Page 3 of Daddy’s Oath (The Daddy Guard #2)

Chapter Three

“How did this happen?”

The question was posed by Mort Levinsen, the head of studio tours. Lana could tell he was beyond frazzled. In fact, he looked as if he was about to pull what little white hair he had right out of his head.

Standing near him, the tour guide who’d been driving the runaway tram ran a hand through his own thick salt-and-pepper locks, and answered, “I don’t know, Mort. It must be those new vehicles we ordered. Something went haywire with ‘em.”

The tourists were gone now, having been ferried away in another, much safer tram.

Everyone was a good sport about it. In fact, some had insisted it was the highlight of the tour.

Still, Lana couldn’t help but wonder if anyone would sue.

Movie studios had deep pockets. It wasn’t unheard of for visitors to try and get a little something.

In this case, she could hardly blame someone.

While the vehicle hadn’t been going fast enough to be deadly, someone certainly could have been hurt if the thing had crashed.

The lawyers and big-time executives would worry about all that, though. Such stuff was way above her pay grade.

“I think I know how it happened,” she piped up.

The two men looked over to her. She was leaning against the gazebo in the grassy center of ‘town square’.

It was a spot she was familiar with. Working on the lot gave her access to all sorts of cool places.

But she often ate her lunch right there, sitting beneath the shade of the gazebo and large trees around it.

Her favorite television show about a certain mother and daughter had been filmed right there. The series took place in a quaint New England town, but thanks to movie magic—or in this case TV magic —the production crew was able to turn a backlot in SoCal into that quiet village.

Countless other movies and shows had been filmed there over the years. All crews had to do was change out a few facades on the buildings, hang new signs, or give some of the nearby houses a paint job and there it was: a whole new town.

“What’s your theory?” Mort asked.

“This tram was never meant for tour services.” She shook her head, pushed off the gazebo, and walked to the vehicle. “This is one for that new Harrison Trent movie filming over on Stage 16. That’s why it’s souped-up. But I don’t think it was even ready for use on the movie yet.”

Mort slapped a palm to his forehead. “And somehow it got added to our fleet.” A groan followed.

Lana nodded. “Yep.”

Mort lowered his hand and his posture softened a bit as he smiled at her. “That was quick thinking on the battery. You’re sharp, kid. You might be running this studio one day.”

Lana smiled as a warmth suffused inside her. The praise felt wonderful. It hadn’t been something she’d received much of in life. Perhaps that was why she loved her job so much. She was pretty good at it. People seemed to value her.

“Thanks,” she said, hoping she wasn’t blushing too much.

“You were out here eating, huh?” the tour guide asked.

Obviously, he’d seen her out there before.

“Yeah.”

“Glad you were here! You saved us. Thanks!”

She blushed again. Eager to change the subject, she said, “I better get back to work.”

“You’re over in the miniature department, huh?” Mort asked.

“Yes, sir.”

The older man smiled. “I’ll be talking to your boss. And Mr. Nelson. They need to know about what you did here today. The studio owes you a debt of gratitude.”

Now Lana was starting to feel outright embarrassed. Sure, the recognition felt nice, but it was too much.

“Not necessary. Just glad I could help,” she said, waving off the praise.

Mort smiled. “Did that TV crew interview you?”

Lana shrugged. “They tried to. I don’t even remember what I said. I’m not the sort who likes being on TV.”

“What? In this town? At this place?” Mort asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lana laughed. “Trust me. I’m perfectly fine working on my models, tucked away in my workshop.”

She wasn’t lying, either. That shop was all hers. A domain she controlled. It felt secure. Safe. Hidden. Venturing onto the back lot for lunch a few times a week was nice, but even then, with all the tourists, she felt exposed sometimes.

Hopefully this wouldn’t come back to bite her.

Stop worrying. You’re safe. This will all blow over and no one will remember it soon.

And they don’t know where you are. You’re all good. Just forget about it, Lana.

“I best get back to work,” she said. “Have a good day.”

The two men wished her the same as she jogged off.

She walked away from the backlot, toward the sound stages, and to her workshop.

Before her, on a large, rectangular table, was a miniature volcano and village.

A giant gorilla and lizard would eventually smash her hard work, but right now, it was her world to create as she saw fit.

Well, as long as she stayed within the confines of what the script called for.

But she had some freedom to create. And it was lovely.

She worked for an hour before she heard a familiar voice say, “There’s the hero. The woman of the hour.”

She looked up to realize the voice was familiar because she’d heard it a dozen times at the movies.

Harrison Trent.

He was tall, muscular, and oh so handsome!

“Hi, Mr. Trent,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound too enamored. Even though she worked on a movie lot and saw tons of celebs coming and going, it never got old.

And Harrison Trent was one of the biggest stars on the planet. He did a lot of action movies but had branched out into comedies, too. No matter what role he played, he was great.

