Fauxmance (Showmance #2)(85)

“You will? That’s great,” Damon replied, and I smiled to myself.

By taking the job, it would put me in direct proximity to Ellen. And I had a new goal, one nobody could deter me from. I was going to win her back, claim her heart, and make her fall in love with me all over again.





Chapter Twenty-Four





Ellen





“Miss, can you sign for these, please?” the delivery guy asked as I answered the door. He held a giant bouquet of flowers.

It was early in the morning and a car would be arriving any minute to take me to Pinewood studios for the first day of filming. I’d been home a few weeks. My dad had been caring for Skittles and Rainbow while I was away, but I think they were glad to be settling back into their regular routine, and so was I. Although now I had to get used to a brand new one as the filming for the Sasha Orlando movie started in earnest.

Today I wore a dark blue tea dress with tiny hot air balloons printed all over, a black cardigan, purple tights, and mustard ballet flats. Ever since I said goodbye to Elodie, I’d slowly started to develop a new style, one that was all my own.

I finally found that little bit of confidence to let my inner girly girl fly free.

I still wondered if the outfit was “writery” enough, or if I should wear something more serious. While I was travelling, I’d collaborated via email and video chat with Levi Wilkins and Stacy Young, an award-winning screen-writing duo, to adapt Good Girl, Bad Lady for the big screen.

It had been both intimidating and exhilarating to work with such amazing writers, and I was more than a little excited about the first day of filming. I’d missed out on the read through due to nerves (yes, I was still a work in progress), but luckily Levi and Stacy were able to be there in my place. Now they were off working on their next project, so I would be the only writer on set during filming. Needless to say, I was shitting myself. Just a little bit.

Today, I’d meet the cast, and I was most nervous to see the actress who would play Sasha, Alicia Davidson. I saw videos of her auditions, but due to scheduling conflicts, we hadn’t yet met in person.

And yes, I was also aware of the fact that she and Julian had been together in the past. I wasn’t going to hold it against her, because Damon had been right, she completely embodied the character of Sasha and there was no way we could’ve gone with anyone else. Still, I was wary. What if she still had feelings for Julian? What if she discovered our relationship and held it against me?

“Sure, I can sign,” I said, scribbling down my name on the electronic gizmo before taking the bouquet inside. I placed it on my kitchen table, studied the flowers a moment, then plucked out the card to see who they were from. A part of me wished they were from Julian, but I knew that would never happen. It had been months since we’d seen each other.

Dear Ellen,

My warmest congratulations on the film and best of luck with your first day on set.

Love,

Daniel

I chewed my lip, a little perplexed at how he signed off. Love was just so personal. It was how you spoke to family and people you were close to. Then again, our relationship had evolved. Nowadays, we met for coffee and chats, not only for business. I considered him a friend, but more and more he’d started to hint he was interested in me not just platonically.

I was flattered, and admittedly, it did feel exciting to have a man like Daniel be interested, but I was distracted. I thought about Julian all the time, even when I was strolling through the winding streets of Venice, boating across Lake Garda, or sunbathing on the pristine beaches of Southern France. I still felt that pang in my chest that he was no longer a part of my life.

Since my return, I’ve been meeting Suze at the Polka Dot on Tuesdays, just like before. Unlike before, Julian was never there. I felt his absence strongly. When I suggested to Damon that he offer Julian the technical consulting role, I may have had a hidden agenda. I’d been grasping at straws, but never in a million years did I expect him to take the job. He’d be around while we filmed, and the anticipation of seeing him was almost too much to handle.

When I arrived on set, my palms were sweaty. The first person I saw was David, and I was glad for a familiar face. He’d snagged the part of Toby, Sasha’s boss, and I thought he was perfect for the role. I’d sat in on his audition, and it turned out he was actually a pretty good actor. I also had to explain the whole Elodie thing to him. It turned out, Julian never told him the truth about me, but he was pretty understanding. I got the feeling David was a hard man to shock.

“Ellen,” he said, coming to walk alongside me. “Look at all this. It’s exciting, isn’t it,” he said, gesturing to the dozens of crew members milling about. I’d never been on a film set before, so I felt like a duck out of water.

“Yep. Pretty exciting.”

He gave my shoulder a soft squeeze. “Hey, don’t be nervous. You’ve got this.”

With that, he went, and I was alone. I stood there for a few seconds, unsure where I was supposed to go, when a runner appeared in front of me. “Hello, Miss Grant. I’ve been instructed to bring you to Mr. Atwood.”

I exhaled in relief and followed her. Damon was standing in a replica of Sasha’s bedroom. It was almost spooky how much it resembled what I’d created in my mind. There was the bright yellow lampshade on the nightstand, the poster of The Breakfast Club, Sasha’s favourite film, on her wall.