Hot Winter Nights (Made in Montana) Read online

  She slowly swiveled around and made it a few feet.

  “Hey, Blondie.”

  Cringing, she stopped, counted to five and turned to face Jason’s silly frat boy grin. “Do you really want to dig out the old nicknames? Let’s see, what was yours? I’m sure it’ll come to me.”

  “The grouch must be rubbing off on you,” he muttered, glancing at Erin.

  “Huh.” Lila paused, then moved closer so no one could overhear, even though he didn’t deserve the courtesy. “No, it’s you. Annoying Erin and me.” And most of the crew, but she wouldn’t speak for them.

  Jason spread his hands. “What did I do to you?”

  Interesting. He hadn’t included Erin.

  “Your lack of communication is unprofessional and rude, for one thing.” She waited for the denial, but he just shook his head. “How many people have the final revision?”

  He didn’t answer, and Lila was fine with stretching out the silence. Hopefully it would make him uncomfortable. Sure, he was under a lot of pressure and worried about the weather. She even sympathized...to some degree.

  Erin walked up, looking Jason straight in the eye. “Don’t ever interrupt me like that again.” Just as she turned to Lila, as though it was an afterthought, Erin added, “The take was fine. Come on, Lila. What is it you need? We’ll have to walk and talk. I’m late.”

  Lila caught a glimpse of anger in Jason’s face before she fell into step beside Erin. Her stomach rebelled. She hadn’t seen them interact for a while, and the animosity between them was worse than she suspected. Erin didn’t hold grudges. She might not agree with something, but she always kept a tight lid on her emotions for the sake of the work.

  “What are you late for?”

  “Nothing.” Erin glanced at her phone. “I just didn’t want to talk to him.”

  “Can you sneak in a break?” Lila asked casually.

  “Sure.” Erin blinked and slowed down a step. Probably figured out what was coming. “I only have a few minutes, though.”

  “Baloney. We need to talk, and we’re doing it right now.”

  “Come on, Lila. I’m working. You know this isn’t the time or place.”

  “You’ve been avoiding me, and you haven’t told me anything about what’s going on. So no, actually, I have no idea if this is the time or place.”

  “Look, we’ll talk. Later.” Erin stopped when Lila did, and they faced each other. “This evening. I promise.”

  “You’ll disappear on me.” Lila felt the sting of tears. She blinked them back and held firm. “Now.”

  Erin’s snorted. “Turn off the waterworks. I don’t need you playing me, too.”

  Lila could barely breathe. Shocked and hurt to the bone, she stared at her friend. After several long seconds, afraid she couldn’t hold back the tears, Lila turned and walked away.

  “Wait. Please, wait.” Erin caught up with her. “Dammit. I’m sorry, Lila. I didn’t mean it. Jesus. I’m such a shithead.”

  “Yes, you are,” Lila muttered and kept walking, anger overtaking hurt.

  “I’m sorry. I really am. You’re the last person on earth I’d want to hurt.”

  Three weeks ago Lila would’ve believed it. She walked faster, her much longer legs making it hard for Erin to keep up.

  “Okay, we’ll talk.” Erin jogged a few steps ahead and swung around to face her, walking backward. “Right now. Wherever you want. I’ll explain everything. God, I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice cracking. “Please believe that, if nothing else.”

  Lila stopped and looked at her friend’s stricken expression. Tears glistened in Erin’s eyes. She’d cried maybe twice in the twenty years they’d known each other. But it was the crack in her voice that had gotten to Lila.

  “I don’t have an excuse,” Erin said. “I’ve been horrible, I know, and I—”

  “You don’t need an excuse. We’re friends. You’re allowed. I’m sorry, too.” Lila swallowed back a lump of tears. “But if you don’t follow me to the trailer right this minute and spill everything, I’m going to tell Baxter you have a huge crush on him.”

  “Huh.” Erin sniffed. “I turn my back for a couple weeks and you morph into this evil being.”

