CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
A week later Sierra was looking immeasurably better. Her pale skin was now tinged with a little California sun and the bruises and cuts had faded. Yesterday Billie and Tyler had dragged her out of the house to get some new clothes which had been a battle royale. Sierra didn’t want to be any trouble but then she’d never seen Tyler in full-on balls to the wall mode. A force of nature, he wouldn’t be denied the fun of buying her a whole new wardrobe.
Today Billie and Sierra were finishing up a spa day of pampering – mani-pedi, massages, and for Sierra a brand-new hairstyle – and then they were meeting Tyler for a casual late lunch at a local restaurant. He’d sent Billie a cryptic message while they were getting their toes painted. The lunch was a celebration of some kind.
“Do you know what we’re celebrating?” Sierra asked as they entered the trendy bistro.
“I have no idea but maybe your divorce came through.”
Now that Sierra was living in their home, Tyler and his team of attorneys had become actively involved in her situation, including the divorce and the criminal charges against her worm of a husband. Sierra was also continuing therapy to help her transition to a new normal.
“That would be cause for celebration but I just know that Brian is going to drag it out as long as possible.”
“Little prick,” Billie muttered as they joined Tyler at an out of the way table. The proprietor was a fan and always gave them a table that couldn’t be seen from the door or the front window.
“Damn, woman. I hope you’re not talking about me,” he said with a grin. “I haven’t screwed anything up since at least yesterday.”
Tyler hadn’t messed up in weeks. In fact, he’d been so wonderful she could barely keep from cuddling up on his lap and kissing him, regardless of where they were or who they were around.
“I wasn’t talking about you,” Billie replied sweetly, giving him a simple peck on the cheek. “I was talking about Brian.”
“That makes sense.” Tyler grinned and rubbed his hands together. “Do you ladies know why we’re here today?”
Sierra gave Billie some side eye and smiled. Her sense of humor was slowly returning and she liked to tease Tyler best of all. “To eat lunch?”
Billie shook her head, well into the spirit of the game. It wasn’t fair that they kind of ganged up on him but if anything, he encouraged it. He said it was nice to see them bond as sisters again.
“To show off how gorgeous we look after our morning at the spa?” Billie guessed.
“That goes without saying, babe. But there is something else. Something big. Actually, two something bigs.”
Looking like a little boy with a huge secret, Tyler was practically vibrating in his chair. If they didn’t get him to speak quickly he was going to bounce out of the restaurant like Tigger in the Hundred Acre Wood.
“So tell us,” Billie urged, rolling her eyes. “Just say it.”
“It’s just I still can’t quite believe it.” Tyler threw up his hands but didn’t get a chance to go on as the waitress approached their table. The sisters had to wait for the news until after they ordered and the server disappeared into the back kitchen.
“Okay, she’s gone. Spill it, pretty boy.”
“I got the movie.”
Such a simple sentence but Billie wasn’t sure she’d heard it correctly. Had it really happened?
“Can you say that again?”
He was wearing the most gleeful smile and it looked damn sexy on him.
“I got the movie. I’m playing Zak.”
Throwing her arms around his neck, Billie no longer worried about who might be watching. “That’s the most amazing news. I’m so proud of you.”
Although she wasn’t a fan of Weller, this was what Tyler wanted. If he wanted it, she wanted it for him.
“Congratulations, Tyler,” Sierra said. “I’m not sure who Zak is but it sounds like you’re happy about the role.”
“It’s a great opportunity,” Tyler replied. “The director is a jerk but the role is juicy and very different than anything I’ve done before. I’m hoping to show I can stretch as an actor. But that actually isn’t the biggest news. Remember I said I have two surprises to celebrate.”
“Spill,” Billie urged with a giggle. “You’re keeping us on the edge here.”
“That wasn’t the only news Josh had. Turns out there’s another role that needs someone to fill it.”
“Josh is Tyler’s agent,” Billie explained to Sierra who seemed to be watching all of this with amusement. She’d get used to all this movie obsession in time.
“He’s your agent too,” Tyler said, dropping a kiss to her forehead. After their clinch in the kitchen, he’d been quite circumspect when it came to affection in front of Sierra. “And the role is for you, baby. Do you remember that Lilliana Dowling took the co-starring role in Sam’s new movie? Well, she was in a car accident in Nice and broke her leg in two places. She’s going to be fine but she needs surgery and several months to recover and rehab. Sam immediately told the producers and the director that he wants you to take the role.”
Any movie Sam Collins starred in was probably going to be a huge hit and this one was no exception. A murder mystery with light moments and some romance, she’d heard about the script the last time she’d talked to Sam. He must have remembered how much she’d loved the concept. She’d read the book the script was based on and it was fantastic.
But it was still hard to believe. Her – Billie Oliver – co-starring with Sam Collins in a major motion picture? It hadn’t been that long ago that she’d been dumped by her last agent because she wouldn’t get breast implants.
“Sam wants me?”
