Two hours later, they were in the main square of a small hillside village. A bell tower stood sentry over the stone one- and two-story buildings huddled together. Rain fell lightly, and the dirt ground had turned a deep brown. Anna breathed in the clean air, feeling more centered than she had since she’d seen the posted photos. For now, she would focus on what she could control.

Anna walked over to where Matteo and Sofia waited. Everything was ready to go. Nicole joked with Derek. She looked around for John. He should have been in the side street, filming the buildings, the view from the hillside, the church, and everything needed for their establishing shots.

#

JOHN PACED IN THE MUD behind the main square. He should have been doing his job, he knew, but they had all day here. The weather was miserable, so he wasn’t sure how much useful footage he was going to get anyway. The sunlight was trapped behind the gray clouds. John had nowhere to direct his anger, and he couldn’t focus. His calls to Tom had gone unanswered this morning.

Goddamn, he couldn’t wait until he never had to say that man’s name again. He had to tell Anna about the option, but the thought made him nauseated.

“Hey,” a voice called.

“What?” John asked, wincing at his tone. He needed to keep a lid on it.

Anna pulled him farther away from the small crowd gathered to watch.

John took a deep breath, trying to relax his nerves. “How are you this calm?”

“It doesn’t do Derek or Nicole any good to get freaked out about the schedule. Someone has to keep a level head, and I—”

“I’m not talking about this goddamn movie.”

“Then say what you need to say.”

John jerked his head back. “Why aren’t you fighting back?”

“What are you talking about?” She put her hands on her hips. “If you want to talk about the movie or today’s schedule, I’m happy to oblige you, even though it’s putting us behind schedule, but I’m not going to talk about anything else.”

“Your ex-husband is going to war with you, and you’re worried about this movie.”

She took a deep breath. “It’s not a war.”

“Why won’t you talk to me about this? He’s not going to retreat. He’s going to consider it a victory.”

“This has nothing to do with you.”

“Right, I’m just some guy from a bar,” John said.

“No, come on.” Anna sighed. “Me and Tom, that was a long time ago—”

“Those pictures were posted this morning.” Does she not get it? Why won’t she stand up for herself?

“You don’t have to worry about Tom. I’m not going to say anything about us, and the rumors will die down when we get back.”

“You think that’s what I care about?”