  “Couple weeks, my foot.” Lila turned around and resumed her breakneck pace.

  Erin sighed and followed.

  Ignoring the stares, neither of them spoke until they were inside the hair-and-makeup trailer with the door locked.

  Lila sank onto a chair. “Remember, you said everything.”

  Rubbing her eyes, Erin nodded. She lowered her hands. “Baxter is going to be the first AD for the sequel.”

  A startled laugh escaped Lila. “Come on...don’t waste time joking.”

  “I wish I were joking. I really do.”

  “How is that possible? He’s an idiot!”

  “I’m pretty sure the whole crew and cast agrees with that.” Erin exhaled harshly. “His uncle wrote a large check.”

  “Jason promised you that position and not just because he owes you. You know the job better than anyone, and you’ve worked harder than anybody else. How many months did you spend scouting locations, living on junk food because there’s no per diem money in the budget—”

  “It’s okay, Lila. Yes, I’m upset, disappointed, all those things. But Jason did what he thought was best for the project. We can’t understand what kind of pressure a director is under. In his shoes I might’ve done the same thing.”

  “Oh, please. I don’t believe that, and neither do you. We’ve always hated the Hollywood double-talk, the empty promises, using people... You would never have done that to Jason, or any of us.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  “No probably about it,” Lila muttered. “I’m so mad at him.”

  “See, that’s why I didn’t want to tell you. Your role is safe. You’ll be playing Tara. Don’t do anything to mess that up.”

  “How can you say that? Nothing’s sacred. Jason just proved we can’t trust him.” Lila closed her eyes for a second. “You know, even though he’s been short-tempered and annoying, I still believed in him. I wanted him to succeed. He’s worked hard since college.”

  “I still believe in him.”

  “How can you, Erin? Why would you even stick around? Jason needs you. Let him flounder and see just how much.”

  She turned away.

  Lila frowned. “Baxter has no idea what he’s doing. The sequel is going to end up a complete mess.” She stared at her friend’s back. “Erin? What else? You promised.”

  She cleared her throat and turned around. “Unofficially I’ll be the first AD. I’ll be paid a salary and everything—”

  “And Baxter gets the credit.”

  Erin nodded.

  “You don’t care about the money, it was always about the credits for the Director’s Guild. What’s Baxter going to do with them? Nobody’s ever going to hire him to do a film.”

  “Look on the bright side.” Erin smiled. “I’ll be making sure our investment pays off. We can get rid of our loans.”

  Lila stared at her hands. She was almost glad when Erin’s phone signaled a text. They probably needed her back on the set, and Lila could use some alone time. How could Erin not be furious and hurt? How could she think Lila wouldn’t be, as well? If Jason screwed Erin, then he screwed Lila, too. She didn’t even want the role anymore.

  “Yep, gotta go,” Erin said, looking up from her phone. “Actually I’m glad I finally told you. I’ve been nasty to Jason, and it’s not really fair since I agreed to the deal. We’ll all benefit in the end.”

  Lila forced a smile. It was the best she could do, considering her friend had sold her soul to the devil.

  * * *

  IT HAD BEEN another long frustrating da
y on the set, and while Lila had avoided most everyone she didn’t want to see, she’d had two encounters with Baxter that made her want to FedEx him to Iceland. In his tighty-whities.

  At last, though, she was in the right place with the exact right person.

  Clint had met her at the motel just after eight, taken one look at her and started running a bath in her heavenly hotel room. He’d gone to pick up food from the diner while she’d soaked and let some of the tension ease from her body.

  She’d never been with a man who’d been that considerate without it being about sex. Ever. He’d just been kind, that’s all, and here she was, in the throes, as they say, of a very big dilemma.

  What she’d like very much to do was lay it all out for him, piece by piece, but since she wasn’t sure that any of the pieces made sense, she didn’t think it was time. Or maybe it wasn’t appropriate. Probably both.

