‘In her trailer. Again. Out there, take a left.’ The man pointed wearily across the set and beyond. ‘Biggest trailer, you won’t miss it. Do us a favour and wave a wand, bring her back? They’re all going nuts here.’
Jake wandered through the set and out into a car lot where there were around a dozen trailers. One, in the far corner, was very definitely, pointedly, larger than the others.
‘Excuse me? Can I help you?’ A very cross English voice, out of place in...outer space...had him spinning round. The owner was another angry-looking human with wild fiery red hair that appeared to match her bad humour, and a smattering of freckles in a pale complexion. It was the frown that stood out most, though.
‘I’m looking for Cameron Fontaine. She called for me. I’m Dr Lewis.’
‘You’re the doctor? But you’re not Kim. She usually sees Kim.’
Believe me, lady, I don’t want me to be here either. ‘Dr Kim is away at the moment. I’m the fill-in. For the duration of filming.’ But he’d be having words with James when he eventually got back to the clinic. Surely someone else could do this? Someone less busy, less qualified, someone who actually cared about all these Hollywood theatrics?
The woman in front of him shook her head and the mass of red curls bobbed around her shoulders. Man, her hair was shiny, and she had dark chocolate eyes that were huge and...condemning. She was wearing a top that was a similar colour to her eyes. And why he even noticed that he had no idea. Standard issue black skinny jeans clung to... No, he wasn’t going there. He was not going to look at her and assess her attractiveness like everyone else in this city where looks were king. No doubt she was just the same kind of blinded-by-the-lights airhead wannabe actress. She was pretty enough. Not like the tall willowy brunettes that breezed in and out of his life, but there was something about her that set her apart. A fragile beauty.
So, okay, he had a quick peek and she had a damned fine body. Curves. Something you didn’t see often around here. Nice curves.
And a disappointed glint in her eyes that made him feel as if he’d let her down. ‘Well, that’s just perfect. Brilliant. We’ve been waiting for you for hours and everyone’s starting to get very grumpy and for some reason it’s all my fault and you’re not even the right guy.’
‘Whoa.’ It was fine for him to feel bummed out about this, but no way was it okay for her to join in. ‘I can leave right now, if you prefer. I have plenty of real patients to keep me occupied.’
‘No. No. No. Stay right there. You’ll have to do. The director’s getting on my back, Cameron won’t go outside, and we all need her seen as soon as possible. Please.’ Her eyes narrowed for a moment. Then she seemed to pull herself together. Smacking her lips, she clasped her hands in front of her as if steeling her nerve. She found him a smile. It wasn’t terribly convincing, but it was there. ‘Sorry. I’m Lola Bennett, Miss Fontaine’s PA.’ He could have sworn she also uttered the word ‘dogsbody’ under her breath, but he couldn’t be certain.
‘Jake Lewis. Neurosurgeon to the stars. Apparently.’ He stuck out his hand.
Which she took in hers and gave a short firm shake. Her hand was warm and petite and just touching it gave him a weird jolt through his skin. She looked down at where their hands touched, then back at him with a question in her eyes. Then she blinked. ‘Okay! Well! Let’s do our best, shall we? Miss Fontaine’s trailer is right here. Be warned, though, she may not be exactly chuffed to see you.’
‘Chuffed?’
‘Sorry, I mean pleased. Delighted. English, you see. As in I’m from England... Obviously you speak English too...just a different sort...’ And then she smiled for real, the chocolate eyes blazed and her mouth curled into a pretty curve. Which had a very strange but real effect on his cardiac rhythm as he followed her into the trailer.
He put it down to the whole bizarre scenario, the extra-terrestrial vibe, the raised blood pressure caused by harassment during complex surgery. The drive through relentless traffic. It was nothing to do with the very talkative Lola Bennett, of that he was sure.
‘Hello!’ There was a forced joy to her voice that was just a little panicked as they stepped into the trailer, and for a fleeting moment Jake felt sorry for her. ‘Miss Fontaine? The doctor’s here!’
‘About time too. Kim? Oh, Kim, I’m so glad—’ The beautiful blonde actress Jake had seen on billboards around town and on movie screens countless times sat up and glared. ‘You’re not Kim.’
Lola was by her side in a second, talking as if to a small child, eagerly soothing and endlessly optimistic. ‘No, Miss Fontaine, this is Dr Lewis. Jake. He’s here to see you. Dr Kim is away at the moment.’
‘Well, bring him back. I can’t see...’ she waved her hand at Jake as if shooing away an irritating dog ‘... Jack here.’
‘It’s Jake,’ Lola said smoothly, as she offered a silent apology to Jake in the form of a shrug and a roll of the eyes. ‘He’s from the clinic, so he’s bound to be good. Excellent, I’ll bet.’
Unable to take this fawning any longer, Jake stepped forward. ‘Miss Fontaine, I’m Dr Kim’s stand-in. There is no question of bringing him back. What’s the problem?’
‘I can’t discuss it with you. Kim knows everything.’
‘Oka-a-ay. It’ll be in your notes then? I’ll remote-access them from here.’ He put his laptop bag on the table next to her and unzipped it. Pulled out his computer and fired it up. ‘Please be assured that I am bound by the same confidentiality as Dr Kim. I am as capable as he is.’ If not more so. And more highly qualified. ‘If you can just tell me what’s wrong, then we can try to fix it.’ Soon. And, yes, he realised his tone was just a little annoyed. But he had very sick patients, a young man with his whole future in doubt—his whole life—and instead of being where he was needed, he was here. Doing this.
The actress began to shake and blink quickly. ‘What’s wrong? What’s wrong? I need health advice and I have the wrong doctor in my trailer, that’s what’s wrong. Please go. Now. I won’t see anyone but Kim.’
What the hell? ‘I can assure you—’
‘It’s Kim or no one.’
‘Then it’ll be no one. He’s not going to be back for months—’
‘So go.’
Jake bit back a curse. ‘I came all this way and you won’t even let me talk to you? Just like that?’
‘Just like that. Now go.’ And with a final flourish she flung herself back against the cushions and closed her eyes. He presumed this meant that the consultation was over.
‘Sorry to have wasted your time,’ he growled, not sorry at all as he slammed down the laptop lid, snatched up his bag and stalked out of the door. Wasting her time? Wasting her time? His fist curled around the bag handle as he strode back towards the set. What a joke. He was definitely going to talk to James about this.
‘Dr Lewis? Jake? Wait, please.’ That English accent again. He swivelled on his heel. Lola was standing at the bottom of the trailer steps, wringing her hands. ‘How about I find you a cup of tea? Would that help?’
‘I doubt it. It certainly won’t get me the last hour of my life back.’
‘But it might help to sit for a while. Calm down before you head back into the traffic.’ She looked at her watch. ‘It’s almost rush hour, it’ll be a nightmare.’
‘I think I’ve just had one already. Tell me I’m going to wake up soon.’
Lola raised her shoulders. ‘She has a habit of changing her mind.’
‘So