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Which wasn’t her problem. She could just walk away. This wasn’t part of her job description. She didn’t have to deal with the dog.
But Jess had never been the sort to walk away and refuse help when someone needed it. Saying no would be denying who she was.
‘Please, Jess?’ he asked again.
‘You’re the star of a movie, where I happen to be the production assistant and I’m supposed to do whatever I’m told. All you have to do is tell Ayesha you want me to jump, and she’ll ask you how high,’ Jess pointed out.
He winced. ‘God. I always swore I’d never be like that. And I was horrible, this morning. Worse than Mi–’ He stopped abruptly.
Jess could guess whose name he’d just cut off. Mimi, his co-star. Owner of expensive designer shoes, and clearly also hater of dogs.
‘I’m sorry,’ he finished.
She was pretty sure now that he wasn’t acting. His eyes were almost silver in this light. And they were utterly sincere. ‘Maybe you were having a bad day,’ she suggested.
‘A lot of bad days all in a row,’ he said, wrinkling his nose. ‘But that’s still no excuse for treating people badly.’
Did he have any idea how cute it made him look when he wrinkled his nose like that?
Yes, of course he did. He must do, she thought. It was his job, after all. Hunky movie star. The job description no doubt included the line: must look gorgeous and appealing to all women at all times.
‘Jess, can you help me? Please?’ he asked again.
More charm. He’d made her a cup of tea, just the way she liked it. And she noticed how often he’d used her name—a trick she’d been taught at work, too. It made people have confidence in you if you used their name. It made them feel that you were on their side. It made whatever you said feel personal.
No.
She ought to say no.
She didn’t want to get involved with another dog. Not after losing Comet. The whole point of working as a freelancer was that she wouldn’t get time to bond with any of her colleagues—not like her days with the police, when she knew every single dog in her team and every single handler she trained. When they were friends as well as colleagues. When she’d known most of the dogs from the moment they were born.
Being that close to everyone had left her life in tatters, and she just couldn’t let that happen all over again.
‘Please, Jess?’ he asked softly. ‘I can’t hold up rehearsals until my aunt gets back. We’re on a tight schedule and a tight budget as it is. And I definitely can’t take Baloo back to the dogs’ home. You know what will happen if I do.’
The dog would be put down.
And Jess had had enough death in her life, this last year or so. She couldn’t bear the idea of a young, healthy dog being put down just because she hadn’t been trained and was a bit boisterous.
‘She needs training. Which means a lot of time and hard work and patience,’ Jess warned.
‘I guess that’ll be Monica’s job. Or maybe when she gets back she’ll find the right home for her, with someone who can do the training. But for now Baloo’s with me. And I haven’t got the time to train her or give her the attention she needs.’ He stooped to scratch the back of the dog’s head, and the dog rubbed her face against his knee.
Not his dog, hmm? From Jess’s point of view, that looked like some serious bonding going on. He’d made a fuss of the dog without even realising he was doing it. And the dog was looking adoringly back at him. As far as Baloo was concerned, she’d found the person she wanted to live with for the rest of her days; Jess had a feeling that Luke might not have quite as much say in the matter as he thought he did.
‘So can you help us, Jess? Please?’
Say yes, and open herself up to the risk of getting involved and being hurt.
Or do the sensible thing and say no, sorry, she couldn’t.
Except that would mean refusing to help a dog who was already in trouble and had nobody to speak up for her. How could Jess possibly do that?
‘Can’t you find a dog-sitting service?’ she asked in a last-ditch effort.
‘Dump her on someone else, you mean?’ He grimaced. ‘Monica trusted me with her, and I’ve already messed up once. I feel Baloo ought to stay near me.’
‘Even though you keep telling me she’s not your dog?’ She couldn’t help calling him on the inconsistency.
‘Fair point.’ He sighed. ‘Look, Monica’s my favourite aunt. And she’s batted my corner more than once. This is my chance to do something for her. I just need someone to help me get through the next three days.’
Three days.
Knowing that she was probably doing totally the wrong thing, but not being able to steel her heart enough to be sensible, Jess said, ‘OK. I’ll help. Provided it’s OK with Ayesha.’
‘Thank you, Jess. I really appreciate this.’
When Luke shook her hand, it made Jess feel all funny. Tingly. Weird. Like nothing she’d ever experienced before.
