SAM
I entered his trailer in one swift move, like a ninja.
It was crucial that no one saw me—Lord knows what people would say if they saw me in the wrong trailer.
He turned around in his chair and by the way his eyebrows shot up, almost reaching his hairline, I’d say he looked just as surprised as I thought he would.
“Sam, what are you doing here? Is Blair okay? Is she sick?” Mika asked.
Blair?
Oh, right. Blair was the makeup artist working with him. My colleague.
He frowned at my silence, his eyes filling with worry.
So, are they “on” again?
Never mind, I didn’t have time for that.
I shook my head. “No, no. Blair is fine. She’s around . . . somewhere. I’m here to talk to you.”
His expression relaxed instantly, but then he frowned again, taking in my words.
Mika and I were friendly, but we were definitely not friends. He and Hugh and the guys used to hang out a lot . . . whenever Hugh and I weren’t holed up somewhere together. He was always hanging out with the guys when we were in a group, and I never had a chance to work with him one-on-one on set, so I didn’t really know him that well.
What I did know was that I needed him to be my ally. I hoped he’d join my team without asking too many questions, and hopefully keep his lips zipped about the truth.
“Mika, I need your help.”
“What’s going on, Sam?”
“I need you to do something for me.”
He shrugged, his lips curled into a small pout. “Sure. Anything you need.”
“I need you to take Hugh away for the weekend.”
A small laugh escaped his lips and as he grinned, his dimples made an appearance.
“Take Hugh away? Are you already trying to get rid of him, Sam? Is the honeymoon already over?”
I chuckled. It hasn’t even started, I thought to myself.
“No, silly, but there’s something . . . I need to have the weekend to myself. It’s . . . important, and I can’t tell you what it is, but I promise it will be worth all your trouble . . . once you find out what it is.”
His frown deepened and he looked even more confused. I wasn’t making any sense, and I was aware of it, but I couldn’t explain any further.
“So, you can’t tell me what it is . . . but can you at least tell me what you expect me to do? What is it exactly that you want from me?”
I exhaled a deep breath. Of course, I had been rambling so bad, I hadn’t even explained what I needed him to do.
“I need you to convince Hugh to go to Glasgow with you. There’s this CrossFit convention and this guy Hugh has been following is going to be there. He loves his videos and tutorials. He’s been talking about him practically non-stop,” I said with a slight eye roll. “I guarantee you he’ll jump at the opportunity as soon as you mention it.”
“Who’s the guy? Do I know this dude?” he asked.
“Probably. His name is Boyd Rivers. He’s American, but he lives in Amsterdam. He has a gym chain in New York or something like that?”
“The name does sound familiar,” Mika replied pensively.
“Anyway, you have no idea the trouble I had to go through to get these VIP passes. They were sold out, and I ended up calling the guy and explained my situation to him and his wife—who’s a really cool chick, by the way.” Mika’s blank expression told me I was rambling again and not making much sense. I took a deep breath and tried to put my thoughts in order. “I know I’m confusing you. Bottom line: I need you to take Hugh to this fitness convention in Glasgow and make it look like it’s your idea. That’s all you need to know.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head. He pursed his lips and let out a deep breath through his nose. He was going to say no.
“I don’t know, Sam. I don’t feel good lying to Hugh. Why can’t you just give him the tickets yourself? As a present?”
“Because he’ll figure out I’m trying to get rid of him for the weekend.”
“Well, aren’t you?” he mumbled.
“I am, but . . . it’s not what you think, I swear. I just need some time away, and I can’t get away without . . . ruining everything.” I let the words out and stared at Mika’s suspicious face. This wasn’t going like I’d planned. I felt my heart sink into my stomach, and without even realizing it, I sort of dropped to my knees in a rather dramatic fashion. It hadn’t been my intention to beg, but if seeing me drop to my knees was going to seal the deal, so be it.
“Mika, you must know how much I love Hugh, and I’d never, ever do something to hurt him. I’m trying to do the opposite. I want to make him happy for the rest of my life, but I need just a couple days without him to make that happen. When you find out why, you’ll be glad you helped. That’s all I can say.”
“Fine,” he replied in a low grumble.
Elation coursed through my body, and I felt immediately lighter.
