The Homewreckers(45)

* * *



Mo and Leetha were huddling with one of the cameramen when Hattie slunk into the living room.

“Gurrrrl,” Leetha said, taking in Hattie’s newfound glamour. “Did somebody forget to tell me we’re shooting a pole-dancing sequence today?”

“Lisa said she got orders from the network to tart me up, and then Jodi handed me these crap clothes and said she’d been told I needed to ditch the Carhartts.” She pointed a finger at Mo. “Was this your idea?”

“Nope. That came from Rebecca. She and Tony watched the video and came up with this. And just to be clear, I’m as appalled as you.”

“I feel ridiculous,” Hattie said. “These damn overalls are all up in my Kool-Aid, and every time I move I’m afraid one of my boobs will come flopping out.”

“Would that be such a bad thing?”

She turned to see Trae standing in the doorway. “Might be a ratings booster,” he drawled. “We’re gonna start calling you Hattie the hottie.”

“Never mind that,” Leetha said, glancing down at her notes. “Let’s talk about today. We need to reshoot that back porch sequence from yesterday.”

“But the new floorboards are already nailed down,” Hattie protested.

Leetha’s smile was grim. “Not anymore. But don’t fret. I only had the guys pull up a small section. You’ll stand in the hole they made, point out where y’all rebuilt the old crumbling brick pilings with concrete block, and that’s it.”

“What about me?” Trae asked.

“Downstairs bathroom. Tiling, sink vanity, shower enclosure, mirror,” Leetha told him. “Check in with Jodi. She’s got a different shirt for you to wear, since you’ll be demonstrating your tiling skills today.”

“Me?”

The wardrobe girl waved a blue denim work shirt at him.

“No fair,” Hattie said. “If I have to wear a crop top, he should at least have to wear a wife-beater.”

A slow smile spread across Leetha’s face. “Great idea. Let’s let the viewers at home get a look at Ashtray’s guns. Jodi, we’re gonna need a pair of scissors.”



* * *



Trae stood in the new bathroom shower holding up a piece of subway tile in one hand and a trowel in the other, while Hattie coached him in the finer points of the job. His face was dripping with perspiration and his biceps, now exposed since the sleeves of his work shirt had been hacked off, gleamed in the bright glare of the camera lights. He looked hot, literally and figuratively.

“Okay, now you want to spread a thin layer of the mortar mix on the wall with the flat side of your trowel. Think of it like icing a cake.”

“I’ve never iced a cake,” Trae said. “I don’t do carbs.”

Hattie rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised? Okay, think of it as peanut butter, which is protein, right? You have made a peanut butter sandwich at some point in your life, right?”

“No. Our housekeeper made the peanut butter sandwiches and the butler served them,” he said, his voice dripping with acid. “Yeah, Hattie. I get the picture.”

He glared at her for a moment, then flicked a glob of mortar mix at his tormentor, which landed squarely on her nose. “Is that too thick, Hattie Mae?”





23

Tool Time




They were seated in a corner booth at an Italian restaurant not far from Mo’s carriage house. Rebecca waited until after the waiter brought their drinks; an Aperol spritz for her, bourbon for Mo.

“Mo, I wish you hadn’t hired Taleetha Carr. You know how I feel about her.”

Ever since she’d texted him that she was on her way to Savannah, he’d halfway expected a confrontation like this. And one look at Rebecca told the story. Her face had that tense, aggrieved look he’d come to know all too well. He took a long sip of his drink, welcoming the icy burn that slid down his throat as he mentally plotted his response.

“Well, I wish you’d let me know you were flying out here today. You kind of threw me for a loop. Is that what this ambush is about? Leetha? She’s great at what she does. That’s what I care about. She’s established a solid rapport with Hattie and Trae, and the crew loves her. Maybe you can just forget your personal differences. For the good of my show.”

Rebecca tapped the side of her glass with her fingernail. “Ambush? It’s not an ambush. I had business in New York, and I thought, since I’m on the East Coast … Let’s talk about the show. What do you think of the chemistry between Hattie and Trae? I think it’s really working.”

“Too soon to tell. They’re already knocking heads over budget and design choices.”

“That’s great. Build that conflict. It gives our viewers something to keep coming back for. They can take sides. Anyway, who doesn’t love a slow-burn romance?”

Mo laughed in disbelief. “What are you talking about? There is zero chance these two will get together.”

“I disagree. Trae has incredible magnetism. I think Hattie is going to fall for him, and hard. In fact, I’m counting on it.”

He stared at her as the reality of Rebecca’s vision sunk in. “Are you telling me you told Trae to try to seduce her? Jesus, Becca. That’s … vile.”