Trusting His Promise (Love on Sanctuary Shores #5)

Chapter 6

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” Beckett ran both of his hands through his hair. “Every time I try to talk to you—”

“Cut,” Maggie called. “Sadie, there’s a weird shadow on you. Can you move a little to the left, maybe lean on that lamppost.” She pointed to one of the Victorian-style lamps that lined the streets of the entire town, and Sadie repositioned herself.

Beckett held back a frustrated sigh as he adjusted his own blocking so that he’d still be facing his co-star. They’d been working this scene all day, but still Maggie wasn’t happy with it.

“Good. Let’s try that.” Maggie nodded.

Beckett repeated his lines, trying to find the right emotional tone for the scene that would come at the climax of the movie. When he had first started in this business, it had thrown him that the story was filmed out of order, but it usually didn’t affect him anymore.

This scene, though, was throwing him for a loop. And it didn’t help that they were filming in the town square, and people kept stopping to watch them. He’d never felt self-conscious about that before, but it was different when you recognized the faces. He couldn’t help wondering what they were thinking about him. Whether they remembered the staunch anti-Christian beliefs he had spouted as a kid. Whether they doubted that his faith was genuine now.

Not that Beckett would blame them if they did. The questions he’d been wrestling with over the past several days had him wondering the same thing. If he was truly a believer, surely he wouldn’t have these doubts.

“Cut,” Maggie called again. “Beckett, you’re not convincing me. You want her to forgive you. You’re desperate for her to forgive you. I need to see that.”

Beckett nodded grimly, muttering an apology to Sadie.

She shrugged. “We all have off days. We’ll get this.”

“You know what? Let’s take thirty,” Maggie called. “We’ll get back at it after lunch.”

Beckett rubbed the back of his neck and tried to slip past the crowd, but Maggie called his name. He paused. He could pretend not to hear her, but he owed her more than that.

He made his way over to her, pausing to sign a few autographs on the way.

“What’s going on with you?” Maggie asked as soon as he reached her. “You’ve been off all week.”

Beckett shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s like being here is just . . . throwing me off.”

“Why?” Maggie gestured to a bench, and the two of them walked toward it.

“I don’t know,” Beckett said again, at a loss to explain it.

Maggie sat and gave him a look that said she wasn’t going to accept that answer.

He sat too. “This guy I’m supposed to be in the movie, he’s not who I was when I lived here—and I feel like everyone who’s watching knows it.”

“So what if they do?” Maggie’s tone was gentle. “You’re a great testament to the fact that Christ changes hearts.”

“I know, but . . .” His eyes roved the square, searching for Jo—as they had been doing ever since his encounter with her at the store the other day. Though he’d seen many of his other schoolmates—most of them married and with families by now—he hadn’t seen her again. Maybe she’d fled the island to escape him.

“No buts.” Maggie patted his leg. “You’re a new creation in Christ. End of story. Now go get some food, take a walk, clear your head. I need you on your game this afternoon. I don’t have to remind you that we’re on a timeline here.”

Beckett shook his head. He definitely didn’t need the reminder. He was counting down the days until he could leave this island behind him for good.

A blonde head across the square caught his eye, and Beckett jumped to his feet. “I’m going to take a walk.” He started across the square at a jog.

“Twenty minutes, Beckett. I mean it,” Maggie called.

He shot her a look over his shoulder.

When he turned back, Jo had disappeared.

He scanned the square, but on a Friday, tourists seemed to blanket the place. Still, he pushed his way through them. She couldn’t have gone that far. And he had a feeling that until he made his apology, he wasn’t going to be able to get Jo out of his head and focus on what he was actually here to do.

There. He spotted her coming out of Confections for All Occasions, her hands empty. She looked around furtively as she exited, as if afraid she was being pursued.

Beckett glanced around, suddenly on alert, but then realized it was probably him she was trying to avoid.

He paused for a moment but then marched deliberately in her direction.

He was twenty yards away when her head swiveled toward him, her eyes widened, and she made an abrupt turn to her left, speedwalking away from the square.

“Jo!” Beckett ignored the curious stares of the onlookers as his feet kicked into a run.

He caught up with her in front of the ice cream shop.

“Jo.” He reached for her arm but thought better of it and flattened his hands at his sides. “Hold up.”

She turned again and headed toward the harbor. “I’m kind of in a hurry.”

“I can see that.” He slowed his stride, hoping she would do the same, but she only sped up more, putting a few steps between them before he started after her again. “This will only take a second.”

“I don’t have a second.” Her speech was clipped, the end of each word snapped off.

“Well, can we talk some other time then?” Beckett was not going to give up on this.

Jo stopped so abruptly that Beckett was two steps beyond her before he realized it. He turned around but didn’t try to close the space between them. He had a feeling that if he did, she would run.

“We have nothing to talk about.” Her voice was low and icy.

“Maybe you don’t,” Beckett conceded. “But I do. I want—”

“Honestly, Beckett? I don’t care what you want. I just want you to leave me alone.” She pushed past him.

Beckett blinked after her. He knew it was the reaction he deserved. But if she would only give him a chance to say what he had come to say . . .

“Look, Jo.” He took a couple of jogging steps to catch up with her. “I know you have no reason to listen to me, but—”

“You’re exactly right.” Jo met his eyes as if in challenge. “I have no reason to listen to you. Just make your movie and then leave. And in the meantime, leave me alone.” She strode purposefully past him.

This time Beckett didn’t follow. He was going to apologize to her one of these days, whether she liked it or not. But clearly today was not that day.

He strode back to the set, offering a quick apology to his castmates before setting up to film the scene again. This time he delivered it perfectly.