I thanked him instead of explaining I didn’t think that was how spleens worked. As soon as I was alone, I dialed my agent.
“I need your help,” I said as soon as the call connected. I told her what Kix had heard.
“Honey, don’t listen to Kenny Rowe. He’s a wannabe who is using you for your connections. I’ve told you this a thousand times.”
That was true. She had. But Kix and I had come up through the children’s role audition ranks together, and at the age of eight, I’d given him the raging case of chicken pox that had prevented him from auditioning for the role of Chip Clover. He’d always joked I’d done it on purpose since I had to have known I’d have never gotten the part had he been able to audition.
While I knew it was just a joke, part of me still felt guilty. I’d spent years trying to make it up to him by introducing him to people in the industry and giving him tips on auditions when I heard of them. But, after missing the opportunity for Cast in Clover, things had never really happened for him the way he’d always dreamed.
So, yeah. I felt guilty. He’d gotten chicken pox, and I’d gotten cast in a career-making role.
“Does that mean you don’t think Nolan doubts me?”
She hesitated. “I didn’t say that. I only said take what Kix says with a grain of salt.”
Great.
“I need to know if there’s something else I can do to prepare for the role. That’s why I’m calling. What should I do?”
“Have you talked to your mom? What does she say?”
I hated that after all this time she still thought of my mother as the person in charge of my career. “She’s on a yacht right now. I didn’t call her. I’m asking you. Do you think I can nail this role?”
This time, she didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely. You’re a good actor, Finn. I believe in you, and I always have. Even when you could have rested on your laurels with Cast in Clover, you took as many acting classes as you could. Hell, you worked hard enough at UC Irvine to get Franklin Burkhoff’s attention, and that’s no small feat. So yes, you can nail any role you set your mind to.” She paused significantly. “But that’s different than convincing the director you’re better than your reputation.”
I ignored the mention of my college mentor. If there was one person who would absolutely not be up for talking to me about how to nail a blockbuster action hero part, it was Barry.
“Explain what you mean,” I said.
“You and I know you can nail this role, but the rest of the world still thinks you’re Chip Clover, including Nolan. We talked about this. He needs to know you’re serious about this role. He needs to see you doing the work to get it right, even if you already know what you’re doing. It’s about perception. Optics. You know how it is.”
“So how do I make him think I’m taking this seriously?” I tried not to remember myself shutting down the local pub two nights in a row. That probably wasn’t high on the list of how to win friends and influence directors.
“I have an idea,” she said after a minute. “Hang tight and I’ll call you back in a few.”
After she hung up, I let out a breath. Other than giving my mother too much of a say, Iris had never steered me wrong. Thanks to her, I’d had a lucrative acting career, even through the years I’d spent pursuing my master’s degree. And with her help, I’d kept the lion’s share of the money well managed and away from my mother’s clutches. With residuals constantly coming in from Cast in Clover, I could retire today and still live in luxury for the rest of my life.
Then why are you here?
I ignored the voice in my head. There was no mystery about why I was here. I wanted the Shakespeare opportunity. If there was going to be a big Hollywood remake, I wanted to be involved in it.
When Iris called back, she sounded excited. “You have your car there, right?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I’m texting you the address of the local police station. I pulled some strings and got you a ride-along with the sheriff himself. Apparently he used to work here in LA and—”
Her words were lost behind the slight roaring in my ears. The sheriff? As in, Officer Hotpants who hated my guts?
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” I said feebly. “I’ve met the sheriff, and he’s…” Gorgeous? Stern? Strong? Easily annoyed? “Unlikely to agree to such a scenario,” I finished.
“Don’t you worry about that. He owed someone a favor, and it’s all set. You’re to show up at the police station after your wardrobe fitting. He’ll be expecting you.”
“But…” I let out a breath, deliberately not correcting her that it was the Rockley County Sheriff’s Department and not a police station. I may have done some googling while waiting for a fight training lesson yesterday. The photo of the sheriff on the department’s website was damned fine. I also may have saved it into the photo folder on my phone. “Why do I need to do a ride-along when we both know I got rave reviews from that season of SEAL Team Charlie? That was super similar to this. I can do this. I can—”
“It’s not about whether or not you can do this. It’s about the optics, remember? Besides, getting in tight with local law enforcement is always a good idea on location. If you have any problems, it won’t hurt to be on a first-name basis with the chief.”
“Sheriff,” I mumbled. “Fine. I get your point. I’ll spend the day riding with him. Thank you.”
“The week. It’s for a whole week until primary filming starts. He knows to work around your work schedule.”
My hands were sweating. “A week?” I cleared the panicked squeak out of my throat. “Why a week? Isn’t a day plenty of time?”
“It’s just a few hours a day around the other things on your schedule. I know you have choreographing for the fight and climbing scenes, fitness training sessions, wardrobe fittings, and blocking meetings. So, really, it won’t be more than a few hours a day with the cop. Ask lots of questions. Seem interested in doing the best job representing his… industry, or whatever, you can. He’ll eat it up.”
After getting off the call and making my way over to the wardrobe trailer, I remembered my centering techniques. Just because I’d made a terrible first (and second… and third…) impression on the sheriff, didn’t mean I couldn’t turn things around.
I was Finn Heller. America’s beloved boy next door. I was known for my charm and ease.
And if he didn’t like it, well, too bad. My only goal was doing what I needed to do for this film so I could move on to what mattered the most.
And that wasn’t Sheriff Declan Stone.
5
Declan
I was running on two hours of sleep, a giant cinnamon roll from the new bakery, and a vat of coffee. To say my mood was less than ideal would be an understatement.
So when one of my brothers called to ask me a favor, I was inclined to tell him where to shove that favor. The only thing that kept me from biting his head off was the knowledge I owed him one. A big one. He’d been the one to offer pro bono legal help to my partner when all the shit had gone down with the department’s bribery scandal back in LA. And even when Nick had been clearly guilty of the charges against him, my brother Patrick had given him a strong defense and had negotiated an impressive plea deal for him.