Then again, Luke McKenzie was a movie star. He had stage presence—no, screen presence—and this was a straightforward case of being faced with that for the first time. After a couple of weeks of working on the set, no doubt she’d be completely immune to it.
‘No problem, Mr McKenzie,’ she mumbled.
He gave her another of those knee-melting smiles. ‘I meant it when I said to call me Luke.’
Oh, that smile. On the big screen, his smile was stunning. In real life, it was a hundred times better. No wonder he had a ton of female fans willing to fall at his feet and do just about anything for him. Jess was horribly aware that she’d just joined their ranks and she understood now for the first time why her sister and her best friend had always raved about him so much.
Because Luke McKenzie really was something else.
‘So, where do we start?’ he asked. ‘What time are you in tomorrow?’
‘Half past seven.’
‘You’ll need time to get stuff sorted, first. Shall I meet you here at half past eight?’ he asked.
Again, Jess’s whole body felt tingly and weird. Which was crazy. Luke McKenzie wasn’t asking her out on a date and arranging when and where to meet her. Of course a movie star wouldn’t ask an ordinary person on a date. He just wanted her to help him train his dog. This was business.
‘If it’s OK with Ayesha,’ she said again.
‘If what’s OK with me?’ the production manager said, walking back into the office and clearly overhearing the end of Jess’s words.
‘I need help with the dog,’ Luke said. ‘So she doesn’t steal anything else from Mimi and chew it to pieces. It’s only for three days. And I’m more than happy to pay for a temp to fill in for Jess.’
‘Baloo wasn’t any trouble today,’ Jess said. ‘I don’t need anyone to fill in for me. I can still do what I need to do here and have her with me.’
‘Are you sure?’ Luke asked.
She nodded.
‘If the actors are happy, then I’m happy,’ Ayesha said. ‘OK, Mr McKenzie. Jess can help with your dog.’
He grimaced. ‘We were on first-name terms when we worked on A Forever Kind of Love, a couple of years back. Or would you prefer me to call you Ms Milan now?’
Ayesha winced. ‘This film isn’t the same as that one.’
‘You mean, I’m not the same,’ he said softly. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t take my personal life out on my colleagues. You’re right—I haven’t been my normal self on set for a while now, and that isn’t fair to the rest of the crew. Let me know if I’ve upset anyone here, and I’ll have a quiet word with them and apologise tomorrow.’
Ayesha nodded. ‘Thank you, Luke. That makes things a bit easier.’
‘And I’ll try not to be such an idiot in future.’
That earned him a lick on his hand from Baloo, and Jess couldn’t help smiling.
Maybe she wasn’t doing the wrong thing, agreeing to help.
Maybe this was going to be just fine.
And maybe, she thought, Baloo was going to do them both a favour. Help them both move on from a difficult situation in the past.
‘Half past eight,’ he said to Jess.
She nodded. ‘Bring her water bowl, food bowl and whatever she eats during the day, a bed and some toys.’
‘Toys?’
‘Baloo, you need to take him shopping,’ Jess told the dog. ‘Something to chew is top priority.’
‘Not squeaky,’ Ayesha called over, ‘or you’ll drive me potty.’
Jess laughed. ‘There you go, Luke. Your mission, should you choose to accept it...’
He laughed back. ‘That’s about right. OK. Doggy toy shop it is, then. Come on, Baloo.’
CHAPTER TWO
AT HALF PAST seven the next morning, Jess was in the production office, running errands for Ayesha and sorting out all the things that needed to be done before rehearsals for the day started.
It still didn’t feel real that she was meeting Luke McKenzie this morning.
And she still wasn’t quite sure whether he was a genuinely nice guy who was struggling through a tough time, or arrogant, selfish and just playing Mr Nice Guy in order to get her to dog-sit for him.
Either way, she needed her head examining. Spending a day with a dog was the last thing she needed.
But at least today she was prepared. And she had every intention of making Luke McKenzie do some of the work.
At twenty-five past eight, he turned up with the dog and several bags. ‘Morning, Ayesha. Morning, Jess,’ he said as he walked through the door.
‘Morning, Luke,’ Ayesha said.
‘Good morning, Luke,’ Jess echoed. ‘And hello to you, Baloo.’
The dog wagged her tail madly and strained on her lead, pulling Luke along the length of the office to get to Jess, and then put her paws on Jess’s knee and licked her face.
‘Get down, you bad hound,’ Jess said, but her tone was very far from scolding.
