Chapter 10

Joaquin couldn’t wait to start filming. He’d already been primed, but then after seeing his jacket draped around Eliza’s shoulders, everything went thermonuclear in a heartbeat.

What was it about this woman? She got to him in ways he couldn’t begin to quantify. And he’d created that intimate moment earlier on purpose, strictly to ensure the chemistry he and Eliza had created yesterday continued with the filming today.

He shouldn’t have worried. Just being near Eliza electrified him. Judging by the goosebumps his touch had raised on her arm, she’d been similarly affected. When was the last time his co-star had even noticed that she was in the same room with him? Never. Actresses were self-absorbed for the most part, worried about their skin or the extra four ounces of invisible fat on their thighs, and all of them cared far more about what he could do for their careers than anything else.

Eliza—well, he didn’t exactly know what she cared about. But he wanted to. Badly. The mystery of her intrigued him. That was yet another thing he intended to explore in the scene today. What better way to get to know someone than via an unscripted picnic scene?

The production staff took an inordinate amount of time getting set up. The cameraman kept fiddling with his lens like he couldn’t get it to work the way he wanted it to. Eliza stood on the other side of the grassy area where they were filming, waiting for her cue. They were supposed to meet in the middle for the scene, so they had to enter from opposite sides.

Fine by him. Gave him a chance to study her without anyone really noticing, least of all her. She wasn’t an overblown beauty by any stretch, but he’d never been attracted to collagen implants and plastic surgery types. Eliza had an arresting freshness about her that he could not get enough of.

She’d shed his jacket and handed it to Julie, murmuring something to the production assistant. In his head, he heard her say how important this article of clothing was to her, and Julie should stand there with it until Eliza could put it back on.

Fanciful might as well be his middle name. He sighed. In reality, she’d probably instructed Julie to return it to its owner.

Gizmo’s trainer handed over the leash, and the dog plopped down on his haunches to wait for his own cue, patient as always. Joaquin shifted from foot to foot and finally heard the magic words from the director that meant he could drop all of his characters and be himself for a blessed few moments.

Except of course he could be himself with Curlgurl, he corrected himself hastily. That was the whole point of their relationship. But that was only at night and only virtual.

With Eliza, it was just…different. Enlivening. Unexpected. So very real.

Last night, he’d been more than happy to hear that Curlgurl might want to meet at some point in the nebulous future. The future was good. Way, way in the future. The later the better. Maybe after the movie was in the bag, when he didn’t have an excuse to spend time with Eliza and their chemistry had been thoroughly explored—on camera of course. Strictly for his craft.

His heart belonged to Curlgurl.

He kept that firmly in mind as he and Gizmo strolled toward Eliza, who’d set off from her mark down the sidewalk, hips swinging saucily. The script suggested they’d meet unexpectedly, and Mark takes the opportunity to invite Susanna on an impromptu picnic. Odds were good Eliza hadn’t actually read the script and certainly hadn’t committed the lines to memory, so who knew how the scene would actually unfold?

The anticipation curled through his blood and he couldn’t remember a time when he’d been so enthusiastic to film a scene.

“Well, if it isn’t the two-man demolition crew.” Eliza paused pretty close to the spot where they’d blocked it out, but that’s where all similarity to the proposed scene ended. “I was just thinking how boring my walk would likely be. Thank goodness you’ve arrived to ensure I collect a few more bruises.”

Surely he shouldn’t smile at that. But he wanted to. “Aw, come on. Gizmo was just being friendly last time. He didn’t realize you needed practice using your center of gravity.”

Her eyebrows shot up in amusement. “It’s so nice of him to be looking out for me.”

“Speaking of nice. It’s a beautiful day. Shame to waste it. Let me grab a blanket from my car so we can enjoy it together,” he threw out in case the scene might still veer toward the picnic that Gizmo would upend.

“I bet you say that to all the girls your dog noses into your arms.”

Wait, what? “Are you saying he did it on purpose?”

She shrugged nonchalantly. “Maybe. And maybe you had a little something to do with that.”

Now she was just trash-talking for no reason. He let loose the grin he’d been fighting because this was a no-holds barred scene all at once. “Trust me when I say that dog has a mind of his own. If I’d come up with some kind of diabolical scheme to use him to meet women, the end result would be a lot different.”

