Lacy (The Doves of Primrose) (9 page)

“Here ya go, Kyle.” Emmylou set the steaming plate in front of him accompanied by a napkin in the shape of a fan. “Mr. Chandler seemed pretty worked up.”

Kyle forced a smile for Emmylou, trying not to show his disappointment. “Marcus? He’s always worked up over something.” He shook the napkin out and placed it on his lap.

“I suppose it’s stressful. Directing a movie
, I mean. I can only imagine how hard it would be to manage all those difficult people. Not that you would be one of them, of course. I just meant that it’s a lot-”

“Emmylou.
I understand what you’re saying and I can relate. We actors can be quite cantankerous.”

The pink rose in her finely sculpted cheeks and Kyle almost felt bad for her. She was trying to hide it so hard but her feelings were clear to him, poor girl. She was headed down a path strewn with broken and bleeding hearts.

“What do you have planned for today? I hope y’all will be busy. I would hate to have to climb more trees and evict more doves.” Lacy hoped that didn’t sound desperate.

He shook his head and chuckled. “I can’t say as I feel the same.”

Her sapphire blue eyes sparkled while she grinned. “Do you need anything else for your steak? Some ketchup for the hash browns, maybe?”

“Ketchup would be great.”

Emmylou plucked a bottle from a nearby table.
“Here you go, honey.”

“Thank you.” Kyle splattered his potatoes. “And we’ll be d
oing some run-throughs by the pond in about thirty minutes.”

Emmylou stopped and turned, understanding
passing over her pretty face. “I hope they go well.”

He waited for her to get inside the kitchen before he dug into his breakfast. The best food he had ever eaten was right here on this very plate. If he thought he could keep his head attached to his body he would go and tell the cook how delicious it was, but he wasn’t stupid enough to encounter an angry woman when there were knives within arm’s reach. Besides
,* he was still trying to teach Lacy a lesson and guard his own heart.

His stomach was full and the air was crisp as he made his way through the tall prairie grass. Kyle enjoyed nature’s symphony as his memory guided him. The sun glinted off the
red-hued grass and warmed his skin. Grasshoppers leapt around him, locust hummed in the distant trees and the earth crunched beneath his boots. It was nice to have the old things on. He had forgotten how comfortable they were and how easy life was here.

Everything was smaller and bigger all at the same time. The trees were the same, but the sky was different. The smell of ou
tdoors stormed his senses, igniting his spirit. He remembered why he loved his home so much. It was a tangible force that lived within and around him. His hands grazed the plumed seed heads of bluestem and Indian grass along the edge of the well-traversed path to the pond.

He remembered a time or two he and his buddies had caught the wrath of the warden when they went bouncing through the meadow in his
pickup so they could park closer to the dock. They were supposed to park on the north side in the sandy lot maintained by the Parks Department and walk around. Of course they weren’t supposed to swing from the rope that wasn’t supposed to be tied to the tree, either. Kyle wondered if this place was still popular with the teenagers of Primrose.

“Kyle!”
Marcus waved him over. “It’s about damn time, what the hell took you so long?” He pushed his black glasses up and whipped his hair from his face. “Doesn’t matter.” He put his arm around Kyle’s shoulders and pushed him forward. “Okay, we’re going to start here.” Marcus pointed to a place in the script and walked up the slope to the grassy ledge.

Kyle looked around at the crew
, trying to remember which part of the scene they were doing.

“Come on, come on!”

Kyle scratched his neck, hoping the words would come to him before Marcus blew a gasket.

“What? Didn’t you bring your script? Somebody get the man a script before I lose all of my blood to these damn mosquitoes.”

Lauren appeared at his side with the script folded open to the scene. “Here you go, Mr. McClintock.”

“Thanks.” Why was it bothering him that she kept calling him that when it never had before? Hell, he had barely acknowledged her existence before they got here. She had simply been his e
mployee. Being home was bringing back all those values he had abandoned over the years. A sneaking suspicion that he was an asshole tapped his shoulder.

Marcus
gave the direction, barking orders to his assistant while addressing the crew members. Kyle wasn’t sure how he accomplished all of that at once but Marcus excelled at it. The small cast was comprised of Kyle and a couple of guys he had worked with before and one he had just met before leaving for Primrose. They read through their parts, adjusting with Marcus’s input. One of the assistants played the remaining parts of unspeaking cast that would come with the RVs. They were the bad guys chasing Kyle’s character across the prairie, which was made harder by the fact that none of the horses were here and Marcus continually whined about the props and remaining crew being delayed.