She’d missed this so much, having a dog around.
But she knew she had to compartmentalise. This was a job.
Three days.
No bonding.
‘I’ve just ticked the last thing off your list. Is it OK for me to go and help train the dog for an hour or so, Ayesha?’ Jess asked.
The production manager looked up from her desk. ‘Sure.’ She smiled. ‘I’ll have another list waiting when you get back.’
‘That’s fine,’ Jess said.
Luke produced a box of expensive-looking chocolates and handed them to Ayesha. ‘Thank you for lending me your assistant. She’ll be back with you as soon as we start rehearsing.’
Ayesha went pink with pleasure. ‘Dark chocolates. How lovely.’
‘I hope I remembered right?’ he checked.
‘Oh, you did—dark chocolate’s my absolute favourite.’ She smiled at him. ‘Thank you, Luke. See you both later.’
A showy gesture from a movie star? Jess wondered. Or a heartfelt thanks, and he’d actually taken the trouble to remember the production manager’s tastes? Or maybe it was a mixture of the two, because people were never quite that simple.
‘Right. One bed, one water bowl, one food bowl, one doggy packed lunch, one non-squeaky bone to chew, one ball, one rope thing...’ Luke handed Jess the contents of the large bag, one by one.
‘What, did you buy up the whole pet shop?’ she asked, amused.
‘No. I stood in the doorway with Baloo and asked the assistant to get me stuff to keep a chocolate Labrador from chewing everything in sight. Oh, and I said it had to be stuff with no squeaks.’
Jess looked at the assortment of toys on her desk and grinned. ‘I think you’ve just about got enough to keep her interested.’
‘I hope so,’ he said, sounding heartfelt. ‘So what are we doing this morning?’
‘We need a quiet corner to work in. No distractions for Madam, here,’ Jess said, unable to resist scratching the dog behind her ears. Baloo closed her eyes in bliss.
‘A quiet corner. Let me think for a second. OK.’ Luke took them to a bit of the set Jess hadn’t been to while running errands the previous day.
‘The very basics are “sit” and “stay”. I’d guess that Baloo’s never been trained at all, so it might take her a while to pick it up,’ Jess warned. ‘Baloo, sit.’
The dog glanced at her blankly.
Jess gently stroked down the dog’s back. ‘Baloo, sit.’
The dog sat; Jess gave her a piece of chopped liver from her pocket and the dog wolfed it down before licking her hand in gratitude.
‘Dog treats?’ Luke guessed.
‘Cooked chopped liver,’ Jess enlightened him.
‘And you keep it in your pocket?’ Luke looked horrified.
‘In a Ziplock bag. But, yes—if I left it all within her reach she’d scoff the lot within seconds and I wouldn’t have any training treats left,’ she pointed out.
He eyed her curiously. ‘You’ve done this before, haven’t you?’
There was no point in lying. ‘Yes.’
‘So, if you can train dogs, why are you working as a temporary production assistant?’
Because I can’t handle doing my old job.
‘It’s a job.’ Jess shrugged. And, to stop him asking any further questions, she said, ‘Right, your turn.’
It took him a couple of goes, but Baloo sat for him.
‘Now the treat.’ Jess offered him the bag. Was he going to be all prissy about it and refuse to get his precious movie star fingers dirty?
But he took a piece of liver from the bag and gave it to the dog.
That was a good start, she thought. Maybe she could work with him.
‘Next, we teach her to stay.’ She got Baloo to sit. ‘Stay,’ she said, and walked a couple of steps away.
Baloo bounded straight over to her, clearly panicking that Jess was going to leave.
‘No, sweetheart, I’m not going anywhere. But I need you to do what I tell you,’ Jess said. She walked Baloo back to the spot and tried it again. On the fourth attempt, the dog got it. ‘Good girl.’ Jess made a fuss of her and gave her a treat.
‘Your turn,’ she said to Luke.
Again, it took a couple of tries, but eventually the dog did what he asked. ‘Good girl,’ he said, and made a fuss of her before giving her a treat.
Luke didn’t seem to be so uptight today, Jess thought. He was definitely more relaxed than he’d been yesterday, and he was interacting with the dog instead of dumping her as fast as he could on someone else. Maybe it was because rehearsals hadn’t started yet today, so he hadn’t had to deal with his difficult co-star; or maybe the dog was helping him relax.
