Behind the Film Star's Smile by Kate Hardy Page B

tweaks to the last scene.
    ‘You know, Mimi usually dates her leading men,’ George said quietly.
    Yeah. Luke knew. But he didn’t want to date her. ‘I’m not in the market for dating, right now,’ he said.
    ‘Just one date, for a quiet life,’ George suggested.
    It would be the easy way out. But Luke couldn’t face it. This wasn’t a game he wanted to play.
    And he was horribly aware that if Mimi was a different person—a gentle-voiced woman with intelligent green eyes, no make-up and a sharp sense of humour—then the situation would be very different.
    ‘Maybe I can persuade her that I’m still not over Fleur,’ he said.
    ‘Well, you can try,’ George said, his expression saying very clearly that he thought Luke would need to be very lucky indeed for it to work.
     

CHAPTER FOUR
    L UKE TRIED TO ignore the noise, but the shrilling was insistent.
    Then his groggy brain focused on the fact that it was the telephone.
    In the middle of the night.
    Nobody called him at this time of night. Not unless it was an emergency.
    He groped for the receiver, his eyes still not accustomed to the low level of light in the room, and mumbled, ‘Hello?’
    ‘Lukey, it’s me.’
    He registered firstly that it was his aunt Monica, and secondly that her voice sounded gravelly, as if she’d been crying. And then he was wide awake. He switched the bedside light on, trying to dispel the flood of panic. ‘Monica? What’s happened? Are you OK?’
    There was a quiet woof from the end of the bed, where Baloo had settled herself—Luke had given up trying to make her sleep in her crate in the kitchen.
    ‘Not really.’ She dragged in a breath. ‘I can’t believe I was so stupid. I’ve broken my leg in two places.’
    ‘Where are you?’
    ‘Hospital. Laura’s with me.’ She paused. ‘Oh, no. You were asleep, weren’t you? I got the time difference wrong. I’m so sorry.’
    She sounded very, very close to tears. ‘It’s fine, Mon,’ he reassured her. ‘You know you can always call me at stupid o’clock if you need me. That’s what family’s for.’
    ‘Thank you, love.’ She choked back a sob. ‘They won’t let me fly home tomorrow. And I promised I’d be back and I’d rehome the dog for you.’
    There was another gentle woof from the end of the bed.
    ‘Did I just hear her bark?’ Monica asked.
    ‘Uh, yeah.’ He raked a hand through his hair. ‘Let’s just say Baloo’s good at opening doors and I’ve given up trying to make her sleep downstairs.’
    Monica gave a huff of laughter. ‘That’s the first thing I’ve heard all day to make me smile. It’s been a rotten day, Lukey.’
    ‘What happened?’
    ‘We were hiking. We’d gone to see the falls. I slipped and landed awkwardly.’ He could practically hear her inject a note of bravery into her voice. ‘It’s just one of those things.’
    ‘You said you broke your leg in two places.’ So it must’ve been a pretty nasty fall. And if she’d been out hiking... ‘How did you get to hospital?’
    ‘A combination of the mountain rescue team and an ambulance. Luckily I’ve got decent travel insurance,’ Monica said lightly. ‘And good painkillers.’
    Considering that his aunt didn’t even take paracetamol for a headache, that told him a lot. ‘How long are you going to be in hospital?’
    ‘I don’t know. They want to make sure there aren’t any complications, and the cast has to set. I don’t know when I’ll be able to fly. And—oh, Lukey, I’ve let you down. I’m supposed to be in London, not stuck in Portland.’ She sounded anguished. ‘Are you all right to keep Baloo until I get back?’
    Keep the dog for an unspecified length of time—which could mean anything from a couple of days to a few weeks, depending on when his aunt was able to fly home again and how mobile she was.
    No, he wasn’t all right to keep the dog. He had a film to shoot. The deal was, he’d look after the dog until the end of rehearsals. Monica was