“
All right! Stop!” Marcus waved one arm while digging in his back pocket for his ringing cell phone.

Kyle dodged the clutch of cast members gathering to discuss the scene by moving closer to the water. This was by far the least glamorous and most unorganized production he had been a part of and that included the indie film he made with his
then-actress-girlfriend.

“
Son of a bitch!”

Kyle turned at
Marcus’s outburst to find the man throwing his Ray-Bans into the meadow followed by more cussing and kicking the dirt. “Well, that’s just great!” Marcus parked his hands on his hips and tossed his head back to get his hair out of his face. “Gather ’round people!” Marcus pointed to one of the key grips. “You. Go find my sunglasses.” He waved the poor man off. “Well, apparently most of California is on fire. They have grounded all eastbound flights for the time being and unless we want to pay to fly around the smoke and flames the rest of the crew is stranded there and we are here. I don’t know how they expect me to film when we have nothing and no one here. Wildfires. Unbelievable!”

There was a common heavy sigh and grumbling among the gathered crew. Kyle thought
Marcus was being a bit
too
dramatic; it wasn’t as though California had burst into flames just to screw with the filming of this movie. This was definitely going to push the production time back and Kyle was going to be at The Dove House longer than anticipated.

“I don’t suppose I can hope to find any kind of stylist in this insignificant little map dot?
A seamstress, some props, camera crew?” Marcus jerked his hand through his hair. “I am so screwed.”

Kyle grinned
. He knew where to get all of that or at least capable people. So much for keeping his distance.

“Actually…”

Chapter 8

“No.” Lacy took great satisfaction in refusing Kyle, especially when he was so desperate.

“Come on, Lacy. You’re the only cosmetologist I know. ” He followed her to the dining room where she began putting out plates.

“Such flattery.
I don’t know how I can refuse when you pay me such compliments.”

“You’ll get paid.” His voice rose on the last word.

“No.” Visions of the new flooring she could buy with the money flashed in her mind, but she continued to work and keep her eyes diverted. That only worked until he flattened his meaty hand on her clean plate and moved closer. She sighed and glanced into his baby blues. “Even if I said yes I don’t have any of my stuff anymore and I haven’t done it in so long I probably don’t remember how.”

He quirked his brow and she rolled her eyes. “Stop it. You know what I meant.” Lacy started putting out the silverware. “Why don’t you just ask Janice to do it?”

Kyle looked at her as though she had just asked him to shave his head. Even Lacy couldn’t keep a straight face with her suggestion.

“Oh sure, I’ve always dreamed of being a clown cowboy. Maybe we could get a rainbow wig and red nose to complete the look.”

Lacy tried to defend her former boss, but he was right. Janice thought makeup should be applied in many layers and all of them bright. She gritted her teeth.

Kyle pulled away with a cocky twitch of his head. “Okay, if you insist.” He shrugged and she waited in annoyance for him to make his point while wanting to stab him with the butter knife. “I
guess we’ll just be hanging around here until they can control the fires enough for travel. Do you have a TV?” His attempt at flippancy pricked her nerves. “Just think of all those long days, random people lying around consuming food and demanding services. Are there a lot of doves out there in those trees? They seem to be quite noisy.” He pulled out a chair and sat down, pretending to stare off in thought. “You know, the town really could’ve used the money too.”

Lacy hitched her jaw but asked anyway, “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, nothing. You don’t need to worry about it since you don’t want to help out.”

Lacy snatched up the butter knife and pointed it at his face. “You’ve just snapped my last nerve and if you don’t want to be in the emergency room with a knife in your eye then you will stop talking like a jackass and just tell me straight out.”

He glanced at the knife, unconcerned by her threat. “We were going to hire people from the town to work on the set and cater the food and maybe even be in the movie in some way. They would be paid the same as our regular staff, not to mention all the fun they could have by doing it. But since you won’t be the makeup artist we’ll just have to camp out here. In your bed and breakfast.” He pinned her with one of his looks that burned her skin. “It’s unfortunate, really. I never knew you were that selfish, Lacy. You know, it would’ve been a hoot to be able to act with some of my old buddies, but…”

Lacy smacked her hand down on his chest and leaned over him with a glare meant to slice him to pieces. “You’re an as
shole.” She pursed her lips together, forcing the words to come. “I’ll do it.”