She so wanted it to be the latter.
They worked with the dog for a bit longer before the runner came over. ‘Mr McKenzie, the director’s ready for you now.’
‘Sure,’ he said with a smile. ‘I’m coming now. Jess, thank you—and you’re sure it’s OK to look after Baloo today?’
No, she wasn’t sure at all. ‘Ayesha said it was OK.’
He pulled a wad of paper from the back of his jeans, ripped a corner off one piece and scribbled a number on the back. ‘Any problems, this is my mobile phone.’
Luke McKenzie was giving her his mobile phone number?
Surreal.
It was a far cry from her old life.
She stopped the thought before it could grow any more. The past was the past, and she couldn’t change it. There was no point in dwelling on it and wishing, because doing that hadn’t made a scrap of difference in the last year. The shooting had still happened, the drug-dealers were all still in jail with life sentences, Matt and Comet were still buried under a carpet of flowering bulbs, and she still had nothing left but memories and wishes.
‘I can hardly ring you in the middle of rehearsals. It’d mess everything up.’
‘Text me, then. I’ll leave my phone on silent,’ he said.
‘OK.’
Back in the production office, as promised, Ayesha had another list ready. Jess worked her way through it, either at her desk with Baloo snuggled in her bed next to Jess’s desk, or with the dog by her side as she walked round the set, taking scripts to people and running errands.
‘So what did you do to Luke McKenzie to make him human again?’ Ayesha asked when Jess returned from the last errand on her list.
‘I told him what I thought of him,’ Jess confessed. ‘Sorry.’
‘That’s a dangerous tactic, Jess. If he’d been a certain other member of the cast—one who cannot possibly be named—then you would’ve had to grovel publicly and you would still have been fired,’ Ayesha said. She came over to make a fuss of the dog. ‘But well done. It’s nice to see Luke being more like his old self. Let’s hope it lasts.’ She looked at the dog. ‘She’s beautiful, isn’t she? And she’s the perfect match for him. Sexy movie star hero with the cute dog. How could any woman resist that combination?’
Good question. Well, Jess would have to, for her own peace of mind. She wasn’t looking for a relationship. Even if she was, she knew that Luke McKenzie was from a different world—one where she wouldn’t fit in. She was ordinary, and he lived his life in the glare of the spotlights.
‘Time for your lunch break, I think. Though you’ll need to take the dog with you.’
‘Sure.’ Jess smiled at her boss and then looked at Baloo. ‘How about a run in the park opposite?’ she asked Baloo.
The dog looked at her as if she was speaking Martian.
‘Your owners didn’t do that with you, did they?’ She sighed. ‘OK. Walkies?’
Baloo still looked blank.
‘You’re going to enjoy this, sweetie,’ she said. ‘But I’d better let Luke know where we’re going.’ She didn’t want to call him, in case he was in the middle of a scene; but she was pretty sure a text would be safe and he’d be able to pick up the message later.
She texted Luke to tell him she was taking Baloo to the park, put the dog’s water bowl in a bag, then headed off the set.
When Jess took Baloo for a run, she realised how much she’d missed it. Working out on a treadmill in a featureless gym was nothing like running outside in the fresh air, with grass and trees all around, and the scent of spring blossom in the air. There really was nothing like running with a dog bounding along by your side. She swallowed hard. It wasn’t the Labrador’s fault that her head was still a bit messed up. But the memories made her catch her breath and she had to stop.
She filled the dog’s water bowl from the bottle she carried with her, then bought another bottle of water from the kiosk in the park, along with a chicken wrap for her lunch.
Once she’d settled herself on a park bench and Baloo was sitting next to her, the dog looked hopefully at her. Or, rather, at her chicken wrap.
‘You think I’m going to share this with you?’ she asked.
The dog’s expression was eloquent enough, and Jess laughed. ‘OK. You can have some of the chicken, but I’m going to make you work for this, Baloo. Shake hands.’
To her surprise, the dog caught on very quickly. What a shame that her former owners hadn’t seen her potential. And what a shame that Baloo was only going to have a temporary home with Luke McKenzie.
Maybe she could...
No. She stopped her thoughts before the temptation got too strong.
Her lease said no dogs—and that was one of the reasons why she’d chosen the flat in the first place. To make sure that she had a solid reason not to weaken and let another dog into her life. A dog she could lose, the way she’d lost Comet. She’d spent the last year putting the pieces of her life back together, and the only way to keep herself safe was to keep herself separate. She needed to remember that. She absolutely couldn’t adopt Baloo. No matter how tempting the idea was.
