Saul smiled as his phone played It Feels Like the First Time by Foreigner, the ringtone he’d selected for Angela. He was more of a country kind of guy, but the song seemed to fit how he felt about her perfectly. He pulled the phone from his pocket.
“I have to take this, Butch.”
“Go ahead.”
“Hey, Babe,” Saul said as he stepped away from the shriek of power saws and the pop of pneumatic hammers, sitting down in his truck and shutting the door so they could talk in peace, starting it so the air conditioning would keep the interior cool.
“Am I interrupting?”
“You know you’re never an interruption.”
It had been eight months since production wrapped. They hadn’t talked every day, but he could count on both hands the number of day’s they had missed.
After that night, as they had begun to refer to it, he spent the next day cleaning up any traces of blood and patching ad painting the hole in the wall from the gunshot. He’d been waiting for her when she finished filming for the day and had taken her home. She didn’t return to the hotel for the rest of production. By silent agreement, he didn’t talk about the club’s off book activities, and she pretended she didn’t know.
“I can tell you’re busy,” she said. She chewed her bottom lip. She was about to make a big, big plunge and she was a little nervous, though she didn’t know why.
Since production had wrapped, Saul had flown to California twice, and she’d returned to Laredo three times. Each time she saw him, she was more excited than the last and more disappointed when they parted, and that was saying something. She’d been pretty damned excited to see him, and had cried when he left her to board the plane, the first time.
He never cried, of course, not being the big tough biker, but he always seemed glad to see her and never looked pleased when they had to part. She smiled with remembering. Each time they met their sex was explosive and lasted most of the first day, and the night before they parted, it was especially tender and loving. She’d taken no other lovers since him, and though she hadn’t asked, she didn’t think he’d taken once since her.
“It’s nothing. Just talking to a contractor about his next job. What’s up?” He checked the clock. It was only three in the afternoon, which meant it was one in California. She was calling early today.
“I wanted to let you know Brand B signed up for two sequels. Both are going to be shot in Laredo.”
“That’s fantastic, Angela! Congratulations!” It was no surprise really. Los Rio had done well at the box office against some strong competition and had been a critical success. Angela got nods for her solid portrayal and Johnny for his stellar direction. Nobody expected her to get Oscar nominations for her role, it was the wrong kind of movie, but she’d become Tanya Palmer and it was a given if there were sequels, she would be back as Tanya.
“Thanks. The first movie is in preproduction right now. We should start shooting in about three months, if the script is ready.”
“That’s good to hear. I’m looking forward to seeing you again.”
She smiled and chewed her bottom lip again. On her last trip to Laredo, he’d taken her to the Pagans’ clubhouse and introduced her around to a select group, the twenty men and their old ladies he was closest to. She’d deduced these were the men and women who knew the whole story about the club. She hadn’t said she was in the know, and there hadn’t been one word mentioned about the off book activities, but she could tell they knew she had the whole story.
She’d started out nervous, not knowing what to expect, but the brothers and their old ladies had quickly put her at ease. It was refreshing to be around people who didn’t care she was Angela Moncrief. They had spent hours swapping stories over steaks and beers, laughing hysterically as their tales became more and more outrageous. By the time she and Saul returned home, she counted the women of the Pagans among her friends, and looked forward to seeing them again.
“The location scout is flying out in a couple of weeks. He’s going to be there between a week and ten days. I’m going to come with him. Can you spare some time to show us around? The production will pay you, of course.”
“Sure, I’ll be glad to do that. Since it’s just me, no charge.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“We’ll talk about it when you get here. Maybe we can work it out in trade?”
She giggled. “I think we can come to some arrangement. We’ll be staying at the La Palacio again.”
“We’ll?” he asked, drawing the word out.
“Do you have another suggestion?”
The smile in her voice made him grin. “Not for him.”
“But for me?”
“I think I can arrange something a little more private than a hotel room.”
She grinned. “This is business, Saul. We can’t spend all day in bed.”
“How about all night?”
She giggled. “Maybe I’ll fly out a few days early, so we can get it out of our systems and get some sleep after Doug arrives.”
“I think that’s a fine idea.”
