Never Tied Down (The Never Duet #2)(14)

“I’ll be back in time. Promise.” I winked at her and laughed when she blushed but pretended to be frustrated. She was young, still in college I believed, and she was definitely inexperienced in the business. None of that affected her ability to do a good job. Inexperienced or not, the will to succeed would take you farther in this business than anything. Hollywood had a reputation for being cutthroat, and it was to an extent, but there were plenty of people who wanted to work hard. Erin was one of them. Not only did she want to work hard, she wanted to do well. That would take her far.

I was, by no means, an expert on the ways of Hollywood. I’d only been here a few months, but it was easy to spot the kids who were here because mommy or daddy got them a spot and the ones who worked their way in with ingenuity and talent. Erin was the latter.

There were approximately one thousand Coffee Bean coffee shops on set. It was almost as if Coffee Bean, as a company, paid a premium to be so prevalent on the campus. You couldn’t walk from one soundstage to another without encountering a shop. It was annoying at times, but most of the time it was convenient. Like now. I’d been up late reading through a script change that had come in last-minute, trying to familiarize myself with the new storyline, and I’d missed the sleep I needed. So, coffee it was. I wasn’t famous enough for a personal assistant, so I got my own coffee.

I pulled my coat closed around my body. It was cold for a November day in LA. Not anywhere near as cold as it could get in San Francisco, but still chilly. My face was tilted down, looking at the pavement as I walked, trying to keep the wind from making my cheeks pink and giving Makeup a heart attack.

I made the walk to the closest Coffee Bean a few times a week, so I felt like I could walk there with my eyes closed. When I saw the curb that started right in front of the coffee shop I turned and started up their walkway. I pulled the door open and my nose took in all the smells. The bitter smell of the coffee and the sweet smell of the pastries in the case. I looked up once I was inside, taking my hands out of my coat pockets, and reaching into the back pocket of my jeans for my wallet.

Over the common, neutral buzz of voices that was normal, I heard one voice stand out. My head quickly turned to the left and I nearly choked on the breath I pulled in at the sight of the blonde woman sitting with her back to me.

It was her.

I knew it was her.

I could feel it.

What in the world was she doing here?

Every part of my body seized at the sight of her. Even though she was facing away from me, I knew it was Kalli. I would recognize her voice in an instant, in any situation. We’d spent the majority of our relationship on the phone. Her voice, in those months, had become a salve to me, the light I looked forward to every day. It was like a drug to me. So I knew it was her when I heard her talking to whoever was on the other end of her phone.

I was stuck in place, the barista looking at me with confusion, probably wondering why I wasn’t ordering my usual drink and was, instead, standing in the middle of the coffee shop with a dumbfounded look on my face.

I turned and nearly ran from the coffee shop. If Kalli was in LA and hadn’t contacted me, it was probably because she didn’t want to see me. And as much as I wanted to run to her, to touch her, to push her hair behind her ears and look her in the eyes, I wouldn’t purposefully do anything to upset her.

I walked quickly back to set and found Erin, pencil still behind her ear, looking as determined as ever.

“Erin, I need a favor,” I said quietly as I pulled her behind the wall of a set.

“I’m in the middle of something,” she said, but looked concerned.

“Listen, I know it’s asking a lot, but I need you to find out some information for me.”

Her eyes drilled into mine, searching for something. Finally, she sighed and relented.

“What do you need?” she asked, sounding as if she were put out by my request, but I knew she liked feeling needed.

“There’s a costume designer on the lot. I need to know what she’s working on and how long she’ll be here.”

“Um, I’m pretty sure that’s not information I have access to. I’m just an intern.”

“I’m not asking you to hack into someone’s computer. Just ask around. Talk to your intern friends. I just need to know why she’s here.”

“Okay. What’s her name?”

“Kalli Rivers.”

Erin took her pencil from behind her ear and started scribbling on her clipboard. “Okay, Kalli Rivers. Got it. I’ll try to figure it out for you, but I’ve got actual work I have to get done too.”

“I appreciate it, Erin.” I tried to give her a smile, but I couldn’t manage a convincing one. Instead, I think I gave her a smile that morphed into a frown halfway through. I turned away from her and walked back to my dressing room. I went straight to the vanity at the end of the room and just stood under the bright lights, staring back at my reflection.

I had told myself, since Marcus’ funeral, that eventually she’d come back to me. I held on to the hope that eventually she’d heal enough to realize that I loved her more than anything. I didn’t want her to forget that I was here, waiting for her. I’d not heard one word from her, but that only made me think she wasn’t ready.

But seeing her in LA, at a coffee shop, holding a normal conversation — f*ck, it hurt. It was painful in a way I couldn’t fully appreciate in that moment. To think that she’d been in LA and not reached out to me, it hurt worse than hearing her yelling my name, screaming for me to leave her alone. Seeing her in LA meant she’d moved on in some way and didn’t want to bring me along with her.