* * *
Luke checked his phone during the scene break. There was a message from a number he didn’t recognise; he assumed it was from Jess and flicked into it.
She was taking Baloo to the park?
That was definitely above and beyond the call of duty. He still felt a bit guilty about dumping the dog on her, but what else could he have done? He couldn’t leave Baloo at home because he knew she’d trash the place and he didn’t want the dog in a situation where she could get hurt. He couldn’t take time off from rehearsals, because that wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the cast. And, thanks to Mimi’s tantrum after the shoe episode yesterday, he couldn’t keep the dog on the set with him either.
And then there was Jess herself. Straight-talking, and not afraid to stick up for an unwanted dog even if it could mean she’d be fired.
Something about her drew him.
Which was ridiculous. Apart from the fact that Luke wasn’t in a place where he was even looking for a relationship, for all he knew Jess could be happily married, or at least committed to someone. Even if she wasn’t, who would want to date a man in the public eye and have her life stuck under the less than kind microscope of the press? And when Fleur’s cronies found out he was dating her, they’d rip her to shreds in the press. He couldn’t let that happen. And that meant keeping some distance between them. Not acting on the attraction.
He texted back:
Enjoy the park. Will be rehearsing until about five. Let me know if any problems. And thank you.
A few moments later, his phone beeped to signal an incoming message. Jess again.
All fine. Baloo v keen on chicken.
Uh-oh. Had the dog stolen her sandwich? Something else he’d have to replace.
He typed:
Sorry. Will reimburse you for anything Baloo steals or trashes.
The reply was a smiley face.
No need. Is training aid.
‘Luke, we’re ready to go again,’ the director called.
Director wants me back to work. See you later.
He switched his phone off again when the message had been sent.
* * *
At quarter to six, Luke walked into the production office. ‘Sorry I’m late. Rehearsals overran a bit.’
Jess looked up from her desk and smiled. ‘No worries.’
At the sound of his voice, Baloo leaped up from her bed, woofed, and raced over to him.
‘I think someone’s missed you,’ Ayesha said with a grin.
‘Just tell me she didn’t disgrace herself,’ Luke said, rolling his eyes.
‘She’s been great,’ Jess told him. ‘Actually, Baloo has something she wants to show you. Stand in front of her and crouch down a bit. Baloo, shake hands,’ she instructed.
The dog obliged by lifting her paw and shaking hands with Luke.
‘Wow. I didn’t know she could do that.’ He looked impressed.
‘She can now. She picks things up quickly and Labradors are very trainable—I think you could have a potential movie star dog here.’
He laughed. ‘If I didn’t know better, I’d say my aunt called you and recruited you to her campaign to get me a dog.’
‘She adores you.’
‘Because I’m her favourite nephew. Yeah, yeah.’
‘I meant the dog adores you.’ Jess couldn’t help laughing. ‘You’re that used to people adoring you?’
‘My aunt, yes.’
Interesting that he’d mentioned his aunt rather than his parents or grandparents. So did that mean he was closer to his aunt than to any other relative? Had he lost his parents young, maybe?
Not that it was any of her business. She was simply looking after his dog for three days, not becoming his best friend or anything even close to it. She needed to back off. Now. ‘I, um, guess I’d better let you and Baloo get on,’ she said. ‘See you tomorrow.’
‘OK. Want me to make you a cup of tea before I go?’ he asked.
Ayesha coughed. ‘How come you’ve managed to snag yourself a personal tea boy, Jess?’
Luke grinned. ‘If I remember rightly, Ayesha, you hate tea and only drink espresso. Stronger than anyone else I know can take it, and that includes the Italians.’
‘Actors and their memories. I swear they have elephant genes,’ Ayesha teased.
‘Well, there has to be some benefit to learning lines,’ Luke said with a wink.
‘Jess, you can go now, if you like,’ Ayesha said. ‘I’ll finish up here.’
‘Sure?’ Jess asked.
‘Sure,’ Ayesha confirmed.
And somehow Jess found herself walking out of the office with Luke McKenzie.
‘Can I take you for a drink to say thank you?’ he asked.
Now she knew he was being polite. And she’d be polite back. ‘Thanks, but no. I have a standing date on Tuesday evenings.’