Page 25 of Love on the Byline
He was even more handsome than she’d remembered—tall andbroad-shouldered, with a strong jawline, full lips, and a smoldering gaze. Histhick, brown hair was shaggy and unkempt in a way that made him somehow moreattractive. She kept her gaze firmly glued to his face.
Cocking his head, Ollie stepped towards her and gestured toa small fridge by her hip. “May I get you something to drink, Blake?”
He smelled of freshly cut grass, sea salt, and sandalwood, asubtle yet tantalizing combination of scents.
A fluttery sensation replaced her stomach’s earlierqueasiness. “No, I’m fine. Thanks.”
He took a small step back. “Am I interrupting anything?”
“No, darling.” Noelia kissed both of Ollie’s cheeks andstepped around him, heading for the door. “Turning this little circus over toyou, Ollie dear. Keep our boy out of trouble, yes?”
“I’ll do my best.” Ollie smiled after her before turningback and handing a tube of cream to Bran. “Kit said this is the maximumstrength you can get over-the-counter.”
“It should do the trick,” Bran said, inspecting the tube.“Just need something to take the edge off until I get home.”
“Ice bath?” Ollie asked him.
“Fuck yeah.” Bran let his head drop back. “A sauna afterthat would be amazing.”
“For that, you’ll have to wait for your wrap surprise.”
“My surprise has a sauna? You’re the best, man.”
“What’s the surprise?” she asked.
Bran straightened as Ollie answered her. “We rent a privateretreat on special occasions. We rented a place in San Diego once, for a shoot,and ended up staying a week after. Then we did it again after Bran...wrapped ona project.”
“It’s become a thing. And it’s nice to get away from thescene every once in a while, even if I do have to stay close for work.” He andOllie exchanged a look.
Oh, there was a story there. The actor lights up like akid on Christmas morning at the mention of this secret getaway, she wrote.“The house in Malibu isn’t retreat enough?”
Bran narrowed his eyes at her. “Am I not supposed to takevacations?”
“For most of us, living in a place like yours would feellike a vacation,” she replied. “The fact that you want to go from one luxuriousCalifornia home to another, for funsies, is…well…” She shrugged.
Bran snorted. “I remember, now, how judgmental you are. Goodthing you won’t have to deal with all my self-indulgence for long. Ifwe don’t finish by the time I wrap here, you’ll have to wait until I get back.”Bran closed the door to the bedroom behind him.
Fuck. She needed this to go quickly, if not smoothly. Blakewasn’t sure how long Sonja would wait before her patience ran out. If anotheroutlet scooped them on this, it wouldn’t only mean Blake’s job but possiblyGideon’s too.
“It may not be the job,” she muttered, rememberingsomething her granddad had said. “But it’s the job you have. Do it well.” Olliefrowned, confused, and she waved it off. “Ignore me.”
“Never.” He said and gestured to the book in her hand. “Youstill use those, eh? Like your grandfather?”
“I...yeah.” A kernel of unexpected warmth filled her chest.“I’m surprised you remember.”
“Are you, really?”
A moment passed between them in which he stared at her, sheat him. A thousand what-ifs that she had thought long-buried beganfloating to the surface. Finally, she broke the silence.
“I guess I’ll have to interview him between takes.” Shelooked around the trailer, through the window to the sound stage and beyond.
“Actually,” Ollie said, “it might be good for you to come onthe retreat. It’s a little removed from…all of this.” He gestured around them.
That sounded like a horrible idea. “Yeah, I don’t knowabout that.”
Forget spending so much time around Bran’s insufferableself, she didn’t like the math. The commute alone would be unbearable. Shewondered if using the company credit card to book a room was permissible whenSan Diego was only a couple of hours away. It seemed like somethingthe paper would be willing to cover, but she’d need to ask. Which meant callingGideon and explaining the situation but could she even do it?
“What’s wrong?” Ollie’s bright eyes filled with concern.Going on the retreat with them would also mean spending time with Oliver, athought that ignited an entirely different feeling inside her. He took a step forward,his long, sweeping gaze making it difficult for Blake to think.