  He wouldn’t understand, anyway. She’d end up sounding like a Tinseltown flake, which was the last thing she wanted. If she’d really wanted to be fair, she’d tell him they should skip tonight, make plans for tomorrow. But since she’d worked for fifteen hours yesterday, they’d only talked on the phone, and she wasn’t willing to do it again.

  Not when there were so few nights ahead of them. Maybe if they ate and made love, her mind would just shut off and she wouldn’t have to think about how badly she wanted to quit. Walk away. She still hadn’t come to terms with Erin’s willingness to continue working with Jason.

  That backstabbing wiener. How many times had Erin saved his hide on this film? On every project they’d ever worked on, but especially this one. The one that counted. And how did he repay her? By giving her job to a butt-head.

  Just thinking about it made her muscles tense—and just when she’d finally loosened up.

  Hearing the door to the outer room open, she smiled, ready to get out of the tub and into bed with Clint. She quickly dried off, and just as he knocked, she wrapped the towel around herself. “I’ll be right there.”

  “Take your time. I got the rotisserie chicken you like, and a salad with Italian on the side.”

  “Sounds great. What did you get?” She wiped off the mirror with her hand, but wished she hadn’t when she saw how she looked. Her hair was still in a ponytail, but her eye makeup was smudged, her complexion spotty and she looked about a hundred years old.

  But since Clint seemed to like her anyway, she exited the bathroom without giving it another thought.

  He’d made the room perfect. The pillows were pushed up against the headboard, the covers turned down, their dinners were laid out on flattened paper bags, complete with a cold beer on each bedside table.

  “I got a burger,” Clint said, sounding like a manly man. “With cheese and fries.”

  “Mmm. Sounds yummy. You won’t mind if I dine au naturel, will you?” she said, tossing away the bath towel.

  He just sputtered in response.

  Once she climbed in bed, she pulled the covers up under her arms and watched him strip. Definitely the highlight of her day...so far, anyway.

  He uncapped the beers, then joined her. The eating was pretty silent. They both were famished, and as the hunger started to settle, her tangled thoughts took over.

  The thing was, quitting was a huge decision. Of course she’d stay until this film wrapped because she’d given her word, but after that? Could she really work with Jason again? And Baxter?

  God, the idea was horrible. But bowing out meant leaving Erin on her own, and that would be equally horrible. Plus there was something else to consider. Was she just using what happened to Erin as an excuse for something she hadn’t had the guts to do on her own? Spending three months working on location had really opened her eyes. Made her reevaluate what she wanted her life to look like in ten years.

  Erin wouldn’t understand at first; the role of Tara was too major to give up. She’d advise Lila to suck it up, grab the credit, and after the sequel was finished, Lila wouldn’t have to ever work with Jason again.

  A very good argument. If Lila still cared about acting.

  Honestly? A role like Tara was only going to add to the pressure she already felt. It was such a cutthroat profession, and there was always going to be someone prettier, younger, more connected.

  Clint put his beer bottle down loudly on the nightstand. When she looked, she realized she’d eaten half her dinner but hadn’t spoken a word to him.

  “You okay?”

  “Tired,” she said. “Sorry. And you were so sweet with the bath and the food. I know I’m terrible company.”

  “Tired? Is that all? Because you sure seem like something else is on your mind.”

  “No, there’s more. It’s about Erin. She’s not going to get the job she was promised on the sequel.”

  “Why not?” He looked stunned. “Everyone says she’s the backbone of the film.”

  Lila grinned. “Listen to you sounding like an insider. But you’re right. That’s what makes everything so awful. Baxter will be named first AD.”

  “What the hell? The guy has no idea what he’s doing.”

  “I know. It’s all about money. Baxter’s uncle’s check was big enough to ensure his nephew could have the job. And Erin was the cost.”

  “Even I know that without Erin, the film’s going to fall apart. He’s an idiot.”

  “Which is why Erin’s agreed to stay. She says she’ll be paid as if she’s the first AD, and that will help her get out from behind the loan she’d taken out to invest in the movie. Actually she means for it to help us both pay off the loans. She’ll also be calling the shots. Baxter won’t override her—he just gets all the credit.”