I jumped up to my feet.
“Thank you! Oh, thank you, Mika! You won’t regret it, I promise.” I gave him a kiss on the cheek, and he almost pulled back in surprise. Just then, Blair entered the trailer.
“Hey, I was looking for you. It’s time to come to the makeup trailer, Mr. Hollywood,” she said in a mocking tone. I turned around and a slow, sly smile stretched on her face as she noticed me there. “Were you telling him about this weekend?” she asked me.
I nodded.
“Wait a minute, she knows?” he asked, sounding outraged. “You told Blair but you won’t tell me? Why can you tell her but not me?”
“Because she’s part of my plan, and with you playing for the other team—AKA my fiancé—you’re most likely to betray my trust.”
“I’m an actor, Sam! I know how to keep a secret!” he let out, frustrated, raising his hands up in the air rather dramatically.
“Do you? Is that why everyone in town knows about your crush on Blair? Is it because you know how to keep a secret?”
My words hit home, and he lowered his eyes after briefly glancing at Blair.
“That’s between me and Blair,” he said sheepishly.
“Shite, Sam. Did you really have to bring that out?” Blair said. Yikes. Maybe I had said too much. All this planning was messing with my head; I was so focused on the goal, I was paying no attention to the lines I was crossing.
I let out a breath and ran my hands through my hair in frustration.
“I’m sorry,” I said to them both. “I really am. I didn’t mean to meddle in your business, but if I can give you a small piece of advice, from someone who’s been where you guys are right now, it would be that you have to talk to each other. Stop playing games. Stop lying to yourself,” I said, locking eyes with Blair. These two had had their ups and downs since last year. Apparently, they’d been hot and cold for months, and no one knew about it until Mika spilled the beans on a drunken night out.
Still, I couldn’t risk it. My plan was all I had. When I thought about it, when I pictured it all in my head, I couldn’t wait to see how Hugh would react.
I had kept secrets before, had lied before, when I was trying to get my revenge on Eric, but it was agonizing to keep things from Hugh. I couldn’t wait for him to know everything. My plan simply had to work.
“Mika, back to us,” I told him, locking eyes with him. “Here are the VIP passes, and I will email you all the info with your accommodations. I’m counting on you. Don’t let me down—you’re my only hope,” I added with a pleading smile.
He ran his fingers across his jaw, twiddling with the scruff on his face.
“Fine. You have my word. I won’t say anything. Whatever you’re planning, it better be good,” he said with a pointed finger.
“Yay!” I jumped up and down on the spot and he laughed, his features suddenly relaxed and more beautiful. I looked at him, but he’d locked eyes with Blair, who was standing right be
hind me. The laughter subsided and it was replaced by an intense look that made me suddenly feel like a third wheel.
“Okay, thank you. I’m leaving now. You won’t regret it, Mika,” I told him, and he brought his attention back to me, giving me a nod of his head. I headed for the door.
“You two better be good to each other,” I said without turning around, loud enough for them to hear me. “I’m watching you.”
HUGH
“What’s this?”
“Um, I don’t know. A box?”
“I can see that, but what’s in it? Is it more merchandise for the show?”
“Maybe.” Sam smiled, being awfully coy. She opened the lid and pulled something out. “Tadaaa!” she exclaimed, holding the item in the palm of her hand.
“What’s this? A candle? With my face on it?”
She grinned, her eyes twinkling, her face beaming with far too much excitement. I frowned. I didn’t know how to feel about this. T-shirts were one thing, but candles?
Really?
“What does Abarath smell like?” I read out loud, noticing the tagline on the candle. “What do I smell like?” I asked with a frown.
“Uh-uh, not you, Abarath,” she corrected.
“What does he smell like? Sweat, dirt . . . grass, and on occasion, foul dragon blood, if I had to guess.”
“Pfff! You’re no fun. Don’t you dare kill the dream, Hugh MacLeod. You gotta play the game now that you’re a sex symbol.”
“Am I?” I said with a confused chuckle.
“Yes, of course you are. Where have you been the last few months? People love the show!”
“Oh, really? They do?” I was teasing her mercilessly.
