Shocking Sapphires - Ann Omasta Page 0,31

a friendly greeting to them.

Squeals of delight and raised cell phones greeted me as I thanked them for coming out to see us and gave the movie a quick plug.

Once they were satisfied, I blew them a kiss and wheeled back. Bonnie took care of closing the window and shutting the curtain to let them know the meet and greet was officially over.

“Must be nice to be so adored,” Bonnie quipped. Her dry wit reminded me of Helga.

Feeling cocky for the first time in longer than I could remember, I said, “Oh my, yes. You have no idea.”

She tipped back her head and laughed at me as she went to retrieve my son. I enjoyed the sound of her laughter––even though it was at my expense––but there was really only one laugh I needed to hear, and she was keeping her distance from me.

During a break from filming, I scanned the gathered crowd at the set, desperate to see her. I’d already told the matching set of bodyguards that stayed by my side, except when I was on camera, that Molly Malone had a full-access pass to me, if she wanted it. Apparently, she didn’t, because there hadn’t been any sign of her all day.

I’d been hoping for a long enough break that I could go seek her out, but that hadn’t happened. Besides, I wasn’t sure how I would get past the throng of people just outside the set, hoping for a glimpse of me or the action.

A text came through on my cell phone from Kristen Lawrence saying that she had officially signed on to play opposite me. I’d worked with the gorgeous actress several times over the years. She was talented and professional. She would do the Claire Biggs character justice, and she would significantly liven up the set with her offbeat sense of humor.

In my response text I told her to hurry up and get her ass on location because it was boring here without her.

I was delighted when she answered, Stuff it, jerk wad. I’m already on my way.

My grin was wide as I realized that Kristen was going to treat me exactly the same way as she always had. It was a huge relief to surround myself with people who didn’t pussyfoot around my paralysis like I was damaged goods.

Now, if I could just get Molly back, my life would be on track.

25

Molly

Dammit. This wasn’t nearly as easy as I had hoped. I’d arranged to have the day off from work, so I could show up at the set early and force Grant to talk to me.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one with that grand idea. It looked like half the residents of the tri-state area had decided to show up on set in an effort to brush up against fame.

I’d been crammed in a holding area with at least fifty other women, plus a few men and children, for hours. We weren’t anywhere near the filming area. There was another, even larger group, that had taken over the primo spot overlooking the outdoor set. They must have camped here overnight to secure their location.

The good news was that I’d heard some of the other women talking about Grant Chandler being available and even hotter than ever. When I asked them about Eva Wingate, they wanted to know if I’d been living under a rock because the two of them had broken up a while ago. I felt like leaping into the air over that news. I wouldn’t have been avoiding entertainment news like the plague if I’d known it was covering a Gr-Eva breakup.

Now, I was more anxious than ever to see Grant, but even on my tiptoes, I couldn’t catch so much as a glimpse of a movie camera or extra, let alone the movie star. Waiting way back here was a useless waste of time, and I hated spending a precious day off like this.

Putting on one of my best flirtatious grins, I approached one of the men guarding the red cord that held us back.

“Hi,” I purred.

His eyes were hidden behind mirrored sunglasses, but I was pretty sure he didn’t even glance in my direction.

Licking my lips nervously, I went on. “I need to see Grant Chandler. He knows me. If you’ll just let him know Molly Malone is here, I’m sure he’ll clear me to come through.”

If the man’s job was to ignore me, he was stellar at it.

One of the ladies beside me decided to try her luck,