  Frowning thoughtfully, Clint finished his beer. “What about you? Is your role affected?”

  “Nope. I’ll still be in it, but it won’t be the same.”

  “I’m sorry,” Clint said, rubbing her arm. “I know how much you wanted this to work out.”

  “Honestly? I’m not even sure I care. Sometimes I think I’d rather just keep doing hair, which is something I enjoy.”

  “Do you really mean that?”

  She sighed. “This business can be brutal. Erin’s going to have to put up with Baxter’s incompetence, and knowing every day that Jason sold her out. I don’t even know how she’s going to do it. She can barely tolerate Baxter or Jason now.” Lila began collecting the takeout boxes. “But Erin doesn’t give up easily. She can take a lot, always the optimist, waiting for that right door to open.”

  Clint was finished, too, so she stuffed all the containers back into the empty bags, and set them next to the wastebasket by the dresser.

  By the time she was back in bed, she felt as if taking one more step might just kill her. Not that she wanted to disappoint Clint, but she wasn’t sure she had it in her to do much more than kiss him good-night.

  He smiled at her. “How about we go brush our teeth, then you crawl into my arms and try to get some sleep?”

  “You’re joking, right?”

  “I can see you’re beat. If you want to talk, I’ll listen until morning, but I’m hoping you’ll conk out. You need the rest.”

  She leaned over and kissed him, and while she meant for it to be a quick peck, she found she wanted it to be more. He tasted like salt and beer, and he smelled wonderful. She wasn’t even sure why he was being so nice when she was so preoccupied, but she was grateful.

  * * *

  CLINT WAS TEMPTED to touch her, take the kiss and spin it into what he’d been thinking about for the last thirty-six hours, but she really did sound whipped.

  So he pulled back. “Let’s go brush our teeth.”

  She nodded and gave him a soft smile. It seemed like she needed a friendly ear, and that’s what she’d get.

  Even as he stood next to her in the small ba
throom, trying hard not to stare at her breasts in the mirror, it occurred to him that if this thing with Erin blew up and she walked, Lila could leave, too. Go back to California tomorrow. Or the next day.

  For a minute he’d gotten excited when she’d claimed she didn’t care about the part anymore. But he knew it was just exhaustion and disappointment talking. And even if she’d meant it, that wasn’t the same as saying she was done with Hollywood, just this film and Jason.

  She would of course go right back home, get her agent or whatever to send her out on auditions. And she’d get roles, too. Plenty of them. Probably do better once she wasn’t tied to all the crap going on with Jason and Baxter and everything else. Anyway, like she’d said the other night, she wouldn’t disappoint Erin or her parents.

  He looked at Lila, met her gaze, but only for a split second, before she made her way back to the bed. She wasn’t eager to talk about it, which he understood. She was hurting and probably hadn’t meant half of what she’d said. He only hoped she wouldn’t be too embarrassed to use him as a sounding board.

  Although, what did he know about her situation? He wasn’t even in the business. He might be the nice guy who poured her a bath and bought her dinner, but he wasn’t her long-haul guy. Never had been, not for Lila. But that was the deal, wasn’t it?

  He wiped his mouth, then turned off the bathroom light. As for him, it was too late. Foolish, pitiful hick that he was, he’d already fallen for her. Hard.

  18

  AFTER A SURPRISINGLY good night’s sleep, Lila was feeling sort of decent at her 6:00 a.m. call. Her actors hadn’t arrived yet, and she regretted not taking time to have coffee with Clint before he’d dropped her off. Annoyed, she refused to drink the craft services coffee when she knew there was really great Colombian in the production trailer. If she interrupted a meeting, so what. Everyone would just get over it.

  Walking to the trailer, the only nice one of the bunch, she hurried, more because of the cold than anything, and darted up the three stairs. There was no one inside, but someone had been, and the pot of dark roast was waiting for her as if she’d made an appointment.