Page 33 of Jason
“Jesus, Cass.Yes,” he said.He hadn’t heard, but it didn’t matter.Among his other trying qualities, Cass also tended to repeat himself like someone’s grandpa.
“If you could kindly handle this fucking debacle, it would be greatly appreciated,” Cass snapped.
What did Cass think he was doing?Hanging around the pool?Going down to the club for a doubles match?“Iam, Cass,” Jason said firmly.
“Thank you,” Cass said, and clicked off.
Jason tossed his phone onto the kitchen bar.
“Who was that?”
Jason turned around as Mallory walked into the kitchen.She’d showered and changed, and was wearing a blue pantsuit that reminded him a little of something a prosecutor would wear to court.She looked rested and happy.
“That was Cass.”He didn’t know if he should do it, but Jason put his hand on her waist and leaned forward, kissing her cheek.
Mallory smiled but stepped away from him, walking to the kitchen table and his temporary office.Jason didn’t like anyone touching his things—a successful state of disorganization required a certain level of disorganization to be maintained.It was, in effect, his way or organizing himself.Mallory was the only one he allowed to touch his things.Somehow, she knew how to straighten it all out without making it worse for him.
“What did he want?”she asked.
“To get his creative flow back, which he says has been grossly affected by the Darien Simmons crisis.”
Mallory pursed her lips.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“It’s something, I can tell by looking at you.Say it.”
She gave him a tentative smile.“As a matter of fact, I’ve been wanting to mention a few things.That is, if you don’t mind hearing them.”
Jason sighed softly.He appreciated her enthusiasm for the project, but they were in a bit of a crunch right now.It felt like the whole project was in revolt against him.“What things?”
Mallory squared her shoulders as if she was about to impart some devastating news, like his pet rabbit had died.She withdrew a piece of paper from her pocket and opened it.Great.She had a list.“I think there are some things we could do better.Like reduce the clunky transitions between scenes.Enhance the lighting in others—the series is gritty, but it’s so dark you can hardly see it.There have been many instances in previous episodes, which I’ve documented, that could be vastly improved with better cinematography.Our director of photography is top notch, you know, but Cass doesn’t always agree with him.”
This was not news.Everyone knew that Cass and the DP, Neil Tarrelli, disagreed quite frequently, and usually loudly.Jason nodded, but he wasn’t going to engage in review of the series right now—he was scrolling through his messages and the mess Darien had created.“Maybe so,” he said.“But right now, we have to focus on getting some actors out here to audition and the last two locations locked down.Can you get them out here as soon as possible?Today would be preferred.Tomorrow will work.”
When Mallory didn’t answer, Jason looked up from his phone.“What?”
“Of course I can get them in.”She turned away from him.
Was this the moment that the wonder of last night would make things weird?He had no one to blame but himself.“Fly them into Boston.We’ll do the auditions at Blackstone Enterprises offices in the Hancock Tower.Fifty-third floor.”He picked up his phone.“I’ll call and let them know we need a conference room, but first I need to call Marlene.Reporters are asking for interviews.Apparently, Darien is saying he didn’t do anything and was fired unjustly, so we’ll need to make a statement.Actually, get the lawyer on the phone for me,” he said, pointing at Mallory’s phone.He sat down at the kitchen table and opened his laptop.
“Right away,” Mallory said in that cool manner she had at work, and just like that, they had slid back into their roles.As if last night hadn’t happened.That was not how Jason wanted it to go.Last nighthadhappened, and he wanted to talk to her about it.But now was not the time—there were too many fires to be stamped out first.He knew she understood that.
Mallory got the law firm on the phone for him, then picked up her phone and began making calls to arrange to fly the two actors to Boston to audition.
By noon, she’d gotten both actors on board and had arranged for a plane to bring one to Boston later today—the other would be coming from New York—and set the audition for tomorrow.Jason had talked to their lawyer, and the firm was drafting a statement concerning Darien.Marlene, their staff publicist, had the spin control in full gear.
“Okay,” Jason said.“Next up, we lock down the last two locations.I’ll get dressed and we’ll go have a look.”
“What about Cass?”
“He’s not going,” Jason said.“But I’ve got to get them locked in.So you’re coming with me.If we need any special permissions, you can tackle that after the auditions.”
“Wait, Jason,” Mallory said, throwing up a hand.“Just how long am I going to be here?You said you needed help with casting.”
Given last night, he would have thought—or hoped—that she’d want to stay on, at least for a little while.“A couple of days?”
