Page 56 of Dumbstruck
“You haven’t filmed the scene at the school yet, have you?”
Jonah shakes his head. “Not yet.”
“But they’ve been getting one of the classrooms ready,” Dexter adds. “To film as soon as Bonnie gets back into town.”
That’s what I was hoping for, and I start bouncing on my feet despite having no idea if my plan will even work. “Think we could get the crew to pretend they’re filming today?”
Humming, Jonah meets Dexter’s gaze, and they seem to have a silent conversation before he nods. “Yeah, we probably could. But how will the trap work? The kids would have to know we’re doing it, and who’s to say they’ll even try something?”
I grin wide. “We’ll make sure we give them something they can’t resist.”
Chapter Sixteen
June
There’sareasonIavoid the diner on Saturdays, and I have to resist the urge to wrinkle my nose when I step through the doors and am bombarded by the noise of what feels like half the town crammed into the small space. I feel dozens of eyes on me—I’m not known for joining town traditions—but I do my best to ignore them as I make my way to the counter to put in an order to go.
Just as I hoped, a large group of teens have gathered in the corner as they often do.
“Fancy seeing you here on a Saturday, June,” Peg says by way of greeting. She looks a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of people she and Karina are waiting on, but she smiles at me, which is unexpected. “I heard you were out sick yesterday.”
I nod, trying to look tired. Easy enough, considering how much I wish I could go back to Jonah’s trailer and spend the day sleeping in his arms. We’ve only been apart for a couple of hours while we try to get everything ready, but I miss him. A lot. “Yeah, I’m still not feeling great, which is why I’m here to order some soup to bring home.”
She looks over the bursting tables and sighs as she picks up a pot of coffee. “Sure thing. Give me a minute?”
I’ll give her all the time she needs so my plan can have the best effect. Before I can tell her I’m happy to wait, the bell over the door jingles, and I look over as Dexter comes inside looking like a man with a plan. Ignoring the whispers that start up as people recognize him, he comes over to where I’m standing.
“I need to get a lunch order for my boss ASAP,” he tells Peg.
Peg’s friendliness vanishes in an instant. “You’ll have to wait your turn.”
Dexter rolls his eyes and pulls out his phone as Peg heads out to check on her tables and refill coffee mugs.
I chuckle. “Is Jonah James being difficult?”
Feigning surprise, Dexter looks over at me. “Oh, June. Hey. Didn’t see you there. Feeling any better? Jonah’s been asking about you since you stopped coming around the set, and he was worried when he heard you were sick.” For not being an actor, he sounds entirely natural. Maybe some of Jonah’s skills have rubbed off on him.
Shrugging, I lean against the counter and turn so I’m facing the group of teens. They’re all suddenly very quiet and pretending not to listen, which fuels my conviction that they’re behind everything. “I’ve been better, but I hope I’ll be on the mend soon. I’ve, uh, had some things going on.”
“You and Jonah both,” Dexter says, his eyes on his phone again. “He’s starting to get paranoid about the things happening on set, and it’s messing with his head. I don’t think he’s had a good night’s sleep since he got locked in the prop trailer.”
I wince. “Yikes. But things always go wrong during filming, right? This is just normal stuff?”
Dexter’s lips twitch, and it’s a good thing he’s not facing the teens because he looks like he might crack. “This is beyond normal,” he says darkly. “People are really starting to get freaked out, and the director has been hinting he might move filming back to Hollywood if another thing goes wrong.” He looks around and starts tapping his foot impatiently. “Where is that waitress? Jonah needs something to eat before he starts filming at the school in an hour.”
I cough to cover a laugh, wishing I could applaud Dexter’s delivery. Clear and to the point. I like it. “I’m sure she’ll be back in just a minute. I’m in no rush, so you can order ahead of me. Wouldn’t want to keep the high and mighty Jonah James waiting.”
Peg does indeed return a moment later, and as Dexter places an order for a Caesar salad, the teenagers filter out of the diner one by one.
I’m almost disappointed that every sign is telling me I was right.
“Now that we’re here, I’m not so sure this is going to work.” I watch the crew put their finishing touches on the set at the high school, though Beckett was only willing to send half the team he would normally use on a scene. Apparently Jonah’s persuasive power only went so far to convince the director that my plan would lead to an end of the sabotage. Things are looking a little sparse, and there hasn’t been any sign of the kids around the school.
“Everything is going to go great,” Jonah says, though he’s mostly focused on the phone he borrowed from Richie. When I got to the school after setting the trap at the diner, Jonah said he got a script to look over, and I can’t decide if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. Jonah’s expression is nothing but a mask, though that could be because of Katie styling his hair. We’re trying to make this setup look as authentic as possible, though Katie seems to be enjoying herself a little too much while Dexter stands by and offers commentary from a post he just put on Instagram for Jonah.
This is Jonah’s life—reading scripts in between takes. Being swarmed by hair and makeup. Getting constant comments from his assistant about messages and social media. It’s illuminating to see this side of him, real scene or not, and I try to picture him in this situation all the time when he goes back to California. Jonah likely won’t get the chance to give me his full attention very often, and I will have to be okay with that if I decide I want this thing between us to continue after he’s gone.
Now that we’re almost at the end of all this sabotage nonsense, the future is coming at me faster than I’d like.
