LACING UP MY TENNIS SHOES, I recall last night and what I agreed to. My stomach is a wreck, and all I can think about it is how I’m going to avoid the crew. There aren’t too many places a person can hide in a town this small.
I open my front door and stand in the cold wind for just a moment before starting out on my run. Six weeks. It’s only six weeks. I’ll just avoid the set as much as I can, stay out of the way, and limit my interactions. If I do that, maybe I can continue living my life of solitude with minimal interruption.
After my run, I return home to shower and get ready for my day. That stack of books isn’t going to read itself. Sitting on the couch, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I’ll avoid all of it. I can handle this. I’ve made it through worse. I can deal with a movie crew. At least I hope I can.
THE NEXT MORNING, I push the door of The Pub open to see Melissa sitting at a corner table. She waves at me as I approach.
“Hey,” I say.
“Morning. I already ordered coffee.”
“Great.” I remove my coat and scarf and sit down. “Damn, it’s cold today.”
“It sure is. The news report said we were due for more snow.”
“Seriously?” I scowl. “This has been a tough winter.”
“I know.”
I pick up the menu and study it even though I already know what I’m getting. Same thing every time.
“Corned beef hash?” Chantel our waitress asks as she drops off the coffee.
I smile. “How’d you know?”
“If ever I’ve met a creature of habit, it’s you.”
“I like what I like.”
She takes my menu and turns to Melissa. “Mel?”
“Pancakes, short stack.”
“Got it.”
Chantel leaves, and I pour cream and sugar into my coffee. Melissa watches me, and I can tell she has questions.
“What?” I ask.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I know you’re really private and this whole movie thing is bugging you. It was good of you to do though. The whole town wants it.”
“Yeah, I know.” I sip my coffee. “I just hope they know what they’re getting into. Hollywood is nothing to take lightly.”
“How do you know that?”
I smile. “Don’t you ever read a book?”
“Well, sure, but you sound like you have personal experience.”
I glance out the window and ignore her comment. “Are you going to Boston with everyone for New Year’s Eve?”
“Change of subject. Got it.” She laughs. “I was thinking about it. You?”
I shake my head. “Crowds aren’t really my thing.”
“I hear ya, but, I’m never gonna meet a husband hanging around here. I already know who my options are, and I’m not interested.”
“True.”
“Do you think you’ll always live here, Gio? Like, do you ever think about moving to a bigger city or traveling the world?” Mel adopts that dreamy tone to her voice that always makes me smile. I wish I could tell her that I’ve seen the world. I’ve done nothing but travel my whole life and finally found a place I could settle. But no, I can’t tell her that. She would want to know why.
“I like it here. As far as I know I’ll be here for a very long time. I’ve done the big city thing and I like this better.”
“Maybe that’s what I should do. Go live in the big city and see how it is.”
“You could, but what about your parents?”
“Oh, they would die. My mother acts like Boston is a third world country.”
I laugh. “I’m sure it’s pretty exotic to them if they’ve lived here their whole lives.”
She nods. “For sure.” She glances out the window, watching James power wash the outside of his store. “Isn’t that gonna freeze?”
I look too. “Probably, but I guess he needs to get it done. They’ll be here in a few weeks.”
“Yeah. Antonio Russo.” Mel shakes her head. “I can’t believe a huge movie star like him will be here. I wonder what he’s like in real life.”
I lift my coffee mug to my lips. “Guess we’ll all find out.”
“I hope he’s not a jerk. That would be awful.”
“You never know. Someone’s public persona can be vastly different from who they really are.”
“True. All I know is that he’s hot.”
I laugh. “He is. Even I have to admit that.”
“Ah, so you are a normal red-blooded female after all.”
“I don’t know about how normal I am, but I do have eyes.”
Mel lifts her hand, and I slap it back. “Amen, sister. That man is beautiful.”
“He is,” I agree. “And I hope he’s a good guy too, since he’ll be hanging around here for several weeks.”
“Me too. He’s a total player though, at least according to the magazines.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, one of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors, but he doesn’t seem like he’s slowing down any time soon.”
“Nothing wrong with that. You’re only young once.”
Mel tilts her head. “Funny you would say that.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re young, but you live like a nun.”
“I’m no nun, trust me.”
“Maybe not, but don’t you ever wish you had a little romance in your life? Don’t you want to get married and have babies someday?”
“No.”
“But —” Melissa pauses as Chantel delivers our breakfast, waiting until she leaves to continue. “Why not?”
“Not everyone is on the same path in life. The traditional route has never been for me. As far as romance is concerned, I find it to be more trouble than it’s worth.”
“Maybe you just haven’t found the right guy yet.”
“Well, I’m not going to find him here, so my options are pretty limited.”
She laughs. “So true. Hey, maybe there will be some hot guy on the movie set for one of us.”
