pointed at him. “Be nice to Delaney. You two are going to go places as long as you don’t do anything dumb. Remember that you can make or break this film, Sam. You and Delaney both.”
Sam forced a smile on his face and gave Victoria a thumbs up sign. Then he strode out of the room before the false smile cracked. He nodded to Bernice as he breezed past her and then exited the office. In the hallway, he took a deep breath and dug the card with Delaney’s number on it out of his pocket. He dialed the number and waited.
“Hello?” Her voice was exactly as he remembered, warm, friendly and with a hint of sexuality that made a man take notice.
“Hey, it’s Sam…er, I mean, Carter. Groveson.” He wanted to smack his forehead. The dual name was definitely something that he was going to have to remember to watch moving forward. It felt strange, as if he were living a double life. Victoria had insisted that he use his full name as his stage name, and Victoria so far had been spot on the money about everything.
“Hi. I’ve been expecting your call,” she said.
Her teasing tone eased some of the tension between his shoulder blades. He reminded himself that she was stuck in the same situation that he was. He doubted Delaney had any serious interest in him either. She was exotically beautiful with her dark hair and full lips, and she was the kind of girl who could get any guy she wanted. She and Millie shared one critical thing in common. They were both way out of his league.
“So this dinner thing we’re supposed to do on Friday night. You still up for it?”
“It’s just dinner,” she chuckled. “It sounded like a good chance for us to get to know each other better. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re kind of stuck with each other.”
Sam was eager to get Delaney’s take on what Victoria said the studio was proposing, but he didn’t feel comfortable addressing it over the phone. “So it looks like I’ll plan to pick you up around eight?”
“I heard the studio was sending a car. Pretty fancy, huh?”
“Like another world,” Sam said honestly.
“See you then,” Delaney said and clicked off.
Sam stared at the phone in his hand. Delaney had been cast as Camilla more than a month before he was offered the role of Jackson. It was obvious to him during the audition that she was a producer favorite. Even though he had no intention of going along with the proposed game, he also didn’t want to piss off his new co-star. If she thought the whole thing as was stupid as he did, then she might have the pull to make the whole thing go away.
He sighed. He supposed that there were worse ways to spend a Friday night than in the company of a beautiful woman. Which made him wonder what Millie was up to on Friday night and who the guy was that he saw her with the night before. He wasn’t quite sure how to explain what was happening in his world to her. He figured that he wasn’t even supposed to talk about it.
Then he shook his head. He was acting like Millie would care. He kept forgetting that there wasn’t anything other than friendship between them anyway. That thought annoyed him more than he was willing to let on. He was glad that he was heading to the gym. Knocking around a punching bag was exactly the ticket to taking the edge off. He needed to knock the vision of Millie St. John right out of his head.
CHAPTER SIX
Sitting across from her mother and brother, Millie decided that she was in hell. Josh kicked her under the table, and when he cocked his head toward their mother with a warning look, she realized that she had been asked a question that she completely missed. She tuned her mother’s voice out several minutes ago for a reason.
“I’m sorry?” She tried to keep her tone even and unemotional.
Her mother sighed. “Amelia, I just don’t know what we’re going to do with you.”
Clare St. John was the only person who still called her Amelia. Even her father had caved to
Sam forced a smile on his face and gave Victoria a thumbs up sign. Then he strode out of the room before the false smile cracked. He nodded to Bernice as he breezed past her and then exited the office. In the hallway, he took a deep breath and dug the card with Delaney’s number on it out of his pocket. He dialed the number and waited.
“Hello?” Her voice was exactly as he remembered, warm, friendly and with a hint of sexuality that made a man take notice.
“Hey, it’s Sam…er, I mean, Carter. Groveson.” He wanted to smack his forehead. The dual name was definitely something that he was going to have to remember to watch moving forward. It felt strange, as if he were living a double life. Victoria had insisted that he use his full name as his stage name, and Victoria so far had been spot on the money about everything.
“Hi. I’ve been expecting your call,” she said.
Her teasing tone eased some of the tension between his shoulder blades. He reminded himself that she was stuck in the same situation that he was. He doubted Delaney had any serious interest in him either. She was exotically beautiful with her dark hair and full lips, and she was the kind of girl who could get any guy she wanted. She and Millie shared one critical thing in common. They were both way out of his league.
“So this dinner thing we’re supposed to do on Friday night. You still up for it?”
“It’s just dinner,” she chuckled. “It sounded like a good chance for us to get to know each other better. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re kind of stuck with each other.”
Sam was eager to get Delaney’s take on what Victoria said the studio was proposing, but he didn’t feel comfortable addressing it over the phone. “So it looks like I’ll plan to pick you up around eight?”
“I heard the studio was sending a car. Pretty fancy, huh?”
“Like another world,” Sam said honestly.
“See you then,” Delaney said and clicked off.
Sam stared at the phone in his hand. Delaney had been cast as Camilla more than a month before he was offered the role of Jackson. It was obvious to him during the audition that she was a producer favorite. Even though he had no intention of going along with the proposed game, he also didn’t want to piss off his new co-star. If she thought the whole thing as was stupid as he did, then she might have the pull to make the whole thing go away.
He sighed. He supposed that there were worse ways to spend a Friday night than in the company of a beautiful woman. Which made him wonder what Millie was up to on Friday night and who the guy was that he saw her with the night before. He wasn’t quite sure how to explain what was happening in his world to her. He figured that he wasn’t even supposed to talk about it.
Then he shook his head. He was acting like Millie would care. He kept forgetting that there wasn’t anything other than friendship between them anyway. That thought annoyed him more than he was willing to let on. He was glad that he was heading to the gym. Knocking around a punching bag was exactly the ticket to taking the edge off. He needed to knock the vision of Millie St. John right out of his head.
CHAPTER SIX
Sitting across from her mother and brother, Millie decided that she was in hell. Josh kicked her under the table, and when he cocked his head toward their mother with a warning look, she realized that she had been asked a question that she completely missed. She tuned her mother’s voice out several minutes ago for a reason.
“I’m sorry?” She tried to keep her tone even and unemotional.
Her mother sighed. “Amelia, I just don’t know what we’re going to do with you.”
Clare St. John was the only person who still called her Amelia. Even her father had caved to
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