Page 83 of Lovestruck at Sundown
“You should take it,” he said. “Might be important.”
“Hey, Aaron. What’s up?”
“William’s driving too fast,” Aaron’s irritated voice rumbled through the speaker. “Tell him to slow down or I’ll make him.”
“Will do.” I clicked out of the call and put my phone away. “Aaron thinks you’re going too fast.”
“It calms me down,” he said, disregarding the comment. “I’m good.”
“Okay.” I was nervous about the speed, but William was skilled behind the wheel. When we were in South Africa, he told me he had a few certifications under his belt since he liked doing his own stunts when the stunt coordinator allowed it.
“Moira said you’re better than her,” I said, trying to lighten the mood and offer him a few words of encouragement. “She said you were the best of your class.”
“Used to be.”
“Well, she still thinks you are,” I insisted. “Except for fish and chips. She claims to be the queen of fish and chips, and I might have to agree. Zara’s obsessed, too.”
“Wait, Zara and Moira met?”
“They did,” I said reluctantly, not knowing if I was putting my foot in my mouth. I didn’t want to mess up when I’d just repaired my relationship with Zara. “I invited Zara over for dinner on Sunday because I know how much she loves fish and chips.”
It was best to skip the part where Zara invited Moira to Nathan’s birthday celebration, at least for now.
“How did it go with Zara?” His question was loaded with genuine curiosity. He, of all people, knew things had been rocky with her for a while, but I was waiting to tell him I’d met with her until he arrived. The last few days had been hectic at school with exams and handing in final projects.
“It went great, actually,” I replied. “We were able to talk things through, and we’re good now. I think she finally forgave me.” I laughed a small, somewhat relieved laugh. I knew howimportant it was for William that we could patch things up and get along, even if he never said it.
“I’m glad.” He grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it.
I smiled at him when a police siren blared behind us.
William cursed in Swedish under his breath but was quick to pull over. Aaron parked in front of us, leaving a wide berth, and stepped out of the SUV while Cooper remained in the passenger seat. A text from Aaron came in:
Aaron:Stay inside the vehicle.
Aaron was quick to identify himself as our security detail. We were let off with a warning once the officers took notice of the SUV’s diplomatic license plates and asked Aaron and William a few questions. It was also helpful that William signed an autograph for one of the officer’s daughters.
We spent the rest of the ride back home listening to music in silence while I massaged the back of William’s head. I could tell he was exhausted. He’d driven to Parsons straight from the airport, so I couldn’t wait for us to arrive back home so he could relax.
“My manager called me a few days ago,” he said when we stopped at a red light a few blocks from our apartment building. “MC Comics is offering me a three-movie deal to play Haldor Stormbreaker. Plus a couple more films with an ensemble cast featuring some of the other main characters of the MC Comics universe.”
My jaw dropped. Landing a franchise movie deal like this one, especially with MC Comics, was a dream only a select few could boast under their belt.
“Congratulations!” I grabbed his face and kissed him. “This is huge!”
“It is.” He nodded and smiled, but the beautiful wrinkles that would normally appear beside his eyes didn’t show. “You’re the first person I’ve told this to. And not just that. They’re inviting me as a producer as well.”
“What? This is huge! What are you planning to do?” I asked, curiosity eating at me. “Are you accepting the offer?” On any other day, I would’ve askedwhenand notif. But after our last conversation, I could tell William was having some sort of crisis, and being exhausted on top of everything else probably wasn’t helpful either.
“The first movie is in pre-production right now, and it’s set to start filming in LA by the end of next summer. So, between the actual shooting, voice-over stuff, and any reshooting that might be required, I’d say I have to move there for at least five months, give or take. And soon after we’re done,Savageswill begin filming in Prague, which adds roughly ten to twelve weeks to that,” he explained. “It’s an independent film, but we’ll be presenting it at Cannes 2013, so that’s exciting.”
My eyes widened for a second before reeling in the shock. But what did I expect? Dating a high-profile celebrity like William came with other challenges aside from dealing with the media and paparazzi. I knew that traveling for work was something to be expected, but it sounded like he would be fully booked for the next ten years if he accepted stepping into this franchise.
“Talk to me.” He ran a rough hand through his hair.
The light turned green, and he stepped gently on the accelerator.
“This sounds like every actor’s dream,” I said, feeling a sinking heaviness settling inside my chest. At this pace, William moving permanently to LA was a feasible possibility, and I wasa second away from freaking out big time because what would this mean for us? I wanted his career and success to keep moving forward, but I also wanted him to be happy, and for some reason, he didn’t seem thrilled about it. Or maybe he was tired. I was having so much trouble reading him.