I laugh too. “Maybe, but if there is, he’s all yours. I won’t be hanging around the set long enough to meet anyone.”
Melissa grins and takes a bite of her breakfast. “I will. I’ll be there as much as possible. I’ll scout one out for you.”
I shake my head. “You’re hilarious.”
“I just think this is exciting. It’s the most interesting thing that’s ever happened to me. You can understand that, can’t you?”
I nod. “Yeah Mel. I understand.” It’s the worst possible thing that could happen to me. “I’m happy for you.”
“Happy for us.” She lifts her orange juice. “This is going to be good for everyone. I can feel it.”
I lift my water glass and clink it against hers. “I hope you’re right.”
“I am. I just know it.”
This is one situation I would really like to be wrong.
I LIE ON MY BACK, staring at my ceiling. I should’ve gotten up a long time ago, but I can’t will myself to leave the comfort and safety of my bed. I hoped I would have longer than a month to prepare for this barrage of activity, but today’s the day. They’ll be setting up on Main Street. I take a deep breath and remind myself that these people don’t know me. They won’t even pay attention to me. I’m just another face in the crowd.
I force myself to get up and take a shower, trying to convince myself that this is an ordinary day. I’ll follow my normal routine and everything will be fine.
An hour later as I walk down the sidewalk to the shop, I stop in my tracks. My stomach flips, and I feel a wave of nausea hit me. Ahead of me are throngs of trucks, cars, people, and equipment. I hurry to the store and quickly let myself in. Melissa and Sammy are already inside, peeking out the window.
“Morning,” I greet.
Melissa turns to me, grinning. “His trailer is right over there,” she says, pointing. I look outside to see the temporary building across the street near the park. His name is painted in huge silver letters on the side of it. “Antonio Russo isn’t actually in town yet,” Melissa adds. “They said he’ll be here around lunchtime.”
“Oh, goodie.”
“Be sarcastic if you want,” Sammy says, “but I for one am super excited to see him in real life. I’ve seen all his movies, and this one is supposed to be really good.”
Melissa nudges Sammy’s arm. “Just remember, he’s into girls.”
“So you think,” he says and winks. “You never know with the pretty boys.”
“Can we talk about something else please?” I chime in. “We have a lot to do today. We need to tear down Valentine’s Day.” Ignoring the shared glances of my employees, I walk to the back and remove my coat. Sitting down at my desk, I sigh. I can’t shake the nerves that have set in as soon as I saw the movie set coming to life. It will only be worse when the stars get here. All I can do at this point is try to avoid it and focus on my work. So far, that plan has worked for me.
After lunch, I start setting up a display of new fiction books. The town square out front is filled with just about every town resident. Everyone but me. Even the kids were let out of school to catch a glimpse of a celebrity. I shake my head. I’m not impressed. I know just how bad things can get.
Ignoring the crowd noise out front, I focus on my task. Picking up the next book, I flip it over to read the back, when the door jingles. I look up, but see no one there.
“Melissa? Sammy?” I call out, not expecting them to answer. They went outside a while ago. Hearing nothing, I return to stacking books, but swear I see something move out of the corner of my eye. I stand up and look around seeing nothing. When I turn back around, I scream.
“I’m so sorry,” the man in front of me says from behind a stack of books.
Clutching my chest, I gasp out my questions. “How did you get in here? Who are you?” As my breathing calms, I realize exactly who it is.
“I didn’t mean to startle you. I just needed a minute before I faced the crowd, and this was the first place I saw that I could duck into.”
He extends his hand while I just stare at him. Tiny pictures on a cell phone do not do the man justice. He is spectacular. So tall and tan and…fuck.
“Miss, are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah.” I shake my head. “I’m fine. I just didn’t see you come in.”
His hand still hangs in the air waiting for mine. I take it and immediately feel like jelly inside. Fucking jelly. He’s dangerous. My thoughts of self protection are running out the door yelling back at me to do whatever I can to keep his hand in mine. I haven’t felt like this, well, ever. It scares the shit out of me.
“Nice to meet you.” I can barely form words. “But who are you?”
“You don’t know?”
Fuck yeah, I do. “No.”
He slightly bows his head. “Antonio Russo.” He grins and my knees feel like they might collapse. “And you are?”
“Huh?”
“What’s your name?”
My name. What’s my name? Shit. “Giovanna.” I swallow hard. “Di Palermo.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Giovanna Di Palermo.” He grins. “You really don’t know who I am?”
I shake my head. “I had to be shown your picture on a cell phone. You’re, um, different in real life.” I clear my throat. “I don’t follow movies.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, I like that.” He releases my hand and looks around. “I love this store. It’s perfect.”
“For what?”
“The movie. Haven’t you heard the title?”
“No.”
“Love and Books. I play the lead character that falls in love with the shop’s clerk. This is where we’ll be filming most of the movie. Didn’t you know that?”
Fuck.