“Please, call me Harrison,” he said.

“I’m Lana.”

“Good to officially meet you, Lana. I just wanted to drop by because I heard what happened today. I guess that tram was supposed to be used in my movie. Man, I’m glad no one was hurt!”

Lana knew Harrison had nothing to do with the mix-up, but she thought it was cool that he was checking in on things.

“Me, too,” Lana said.

He smiled. “I heard someone who manages the tour fleet saw it parked outside the soundstage and thought it had been separated from the rest of the herd, so to speak.”

“I was wondering how it happened,” she told him. “An honest mistake, I guess.”

Harrison chuckled. “Yeah. No one is in trouble. All’s well that ends well. Thanks to you!”

Lana found herself blushing yet again. All this attention was starting to really get to her. “It was nothing. I just happened to recognize it because I’ve seen it roll through the special effects department. I don’t think they were done with it. Still needed some work, obviously.”

They both laughed.

Harrison stepped closer to the table. “Hey, that’s pretty cool! You built this whole model yourself?”

“Yep. Volcano and village. Next, I’ll do the giant gorilla that’s going to rampage through it. Thankfully, the director wants to use some miniature work instead of all CGI. He still believes in practical effects when possible.”

“It’s cheaper this way,” Harrison pointed out. “Not to mention more artistic, if you ask me.” He looked over the diorama. “This is amazing.”

Lana turned so he wouldn’t see her cheeks glowing red, acting as if she was looking at something on the cluttered desk along the wall.

A moment later, facing him again, she said, “I appreciate it. This is my world.”

He smiled and nodded. “I came to see what all the commotion was about earlier and saw you as the TV crew was trying to get a soundbite from you.”

She didn’t know what to say, so she just smiled.

Why had Harrison sought her out? She knew he was taken. Anyway, even if he were single, it’s not like the famous, buff, rich movie star would want little ol’ plain her.

So, she waited.

Finally, Harrison cleared his throat and stepped closer. “I didn’t know you worked for the studio. We’ve never actually talked. But I’ve seen you before. We were at a party together.”

She grinned and shook her head. “I don’t think that was me. I’m not the partying type. I’ve never gone to any big Hollywood bashes.”

He laughed. “I don’t frequent them either, actually. I hang out at different places. Like… eh, Athena’s.”

Lana froze, her eyes growing wide. A month ago, she’d ventured out to her first Littles’ outing after making a few online friends.

They’d talked her into going to Auntie Athena’s West Hollywood Nursery.

As an introvert—and someone who needed to keep a low profile—the experience had been emotionally taxing.

In fact, she’d been so caught up in her own head and nervous that she hadn’t talked to many people or even noticed who all was there.

Apparently, she’d missed a major Hollywood celebrity!

“Are you… like me?” she asked before she could filter the words and stop them from coming out. She winced. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t pry?—”

“I’m a Little,” Harrison interrupted. “So, I think we’re kindred spirits.”

Lana’s mind flashed back to that night. She’d worked up enough nerve to wear shortalls over a big diaper, her hair in pigtails and even a pacifier clipped to her pink t-shirt.

She’d chosen the outfit in homage to Eli, her favorite Little content creator.

His trademark shortalls were always worn with a blue t-shirt, though.

While she’d felt uncomfortable being in public wearing that outfit, right now, she felt at ease. There was something calming about Harrison’s presence.

“Want to have lunch sometime?” he asked. “And not to smother you, but we could hang out after work, if you’d like. My wife, Diana, loves having Littles over. She’s a true Mommy. Through and through.”

The thought warmed Lana’s heart. Unable to hide her grin, she bobbed her head. “That would be great. I don’t really get out much. Just work and my apartment.”

“And Auntie Athena’s,” Harrison pointed out.

“Not really. I’ve only been there once. It was nice, but a lot. Sometimes I want to hang out with people, but worry I’ll be noticed by someone and then…” Realizing what she was saying, she tried to pivot. “I’m just introverted.”

She felt the weight of Harrison’s gaze as he studied her. A few seconds passed before he stepped closer and said, “Lana, are you in some kind of trouble?”

“No. Not at all,” she lied.

Well, she didn’t know if she was lying, actually.

Currently, she wasn’t in trouble. Everything was good.

She just needed to keep it that way.

“Are you sure? Because if you are, I know some guys who specialize in helping Littles.”

That sounded intriguing. But there wasn’t anything anyone could really do for her. She was good.

For now.

“Really, I’m okay.”

Harrison nodded, smiling reassuringly. “Well, we’ll start small. And no pressure. I don’t want to crowd you.”

“Oh, I’d love to hang out.”

“Great. Lunch tomorrow?”

“Perfect!”

The two hugged.

This was certainly turning out to be an interesting day.