Page 17 of Love like the (Real) Reel Thing
By contrast, Spencer Torres seemed a bit shorter in real life. Although Jess figured that if Antonio Banderos and Salma Hayek had a son, he’d probably look like Spencer.
Unconsciously, she found herself trying to read their body language. These pictures would go out around the world. If they were acting right now, they were doing a brilliant job.
“Can we just have the writer and the two leads!” shouted one of the photographers.
The rest of the cast stepped away, as more photos were taken. Jess watched as Afric held out her hand to Spencer. Had he hesitated a moment before taking it? She really had to stop listening to Emily.
In fact, the making of the movie should hardly impact her day-to-day life at all. Technically, she might be here to troubleshoot, but she figured Frank and Anthony viewed her as a sort of safety net. In reality, she couldn’t imagine there’d be much to do. Which meant she could just get on with the rest of her job as marketing manager for the Irish hotels.
Emily appeared from the direction of the orangery, coming over to stand beside them. “Hey, Jess, hi, Mr Neary.” She grinned and Jess grinned back. “Look at all these reporters. Wild, right?”
“Wild,” Jess agreed. “What’s happening inside?”
“Oh, they’re setting up for a scene in the foyer.” Emily leaned closer to Jess and dropped her voice. “I met one of thecameramen, Dermot. He’s from Donegal – like, I’d listen to him reading his shopping list. And he’s way fit!”
Jess glanced over at Anthony to see if he’d heard but his face was inscrutable. She stifled a small sigh. Emily had a dramatic history with boyfriends. Not that she was in a position to judge.
The reporters had started to shout out questions, and Lisa quickly took charge.
“We’ll take five minutes of questions and then that’ll be it for the day.” She pointed to one of the raised hands.
“Dan Twomey from theDaily Journal. Spencer, is it true that you only agreed to work with Afric on this movie if you were offered more money and top billing?”
Spencer Torres was smiling and shaking his head. “Who are you guys listening to?” He pushed a hand casually into his pocket. “Afric and I are great friends. As you know, we met on the set ofWhy Don’t We Do This?and we’re both really excited to work together again.”
“So the report in TMZ isn’t true?” the reporter asked.
“Next question, please!” Lisa called.
“Cathy Cairns from theGazette,” another reporter called out. “Spencer, you’re gonna be turning thirty-five while making this movie. Have you planned a celebration? Will your girlfriend, Megan Wilson, be coming over for it?”
Jess and Emily exchanged a glance.
“Hey, if you keep following me around like this, I might have to take pity on you and ask you out again.”
Jess turned to see Robert beside her. “So, it’s pity!”
She laughed as he threw a friendly arm across her shoulders and briefly pulled her close before releasing her.
“Robert, this is Emily O’Brien. She’s one of the receptionists here but she used to work in head office with me. Emily, Robert is a structural engineer who’s overseeing the building of the movie sets.”
“Hello, Emily.” Robert nodded briefly at her.
“Have we met?” Emily regarded him with interest.
“I don’t think so,” he said coolly.
“Only you look a bit familiar.” She shrugged, smiling. “So, why do they need a structural engineer for the sets?”
Robert’s lips thinned briefly. “Because they have to take safety seriously. And because all the sets are being built on and near a protected building. Linford Castle isn’t just a hotel – it’s a heritage site.”
“Cool beans.” Emily nodded, folding her arms as her attention flicked back to the photo shoot.
“What brought you down from head office, then?” Robert asked her. “Bit of a step down, wasn’t it?”
Jess shifted uncomfortably, aware of Anthony nearby, but Emily seemed unfazed as she turned back to Robert.
“God, no! Have you seen the whole castle? It’s massive, like.”
