I clear my throat. “Kids really like the lessons and the lake.”
“Yeah, I’m picking up secrecy vibes,” Pippa exclaims. Yikes. I know my strengths and weaknesses.
Talking my brothers into doing my bidding? I’m your girl, hands down.
Keeping something from Pippa or Mom? No can do. I do plan on telling them, but no way am I owning up to last night’s faux pas over the phone.
“Girls, stop cornering me. I know these tactics. Besides, I need to go to a class.” Yep, when it comes to this, only evasive maneuvers help postpone the inevitable.
“Don’t think you’re off the hook,” Alice calls.
“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it. Talk to you later.”
They bid me goodbye in unison, and after the line goes static, I finally start working on my painting. I settle on the deck outside, placing the canvas in a strategic spot—plenty of sunlight and a direct view of the water. The latter doesn’t help with the painting per se, but watching Alex pass through my field of vision from time to time sure helps with bursts of inspiration. Once or twice he catches me looking, and the smile he flashes me is enough to make me wonder exactly how serious he is about that offer to strip. Or if I should take him up on it.
Chapter Thirteen
Alex
Preston picks me up from LAX the next morning. Most managers wouldn’t bother, but he’s more hands-on than others in the industry, and I appreciate it. It saves us both time because we can use the drive to discuss the schedule and any other open issues.
“Everything’s running on time. The rest of the cast is already there. The panel will be one hour, maximum ninety minutes. Then you’ll have an autograph session.”
“How long?”
“Maximum one hour. Depends on the crowd. If they get too aggressive, we might pull you all out sooner.”
“Got it.”
“You’re in a good mood. Lake Tahoe suits you.”
I don’t correct his assumption. Technically, it’s true, even though I’ve got a spitfire of a woman to thank for my good mood. It felt strange eating breakfast alone this morning and knowing I won’t see her at all today.
When we reach the panel venue, we take the back entrance because there is already a crowd in the front, and I don’t want to be mobbed this early in the morning. I love pleasing the fans, but autographs will have to wait for later. Early on, I thought the actors who walked around with security and avoided autographs unless there was a metal fence between them and fans were snobs. But at the premiere of my first big-budget movie, a fan ripped my shirt and the crowd tugged at me from every direction, until I thought they’d tear me apart limb from limb.
“Good to see you, man!” Jake greets me. He’s one of the fellow superheroes in the franchise. Even though this one will premiere after Bree Shannon Finds Love #2, my romantic comedy with Amy, the prerelease events start earlier.
“Thanks. Where have you been?” I ask him. We wrapped shooting on this almost seven months ago, and while I do keep in touch with my costars, we don’t update each other regularly.
“Everywhere. Living the big life. South of France, Italy, LA. Chicks everywhere love superheroes. You should enjoy the status too, now that you’re finally off the hook.”
The other guys in the room cheer Jake on, while Lena, one of the two female superheroes in the franchise universe, rolls her eyes, muttering something that sounds like “Men.”
No one in this room knows about my contract clause with the studio, but even if I weren’t bound by it, the life Jake’s describing wouldn’t be for me. Bedding women whose names I wouldn’t even remember the next day never held much of an appeal for me. Most actors don’t care that those women are throwing themselves at them only because of their fame, but I do. I actually like getting to know a woman before having sex with her.
My thoughts immediately flick to Summer and how perfect her body felt in my arms two nights ago. I’ve only been gone a few hours, and I already wish I was back.
The crowd cheers when we enter the panel room. The long table is set on an elevated island at the back of the room, and a red cordon separates the crowd from the island. There are two bouncers at each corner of the room. If something goes awry, they can sustain the crowd just long enough to call for reinforcements.
I sit between Jake and Lena, and as the other six take their seats, we all tap the mics in front of us, checking if they work. They always do, but the familiar gesture breaks the ice and settles some of the nerves. I’ve done this over twenty times by now, but live, recorded Q&A sessions with the fans always make me nervous. I admire singers and theater actors. I would never be able to slip into a role knowing a crowd is watching my every move.
The panel starts like any other, with easy questions about our characters, even though there’s a melancholic air because this is the last movie in the franchise, and this is the last first panel so to speak. Of course, if I get my own spin-off, I’ll be doing this for a long time, even if the rest of the guys won’t be here with me.
“Alex, there are rumors you’ll join the action series Werner Ellman is producing. Anything you can tell us about that?”
“Sorry, that’s just a rumor. No truth to it.”
I did read that script, but action movies come too close to superhero movies where acting range is required. I don’t want to be pigeonholed.