The smile that lit his face was reward and torture. He had played her and it pissed her off.

“Thanks, Lace.”

“Get out.” She pointed to the doorway with the knife and backed away. He slowly stood
, never taking his eyes from her, and strode out of the room. She slammed the knife on the table, hurting her hand. What was she doing? She moved to the barn to get away from him and now she had agreed to spend all day with him for the unforeseeable future. Stupid wildfires ruining her life.

“Lacy! Kyle just hired me to cater the
set!” Emmylou rushed into the room, beaming from ear to ear. Lacy had to take a deep breath to regain her thoughts.

“That’s wonderful, honey.” She tried to smile.

“Well, not really. I haven’t made anything that wasn’t a pastry or cake since culinary school. I’m going to have to go home and get my books out. I’m so excited.” Emmylou finally made it across the room to Lacy and it hurt Lacy’s heart to see her friend’s face droop. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.
Really.” Lacy tucked her hair, trying to get a grip on her inner turmoil when all she really wanted to do was rip it out. “I’m excited for you, Em.”

“Thanks, but part of the reason I was so excited was that we were going to get to be there together. Kyle said you’re going to be the makeup artist. But I see you are much less excited about it.”

“I’m sorry, Em. I wasn’t expecting this turn of events. I haven’t done makeup in months and I’ve never done it on this scale before. I don’t even know how. What if they need me to make the blood or some kind of wound? I don’t know how to do that.”

“We’ll Google it, Lace. No worries
, and just think how much this is going to help the town. Being mentioned in the credits is cool but how awesome is it going to be if some of us are actually chosen to be in it!” Not that I think that will happen. The real actors will probably show up just in time. But at least we get to be in on it for a short time.”

They talked about it for a while longer before Emmylou left to researc
h recipes. Lunch was served and Lacy was plagued with an oversized knot in her stomach. There was no way she could do this job. It was too much for her. Kyle was nowhere in sight so Lacy couldn’t quit. She spotted Mr. Chandler the director and thought maybe she could just tell him that she wasn’t going to be able to do the job after all.

He had his head bent, his glasses off and
he was furiously scribbling something on what she assumed was the script. She wrung her hands as she stood, steeling her nerves to speak. He was a handsome man, his blonde hair well cared for. Lacy preferred a more cropped style normally but his longer waves suited him. He had slender yet strong hands, an artist’s hand. He had a good build - not as filled out as Kyle but not many people were. He raised his head and she was taken aback by the almond-shaped lavender eyes. She had never seen that color before. The crease between his brows only added to his charm.

“Yes, Miss
Weston. Can I help you with something?”

He was direct. Not rude so much as distracted. She blinked
, trying to remember why she had come over. “Uh, can I get you some lunch?”

He smiled and his good looks multiplied. Why was this man a director and not an actor?

“Just a sandwich or something. I’m trying to get these changes made before we start shooting tomorrow.”

“Okay, do you have a preference?”

“Not really, anything without mayonnaise will be fine. Listen, some of the crew made it out ahead of the roads being shut down and will be here in an hour. A couple of them will need rooms and the rest will stay at the campsite.”

“Okay. I’ll have the available rooms listed and will get them settled as soon as they get here.”
The relief seeping through her was a balm to her nerves.

“Great. You can just leave a list on the counter or something since I hear you have agreed to come on board. When the pr
oducer called me with the news of the delay I wasn’t sure what the hell I was going to do. But Kyle said you could handle the job, that’s good enough for me and really as long as I have some camera crew and the actors for at least the bulk of the scenes we should be able to limp through.” He rubbed his eyes and Lacy noticed the stress lines around his mouth.

“How about some tea
?
My friend has a special brew that will help you relax.”

He
almost refused before nodding. As she walked to the kitchen to have Scarlett whip up some of her herbal tea and get Marcus’s sandwich, she didn’t feel any better about being on set.

“Scar, can you make some of that flower tea for Mr. Cha
ndler? You know, the one that helps you relax. He’s wigging out.” She went to the counter and laid out the bread.

“Sure.”
Scarlett wiped her hands on her apron and moved towards the pantry. Lacy heard the clanking of jars and cans before she ducked back out with a silver tin. “He must be very stressed about this turn of events. Are you okay with being on set all day and doing all the work around here?”