Gizmo punctuated that with a bark. Apparently he’d gone off script too. Crossing her arms, she stuck a jaunty hip out that made him want to reach out and yank her into his arms.

“Do tell.”

“For one, we’d be spread out on a blanket right now, talking about something much more captivating than a non-existent plot to lure women into my clutches via a dog with no manners.”

“Touché.” That’s when her own lips curved up in a half smile laden with mischief that frapped his insides, cameras notwithstanding. “But I’m on my way to an appointment. Maybe I’ll take a raincheck.”

And for whatever reason, she skirted him as if she fully meant to waltz right out of the scene. Gizmo followed her, clearly confused, glancing back at Joaquin as if to ask why he wasn’t coming along as well.

“Wait,” he called out a bit desperately because what was she doing? He reached out to snag her hand, tangling their fingers together so she couldn’t pull free and dang if that didn’t add some sizzle to the frappe. “Give me a chance.”

“A chance?” She stared at him as if he’d grown two heads, then shifted her gaze to their joined fingers. But he didn’t give her the slightest opening to pull free. “To do what?”

Good question. He’d completely lost his place. The scene’s purpose. And maybe his mind too. “To get to know you.”

Yes. That was what he wanted. Who was Eliza…whatever her last name was? He didn’t even know, and that seemed like a travesty of the highest order.

“I thought I was supposed to call you,” she said with what might be mock confusion. Or might not. “That’s why you gave me your business card, remember?”

“But you didn’t call.” She raised her eyebrows until he put all the pieces together. This was the right time to let their fingers slip apart as her point hit him broadside. “For a reason. You don’t like me.”

It was a shocking revelation. But she didn’t swoon at his feet like a lot of women. She hadn’t jumped at the chance to star in his movie. In fact, she’d spent a lot of time avoiding him.

Except she’d texted him last night and worn his jacket this morning. Kissed him in the wedding scene like she couldn’t get enough. So which one was it? Obviously, it was up to him to find out. Something clicked into place inside.

Challenge accepted.

“I don’t dislike you,” she amended lazily as if it didn’t matter to her one way or the other if he got the wrong idea about her feelings on the matter. “But I have a lot of men lining up outside my door. If you want to skip a few places, you’re going to have to do better than a fake chance meeting in a park.”

The casual reference to his comment the other day in her condo got a round of silent applause from him even as he laughed. “You’re saying this was a setup?”

“I dare you to look me straight in the eye and say you weren’t watching out for me from your car.”

Oh, he didn’t mind looking at any part of her. That wasn’t even a chore. But she met his gaze and then some, coolly evaluating him as he contemplated how to play this. “I walk Gizmo in this park every day, I’ll have you know.”

She nodded once. “Then I suggest you hold your breath until I call you.”

And then she made a move as if she intended to walk out on him again. “Susanna.”

That brought her up short. Almost like she’d forgotten this wasn’t a scene between Joaquin and Eliza but a mechanism to get Mark and Susanna together, who were supposed to be falling in love in the space of two hours via carefully edited film.

But that was nothing close to what this was. She was forcing him to figure out what made Eliza tick. And the challenge of it exhilarated him.

“You want to be romanced,” he told her, and the slight shift in her stance told him he was on the right track. “Flowers and music, swept off your feet, grand gestures. Me in the rain playing our song under your window, hanging out the sunroof of a limo calling your name as it races down the street.”

“It’s a start,” she acknowledged with a ghost of a smile. “But the key to my heart isn’t copying someone else’s idea of romance. I want to see what’s in here.”

And when she tapped his chest with her index finger, he didn’t hesitate to crush her hand against his heart with his own. “Then you should stop running away like you’re scared.”

“Is that what I’m doing?”

“Yeah,” he said softly with a slight lift of his chin. “The second things get real, you start looking for the exit. I dare you to look me straight in the eye and tell me that’s not why you’re still single.”

Boldly, she met his gaze and didn’t blink, which won her major points. His heart thumped under her palm, and this might be the most intense scene he’d ever filmed. Experienced as a whole.

“I’m still single because I have yet to meet a man who’s worth changing that.” And there came that ghost of a smile that packed far more of a punch than it should. “If you’re lining up to try your hand, pick me up at seven and take me to dinner like a civilized human being, and we’ll see what’s what.”

That’s when she pulled free and sauntered off, but he was so beleaguered at that point that he couldn’t do anything else but let her leave.

“I don’t know where you live.”