“Okay, stop making fun of me, funny guy,” she said with a half-smile. She opened one of the candles and took a whiff. “Hmmm, these smell good . . . kind of like . . . citrus and wood? Here,” she said, handing it to me. “Your fictional alter ego smells really good.”
“M-My fictional alter ego smells good? Is that supposed to be a jab?” I joked.
“Don’t get butt hurt. That’s not what I said,” she replied innocently, but the expression on her face was anything but. “So, how was that CrossFit convention you and Mika went to?”
“Oh, trying to change the subject, are ye?” I teased her, and she slapped me on the arm.
“I am not! I just want to know how it was. Did you guys have a good time? You got home so late last night, I didn’t have a chance to ask you.” That was true. We didn’t have time to talk about how our weekend apart had been because after a testosterone-fueled weekend with my costar, the only thing I wanted to do when I got back home was give my lady a good ride. I’d missed her. Besides, Mika was too much of a bletherer. I liked the bloke in small amounts, but a whole weekend with him was far too much.
“I’m afraid the production is wasting their money—no one is going to buy those candles.”
“Agree to disagree,” she said, taking another whiff of the candle. She placed it down on the counter and I turned it around, not wanting to stare at my own face. She glanced at her phone.
“We’re running late—I have to get you ready before Nora gets on my case. So, the convention? Was it worth it?” she asked.
“It was incredible. I wish you could have been there,” I said, and she raised her eyebrows, giving me a skeptical look. “No, really. You would have found it interesting as well. We had VIP passes and afterward we got to hang out with the guy who led the sessions. Really nice bloke. He’s American.”
“What’s his name?”
“Boyd Rivers. He used to live in New York, but he operates out of Amsterdam now.”
“Wow, really?”
“Yeah, he fell in love with an attorney who works there.”
“Huh, an attorney and a CrossFit guru—I wonder how they met. Is she into CrossFit, too?”
“No, I think he mentioned they met through his brother, who’s a musician.”
“Huh. Rivers . . . it sounds familiar, but then again, it’s a popular name.”
“His brother is Lou Rivers, he said. Maybe you’ve heard of him? Boyd said he’s not that famous outside the US.”
“Oh, I know him! I love his music. It’s a mix of folk, country, and bluegrass. He has that whole singer-songwriter thing going on. He might not be very famous, but the guy is very talented. Boyd Rivers is his brother? What are the odds!”
“It was honestly really interesting, and Mika and I learned a lot of new things. I already told Winston I can’t wait to try some of these exercises in our workouts.”
“Good. I’m glad you had a good weekend.”
“What about you? Did you get to sleep in like you wanted?”
She scrunched up her nose and then smiled.
“No, I didn’t.”
“Why not?”
She hesitated for a moment and then let out a breath.
“What is it?”
“Well, it turns out I have a really hard time sleeping when I’m not curled up around my favorite human heater,” she joked, but then a shy smile stretched across her face.
I didn’t think—I just pulled her down to sit on top of me. I didn’t care that we were in the makeup trailer with a bunch of other people. They had been busy working and minding their own business, but of course now their attention was on us. Their whistles and cheers would have embarrassed me, if I cared.
But I didn’t.
“You couldn’t sleep?”
“I just missed you, I suppose. I’m not used to being alone in the cottage,” she replied, looking away.
I tipped her chin up and forced her to look at me. I narrowed my eyes, trying to make sure she wasn’t playing.
“You missed me?” I asked her, and for some reason I couldn’t stop smiling like a fool.
“Please don’t make me say it again,” she replied, embarrassed. “I hate when my inner Ms. Independent goes all soft. I don’t mean to get mushy on you. It’s good to have some time apart. Next time I will probably have no problem falling asleep.”
“Mo chridhe, it’s nothing you should be embarrassed of. It’s nice to know I was missed. I missed you too.”
I kissed her, slow and soft, but the whistles of the people around us reminded me once again we weren’t alone. I broke the kiss unwillingly and gave her a long look, and then I turned around and gave everyone a piece of my mind.
“Shut ye geggie, ya bunch of bawbags.” They all laughed at my insults, but I wasn’t joking. I didn’t want Nora or anyone else to hear about us making out; we had enough to deal with. “Oh, leave us alone, ya fannybaws! Don’t be a wee clipe, or you’ll all have to deal with me!”