Chapter Twenty

Adeline blew a strand of hair out of her face. She tried to not watch as Christopher took Eli aside to talk to him. The scene today was not working. She knew it was her fault for inviting Eli in for hot chocolate the evening before. And then for encouraging him to stay. In fact, he hadn’t left. They had stayed up all night listening to Christmas music, decorating the house, and talking until the sun had risen. Around 3:00 a.m., she’d had a craving for chocolate chip cookies, which they’d paired with more hot chocolate.

Yeah, she might have an addiction.

And then she’d made them breakfast that consisted of pancakes and strong coffee, because heaven knew they were going to need it to get through the day.

They’d walked over to the shop separately, neither of them wanting the scrutiny that would come with being seen together. It hadn’t fooled Christopher, though, and he’d given her a knowing look when she’d walked in. Adeline hadn’t been able to tell if it had been approval or not.

Christopher and Eli had been talking for an awfully long time, and Adeline’s curiosity got the better of her. She walked slowly to the other side of the room, stretching her arms above her head as she went, as if she’d just needed to get her muscles moving again.

Both the director’s and Eli’s backs were to her when she got close enough to overhear.

“It’s still method acting, just a different kind,” Christopher was saying. “The kind that most people who study Konstantin Stanislavski end up doing. It’s what he practiced himself. Dig deep into your own emotions, your own experiences. Pretend you are speaking to Adeline when you’re saying your lines. I’ve seen the way you look at her, and I know it will come out right.”

Eli blew out a breath of frustration. “I’m not used to trying to live in two worlds at the same time. I don’t like it.”

Christopher shifted toward Adeline, though his gaze remained on Eli, and smirked. “That’s how the entire world lives. You’ll get used to it.”

She moved away, walking back to where she’d need to be for this scene, her mind spinning at dizzying speed. Eli seemed so torn, like he hadn’t expected to feel such dissonance between his professional and personal lives. He was used to abandoning everyone for months at a time, but there was no clear line now. Eli could no longer shove all his family and friends to one side and keep his character on the other.

But like Christopher had said, there were different kinds of method acting. And she could help Eli practice his lines; she didn’t need to be a hindrance. Adeline wanted him to be successful, just as badly as she wanted him in her life.

That gave her pause. Since when had she become so determined to help the actor? Since when had she felt that it was her responsibility to minimize his discomfort, and to help him overcome the challenges that his learning disability presented? It wasn’t like this was her problem. She had enough on her plate.

But Adeline already knew the answer.

She’d known it since yesterday.

Since Eli had declared his feelings for her. And she’d realized she felt the same toward him.

Could those have just been the words of a smooth-talking actor? Sure. But he hadn’t been Benjamin at the time, and she’d seen the way he’d looked at her. He’d been genuine.

Whenever Adeline thought about it, it seemed like a dream or a fairy tale. Or like she’d been cast in her own movie. When it had just been her and him the previous evening, no one and nothing else had mattered.

Eli had told Adeline about his family home in Oklahoma and how he’d faked sick so he didn’t have to go to church. His mother always knew, of course, but didn’t say so. She’d instead express her sympathies and retrieve the cod liver oil from the cupboard. Eli had made a lot of miraculous recoveries that way.

And Adeline had in turn told him about how she’d been stung on the hand by a stingray as a child and her mom had insisted that she put mud on it, like it was a bee sting. Thankfully, Patty had known better and been able to remove the stingers before soaking Adeline’s hand in hot water to help relieve the pain. As often as Adeline was frustrated with her mom for leaving, Adeline knew she had done the best she could in the circumstances. She had sacrificed a lot to try to give them a normal life, and Adeline was grateful for it.

She should probably tell her mom that more often. It had been six months since they’d spoken.

“Hey, chocolate girl.” Daisy interrupted Adeline’s thoughts with an aggravated whisper. “We’re trying to film a movie here.”

Everyone was looking at her, as if they were waiting for something. Oh, right. She wasn’t standing in her designated spot but was instead standing where Daisy should be. And she was looking in the wrong direction. Straight at one of the cameras.

Awesome.

“Sorry,” she said, moving out of the way while pinching her cheeks, attempting to wake herself up. That was the last time she’d stay up all night. At least they’d be moving on from her store next week. Then maybe she’d get some sleep, and even manage to make some chocolates.

Chocolates. Shoot. She’s never taken the ganache out of the fridge.

She wasn’t faring any better at separating her professional and personal lives than Eli. How did people have relationships and still function in the real world?

Not that she was in a relationship. Adeline had no idea what it was, but it wasn’t as serious as all that.

Except, this time when they ran the scene, Eli was right on cue. And he was looking at Daisy like his world revolved around her. He remembered every line, or at least made the lines he spoke so believable, no one would know the difference. They wouldn’t care, because of the way he said them. The man was in love.

Christopher had suggested the actor pretend he was speaking to Adeline.

