Page 24 of Persuading Penny
Why had he come back into my life? It’d taken so long to finally get through a day without crying, without thinking of him.
And now...it was a dagger through my heart every time I saw him.
As the crew came my way to go inside and grab a bite to eat, I heard numerous comments about the golden pair.
“They’re adorable together,” one woman said.
“I bet that guy has to beat them off with a stick,” an older man said.
“The guy is talented. To have talent and to look the way he looks, no wonder all the girls are mad about him. It doesn’t seem fair, now does it?”
I had to accept what was clear before me. Cliff had come into my life again, but we may as well have never known each other before.
Accept it.
I’m trying.
He’s moved on. You are no more than a person he works with.
I know.
It hurts more than I could have ever imagined.
Oh, my. They were coming. Their heads bowed in intimate conversation, Bridget and Cliff were coming my way. I couldn’t bear it. No. I couldn’t stand there and smile as they passed. I would sooner die.
Not knowing where to go, I simply turned my back to them and feigned admiration for the large rose bush. To show my earnest interest in the bloom, I reached out to grab its stem in order to bring it closer to my curious nostrils, but pricked my fingers so deeply on the numerous thorns that I couldn’t hold in the gasp of pain.
“Are you all right, Miss?”a young actor said.
“Just fine.” I made the mistake of glancing back at the young man and, in the process, caught Cliff’s hard glare.
He clearly was not concerned with whatever pain I might or might not be in.
Or was he? As he averted his gaze, I caught the briefest, the ever so slightest crease of his brow. Was it concern or disgust?
It was hard to tell.
Once everyone was inside, I headed out to see Keely.
“Is that another scene that went well?”I said.
She grabbed the thick script and held it to her chest as she met up with me. “Things are going swimmingly. I can hardly believe it.” She glanced up at the heavens. “Why do I feel like my luck is about to run out?”
I laughed and helped bring some of her other items back to the main house.
“What are you doing here so early?”she said, having forgotten her own request. “I saw you arrive just before we shot the first scene.”
I pressed my lips together, not sure I should remind her. After all, being forced to chat with Cliff when his interest clearly lay elsewhere...what was the point?
“Why aren’t you inside having a bite to eat?”she went on, not waiting for an answer. “It’s been an incredibly long morning.”
I shrugged. “I’m not really hungry.”
She looked at me with a crooked grin. “You know, now that I think of it, I believe I’ve never seen you eat. Is everything all right?”
As soon as I can move on and get over Cliff once and for all, everything will be fine...great...wonderful. But instead of saying any of that, I simply said, “I eat quite a bit.”
At the entrance to the house, she turned to me. “Then prove it. Dinner tomorrow night with the Healy’s.”
