Shocking Sapphires - Ann Omasta Page 0,30

same on the inside and couldn’t be counted as site research.

As each day passed with no word of his arrival, I became more and more anxious. Even if Eva and Jemma were with them at all times, just knowing Grant and Scout were here would help me breathe easier. Having them be clear across the country had been torture. I constantly imagined the worst.

At least now I would be able to see with my own eyes that they were safe, healthy, and content. Although I couldn’t help wishing they could be all three of those things with me by their sides, I would try to find solace in the fact that they were happy.

The entourage tried to slip in after dark, but everyone in town knew when the production crew arrived. It was practically a parade of top-of-the-line RV’s, large vans carrying equipment, SUVs with dark tinted windows, and car after car loaded with fans.

I couldn’t imagine how so many people had found out about the timing and location of the shoot, but they arrived into town in droves. It would take every hotel room within a hundred miles of Brunswick Bay Harbor to lodge them all.

“Don’t these people have jobs?” Avery groused as we tried to make our way down the busy sidewalk.

We’d been planning to have a late dinner of a fresh lobster roll and fries from the beach shack, but the line of people waiting to order had gone all the way down the stairs and looped around the marina.

With a disgusted look on her face, Avery said, “This is ten times worse than leaf peeping season. How long do you suppose these terrorists will stay?”

I smiled at my friend and shrugged my shoulders. Even though the locals often jokingly referred to tourists as terrorists, we all knew they brought a much-needed injection of money and business into the area’s economy.

As we passed by a group of young women congregated on the sidewalk, we heard one of them squeal, “I heard that Grant Chandler has arrived in town! Let’s go see if we can find out where he’s staying and camp out outside his room.”

The excited ladies scurried away. Avery and I shared a knowing look before she asked, “Are you going to reach out to him?”

“It sounds like he may have his hands full tonight,” I answered, thinking that there was no way his burly bodyguards or bitchy girlfriend would let me anywhere near him.

Making a snap decision, I said, “I think I’ll go home and heat up a frozen pizza for dinner, then pamper myself with a bath, so I can be at my best tomorrow when I go visit the set.”

“Sounds like a great plan,” Avery told me as she hugged me goodbye.

After we headed our separate ways, she turned back to yell, “Good luck tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” I said to her before adding quietly, “I’m probably going to need it.”

24

Grant

It was more than a little disappointing that Molly hadn’t come to find me. My delusions of grandeur had allowed me to begin hoping that she might be waiting for us with open arms at the town line.

Even I knew that dream had been overly optimistic, but part of me had dared to believe that she would seek me out at our inn. Even if she didn’t miss me, she had to have missed seeing Scout. Right?

Staring out the window, I realized that we weren’t at all difficult to find. The hordes of fans roped off just outside the bed and breakfast left little doubt as to where I was staying, so Molly wasn’t here because she didn’t want to be, not because she didn’t know where we were.

It was wonderful to see that, even though Hollywood had dumped me, my fans hadn’t. After seeing me struggling to get the window open from my chair, Scout’s competent, temporary nanny, Bonnie, came running over to assist.

I’d hired Bonnie to watch Scout while I was busy filming, but I’d already warned her that she would immediately be replaced if Molly was willing to accept her former position back. The woman had agreed to those terms and was proving herself to be a terrific helper. Perhaps I could talk her into staying on as my personal assistant, since the one I’d had in L.A. had bailed on me to accept a position with Christian Hart.

Once the window was open, Bonnie helped me get comfortably situated so the crowd could see me. I waved to the mostly-female group and shouted