Page 81 of Wedding Season
She was as camera-ready gorgeous as Mariella remembered. Her glossy chestnut hair fell in perfect waves around her shoulders and she wore a silk wrap dress that hugged her willowy frame. For all of Amber’s famed skill with acting, she hadn’t been able to hide the flash of loathing in her expertly made-up eyes when Mariella had entered the room.
Drake had been all dumb-jock swagger and Hollywood charm. He was shorter than Mariella would have guessed, not quite her height although he wore boots with a thick heel and gained at least an inch from his expertly pomaded honey-blond hair. She wondered how often film crews had employed tricks to make him look taller than his costars. Amber was tiny so it wouldn’t be an issue for this pairing.
Maybe that contributed to Amber’s casting because the costars had zero off-screen chemistry. She’d heard of actors who made demands about the physical traits of their castmates.
Everyone involved with the movie must know her history with Amber, so either Drake was a better actor than she gave him credit for or he put the details out of his mind. He greeted every person, including Mariella, with the same sort of golden-retriever enthusiasm.
Mariella appreciated his sincerity. She’d dealt with enough rich and famous people to consider herself a good judge of character. Drake didn’t strike her as the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he was nice.
Avery finished her spiel about the festival activities and Emma stepped forward to offer whatever help she could to the crew during their time at the inn. They’d already left goodie baskets with locally made bath products and snacks in each room.
Drake gave her a thumbs-up while Amber flashed a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Her assistant, a girl who looked like she was barely older than Heather, scuttled over to Amber’s side. The poor thing was so pale that Mariella wondered if Amber kept her chained in the basement when she wasn’t working. She already had a notebook flipped open as if she could sense Amber’s impending need.
She wasn’t the same woman who’d worked for Amber when Mariella had been designing her wedding gown, but she figured assistants cycled through Hollywood on a regular basis.
Avery blew out a breath as she came to stand with Emma, Angi and Mariella. “I think that went well.”
“Famous people are just like you and me,” Mariella said with a nod.
“Only with millions of followers on Instagram,” Avery clarified, looking less like the unflappable town ambassador Mariella had grown used to and more like a star-struck fan.
“Excuse me?”
They all turned toward Amber’s mousy assistant. “Ms. Turner had a question about the fashion show listed on the schedule.” She addressed the question to Avery, but Mariella felt a palpable ripple of tension make its way through the group at the mention of the Fit Collective’s event.
“What’s the question?” Avery asked, all traces of nervousness gone in an instant. She drew back her shoulders and looked down her nose at the girl, clearly unwilling to engage in any sort of trifling where Alex was concerned, millions of Instagram followers be damned.
Mariella could see Amber watching them from where she stood with Drake and a few other cast members. She understood without Amber’s assistant saying another word that this would be where Amber made her play.
Mariella should have known this was how it would go. She was low-hanging fruit as far as Amber was concerned. Alex was the real prize in Magnolia.
“We heard that the show is utilizing local modeling talent.”
“Community members,” Avery agreed with a nod.
“Real people,” Mariella added. “It’s part of the branding strategy.”
“Ms. Turner would like to volunteer.” The assistant spoke the words as if she were bestowing a great honor on them.
Hell, no. Mariella rolled her lips together to keep from saying out loud the words that wanted to escape her mouth.
“That’s a generous offer,” Avery conceded, “but I’m not sure—”
“I’m a real person,” Amber said with a trilling laugh as she sashayed forward to join their group.
“Of course you are.” Avery inclined her head. “But we don’t want to overburden you this weekend. You’re already doing so much for the festival.”
A diplomatic approach. Mariella appreciated it but knew it wouldn’t fly with Amber.
“I’m certain I could handle it.” Amber pouted as she fiddled with the two-carat diamond pendant hanging on a delicate gold chain around her neck.
Was Mariella mistaken or had the woman affected a subtle Southern drawl? Avery was beginning to look a little wild-eyed. Mariella understood the woman’s predicament of balancing her loyalty to Alex with the need to keep the talent happy.
Luckily, Mariella only had herself to consider. And Alex.
“It’s not a good idea, Amber,” she said firmly. “The focus should be on the collection. If you are part of the show then it becomes about your past relationship with Alex.”
Amber’s coral-tipped fingers stilled. “What makes you such an expert on his company?”