She paused and took deep breath. This would tell her where they stood as a couple, and she was afraid she might not like the answer. “There’s another thing I want to talk to you about,” she began, plunging in. “I’m going to be spending a lot of time in Laredo over the next two years. Can you put me in touch with a realtor?”
Saul chuckled. “Why? You planning on moving here?”
“Yes,” she said. “Not full time, of course,” she rushed on, not wanting to crowd him. “I still have to work, but I like the area and it beats living in a hotel the entire time, plus I want a place to go to get out of LA for a while.” She paused. “You know all the big stars have more than one house,” she added to lighten the conversation.
“Poor, Angela, having to make do with only one multi-million dollar house,” he teased. “You know there isn’t anything even close to your current house anywhere around here, right? You’d have to go to Houston to find something like that.”
He’d been taken aback the first time he’d seen her house. It was huge. His entire house would have fit in her garage, with room left over.
He would die before he admitted it, but at first he’d been intimidated by her wealth. She had an Audi and a Porsche, each costing more than his house, with room for two more cars. The rest of her house was just as grand, with marble floors, vaulted ceilings, and carpets so thick you could sink up to your ankles in them.
She giggled. She’d worried the first time he came to visit her, afraid he would be changed somehow, but he’d looked around and complimented her on her house, and that was the last he’d mentioned it, and it pleased her beyond words.
“Nothing like that. Something more like what you have.”
He chuckled. “You’re joking?”
“No! You know what big houses are good for? Impressing people, and not much else. That’s fine for Hollywood, but you know what I like most about Laredo? Nobody I care about is impressed I’m actress. So what do I need a big house for? It’s just me. In fact, I don’t want a big house.”
Saul smiled. “I know this one place. It’s small but I like it.”
“Do tell,” Angela said, hoping this was going where she hoped. She really didn’t want another house. What she wanted was a place to escape from LA, a place where she could be Perty instead of Angela, a place with warm and welcoming arms.
“Yeah. It’s about a thousand square feet. It’s an older place but it has been updated recently. It has a two-car garage, but only one slot is open. It’s not for sale, but I think the owner might be willing to rent some space out.”
“It sounds like just the place I’m looking for. Maybe I’ll fly out this weekend, if I can get away, and take a look at the place. Do you think that will be all right?”
“I’m sure the owner won’t mind. I’ll talk to him and see if he can pick you up at the airport. Just let me know when your flight arrives.”
Angela grinned. “That would be great. Tell him thank you for me.”
“You can thank him yourself at the airport.”
“Okay, I will. Oh, Saul, I have to ask. Do you think the rent is expensive?”
He grinned, enjoying her teasing. “Very. But I think you can work it out in trade.”
She smiled. “I’m liking the sound of this deal better all the time.”
Saul smiled. When she’d returned to LA, she’d offered his key, but he told her to keep it. He didn’t know where their relationship stood, or where it was going. Over the last eight months, he’d fallen hard for her and he was pretty sure she had feeling for him as well, and he often reminded her she had the key and could return anytime she wanted. The last three times he’d seen her he’d had to fight the urge to tell her how he felt. Once he uttered the words they became real and he was unsure they could make the long distance relationship work. But if she was committing to living with him, he knew it was the right time. He wouldn’t tell her over the phone, not the first time, but as soon as he had her in his home and in his arms, he would finally tell her how much he loved her.
She smiled, her heart beating hard and fast in her chest. She’d fallen for him since she left Laredo all those months ago. Talking to him each night on the phone was the high point of her day, and being with him seemed to recharge and revitalize her, even more so when she was in Laredo than when he was in LA. She enjoyed his relaxed, simple, straightforward manner and found it refreshing compared to the hustle and shallowness of Hollywood. She smiled, his gentle teasing relaxing her, as it always did, his words making her feel safe and secure, reminding her there was always one person she could turn to and trust. The next time she was in his arms, she was going to tell him, tell him how he had become everything to her and she was hopelessly, madly, head over heels in love with him.
“Angela?” he said softly, trying to find some way to express how thankful he was she was in his life and was returning to him as more than just a visitor.
“Yeah?”
“It’ll be good to have you home.”
She whimpered, struggling to hold her tears, touched by his words. “It’ll be good to be home.”
THE END
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