Page 128 of Let’s Make a Scene

She pulls back, her face clearing. “That sounds… nice,” she says.

“We’ll take it slowly. No pressure. And what that looks like in the immediate future is that you go and get dressed and we drive back down to Cornwall and real life. So I’m going to go and get your bag for you.”

Cynthie bites her lip, and then she nods. “Okay,” she agrees. “I think this is a good idea. Maybe. Hopefully. But there’s just one thing…” Her arms come up and wind around my neck. “Before we start from the beginning, can we pretend for just a few more seconds?”

“I don’t see how a few more seconds could hurt.”

And then, she kisses me softly, sweetly.

“Thank you for not giving up on me,” she whispers.

“Never.” It’s a promise I know I’ll keep. I just hope I can convince her of it.

Chapter 41 CYNTHIE

The day after we get back from London, I find an envelope with my name scrawled across the front taped to the door of my trailer.

“What’s that?” Hannah asks.

“No idea,” I reply, pulling it free. It’s been a long day of filming, and honestly, I wouldn’t describe my emotional state as particularly calm. The events of the past forty-eight hours have been intense to say the least, and my focus is not on my work the way that it should be. Instead my focus leaps between the hours I spent locked in Jack’s bedroom and the conversation we had in his kitchen.

I want to be able to say that I feel nothing but giddy about it, but that’s not true.

I do feel giddy. The world and everything in it is beautiful. Jack Turner-Jones says he’s in love with me. But I also feel terrified. I have this sensation in my stomach like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. Seeing Jack on set today, I half expected him to turn around and yell “psych!” in my face and then high-five the crew as his greatest prank was revealed.

Obviously, that didn’t happen. He lit up at the sight of me. He split a cheese toastie with me for lunch, texted me while I was in hair and makeup. He forwarded me a photo of a picture that Nico must have dug up of him aged eleven and dressed as a tiny, earnest magician with a mustache drawn over his lip in eyeliner. It was the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen and I teased him mercilessly for the rest of the day.

It’s delicious; it’s easy. So why do I feel like I’m on the edge of a panic attack again?

“Cynthie!” Brooke’s voice stops me in my tracks. She’s jogging after me, Declan hot on her heels. “Sorry,” she wheezes when she catches up. “Phew! I’m definitely not as fit as I thought I was. I wanted to grab you before you went home… We were going to film a talking head with you today, but I know the shoot ran late, do you still have time?”

“Sorry, Brooke, I totally forgot,” I say, thinking longingly of the sofa in my hotel room and a large glass of wine. I glance at Hannah, who gives a tiny shrug: my call. “Sure,” I say. I slip the envelope into my pocket.

“Great!” Brooke bounces on her feet. “We’re all set up in Jack’s trailer. He finished early today so he said we could use it for a change of scene.”

Inside Jack’s trailer Kara and Cooper are waiting, and the four of them flutter around, getting everything ready while I perch in the folding director’s chair they’ve put in the middle of the space.

“How’s it all been going?” I ask idly.

“Really well.” Brooke nods, fiddling with the lighting they’ve brought in. “The vibe is great, isn’t it?”

“It’s a good set,” I say. “It was the first time around too.”

“Yeah,” Brooke settles into the seat across from me, off camera. “I get that impression. You’re all so close, like a weird, giant family.”

I laugh. “It’s true,” I say. “And it’s special. It’s not always like that.”

“Okay, so we’re good to go?” Brooke checks in with the rest of her team, who nod. She settles in, asking me questions about the filming we did today and how I thought it went.

“You and Jack have such incredible chemistry on-screen,” she says.

“It’s easy to have chemistry with Jack. He’s an extremely charismatic actor.” I grin. “As I’m sure he’s told you himself.”

Brooke laughs. “The two of you clearly have a strong relationship both on and off-screen.”

I hesitate, thinking about what Jack said, that we should try just telling the truth, being who we are.

“Yes, we do,” I agree. “It wasn’t always so comfortable between us, but he’s a brilliant actor and an even better man. I’m so happy we get to make this film together.”