“No, I was going to let you drive me out of town.”
“Me? Why?”
The glint in his eyes made my pulse speed up a bit. “Because there’s this route near here that’s got some gorgeous scenery… and a long, straight, stretch of road that’s always empty.” He grinned. “Of course, I always go the speed limit… but if someone were inclined to be a rule breaker, I’m guessing they could go pretty damn fast.”
I returned his grin. “How fast have you gone out there?”
“Over 120.”
“In your pickup truck?”
“God, no. There’s this Camaro that’s a backup to the backup car… and I was thinking it needed to go on a test drive tomorrow morning.”
“Sounds like fun. I’m in.”
His smile warmed me more than the heat from the bonfire. “Great. I’d like to go early, if that’s okay. And then on the way back, there’s a diner that makes a pretty decent breakfast.”
“How do you know all this?”
“We filmed here once before, years ago.”
“Well, I’m glad you took notes.”
“Me too.”
We wandered around for a bit longer, finishing our beers. Then I heard someone call my name. My full first name.
“Over here, Veronica.”
Usually, only Tonio called me that—and I called him Antonio in response. Apparently Mac was a fan of the longer name, too. Had I used it when I was a kid? Possibly. But I seemed to remember choosing the nickname Ronnie not long after I started school.
Tanner’s eyes cut between me and Mac. “Are you okay talking to him?”
“Yeah.” I had to at some point. “See you at sunrise.”
Mac was standing near the food line. Several tables were set up under a canopy supported by tent poles. He had on dark jeans and a flannel shirt that clashed with his hair. “Hi, Mac.”
“Did you get some pizza?”
“Not yet.” I followed him to the end of the line. There were a few people in front of us, and Mac knew them all, of course. He introduced me to a cameraman, an audio technician, and the head of hair and makeup.
When it was my turn at the buffet, I hoisted a thick slice of pizza onto a paper plate that could barely hold it. “I’ve never seen pizza like this.”
“It’s Chicago style. Aiden had it flown in,” Mac said.
“He flew it in?” That must’ve been one hell of a delivery charge.
“Yeah, he usually does something each week when we’re shooting on location like this. And it’s not like there are many local delicacies around here.”
The woman from hair and makeup heard us and grinned. “Just wait until you try deep-fried scrub brush.”
I laughed. At the end of the line, someone handed me another beer without asking if I wanted one.
“That’s real beer, not the Utah version,” Mac assured me.
“Was that flown in, too?” I couldn’t even imagine having enough money to do something like that every week. It made me wonder what the hell Aiden was doing sharing a house with the other guys. He probably could afford to construct a mansion wherever he went.
“No. We brought it with us when we came.” Mac led me over to a picnic table. He sat down with his back against the table and his legs facing outward, perhaps so that he could still see the bonfire. I followed suit.
The slice of pizza was so damn thick that I had to cut it with a knife and fork—something I’d never done with pizza before. But it was good with a great deal of oozy cheese.
“So, how did your first week go?” he asked abruptly. “I meant to spend more time with you, but it’s been crazy. One of the locations we chose for a car chase scene didn’t work out, so we had to find a new one.”
It was a bit disconcerting to hear Mac apologize—sort of-—for abandoning me. Funny that he only did it for this week, not the last nineteen years. “It was okay.”
“Is Tina keeping you busy?”
“Is she supposed to be?” I wondered if that was what my job officially was—an office assistant.
“We figured that she might know which departments needed your help the most.”
“To tell you the truth, there hasn’t been a whole lot to do, but I’ve been trying my best to help out.”
“All you can do is your best.”
I nearly rolled my eyes at that. Was that the kind of parental platitude I’d been missing from him all these years? Still, it felt like I should keep the conversation going. “Ford and I fought today.”
Mac set down his beer on the bench between us and frowned. “I guess I never realized how hard it would be on you kids. You were right, at dinner the other night. You are strangers, but I’m really hoping that won’t always be the case.”
It took me a moment to realize the misunderstanding. “No, we fought on purpose. In the boxing ring.”