Behind the Film Star's Smile by Kate Hardy

was offering him friendship. Understanding. And that was exactly what he needed, right now. He loosened his hand from hers. ‘You have no idea how good it feels to meet someone who understands that.’
    ‘Me, too,’ Jess said.
    ‘I’m glad I met you.’
    ‘And you.’ She smiled. ‘If anyone had told me six months ago I’d start to make friends with a movie star, I would’ve—’ She spread her hands, laughing. ‘Well, I don’t move in those sort of circles.’
    ‘You do now.’
    She laughed again. ‘I’m hardly Hollywood material. I don’t think I’d fit in.’
    He thought that Jess would fit in just about anywhere. But now wasn’t the right time to say that. ‘Hollywood’s a lot of pressure.’ He shrugged. ‘And a lot of relationships can’t take that. I thought Fleur and I would buck the Hollywood trend—that we’d be one of those strong marriages that can survive one of us working away for half the year. I loved her and I thought she loved me.’ Except she hadn’t loved him enough. She’d wanted something he hadn’t been able to give her—at least, not something he could give her easily, and how he wished he’d been able to do it. But a simple childhood illness had put paid to that. Somehow they’d managed to keep that little bit of information out of the press. But the nasty little secret had been eating away at him ever since. Along with the fear that it would be leaked. And that it would change people’s view of him—and in turn that would change directors’ views of him, too, and mean that he wasn’t considered for the role of romantic male lead any more. Actors in the Fifties had had to keep their sexuality under wraps for the same reason: public perception could close off huge areas of their career. Nowadays, it was acceptable for an actor to be gay. But Luke’s problem was a little tricky.
    ‘I’m sorry it didn’t work out that way for you.’
    ‘Me, too. But she’s with someone else now.’ Someone who had been able to give her what she wanted. Which was how he’d learned about her affair in the first place.
    Jess reached over and squeezed his hand. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring back bad memories for you.’
    ‘Not so much bad memories as regret,’ he said. ‘I wish things could’ve been different. But they’re not, and I’ve pretty much learned to come to terms with it.’ He blew out a breath. ‘Thank you for not pitying me.’
    ‘Pity’s harsh.’
    It sounded as if she was speaking from experience. He wanted to ask, but he didn’t want her to go back into her shell. If she wanted him to know, she’d tell him. ‘Yes, it is,’ he said, leaving it up to her whether or not she wanted to talk.
    ‘I hated it when people pitied me—or people crossed the street to avoid me because they didn’t know what to say to me. They’d pretend later that they hadn’t seen me, but I knew they had.’
    ‘People always take sides in a breakup,’ he said. ‘You can’t always choose your friends.’
    ‘No.’ She looked away.
    ‘I’m not going to pry,’ he said.
    ‘Thank you.’
    Her words sounded heartfelt. Clearly she still loved the guy who’d broken her heart. Maybe it hadn’t been as long for her since the breakup as it had for him; he’d gradually trained himself to stop loving Fleur. Except he was aware that it had also made him keep an emotional distance from anyone he’d dated, too. Or maybe he just hadn’t found the right person to help him to trust again.
    Like Jess. And Baloo.
    He pushed the thought away. He wasn’t getting involved. End of story.
    ‘That’s me back on set,’ he said regretfully when there was a call for his scene. ‘I’ll see you later. Have a nice afternoon.’
    ‘You, too. Break the other leg,’ Jess said. ‘Baloo, wave goodbye.’
    To his surprise, the Labrador sat and put her paw up, for all the world as if she were sketching a salute goodbye. ‘Wow. You taught her that?’
    She grinned. ‘This morning, in a