in my life. Now, I’ve got to get back to work. Head on outside.”
Sydney went out the open French doors and watched Herc, his brow furrowed in deep concentration, as he kicked his soccer ball. When he scored a goal, Sydney clapped loudly.
“Way to go, Herc!” she cheered.
He turned and a smile lit his face as he came running in her direction.
“I scored, Sydney!”
“I saw that.” She extended the two bears to him. “These guys are for you.”
“Oh, boy.” Herc took one in each hand and clutched them to his chest. “They’re so soft.”
Tim joined them. “I think it’s time for a water break.”
“I’ll get it,” Herc shouted and ran back inside the house.
They followed him into the kitchen, where Herc had already placed the bears on the table. He got a water bottle for each of them and then pulled out the napkins and handed one to everyone.
“You’re a great helper, Herc,” Tim praised.
“I love to help.”
Sydney asked Herc a few questions and he readily answered them, full of enthusiasm as always. She enjoyed being around him. Herc was what her dad called WYS-I-WYG—what you see is what you get—and about as far from the typical Hollywood person as an individual could be.
“I’ve got to head to the studio now but thank you for taking your water break with me,” she told the two men.
“It’s the big scene with Keely today, right?” asked Tim. “Dash was mentioning how good a job she’s done so far.”
“Keely will be a big name one day. I’m glad to help give her this start. She’s loaded with talent. Want to walk me out, Herc?”
“Okay.”
Herc hugged her again when they reached the car. “I’m glad you came, Sydney. Thank you for my new friends.”
“It was good to see you, Herc.”
“I love you, Sydney.”
“I love you, too, Herc.”
Across the street, Wake Marshall watched with interest.
◆◆◆
Dash toweled off and threw on a robe. Adrenaline still raced through his body. It always did after filming fight scenes, which had been a bulk of his acting experience until his time on No Regrets. He loved how Cassie’s screenplay stretched his range. It had plenty of action but the storyline was complicated and had more depth than any movie he’d been cast in.
What was coming up made him a little nervous, though. It would be his last two scenes with Keely, who’d been nothing short of remarkable. Replacing Marlyn had been the best decision Sydney could have made for the production. Though Marlyn had talent, she was also jaded—and that had shone through in her scenes with Dash. Keely had more raw talent, which Sydney had channeled. Keely’s incredible combination of strength and vulnerability turned into something magical. He wanted to live up to his end in their upcoming scenes.
He wolfed down the Caesar chicken salad and bowl of mixed fruit that awaited him. A lot of physical energy had been used up earlier today so he mixed a double chocolate protein shake and drank it for good measure. Now, Dash had to harness the emotional energy required for the charged love scene with Keely and then their last scene together when Rachel died in Paul’s arms.
A knock sounded on his trailer. “Come in,” he called.
Sydney and Keely appeared. Dash offered the two women seats and drinks.
“I wanted to talk with both of you before we got on set,” Sydney started. “We’ve rehearsed both scenes but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to walk through a few things again to make sure everyone is on the same page.”
She went on to assure Keely that it would be a closed set with only a skeleton crew working during the sex scene. Keely had never done any kind of nudity before and the actress had admitted to both Sydney and Dash that she was nervous.
Sydney went through the emotions that she wanted them to bring to the screen and then reminded them of certain actions to take as bits of dialogue were spoken.
“I know it all sounds very technical and not romantic in the least bit but coordinating who puts what where and when they do it will make shooting the scene go more smoothly,” Sydney assured them. “Okay, let’s switch gears and talk about your final scene together.”
As she spoke, Dash realized what a gifted director Sydney truly was. She gave them insightful pieces to use at different points in the scene, even relating the emotions to certain events that Paul and Rachel had undergone together or that Dash and Keely