Page 14 of One Kind Hand

“Hey.” Austin tugged on Cody’s sleeve as they all followed Janice to a conference room the airfield had let them use.

“Yeah?”

“Ask her if she’s seen any of my movies. Work it in. Casually.”

Cody pointed at Austin to say he understood then they all took seats around a medium-sized table. Janice took the head seat with Cody and Austin on one side and Charlie on the other.

“Can I get anyone a drink?” Janice asked, gesturing to the small side table with bottled water on it.

“I’m all set,” Charlie said, but Cody grabbed two bottles and slid one in front of Austin, always in tune with his client.

What would I do without Cody? Signing with him way back when he was a nineteen-year old, trying to care for his younger sisters after their parents’ deaths had been the best move Austin had ever made. Here they were all these years later and Cody was essentially Austin’s best friend.

“Before we start,” Cody said, easing into his seat after unbuttoning his suit jacket, “have you seen any of Austin’s movies, Charlie?”

She’d taken her hat off and raked her hands through that short hair, the strands looking super silky as they fell into place around her face. Her eyes were even more remarkable now that Austin could see them better and she had on just enough makeup to highlight them perfectly.

“Do people exist that haven’t seen them?” Her lips twitched up in the corners and something in Austin’s pants twitched in response.

Cool it, man.

“I think there is a pocket of people in a remote part of the Brazilian rainforest somewhere who haven’t had the pleasure,” Cody joked. “So you get the overall vibe of an Austin Rayhill film?”

Austin would have to buy Cody and Melanie dinner for the man making the questioning appear to be all business.

“I do.” Charlie relaxed in her seat a bit. “There’s usually trouble somewhere. Local authorities can’t seem to solve it. Someone’s heard tale of a legendary man who can catch any bad guy, but of course this legendary man has to be dragged from the hermit life he’s decided to live.” She shot a little grin in Austin’s direction. “Then once he comes out, he does what nobody else could do, finds the bad guys, kicks bad guys’ asses, usually gets injured himself as well as leaving some woman pining for him, then he’s lauded as a hero, but the hero’s life is not for him, and he retreats back to his cave until the next problem arises.”

“That about sums it up, doesn’t it?” Cody flicked Austin in the shoulder.

“Which movie is your favorite?” Janice asked.

Austin couldn’t have planned this interrogation better.

“Eagle Force,” Charlie answered without hesitation. “Although I like the Alaskan setting in Ice Crimes.”

“Have you ever been to Alaska?” That was a question he could ask without sounding as if he were hunting for how she felt about him and his work.

“I have.” She squinted one eye. “Back about . . . three years ago, I think. I helped during the Iditarod Race with a medical unit.”

Wow.

“That must have been exciting,” Janice said.

“It was, but the best part was they let me pet the dogs.” Charlie smiled. A full smile that hit Austin right in the chest. A smile shouldn’t have that much power, should it?

“You like dogs?” Cody asked. “You have to see his dog, Berto.”

That gray-blue gaze was back on Austin. “What kind of dog?”

“Chihuahua, but he thinks he’s a Great Dane.”

Charlie laughed and Austin wanted that to keep happening.

“Little dogs often have the biggest personalities,” she said.

“You’ll meet Berto at some point,” Cody said.

Because, yeah, she was going to be around during the filming of this movie. She was going to be in actual scenes with Austin and he couldn’t wait. He normally was pretty giddy playing his roles because he always enjoyed himself, but he had a feeling filming Hunting Justice was going to be the most fun he’d had yet.