Page 25 of Bryce

“What?”

“You weretalking about acting,” she reminded him.

“Sorry.”He muttered, hands moving restlessly over his thighs. “I wouldlose myself in the scene – something that helped me to forgetwho I actually am.” He shrugged.

“You’vewon several awards.”

He glanced at her,blue eyes twinkling.

“What?”

“You kept upwith the news.”

She shrugged. “Ifollowed your career and was proud of you.”

His surprised lookhad her shifting. “Why is that so hard to believe?”

“I hurt you.”

“Still,”she shrugged again, “we once meant something to each other, andI was happy to see that you had found your niche.” She slid hima look. “You always said you would never follow in your dad’sfootsteps.”

“And I keptthat vow. I always thought my place was in front of the camera. Iwanted to be in the thick of things.”

“Any regrets?”

He shook his head. “Ilove acting.” He spread his hands wide. “It has a certainmagic to it. Not just the different locations, but the plots, thetwists and turns of the different characters. Now I get to pick andchoose what I do. In the beginning, I refused to ride on my dad’sname and insisted on being treated like a normal up and comingactor.”

“How did thatwork out?”

“Pretty well.”He laughed. “Blaine Whitlock might be the best in the field,but he is a total prick. And not well-liked.”

“You’redifferent.” She murmured. He turned to look at her again andtheir eyes connected and held for the space of seconds.

Something shimmered,heat and a flash of awareness, before she looked away, breaking thespell. His hands clenched into fists, and he took a few calmingbreaths. Christ! How the hell was he going to contain himself aroundher?

“Care toelaborate?” He asked lightly.

She shrugged again.“You never put on airs.” She smiled slightly. “Notback then and not now. I thought you would be puffed up with your ownimportance. You’re a box office wonder…” She slidhim a laughing glance that had his breath lodging inside his throat.“Not my words of course. I have seen you performing.

The movie –‘Hard Pass’, where you played a washed-up veteran withhis last dime, moved me to tears. It felt so real and galvanized theVA to start acting more, start doing more.” She studied himcuriously. “You also gave half of your earnings to help thecause.”

He slid his glanceaway and she realized to her amazement that he was embarrassed. “Itwas supposed to be anonymous.”

“Millions ofdollars would be likely to generate a hell of a lot of publicity.”

His eyes sizzled.“That was the last thing I wanted. Those men and women foughtfor our country. I was clueless until I read for the part and got thelead. Then I spent a month shadowing and talking to veterans –homeless men and women who deserved better. I listened to them.

I felt their pain.And was ashamed to call myself an American by the time I was throughtalking.” Picking up his glass of wine, he took a sip, athoughtful expression on his handsome face. “I wanted to do somuch.”

“And you did.”Turning sideways, she propped a hand on the arm of her chair andplaced her chin in her palm as she stared at him. Funny, she hadoften thought of him as a spoiled Hollywood type but should haverealized that he was the same sensitive boy she had known sincechildhood.

“Yeah. Itsomehow feels like it’s not enough.”

To lighten the moodand to take that anguished look off his face, she turned to teasing.“What do you think, Whitlock? That you can save the entireworld?”

His blue eyes boreinto hers, telling her that he knew what she was trying to do.

“One day at atime Woods.” He followed suit and within minutes the mood hadlightened.

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