Page 9 of Sit, Stay, Love
‘Well, I’ve always been a bit of a show-off.’ He glanced back over his shoulder with a dimple-filled grin.
‘Isn’t it weird being famous and having people flail around you like Tia?’
‘Flail?’ He chuckled, his broad shoulders bouncing up and down. ‘I guess it was weird at first, but you get used to it. It’s flattering. Anyway, I’m not that famous.’
They broke through the bush into a small area of pale green grass dotted with clumps of dandelions. It was one of Sera’s favourite places in the world. Anytime she needed to clear her head, this was where she went.
She pointed to a bench in the shade of a thick gum tree. ‘My grandmother used to bring me here. We had this bench put in as a memorial after she died. Shall we sit?’
They looked across the mass of wild bushland to the shimmer of the ocean on the horizon.
‘This is nice,’ Ethan said, stretching his long legs out in front of him.
Ernie got up, walked slowly around Sera and plonked down with a huff beside Ethan, his body resting against Ethan’s knee. Ethan immediately went rigid and leaned away, his hands balled into fists on his thighs.
‘Are you okay?’ Sera asked.
‘Yep.’ He pressed his lips together and stared straight ahead, his gaze fixed on a spot in the distance, avoiding looking at Sera or the dog.
‘I think he likes you,’ she said. ‘It’s okay to pat him. I’ve got a hold of his leash.’
Ethan glanced at her then looked down at the dog and tapped its head with one finger. ‘Good boy,’ he said stiffly.
Sera had to suppress a laugh. ‘You really don’t like dogs, huh?’
‘It’s not that I don’t like them. It’s just that I’m not great around them. Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.’ He took a deep breath. ‘I’ve just booked a movie, a big one. A career changer. No more swords or dragons. And I’ll be the star.’
‘Congratulations. That sounds amazing.’
He nodded in agreement. ‘They approached me too, which never happens. At least, not to me.’
‘TheThrone of Kingsmovies are pretty big.’
‘Only for people who like fantasy stuff. They don’t have, you know, broad appeal, as my agent would say. This is a romantic comedy. It has the potential to be a mainstream hit. But there’s a hitch.’
‘What’s that?’
‘My character has a dog. The dog is like the third lead. ThinkMarley and Mekind of thing.’
‘Ah.’
‘And I… well, I told them I’m crazy about dogs and the only reason I don’t own one is because of how much I travel.’
‘So you lied.’
‘One hundred per cent. I told the producers I rode horses when I originally auditioned forThrone of Kings. I’d never ridden a horse in my life. I learned before I got to set. Actors always lie about that stuff. If they ask you if you can do something, you say, “Yes, I can.”’
‘Lying is never a good idea.’
‘Depends on the lie.’ He shrugged. ‘Anyway, I was impressed with how you handled the situation last night. With the dog. I mean, Ernie. And I was wondering.’ He shuffled around to face her, careful not to disturb the dog leaning heavily against his leg. ‘How would you feel about helping me out? Get me used to being around dogs. Give me a crash course in training them. That kind of thing.’
‘Training them?’
‘I might have said I was great at that too.’
‘You’ve lied your way into quite a predicament.’
‘Yeah. I’m special like that.’ He scratched his head. ‘To be honest, I was so shocked they wanted me, I would have said anything. Now they think I’m some kind of dog whisperer. Basically, I’m screwed.’