“You’ll figure it out,” she called back over her shoulder, an amused lilt to her tone. “Or you’ll stay at the back of the line. Your choice.”

Man, she slayed him.

“Cut!” the director called.

Joaquin flinched as reality descended. Or rather what passed for his reality. All at once, he didn’t want to act his way through life.

He wanted the date at seven to happen, only both he and Eliza would be well aware it wasn’t a date between Mark and Susanna. It was a date-date. A real one.

And when Joaquin Cortez wanted something, he got it.

“Wait up, Z,” he called as he skirted the camera to intercept Eliza as she barreled for wardrobe, presumably because she thought they were done for the day. “We still have to film the scene where Gizmo has to visit to the vet, and Susanna goes with Mark to hold his hand.”

Eliza wheeled around with a not-thrilled expression on her face. “Really? I’m freezing.”

“Seems like someone gave you a jacket to help with that. A smart girl uses her resources.”

She stuck her tongue out at him, which pretty much iced the cake right then and there. He was thoroughly entranced by Eliza… “What’s your last name?”

“Moore. It’s boring.” She didn’t tack on a like me to the end, but it was implied and he heard it, which twisted his heart for some odd reason.

“I’ll lend you mine,” he offered generously. “Then you can be Double Z. Z squared. Eliza Cortez. I like it.”

“That might be a little too much Z for me,” she said with a wry smile. “I’m just Eliza Moore, hairdresser extraordinaire, who somehow fell down a rabbit hole and wound up starring in a movie with a famous actor.”

He widened his eyes in comical disbelief. “No way. Anyone I’ve ever heard of?”

That made her laugh, which instantly made him want to do it again, but she shook her head and said, “No one’s ever seen fit to give him an award, so he kind of flies under the radar. It’s a shame really. He’s not too bad.”

Not too bad. High praise from Eliza, and he didn’t mistake it as anything else. What would it take to elevate her opinion of him? He burned to find out. “Let me take you to dinner tonight.”

She recoiled so fast that it was a wonder she didn’t get whiplash. “Haven’t we had enough together time today?”

“What, the idea of me wanting to spend time with you off-camera is that shocking?” But the glint in her eyes had him doing a double take as it dawned on him that she wasn’t playing hard to get. “Strictly for publicity. You know. If people see us together, it sells more tickets. The production staff suggested it.”

A lie. But necessary if he wanted to close this deal.

“Well, I kind of feel like this movie has taken up enough of my life. So, maybe a raincheck.”

Mayday. This was literally the first time Joaquin could recall being this close to crashing and burning when it came to talking a woman into a date. He couldn’t let this be his first, especially when this woman might well be the one he wanted to cross the finish line with the most. “Come on. You have to eat. An hour. Pose for some pictures, smile, and let me pick up the exorbitant check. I’ll take you anywhere you want. Sky’s the limit.”

“I don’t have anything to wear.”

She was weakening, he could tell.

“You clearly don’t get how this works.” Snorting, he waved that off and called out to Julie who was talking to one of the lighting guys. “Julie, Eliza and I have a thing tonight. Find her a dress appropriate for a woman on the arm of Joaquin Cortez and send her to the best spa on me.”

Julie and Eliza both gave him a look. “I own the best spa, sport, so I have that part covered, thanks.”

“Great,” he said smoothly to cover the faux-pas. “Pick you up at seven. I already know where you live.”

And then he strolled off, because he needed her to understand that while she’d knocked him sideways during the filming, he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

It wasn’t until he took a seat in his trailer between takes that he noticed he had a message in the chat app he used to talk to Curlgurl. How had he missed that last night?

But when he thumbed it up, he saw it was recent. As in a few minutes ago.

Curlgurl: I know I’m not supposed to contact you during the day but I just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you.

Baffled, he stared at the screen where Curlgurl had just invaded his real life. Or rather his pretend life that happened during the day. Whatever.

The unprecedented event sat funny in his gut, and he didn’t like the greasy, slimy feeling that accompanied it. Guilt. Because she’d reminded him that he wasn’t supposed to be flirting with Eliza or enjoying her company or taking her on dates. His evenings belonged to Curlgurl and he liked it that way.

Except if he took Eliza on a date, he couldn’t exactly chalk it up to working on his craft, now could he?

As conflict raged through his chest, he stared at the message. And then finally, he put his phone away without responding.