Page 26 of Shocking Sapphires
“You’ve got a point there,” I admitted, smiling despite myself.
Feeling strangely emotional, I said to the kindhearted woman. “I’m really going to miss you.”
“Me too, Mr. Chandler. You’re one of the least pain-in-the-ass patients I’ve had lately.”
With that glowing praise, I scooped up my son and rolled outside to the patio. Strangely and sadly, despite the many years I’d spent ruling Hollywood, Helga was the only person from California that I believed truly cared about me.
23
Molly
Just the thought of having Grant and Scout nearby again made my heart thump wildly in my chest. Even if his bodyguards tried to keep me away from them, I was bound to see them at some point. Brunswick Bay Harbor was too small for usnotto run into each other.
I tried not to get my hopes up too much for our reunion. Grant’s gorgeous girlfriend had made it perfectly clear that he didn’t care to ever see me again and chances were high that Scout had already forgotten me, but the mere idea of seeing the two of them––even from a distance––thrilled me.
I wasn’t the only one who was excited about our quaint little town becoming a movie set. The townspeople practically vibrated with the hustle and bustle of preparing for the shoot.
The film crew hadn’t even arrived yet, and no one had been asked to spruce up their properties, but business owners were scrubbing their front walks and touching up chipped paint. Homeowners were washing windows and planting extra flowers.
Our town was always clean and welcoming, but everyone really pulled together to put our best foot forward for this film. We all wanted the natural beauty and charm of our little slice of paradise to shine through.
The days seemed to drag on as we waited for the movie crew to arrive, but at least I was up and getting outside, living a somewhat normal life again. Just the idea of getting to see my two favorite boys once more had brought me out of my depressive slump.
I half-expected Grant to show up early, since he had indicated that he liked to scout his movie locations before the hubbub ensued. Even though he had spent months in this area, almost all of it had been inside medical facilities. Those were all pretty much the same on the inside and couldn’t be counted as site research.
As each day passed with no word of his arrival, I became more and more anxious. Even if Eva and Jemma were with them at all times, just knowing Grant and Scout were here would help me breathe easier. Having them be clear across the country had been torture. I constantly imagined the worst.
At least now I would be able to see with my own eyes that they were safe, healthy, and content. Although I couldn’t help wishing they could be all three of those things with me by their sides, I would try to find solace in the fact that they were happy.
The entourage tried to slip in after dark, but everyone in town knew when the production crew arrived. It was practically a parade of top-of-the-line RV’s, large vans carrying equipment, SUVs with dark tinted windows, and car after car loaded with fans.
I couldn’t imagine how so many people had found out about the timing and location of the shoot, but they arrived into town in droves. It would take every hotel room within a hundred miles of Brunswick Bay Harbor to lodge them all.
“Don’t these people have jobs?” Avery groused as we tried to make our way down the busy sidewalk.
We’d been planning to have a late dinner of a fresh lobster roll and fries from the beach shack, but the line of people waiting to order had gone all the way down the stairs and looped around the marina.
With a disgusted look on her face, Avery said, “This is ten times worse than leaf peeping season. How long do you suppose these terrorists will stay?”
I smiled at my friend and shrugged my shoulders. Even though the locals often jokingly referred to tourists as terrorists, we all knew they brought a much-needed injection of money and business into the area’s economy.
As we passed by a group of young women congregated on the sidewalk, we heard one of them squeal, “I heard that Grant Chandler has arrived in town! Let’s go see if we can find out where he’s staying and camp out outside his room.”
The excited ladies scurried away. Avery and I shared a knowing look before she asked, “Are you going to reach out to him?”
“It sounds like he may have his hands full tonight,” I answered, thinking that there was no way his burly bodyguards or bitchy girlfriend would let me anywhere near him.
Making a snap decision, I said, “I think I’ll go home and heat up a frozen pizza for dinner, then pamper myself with a bath, so I can be at my best tomorrow when I go visit the set.”
“Sounds like a great plan,” Avery told me as she hugged me goodbye.
After we headed our separate ways, she turned back to yell, “Good luck tomorrow.”
“Thanks,” I said to her before adding quietly, “I’m probably going to need it.”
24
Grant
