Never Been Ready (Ready #2)(23)

I also said, "Hey," to Colin.

He was Logan's best friend, who I had known for a long time. We gave each other a quick handshake, and he updated me on his new role as a father. He pointed across the room to his wife, Ella, who was holding his newborn son, Marshall.

I didn't know the other dude, Ian, a doctor who worked at the same hospital as Logan. After being introduced to Ian, I found his eyes following Leah as she moved around the kitchen while gathering dishes and plates for Clare's mom. I immediately didn't like him much.

"Oh, hey, Ian! I didn't know you were going to be here!" Leah said, catching the f**ker as he watched her.

Apparently, they knew each other.

"Yeah, Logan took pity on the divorcé and invited me over. My first year single," he said, holding up his bare ring finger as proof.

Well, isn't that swell?

I made a mental note to give Logan an ass kicking for inviting the newly single doctor to the party. I'd wait until he was healthy though. Kicking the ass of a sick dude was just wrong.

"That's right. I'm sorry. I heard about you and Karen. How are you doing?" Leah asked sweetly.

He leaned in closer —the loser —and said, "Well, I'm doing a hell of a lot better now."

Leah gave a short laugh and slapped him on the arm before moving away to do something else in the kitchen. I had to restrain myself from planting my fist in the man’s face. Possessiveness like I'd never felt before flooded my system, and I had to look away, fearful my death stare would actually cause bodily harm to the guy. After a while, dinner was set, and we all gathered around the various tables arranged in the house. There were so many people that card tables had been set up throughout several rooms to accommodate everyone. As luck would have it, Leah and I ended up sharing a table with our good friend, Dr. Ian. It turned out that Ian was an OB-GYN who worked with Leah, which is how they knew each other. Knowing he got to see the professional side of Leah, a part of her I'd never seen before, pissed me off. I didn't know why. Jealousy was a new thing for me.

"Leah, I heard you are volunteering in a nursing home now? Is there anything you don't do?" Ian asked.

He looked at me as if he were trying to gauge my reaction to this new piece of information. Did I know Leah was doing this? No. Did it surprise me? No. In the short time I'd known Leah, I had quickly figured out that she was one of the most selfless people I knew. She'd rush over to help her best friend at a moment's notice and check on her elderly neighbor during the day. She didn't do it for attention or praise. It was just who she was.

"So, what is it that you do, Declan?" Dr. Ian asked as we dug into the mounds of food scattered across the table.

Clare and Logan helped their daughter cut up her turkey while baskets of bread and side dishes were passed around. There was enough food to feed the entire U.S. Army.

Leah handed me the basket of rolls as I gave Ian a hard stare.

"I'm an actor and a producer," I answered.

"Around here?" he asked with a bit of amusement.

He was sizing me up since he had seen Leah and I come in together. He heard actor, and he figured I was a just a second-rate struggling loser. I gave him a smile right back as I took the time to butter my roll before answering.

Hold on to your seat, Dr. *. Shit is about to get real.

"Oh no, Hollywood. I'm here on location, starring in a film that's shooting here. Surely, you've heard about it?" I asked casually while grabbing the bowl of mashed potatoes.

He gaped at me, suddenly putting two and two together.

That's right, ass**le.

"You're Declan James!" he announced. "I saw you in Invisible. It was brilliant."

"Thank you," I said honestly. It was always nice to receive a compliment —even from an asshat trying to make moves on my date.

"So, Leah, dating a movie star, huh? That's...amazing!" he said with a bit of jealously. "I imagine you get to visit the set all the time. Have you met Tasha Sinclair yet?" he asked.

I looked at Leah as she opened her mouth and then closed it again, unsure what to say.

"We aren't...I mean, I haven't —" she stammered.

"I'm taking her tomorrow. She hasn't been yet because it's been a closed set until tomorrow. I can't wait to introduce her to everyone." I flashed a genuine smile at her before covering her hand with mine.

The look she gave me was priceless, and I thought I heard Clare choke on her water.

Apparently, I was taking Leah to the set with me tomorrow.

That should be interesting.

Chapter Seven

~Leah~

It was early —like why-did-I-even-bother-going-to-sleep early. When the alarm had gone off this morning, I'd seriously doubted my sanity.

Why am I going to a movie set at four in the morning? Right —because Declan asked me to.

So, the day after Thanksgiving, at the butt crack of dawn, when everyone else was waking up to go stand in ridiculously long lines for stuff they really didn't need, I was sipping coffee in the freezing cold while a bunch of crew members curiously stared at me like I was from another planet. Declan had stepped away for hair and makeup, so I was all alone for the time being.

It was supposed to look like night for the scene they were shooting. When I'd asked why they just didn't film it at night, Declan had said the meteorologists were predicting fog that morning, and the director had switched around the schedule, so they could try and take advantage of the natural beauty, rather than adding it in after. It had sounded logical, but my sleepy brain was not agreeing with logic at that very moment. I was a nurse, so I was supposed to be used to odd hours, but I was pretty sure my body —the smart bitch —knew this was not work, and therefore, it didn't count. So, I was bitch-ass tired.