A Humble Heart (Hollywood Hearts #1)(8)

“Deana, just let me out here. He won’t be here for a few hours,” Dana said, trying not to laugh at the intense expression on her assistant's face.

Deana shot her a dirty look. “A little warning would have been nice.”

Dana laughed at her and said goodbye to Cole. She was still laughing as she made her way into Studio Eight where she was met by two security guards. She showed her pass and made her way inside.

Immediately she felt out of place. She was dressed in loose fitting cargo khaki pants and a black tee shirt that showed her curves, but not too tight. She didn’t like her clothes feeling like skin. Her trusty laptop was in its bag hung over her shoulder. It was the only thing that made her feel better. It was her security blanket after all.

All she wanted to do was find a dark corner somewhere, open her laptop, toss her head phones on, blast some music, and work. Standing in the middle of a busy production floor was not something she wanted to do. She quickly moved off to the side, out of the way of men and women scrambling here and there.

“Dana!” Rick called out.

“Oh, thank God,” she mumbled to herself. She made her way over to Rick who was standing with several executives. He put his arm around her shoulders, protectively. Probably afraid she was ready to bolt. She was considering it.

“They’re preparing for the office scene,” Rick whispered in her ear. She looked past the cameras and saw an office set up. It looked exactly the way she imagined it would when she wrote the book.

“Dana Mathews!” a woman practically screamed.

Dana turned around to see a young woman with glasses and big hair running towards her. “Dana Mathews! Oh my God!” the young woman began yelling in earnest now. The woman ran over and grabbed Dana, pulling her out of Rick’s protective hold into a tight hug. “Oh my god! I can’t believe it’s you!” the woman squealed.

“Can’t. Breathe,” Dana gasped.

The woman stepped back. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” she said, looking Dana over, making sure she hadn't hurt her.

“Can we get security over here?” Rick yelled, putting a hand on Dana’s shoulder.

“It’s okay,” she said, waving away Rick’s concerns. “What’s your name?” Dana asked.

“Me?” the woman asked stunned. “It’s Amy! I’m such a huge fan of yours!”

“Amy, do you work on set?” Rick asked in a tone of authority.

“Yes, sir, I work as my brother’s assistant,” Amy said to Rick then turned her attention back to Dana. “I begged him for the last three weeks to let me come with him! You have no idea, day and night!”

Dana chuckled. “It sounds like it.”

“I know you hear this all the time but I am your biggest fan!” she squeaked. “I don’t care what my brother says! I’ve read your books more times than he has!”

“No, I don’t, but thank you,” Dana said, smiling at the woman’s enthusiasm.

“Who’s your brother?” Rick demanded.

“Oh, Edward. He’s umm,” she looked around the studio. “He was around here a minute ago. I think he’s in makeup or something. Anyway,” she looked back at Dana, “I’m supposed to help you, too! That is if you need help.” She didn’t sound so sure of the last part.

“You’re Edward Pierce’s baby sister?” Rick asked more casually.

“Yes, sir.”

Rick smiled. “Figures.” He took a deep breath and stepped forward. “Alright, ladies,” he pointed at the women, “that’s you, Dana and Amy, follow me. I’ll show you to your trailer.”

“Trailer?” Dana asked.

“Yes, it’s where you can go and relax and work if you need to when you’re not on set. It will be taken to every location so don’t worry about it.” He walked forward, obviously expecting them to follow.

Dana followed with Amy right along side of her. “I am so excited! I can’t believe you’re writing a book with my brother!”

She stopped short and saw Rick visibly wince as he stopped and turned around slowly. “Writing with?” she asked Amy, but looked at Rick.

He rocked back on his heels. “Yeah, about that. I may have forgotten to mention part of his contract is he gets to help you write the book, kind of as a co-author.”

Dana ran a hand through her blonde hair. “A little heads up would have been nice, Rick.”

He gave her a sheepish smile. “I know. You’ll be fine I swear it. It will be fine.”

“Uh huh,” she said, walking forward again. She was already feeling too overwhelmed to argue. “Just show me this trailer, please.”

“Well, this is it,” Rick said, leading her inside a tin can. She looked around and was surprised to see a spacious interior. At one end were two large built in couches in the shape of an L that looked really comfortable. The trailer was large, roomy, stylish and thankfully air conditioned. She stepped into the small kitchen and spotted a round sturdy working table that looked out of place in the center of the tiled area. It looked sturdy and dull and didn't match the rest of the trailer. She couldn't imagine whoever designed the interior of the trailer with such obvious care picking out an ugly piece of furniture that clashed with the trailer. She suspected Rick requested it for her kids knowing how much they loved to color and paint.