Tatiana remembered what she’d learned online when she’d looked up Ian all those months ago—that Chelsea had been a model. She paused, before nodding. “Yes, that’s why he wanted to get my opinion.”

“Only about her acting skills?”

“Mostly that, but also how I think she’ll do in the mix in rehearsals and on set. I haven’t seen her act yet, but I like her. And it would really help if you’d be willing to watch us run through two short scenes and give your opinion, as well.”

His phone rang then, the specific tone that meant it was Bethany calling. Finally pulling his hand from Tatiana’s, he answered it. “Yes, she’s at home, and she’s fine.” He listened to something his assistant said, then asked Tatiana, “How short are the scenes you’d like me to watch?”

She knew how seriously he took his work, and what a big deal it already was that he’d skipped out of a meeting at all. But for him to even consider staying a few more minutes?

Well, if that wasn’t a declaration to her of his feelings...she didn’t know what was.

“Really short. I promise.”

“Please tell them to continue the meeting without me,” he told Bethany, then slipped his phone back in his pocket.

Unfortunately, in her excitement over having Ian stay a little while longer, Tatiana had forgotten about Genevieve…and how over-the-top her reaction was bound to be when one of the gorgeous, famous, successful Sullivan men in the picture on her mantel came to life.

But there was nothing Tatiana could do or say to warn Ian, because they’d barely walked into the living room when Genevieve jumped up off the coach, yanking Serena up by the wrist.

“Well, hello.”

“Genevieve, Serena, I’d like you both to meet Ian.” Tatiana purposely left off his last name, hoping that Serena’s mother wouldn’t make the connection, but between staring at the wedding photo and the stalker-like research she likely did on wealthy, famous men, there was no fooling her.

“Serena, can you believe we’ve been lucky enough to meet two Sullivan men in one week?”

Serena politely offered her hand to Ian. To his credit, he neither goggled at the model’s incredible beauty nor blanched at her mother’s handshake that went on way too long. It was, Tatiana thought, as if the older woman was silently trying to tell him, “You can have either me or my daughter, whichever you choose, big boy.”

“Why don’t we get started?” Tatiana suggested in an overly enthusiastic voice as she boldly put her arms around both Serena and her mother to direct them away from Ian. “I asked Ian to stay and watch, as well, if that’s okay with you, Serena.”

“Of course it’s okay,” Genevieve answered, actually clapping her hands in delight.

Beyond irritated with the woman, Tatiana moved close enough to Serena to make it clear that she was speaking directly to her, rather than to the mother-daughter team.

“Before we start, I want to ask you to forgive me if I’m a little off my game today. I haven’t been sleeping that well the past couple of nights, so I might need a few restarts to get it right.”

“You’re always so good, I thought you always got things perfectly the first time out.”

Tatiana laughed out loud at the idea that she was perfect. Hadn’t Serena already seen what a mess her home was? And wasn’t it also true that she’d gone and fallen head over heels for a man who obviously didn’t want her to feel that way about him?

“Clearly, Smith didn’t tell you about the time I couldn’t stop giggling in the middle of a really sensitive scene in Gravity. I don’t know if you’ve seen it—”

“Of course I’ve seen it.” Serena looked shocked that Tatiana could have thought otherwise.

“Well, you know the scene where Jo is secretly watching Graham cuddling with her baby girl?”

“I cried during that scene.”

“Good. You were supposed to cry. But I was punchy from a long week of sensitive and hushed scenes, and I swear every single thing Smith did and said was positively hilarious that afternoon.” Thinking back on it, she laughed again. God, she’d been such a twerp. But she’d needed the temporary lift to get through the following hours of giving such heavy and strong emotions to the cameras. “I’m sure he would have strangled me were it not for the fact that we already had ninety percent of the movie in the can and he needed me alive to finish the last ten.”

When she saw a real smile on the girl’s face, Tatiana knew they’d both shaken off her mother’s interference, and were finally ready to begin the scene.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Ian had been wondering what the hell he was doing sitting in Tatiana’s living room with a model and her overbearing mother who clearly was hoping he’d take a shine to either herself or her daughter. He should already be back in the meeting he’d so abruptly walked out of—or at least listening in on his phone as he headed back to the office in the town car.

But then Tatiana started laughing...and, suddenly, Ian knew not only why he was still there, but also why he’d had to come find her in the first place.

Something was poking him, so he shifted on the couch and pulled a paperback book out from behind the cushion. Yes, messy was definitely one word for Tatiana. But as he looked around him at her home, he was struck more by its charm than its disorder. Though he knew it was only a temporary residence while she filmed her next movie, she’d filled it with lots of pretty, fun things that he could easily guess made her happy. Lots of framed pictures of her with her family along with a little stuffed tiger on the fireplace mantel that might not have made sense if someone didn’t know her.

