Page 100 of Collateral Damage
Another week to look forward to on Nantucket, except this time I’m going to be busy every day on set, filming late into the night, crashing at home in the small hours of the morning, and dragging myself out of bed the next day to do it all over again.
I can’t think of a better distraction.
“You’ve talked to your people, and they’re ready?” Ricki asks through the walkie-talkie on our private channel.
“They’re on their way to the pool now.”
After a pep-talk about having fun and showing off for the cameras, I follow the cast to the pool area, careful to keep away from the cameras. They’re dressed to impress and ready to film the first group scene of the trip, which is an outdoor dinner on Perry’s gorgeous pool deck. A glittering blue Nantucket sound is the backdrop.
Considering the drama brewing between pretty much everyone, this should be interesting. Gloria is definitely getting the most camera time, but I don’t think she means tobe. She’s a huge personality, trying to get along with other big personalities… and failing miserably. Case and point: last week she got into a screaming match with Audra Mason for reading Audra’s songwriting notebook to the camera without permission.
I slink to the side, finding shade under a willow tree as I watch the scene unfold from a distance.
Perry’s family home is one of the larger ones on the island, so it’s working out perfectly for our needs. We’ve set up the cast in the bedrooms on the main floor and crew headquarters upstairs. Ricki and Perry are also staying upstairs, and everyone else is staying at Cooper and Ethan’s place.
We’ve rented cars to bring people in and out when we’re not working, and because our crew is relatively small, we didn’t have to scramble to find extra accommodations. Money can only go so far on Nantucket when the entire island is booked during the busiest tourism week of the year.
We’ll be filming the Fourth of July episode here, and I can’t wait. The cast and crew are going to love the Nantucket Independence Day experience. It’s my favorite holiday for a reason—fireworks and barbecues and patriotic parades in the most cozy and gorgeous place in America.
A high-pitched voice catches my attention, and I frown. Benton is in trouble.
“Wait, yousleptwith her?” Gloria points at him accusingly.
He looks like a deer in the headlights but doesn’t deny anything.
Gloria flies up from the outdoor dining table, throwing her napkin on her untouched meal, and storms away from everyone like they’ve betrayed her in the worst way possible. She’s still managed to keep a full wineglass in her hand as she goes.
All eyes go to Benton as he chases after her. “Not for months, not since the show even started,” he says. “She’s just my friend.”
“She’s your producer!”
The blood drains from my face, and my skin prickles with the horror of what’s unfoldingon camera, especially when Gloria catches sight of me and stomps in my direction. The cameras follow her until I’m in the shot.
I’m frozen in place, completely blindsided.
“Gloria,” I manage shakily. “It’s not what you think. We’re not like that. We haven’t been together in ages.”
Her eyes are pure rage. “I don’t know what’s worse… that you didn’t tell me you’d slept with him, or that you knew how much of a player he was, and you didn’t think to warn me.”
Ouch.
Gloria Ricci flings her wine toward me, the arc of red moving too fast for me to get out of the way. Wine drenches my vintage Gucci sundress from top to bottom.
Fuck!
She doesn’t even wait to see my reaction. She swivels to Benton and starts crying. “I trusted you, Benny. I thought I was the only girl.”
With a final dramatic wail, she runs inside, and the cameras pan to Benton.
He’s standing there, horrified and out of his depth. He’s used to sleeping around and not committing to one woman. With the way the romance with Gloria has unfolded for the cameras, he’s basically trapped in a relationship with a possessive woman.
He’d be an ass to lead her on, and yet he’s here for his reputation, for brand recognition, to make his manager and team happy, and further his career. I’m not about to let Gloria ruin that. He swears they talked off camera, and she knew they weren’t exclusive, and I promised to help him.
Right now? He’s got to help himself.
“Go to her,” I mouth, eyebrows shooting up, and thankfully, he takes off after her.
“Sorry about that.” Perry jogs over, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “Go up to my room and find a change of clothes, but I gotta get in there.”
