Page 25 of Praise Me: Lumberjack
“Dad! Jenna is on television!”
My feet carry me in the direction of the living room before I make a conscious decision, heart slamming into my jugular. Seeing her face might be the absolute last thing I need right now, but I also need the sight of her like goddamn oxygen.
And there she is.
Walking down a street in Los Angeles, carrying a brown paper bag on her hip.
Loose, low-hanging jeans and a white tank top. A ponytail.
I don’t expect the dark circles under her eyes. I don’t expect the haunted expression. Don’t expect her to look so lost and confused when the reporter sprints up to her with a camera on his shoulder, firing off questions like bullets, making Jenna jolt.
“Jenna Fairchild!Deadlinejust announced your new starring role in theMusetrilogy. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” she murmurs, looking a little dazed. Pale.
Has she been sleeping? Eating?
Where has the color gone from her face?
“This is going to be quite a departure fromHey Betty. You’re going to be playing a sexy assassin. How far are you going to take this new foray into more adult roles? Are there any love scenes in your future? What about nudity?”
“Um. I’m just out trying to buy some groceries.” After a beat of silence, she sets her shoulders and looks the reporter in theeye. “And you shouldn’t be asking me those types of questions. They make me uncomfortable.”
“Right.” He laughs off the admonishment.
But me? I’m so proud of Jenna, my chest could burst. Moreover, I’m so proud that Erin got the witness the moment Jenna stood up for herself.
“You’ve been silent about your recent trip to the mountains, but the picture of you and a mystery man are still circulating. Could you shed some light on his identity?”
“Are they talking about you, Dad?” Erin wants to know.
“Yeah, honey. They’re talking about me,” I mutter distractedly, because I’m too busy witnessing Jenna’s reaction. The bag of groceries slips down her hip a little and it seems to cost all her strength to drag it back up.
“It looked like you were getting pretty cozy with the man in flannel,” urges the reporter in a voice dripping with innuendo. “Was he a fling or something more serious? People are dying to know.”
Just when I think Jenna isn’t going to answer, she whispers, “It was serious. He was everything to me.” A hard swallow. “He still is.”
And then her bottom lip wobbles and she looks directly into the camera, ever so briefly, one flash of those green eyes ripping me wide open.
Crumbling my world around me.
“How do you feel about moving to LA, kid?” I rasp.
Jenna
One month later
“Cut!”
There’s a round of applause from the crew, and I let the tension of the scene melt away, drooping my shoulders.
“That’s a wrap for today, Jenna. Well done. Can’t wait to review these dailies.”
Forcing a smile, I say, “Great. See you tomorrow.”
I did it.
I landed the role of a lifetime.
