Her Red-Carpet Romance by Marie Ferrarella Page A

earthquakes.”
    Lukkas rolled her explanation over in his mind. “I think I like that comparison, but I’m not sure. Get back to me on that,” he instructed.
    â€œRight,” she mumbled under her breath.
    * * *
    â€œThis is your trailer?” Yohanna asked, clearly wowed as she walked into it.
    He tossed the briefcase he’d brought with him onto the nearest flat surface. “Yes. Why?”
    She suppressed a low whistle. “My first apartment was smaller than this. I think my second one was, too.”
    â€œSorry to hear that,” he said wryly. “This is my production headquarters when I’m away from the studio. I need the space to think. Small, tight places don’t let me think.”
    â€œWhatever works,” she said agreeably, still taking it all in.
    â€œYou can put your things down over there,” Lukkas told her, pointing to what looked like a spacious alcove, complete with a compact acrylic desk and a landline.
    The latter had her looking at him quizzically. She nodded at it, waiting for him to explain. Why a landline when the logical way to go would have been another cell phone?
    â€œIt’s my tribute to my past,” he told her. “I like blending old and new together. It does nobody any good to let old traditions die unnoticed and forgotten.”
    â€œOkaaay,” she murmured, drawing out the word.
    â€œAnd now,” he told her, “on that note, I’ve got several phone calls to make—and if I’m not mistaken, you do, too.”
    â€œRight,” she agreed, putting down the laptop that she’d packed this morning. Flipping it open, she began initializing her access to the internet.
    â€œOf course I’m right,” Lukkas quipped. “That’s why they pay me the big bucks.” His eyes narrowed just a touch as he looked at her. “That’s a joke, Hanna.”
    Her mouth quirked a touch. “I knew that.” Her eyes sparkled with a whimsical glimmer that he found rather compelling.
    Perhaps just a little
too
compelling, he silently warned.
    Taking a breath to fortify himself, Lukkas said, “Hard to tell at times,” and then went off to the section of the custom-built trailer that doubled as a bedroom whenever he remained on a set overnight.
    * * *
    Yohanna found that working for Lukkas Spader on a movie set was a real learning experience. She discovered that while he was the producer on record, there were several positions that bore part of his title and were considered to be under his supervision.
    There were assistant producers, coproducers and executive producers to name just a few, and none of them had the sort of responsibility and authority that Lukkas with his simpler title possessed.
    She learned very quickly that he took his position quite seriously, relinquishing none of the myriad parts.
    He had conceived of the idea for this movie, nurtured it along and then cowrote the script after having written the initial treatment. He’d been involved in the casting of the film, retaining his right of final veto if someone didn’t strike him as being right for the part.
    According to what she learned from one of the camera crew, Lukkas always took casting approval very seriously, right down to the extras who were to be used in several of the saloon scenes.
    He also, the cameraman informed her, tended to use the same crew over and over again, shepherding them from one movie to another. They were, in effect, one large, mostly happy family.
    â€œThe man’s as loyal as anyone you’ll ever be lucky enough to know—pretty rare in this business, let me tell you,” the veteran cameraman had rhapsodized.
    â€œHow many movies have you made with him?” she asked, curious.
    â€œFive, counting this one,” the man, Eddie, had answered as he continued setting up his equipment. “But there’re guys here who’ve been with The Spade from the beginning. He once