He’d never been the best phone communicator in the first place. Texts and phone calls weren’t really his thing, and when you added in the unpredictable nature of my job and his location in the middle of fucking nowhere, it added up to lots of missed opportunities to connect. Not having a chance to see him or hear his voice made me feel at loose ends.
I had it easier than he did, though, because I got to see his posts on Instagram every day. Even though we’d prerecorded a bunch of good-night posts, he posted little tips or snippets each day of himself working on something. He hadn’t posted something extra like that in two days, though, so I was beginning to worry about him.
Those two days had been extra long because I’d finished filming my scenes, but I’d still been on the call sheet for a couple more days just in case Sam changed his mind. After wrapping for the day today, the production assistant had finally given me the all clear.
I’d immediately booked a flight to Denver so I could pop in and see Jacks and then head to the cabin to surprise Nine. Hopefully we’d at least have a full week together decorating and finishing the cabin before his new job started.
My friends were eager to take me out to celebrate the end of filming my first decent role. Bane and Willow had reserved the outside terrace in front of a restaurant called Fig and Olive in West Hollywood which sounded like something celebrities would do to show off in front of the press. I leaned over to whisper in Evie’s’s ear when we arrived.
“Wonder if they even tried to get a private room inside. Would have made it easier to carry on a decent conversation.”
Evie’s eyes widened. “Babe. You’re going to be photographed at a private dinner with two of the hottest young celebrities in LA right now. It’s going to be a huge thing for your reputation. I’m sure that’s why they booked the terrace. To help you.”
That took me aback. It made sense, but… I would have rather had a nice quiet night with friends. The idea of being watched while having dinner gave me the chills. I’d seen the kind of life Bane and Willow lived where their privacy was nonexistent and they felt like they had to constantly be the life of the party. Or maybe it was their “life of the party” personalities that drew them to the world of entertainment. Was it a chicken-and-egg thing?
“I don’t want photos,” I said stupidly.
Evie laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Every burgeoning star would kill for exposure like this. I’ll bet ten bucks Mitch calls you tomorrow squealing like a pig in shit.”
I thought of the calls from Mitch that I’d been avoiding. He’d mentioned receiving several inquiries for me, but nothing that sounded exciting enough to miss out on the final week of Cooped Up With Nine. Finally, Mitch had pinned me down and insisted on an early breakfast tomorrow before I left for the airport. I needed to figure out what the hell I wanted to do with my life before then.
We joined the party already in progress on the terrace, and Evie made a beeline for the server who was passing full champagne flutes on a tray.
“Cooper’s here!” Willow said, pulling the arm of another young woman who looked vaguely familiar. “Come meet Cooper. He’s the one I told you about from Bane’s film. Isn’t he a cutie?”
The woman blushed and smiled. “Hi, I’m Gillian.” Suddenly, my brain served up the answer. Gillian Ivers was a country-music singer I recognized from one of Nine’s albums on his phone. She sang a song called “Barn Lights” that he’d played one time when he asked me to slow dance outside in the clearing. After that, we’d played it over and over again on the nights that called for dancing under the stars.
“Oh my god, Gillian. I can’t tell you how exciting it is to meet you. My boyfriend is a huge fan.”
Her face lit up. “Really? That’s so sweet. Do you… do you want to take a picture and send it to him?”
I felt like a total fangirl in that moment, so I tried to keep cool. “That would be amazing.”
Willow offered to take the photo with my phone while Gillian turned us around and put her arm around my waist. She was a tiny thing, and it was odd to put my arm around her shoulder when I was used to being the small one in a hug with Nine.
“Tell me about him,” she said. “What’s his name?”
“His name is…” I spotted a man walking down the sidewalk toward the restaurant with a sandwich board hanging around his neck. He had a beard just like… “Isaac, but everyone calls him…” I squinted at the man. He had a finger and thumb in his mouth and was about to whistle. Could it possibly be… “Nine?”