Tyler nodded, looking more excited for her than he had been for himself. “Josh said the part is yours if you want it. You won’t make what they were paying Lilliana but the money is still good. You can get this movie under your belt and still be done in time for the wedding. Any post-production work can be done after while I’m working on the Zak film.”
“That’s…amazing.”
It was still hard to wrap her mind around it. She’d been sure her career was going nowhere and then out of the blue…this.
Tyler was frowning at her, not understanding why she wasn’t jubilant. “You want it, don’t you?”
Did she want it? Glancing at her sister sitting across the table, Billie had to put her first. This wasn’t the best time to be flying off to some location for months, leaving her sister behind to grapple with a divorce and a new life.
Tyler’s gaze followed Billie’s and his expression relaxed immediately. “I guess I had three pieces of news. I miscounted. After talking to Josh and Sam, the production company had planned to hire an assistant for you for the run of the shoot. Sam told them Sierra was your assistant so they’re hiring her too. You both will be together for the duration of filming.”
Eyes wide, Sierra looked at Billie then Tyler, then back to Billie. “Are you serious? I’ve never done that kind of work before.”
Tyler gave her a wink. “I think Billie won’t make you do anything too tough. It’s mostly keeping her on schedule. Look at it this way, you’ll get to order her around. That is, if she takes the role. Billie, you haven’t said much.”
“I’m stunned,” she confessed, laughing at herself. “Completely blindsided but in a good way. I’m still in disbelief.”
“Believe it. You’re a good actress and Sam knows that. He wouldn’t ask you to do anything if he didn’t think you could do it. He’s way too protective of his movies to work with just anyone. He wants you.”
And Billie wanted to do it. She could do it, and working with Sam would be a dream. The only thing better would be working with Tyler.
“I want it.” She turned to Sierra who was regarding them with a combination of awe and amusement. “Please come with me. I’m going to need all the help I can get.”
“If you’re sure…?”
“Very sure.”
Sierra’s eye lit up with happiness. “Then of course I will. I’d love to.”
Billie was going to make a movie with Sam. She was going to be the co-star. It was a dream come true. She’d worked hard but Hollywood was also about luck and timing.
“Where are they shooting and when do we need to be there?”
Chuckling, Tyler sat back in his chair as the waitress slid their entrees in front of them.
“The twenty-first in Paris.”
Sierra’s mouth fell open and Billie couldn’t stop the huge smile that spread across her face.
“Paris? In less than three weeks?”
They had a boatload of work to do before they could leave. For Paris.
Life was darn near perfect.
* * *
The next two weeks were a whirlwind of packing and preparations. Billie had contacted their wedding planner and finally set a date for the second week in October along with a myriad of other decisions that she and Tyler had finally sat down and made. They’d decided on colors – an autumn palate – and even a location – an orchard in Colorado that they had rented out for the entire weekend. Now that those major decisions were made the others would easily fall into place. Billie might even look for a wedding dress while in Paris.
There were travel arrangements to make as well and Curtis stepped in to help with that. He was guiding Sierra through the process and filling her in on his duties, although Billie had assured her sister she wasn’t nearly as needy as Tyler. She could stay on time and didn’t need anyone to remind her of appointments. The only snag they’d hit was that Sierra didn’t have a passport. They’d expedited its processing and it had shown up yesterday, much to their relief.
“What does Curtis have you doing now?” Billie asked as she entered Tyler’s office. “This isn’t some sort of hazing ritual, is it?”
Curtis and Sierra had their hands full of scripts, all rejected at some point in the last year for one reason or another by Tyler. At Josh’s bidding, they had kept them for awhile in case the project came up again but eventually they would be shredded.
Laughing, Curtis dropped the stack of scripts onto the back credenza. “I promise I’m taking good care of your sister. We’re just trying to get a handle on all this office clutter and rotating out the oldest scripts and storing the newer ones.”
“Curtis says I’m a natural at this,” Sierra said, elbowing her mentor. The two were getting along great, much to Billie’s relief. It was also helping Sierra to feel more normal; at least that’s how she’d described it. She didn’t want to sit around contemplating the wreck of her life all day. She needed to be busy and she was excited to see Paris.
Sierra retrieved a folder from the desk and held it out to Billie. “We were catching up with the filing and I think this belongs to you. You can take it or we can file it, whatever you want.”
Accepting the folder, Billie flipped it open. “I doubt that it belongs to–”
This wasn’t Billie’s file. This was a file about Billie. About her past. It was Tyler’s.
He’d known about her life all along. Wow, he was a great actor because she never would have suspected that he wasn’t surprised when she told him. He ought to win that Oscar he coveted. He was that good.
Snapping it shut, she held it to her chest. That place where her heart was currently breaking into a thousand pieces. He’d talked about trust so many times but in the end he hadn’t trusted her. How long had he had this? Since she’d moved in? Since he’d needed her to be his wife?
“It is mine. I’ll take care of it.”
Without another word, she turned on her heel and headed for the bedroom. Tyler was at a meeting and she’d have some time – uninterrupted – to look through this.
Then figure out what in the hell she was supposed to do now.