“No, I tried to quit but Kyle wasn’t in there and when I talked to
Marcus he basically told me I was their only option and he wasn’t too happy about it.” She slapped some turkey on the bread with lettuce and tomato.

“Did he say that?” Scarlett looked at her
from the corner of her eye with a mother superior-like look that annoyed Lacy when it was directed at her.

“He didn’t have to say it. I saw it written on his face and in how he explained that they could
‘limp through’ as long as he had his cast and cameramen. Like we’re just some rented mule he picked up.” Lacy dropped the slice of bread on top and put the finished sandwich on a plate. “I hope he chokes on it.”

“Here’s the tea. Do you want me to take it out?”

Lacy was surprised by the offer, knowing her aversion to serving in the dining room. She didn’t like being around that many people at once. “You wouldn’t mind?”

“Of course not.”
She picked up the plate and the cup. “Oh, two things. First, I went out and checked Betty’s leg and it is much better. I think she’s ready for an outing to stretch her muscles and second, Candy called earlier.” Scarlett’s look described Lacy’s feelings about her ex-mother-in-law perfectly.

The last thing Lacy needed was Brice’s mother harping on her about her son, wondering if Lacy had heard from him, telling her had she been a better wife Brice would’ve never left and then
asking if they could have lunch and catch up. That woman was an enigma. There were times when Lacy thought she had won her over and they might have a chance of getting along and then the rest of the time Lacy wanted to strangle Candy. She had spent many years trying to get on the woman’s good side only to realize she just didn’t have one.

Lacy didn’t understand why she still felt a form of loyalty to Candy
;
maybe it was pity for having raised such a pathetic excuse for a man. She knew Candy’s history and that she had had a hard road. Brice’s dad had beaten her nearly to death and then lit out of town, never to be heard from again. Lacy secretly wondered if maybe one of Candy’s brothers had killed him and tossed his body in one of the many available pits in the Sandhills. It was a great place to dump a body and they were just wily enough to pull it off.

Lacy picked up the phone then set it back in the receiver. She would call Candy later. Right now she had to scrounge up some beauty supplies
. She wasn’t looking forward to it.

**********

Kyle sat down next to Marcus just as Scarlett set down a plate and steaming cup that smelled an awful lot like flowers and something else he couldn’t identify.

“Is that something yo
u drink or something you wear?”

Scarlett’s small smile hit her eyes a moment before she a
nswered, “Would you like to find out?”

He was so shocked by her wit that he tipped in his chair while he laughed. She didn’t miss a beat but continued to arrange the plate and silverware in front of
Marcus.

“Are you hungry, Kyle?”

“Depends. Does it also smell like perfume?”

“I could go out to the greenhouse and harvest some nice n
asturtiums for your salad.”

He smiled again. He had not been witness to this side of Sca
rlett before. She had blossomed in the years since he last saw her. “No, thank you. I don’t know what that is, but I’m sure I wouldn’t like them. I’ll have what Marcus is having if you don’t mind.”

“I can manage that.
The tea, too?”

He wrinkled his nose and looked at the
pink-tinted tea with a sprig of leaves on the rim. “What’s in it?”

Her dark hair shimmered as she tucked it behind her ear. “It’s just a little something that I whipped up from my greenhouse plants.”
When he gave her a disgusted look, her lip quirked. “I make it with passion flower, chamomile and a hint of mint. It helps relieve stress.”

He was impressed. “Do you happen to have one to improve dispositions?”

Scarlett fixed him with a glance that shot to his soul. “I find that a simple adjustment in  approach does wonders for the disposition of others.” She straightened and brushed her hands down the front of her pretty blue apron. “I’ll get a sandwich for you and be back in a sec.”

“What was that all about?”

Kyle turned to Marcus to find him still buried in the script and sipping on his tea. “Just asking what was in the tea,” Kyle answered nonchalantly.

“It’s delicious. I can already feel it working. Never had an
ything quite like it before, I wonder if it’s a brand that we can get in LA.”

“I don’t think so,
Marcus. It’s one of a kind.”

The two men ate quietly, drinking the flower tea that relaxed Kyle to his core.
Completely serene. Even when a picture of Lacy entered his head, his mouth lifted and light entered his eyes. Scarlett was right, Kyle needed a different approach. He had tried the “remember when we were in high school and crazy” approach and the “I’m indifferent to your charms” approach. Perhaps it was time for honesty.