A Humble Heart (Hollywood Hearts 1)

“Dana?” Amy said, knocking on the door.

Dana looked at the little clock on her laptop. It was well after one. She’d worked through the morning and into the afternoon. “Damn,” she muttered. She missed the first scene. She’d been looking forward to that. She actually hoped Amy would come get her, but then again she hadn't asked. She would need to hire a new assistant just for the set. She'd call Rick and ask him to take care of it.

“Come in,” Dana said, turning her attention back to her unfinished book. She was in a good spot and didn’t want to stop, fearing the ideas would stop flowing through her.

She didn’t look up, but heard Amy step into the trailer. “Hey, Amy, what can I do for you?” she asked, keeping her eyes on the computer screen.

“I was hoping we could talk,” a deep voice said.

Dana tore her eyes away from the screen to look up. Edward Pierce stood in the doorway. He smiled confidently as he looked at her. Dana looked past him to see a very excited Amy behind him.

“You might want to let her in here before she runs you over,” Dana said, pointing to Amy.

Edward looked back to see his sister was in fact getting ready to push past him. He quickly moved to the side and let her charge past him.

“Dana, is there anything you need? I noticed you didn’t leave or order in, are you hungry?” she asked eagerly.

Dana smiled at the young woman’s energy. She looked back at her computer and hit save and backed up her work onto an external hard drive. She shut the computer down and returned it to its case and slung it over her shoulder as she stood up.

“Did I miss the first scene?” she asked, hoping the answer was no. She really wanted to see it and perhaps take a picture or two.

Edward's smile returned. She took a few seconds to look him over. His bronze hair was combed forward in the same way she imagined Christian would style his hair. He wore a dark tee shirt and jeans. His face was just as flawless as it was in pictures and on television. He appeared to be looking her over as well.

“No, we’re doing that in two hours. So, we have two hours of free time right now. They’re setting everything else up right now and working with Jennifer,” Edward answered.

“Jennifer Callon is Bailey, right?” she asked, trying to hide her nervousness.

Edward nodded. He folded his arms across his chest and studied her. “Amy, you can go grab lunch or whatever. Just be back in two hours,” he said dismissively.

Amy looked hurt. “Oh, I was hoping to help.”

Her brother looked at her and rolled his eyes. “It’s okay, Amy.”

Dana watched the poor girl. She looked like she was about to cry. “Amy, you’re not busy for the next two hours?”

“No,” she said, dejectedly.

“Do you like deli?” she asked Amy.

Amy looked at her warily. “Do you want me to go grab you some sandwiches or something?”

Dana shrugged and shook her head. “No, I’m asking if you want to join me for lunch. We’re about ten minutes away from Sam’s Deli and he would kill me if he found out I was this close and didn’t stop by.”

“Really?” Amy asked, her frown transforming into a beautifully shy smile.

Edward held up his hand. “We’re supposed to talk about the book.”

Dana hid her computer under the couch and walked towards the door. “You can come too if you want,” she said casually and made her way out the door with a very excited Amy.

They walked off the lot leaving Edward behind. “Are you sure?” Amy asked once they hit the sidewalk.

“Of course,” Dana said. She didn’t like people acting differently towards her. She missed being able to go into a supermarket and getting cut in line, her carriage rammed and being flipped off when she grabbed the last box of Lucky Charms, the good old days.

“My brother is going to be super pissed,” Amy pointed out.

“Why? I said he could come, too,” Dana said.

“He’s used to be people falling all over him and doing what he wants. He’s not a jerk or anything. It’s just after a few years he’s gotten used to it.”

“Well, he won’t get that from me,” Dana said as they walked across the street. She pressed a hand to her stomach and winced as a stabbing pain shot through her. In a matter of seconds it was gone.

“Are you okay?” Amy asked worriedly.

Dana forced a smile. “Sometimes the scar tissue from the last c-section hurts. Nothing to worry about.”

Amy nodded as they walked along the sidewalk.

After a very hearty roast beef sandwich each they made their way back towards the lot. Of course they had to stop for frozen yogurt. They were still eating their yogurt as they made their way back inside the trailer.

They were both surprised to find a very surly Edward sitting on the couch. “I cleared my free time expecting to work with you,” he said sternly.

“And I told you that you were welcome to come with us. Now, if you’re done pouting we have an hour until you have to shoot so let’s get to work,” she said in the same tone she would use with her kids.

“I’m not pouting,” Edward protested.

“Yes, you are,” Amy said. He shot her a dirty look that made her smile wider.

Chapter 3

Edward watched the two women sit down and talk while they ate their frozen yogurt. He was pissed. He’d been a thorn in the director’s ass all morning begging for two hours in the afternoon to work with Dana and she brushed him off. What the hell was her problem?

She was the reason he took this job. He was a big fan and excited about playing Christian, but working with her was the plus. Her reputation of being secretive was famous. He liked the idea of not only knowing what her latest book was going to be about before anyone else, but also having a hand in it.

Now it looked like she was going to do her best to keep him out. She’d invited him to go, but only as an afterthought. Plus, he couldn’t go anywhere without security and he’d given them the two hours off so he could work. Now he was starving. He considered stealing Amy’s frozen yogurt, but little sister or not she would kick his ass.

He was so nervous when he walked into the trailer. He wanted to meet her ever since he read her first book and heard she moved to California. He was surprised to see that she looked better than the picture on the back of her books. She looked younger, healthier. Her blonde hair looked like it was made from gold silk. He especially liked her cute little nose and pouty lips. He hadn’t expected to be attracted to her. It was a bit unnerving to find himself instantly attracted to a woman. That never happened before. It usually took a bit of time for him to warm up to a woman.