Ian’s thoughts skidded to a halt as he realized he was no longer one of those people who saw Tatiana’s beautiful face, her gorgeous figure, her incredible acting skills, and thought he saw the whole picture. Yes, all those things were a part of her, but there was so much more to her. Her humor. Her intelligence. Her devotion to family. And, he had to acknowledge, the way she stuck up for someone she cared about when she’d walked into Chelsea’s warpath yesterday with the clear intent of avenging him.

“How dare you act like such a little tramp? You’ve embarrassed our entire family.”

Ian snapped to attention as Tatiana transformed right before his eyes into a furious mother. It didn’t matter that she was only a handful of years older than Serena—two sentences was all it took for him to understand the brittle, prideful character she was playing.

“I’m—” Serena faltered, fought back tears, before winning her own character’s fight for strength. “I’m not a tramp.” She tilted her chin up and faced down Tatiana. “I’m in love.”

“Love.” Tatiana spat the word. “You don’t know one damned thing about love. You think it’s all butterflies and rainbows and groping around in the backseat of that boy’s car.”

“That’s not what it’s like! That’s not what we’re doing.”

“Oh, I know exactly what you’re doing spreading your legs for him, exactly the mistake you’re making. How do you think I ended up with you?”

Serena’s eyes widened as her skin paled. “I knew it. I always knew you thought that.” Her breath shook, her eyes filled with tears that she still wouldn’t let fall. “I was a mistake.”

Tatiana put down the paper she’d been reading from and grinned at the model. “That was great.”

Serena looked stunned for a few moments, not able to pull out of her character as quickly as Tatiana had. “Thanks.” She took a deep breath, blew it out, then finally smiled. “It felt good.”

Genevieve jumped up off the couch and gave her daughter a hug. “What did I tell you, sweetie—you’re magnificent. Simply born to play this part!”

Ian watched as the girl shrank back from the extravagant praise, clearly embarrassed by her mother’s behavior. Tatiana stood and held out a hand to Serena, drawing the model away from her hovering mother.

“Why don’t we do the second scene Smith sent over? If you don’t mind, I’d like to try it on our feet over by the window for a change of pace.”

When Ian listened to them run through it, he realized Tatiana hadn’t actually needed to get them up on their feet or off the couch. She’d done it simply to give Serena some much-needed space to breathe.

Empathy. It was yet another beautiful facet to Tatiana that he couldn’t ignore.

Plus, for the first time, he was able to just sit back and watch her. He couldn’t have done it when they were having dinner at his parents’ house on Friday night, and he definitely hadn’t been able to do it while they were in his office. But now, as he sat in her living room, he finally let himself drink her in.

With the faint sunlight coming in the window behind her, he could see all the different natural blonds and browns and reds in her hair, along with the way pretty color rose in her skin as she ran through the scene. Just more of her unique qualities that sparkled too brightly for him to ignore or deny any longer.

But she’d asked him to pay attention to Serena’s acting, so he forced himself to bring the model into view as well. She was tall, slim yet curvy, with a staggeringly pretty face. One that would probably bring every other man on the planet to his knees, but did nothing whatsoever for Ian. Especially not when she was standing so close to the one woman who had brought him to his knees from the moment he’d spoken to her in the Napa Valley vineyard.

As the two women played out the much longer scene, Ian could see why Smith was producing the film. And no question about it, there was something about the way the model played the daughter. Maybe because it wasn’t too much of a stretch from the relationship Serena seemed to have with her own mother.

Or maybe it was simply that Tatiana was so good she made everyone she worked with look good, too.

He’d seen most of her movies before he’d ever met her, and he’d always been impressed by the way she disappeared into each role, especially when she rarely played the same one from film to film. But, Lord, to watch her from fifteen feet away like this...to say his mind was blown would be a major understatement.

She was, in a word, brilliant. But more than that, she made the transformation from herself into someone else entirely look so effortless. He could feel her joy at doing what she was meant to do, at being exactly what she was meant to be, just as she’d told him in the back of his town two days earlier on the way to lunch with his professor.

When they came to the end of the scene, Tatiana stretched, then shook out both arms. “Phew, that’s a rough role to jump in and out of.”

Serena looked nervous as she stood with her hands twisted in front of her stomach, but Tatiana quickly reached out to her. “You were great. Really great. I’m so glad we got to do this.”

Serena smiled, but now that she was done, it was obvious that her nerves were getting the better of her. Tatiana saw it right away, of course, and said, “Chocolate. That’s exactly what we need now.”

Tatiana hadn’t even made it halfway to her kitchen when Genevieve shot up off the couch and intercepted her. “Oh no, we don’t eat or drink empty calories like that—do we, sweetie?”

Serena gave Tatiana a regretful smile. “It was nice of you to offer, though.”

“Are you going to talk to Smith today?” Serena’s mother asked Tatiana.

Ian was impressed by the way Tatiana, for Serena’s benefit, held in the irritation she had to feel about the incredibly pushy woman. “I’ll need to talk privately with Ian first, but then, yes, I’m planning to give Smith a call.”

Genevieve turned her sharp gaze on him. “Wasn’t my daughter great, Ian?”