Was that what he was doing at that moment? The thought both terrified and excited her. And when the rest of the day went just as smoothly, she couldn’t ignore the dramatic turnaround.

“Hey there, stranger,” Adeline said, approaching Eli at the end of the day. He was just leaving the shop, and this time it was only a little after eight o’clock, thank goodness. Christopher had taken pity on them and said they’d finish up the scene the next day. She really needed to crash in bed early, but the lure of spending time with Eli was stronger. “You were fantastic in there.”

Eli shot her a smile. It held relief, and fatigue. “A miracle.”

“I was going to suggest I run lines with you for the scenes we’ll do tomorrow, but you look exhausted.”

The actor could have been mistaken for being drunk, the way he was half-shuffling down the boardwalk.

“No lines,” he said.

Adeline smiled and placed a hand on his arm. “Maybe I should tuck you into bed instead.”

“No bed.” Eli’s voice was tinged with drowsiness, as if he were a small child declaring he wasn’t tired while simultaneously falling asleep. He slipped his hand into hers. “Walk with me on the beach instead.”

The sun had already set, and the stars were out in all their brilliance. “All right.” Adeline liked the feel of Eli’s hand in hers. It was strong and confident, but also clung to her, like it was the hand of someone who needed this—needed her.

They crossed from the boardwalk over to the beach. Eli gave her hand a gentle squeeze as they approached the ocean. The moon and stars reflected off the water, and it was tempting to walk straight into it, anything to get just a little bit closer. But it was always difficult to know where the sand ended and the water began, and she really wasn’t in the mood for a night swim. She could tell how close they were by the gentle lap of waves. When they’d gone close enough, she pulled Eli to a stop.

He wrapped his arms around Adeline so that he stood behind her, holding her close. “I can’t get over how beautiful it is here.” He paused, then murmured in her ear, his accent all but gone, “How beautiful you are.”

Adeline’s heart leaped and she felt nothing but happiness. It was a different kind of happiness than when she was with her friends or making chocolates, both things that she loved. This was deeper and more intense, and her pulse quickened. Adeline wrapped her arms over Eli’s. “I think I’m falling for you.”

Putting that out there, in the open, made Adeline feel so…vulnerable. She waited, her breaths ragged, wondering what Eli would do, or say, next.

To her disappointment, his arms fell away, and he turned Adeline so she faced him. “Adeline Baker, I’m more than falling for you. You make everything in my life better. The fact is that when I’m with you, everything and everyone else disappears.” He pulled in a long breath. “And so…I’ve needed to make a decision today.”

Oh, this sounded serious. Adeline waited impatiently for Eli to finish that thought. Which he did, with a kiss. Several kisses, actually.

“I like that decision,” she said, teasing him as he pulled away. Adeline wrapped her arms around his waist.

A low laugh rumbled through his chest. “That’s not the decision I was referring to, more of an impromptu thing.”

Oh. Well, the decision couldn’t be all that bad if it was preceded by Eli’s kisses.

“So, the thing is...” He rubbed the back of his neck, like he was nervous. “Well, today was a disaster. I think we can agree on that. And I need to be able to function on set.”

“Early bedtime. Got it.” Adeline pulled on his hand to lead him to his trailer, where she’d kiss him goodnight. And possibly good morning. Nope. She couldn’t go there. This man needed some sleep.

But Eli didn’t move. “I’ve asked them to remove you from your part as chocolate assistant number two.”

Adeline dropped his hand. She couldn’t have heard right. Eli had just practically told her that he was falling in love with her. “I’m sorry?”

“You’ll still be in the scenes we’ve shot,” he assured her with a smile. Like this was a good thing. “But Christopher will remove you from the remaining ones. We agree it’s probably best.” He reached for her hand again, but Adeline stepped back just out of his reach.

“You’re firing me.”

Eli’s brows scrunched together, like he was confused. How had he thought this would go? “That’s kind of harsh. I thought you’d be relieved to not have to put up with the long days anymore. And we’re still going to pay you as if you were working.”

Maybe she would have been glad of it a month ago, or even a week ago. But not when she’d no longer be able to be with Eli. Even working the grueling days, being able to work alongside him made everything worthwhile.

“I don’t understand,” Adeline said, attempting to keep her voice level. “You said, and I quote, that you are more than falling for me. But then you turn around and do this.” She blew out a frustrated breath and squeezed her eyes shut. It took a moment for her to regain control. “I heard the advice Christopher gave you. He suggested that when you were talking to Daisy, to pretend she was me. And then everything turned around and clicked into place, and you were amazing.” She opened her eyes, and her gaze met Eli’s. “So, why don’t you want me around?”

That was a painful question, and one she immediately regretted asking.

Eli gave her a long stare, and she could tell that he didn’t want to answer the question. But he finally resigned with a long sigh and a shake of his head. “I didn’t follow his advice. I pretended you weren’t there.”