Page 5 of Musical Games
Lorraine rolled her eyes and moved to Sam’s side.
Ian leapt up, fiddling with his phone. ‘This is your best mate, right?’ he asked, shoving the screen under Sam’s nose.
She glanced down and adrenaline drenched her like an icy bucket of water.
Ian had Brad Bauer’s account open, showing a photo of him sitting next to Zoe on wooden thrones in Kinloch castle. Brad was the biggest star in Hollywood, a polymath who’d put his foot down on the accelerator of life and never once raised it. He was an actor, writer, producer, director and serial shagger. Whatever he touched usually turned to gold, including the careers of his exes. Brad had recently discovered Zoe’s Instagram account and Kinloch castle. Now he was preparing to shootBraveheart 2there and had decided Zoe was his muse.
‘If we weren’t shooting so much, I’d be up there like a shot,’ said Ian. ‘Look. He’s following me. Game recognises game. Has he followed you back yet?’
Sam gritted her teeth. ‘I don’t follow him,’ she lied.
Ian laughed. ‘Yeah, right. You’re too small to register on his radar.’
‘Ian, can we have you first?’ Shelley called over.
Ian ripped off his T-shirt and flexed his pecs. ‘Sure, Shelley, you can have me anytime.’ He winked at Lorraine and strode off across the studio.
Sam felt her friend’s hand on hers, squeezing. ‘Ignore him. He’s being a royal prick today. Come sit down. Don’t let him get to you.’
Sam sat down with a thump and let out a breath. ‘It’s like he knows every single fucking button to push.’
Lorraine curled up next to her and rubbed her arm. ‘I should warn you. He told me yesterday he’s also been offeredStrictly.’
Sam’s head dropped. ‘Fuck’s sake.’
‘Shh… You can’t trust what comes out of his mouth, but I wanted you to have the heads-up. In case it’s true.’
Sam looked at her friend. ‘Loz. I need to get up to Scotland. Brad’s single, I’m single, and Zoe can get me in front of him.’
‘But we’re filming without a break until the summer. There’s no time.’
‘What if my grandmother suddenly got ill? And wanted me at her deathbed?’
Lorraine gasped. ‘But that’s not true! You can’t lie.’
‘Loz, I’ll never have a chance like this ever again. I can’t miss it.’
‘Sam, you can’t take that risk. We’re so lucky to be on this show. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid. Please?’
2
ONE MONTH LATER
Sam’s hands were on her thighs, fingers splayed as she sat in the hire car waiting for Zoe to arrive. She concentrated on her manicured nails and her breathing.Breathe in, two, three, four, and hold, two, three, four. Breathe out, two, three, four, and hold, two, three, four.She’d been taught ‘battlement breathing’ at drama school as a way to calm her nerves before a performance. Was meeting Brad going to be the performance of her life? The wind buffeted the side of the car and her heart rate increased. What the fuck was she doing? Could she really expect Brad Bauer to fall in instalove with her? Her fingers itched to move. The manicure was solely to prevent herself chewing her nails to the quick. She bit her bottom lip, then forced herself to stop. She closed her eyes.Breathe in, two, three, four, and hold—
‘Sam!’
Her eyes snapped open. Her best friend was waving at her from across the car park, her crazy red curls bouncing in the breeze.
Zoe.
Suddenly everything was brighter and better. Sam leapt out of the car and into her arms. They hugged as they jumped up and down, screaming with excitement.
Zoe held her at arm’s length. ‘I can’t believe you’re actually here! I’ll have to make friends with Hollywood megastars more often.’
Sam giggled nervously. ‘Fuck, Zo, am I completely mad?’
‘Yes, but that’s why I love you so much. Next to you, I look normal. Let’s grab your bags and get you to Morag’s before it starts to rain.’
