Page 52 of Jason
He always had to make calls.That was part of the job, obviously.But she wondered, as he ran his hand over her head again, if this is what it would be like.He’d always be off to the next call.What was she doing?
Jason kissed the tip of her nose.“Has anyone ever told you how good you are in ye old sack?”
“Stop it,” she said, grinning.
“I mean it.You’re good at everything, Mallory.”He kissed her mouth.A sweet, tender kiss on the mouth.She curled her fingers around the wrist of his hand that cupped her face.This was a different kiss.A very different kiss.It was reverent.Apologetic.“Get some sleep, go back to L.A.tomorrow, and I’ll be in touch.”
She nodded.
Okay.
Jason found his clothes and stiffly put them on.He walked to the door—it looked like he was leaning to one side.He paused at the door and glanced back, but his head wouldn’t turn all the way around.“You wouldn’t take that job without talking to me, would you?”
“No.Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m so good right now,” he said with a smile.“And tomorrow my back will be fine,” he said with a wink.His gaze lingered on her, but he finally went out.
When the door clicked behind him, Mallory felt sad.She wished she knew how to talk to him about what had happened here in Maine, but God help her, she didn’t know how.She didn’t know what she wanted to say to even herself.
Chapter Fifteen
Jason was not fine.He could hardly move the next morning.It was like his back had seized up and was crushing the nerves—every movement was excruciating.So he remained flat on his back to make some calls and eat ibuprofen like it was candy.He finally managed to get up, wincing with every step into the shower.
Mallory was gone.He’d asked Ned to pick her up at eight this morning.It was almost noon.
He tried to reach Cass for what he guessed was the tenth time, but there was no answer.Cass was in quite a snit, avoiding Jason’s calls.The crew was texting and calling him.They were going to shoot the hospital scenes first, but they needed a director.They needed a call sheet, they needed to know which sequences of which scenes.They needed the director.
Jason couldn’t do everything he needed to do with his back killing him.Every movement sent a bolt of lightning down his spine.He needed help.
He was popping more ibuprofen when he got a call from Marlene, the Blackthorn Entertainment publicist.“What is Cass doing?”she demanded hotly.
“What do you mean?”
“That ass gave an interview toGood Morning Americaand said that Darien’s problems were common knowledge.”
Jason sat up so fast that he sent his back into spasms.“He did what?”he asked with a hiss of pain.
“You have to fix that,” Marlene said.“I can only do so much, but when he’s out there running his mouth, it makes it hard.Can you call Cass off?”
“I will try,” Jason said darkly.
He tried Cass again, and no surprise, there was no answer.Or the next day.Or the day after that.By then, Jason’s back was in such bad shape that he briefly considered throwing in the towel.Just call the whole thing off.You know that deal you got to produce a series for Netflix?Forget it.But he didn’t.
Marlene called him again.“Who is this Debbie from Blackthorne Enterprises?”she demanded.
And the hits just kept coming.“She is a publicist my family uses from time to time.”
“Well, she’s been calling making my life harder by insisting we make a distinction between Blackthorne Entertainment and Blackthorne Enterprises.And she wants to know what we’re going to do about Cass the Ass.”
“I can’t get him on the phone,” Jason admitted.
When he hung up from Marlene, he had that feeling again, that everything was unraveling.His series.His back.He kept thinking about what Brock had said, how Uncle Graham was thinking of pulling funding because of his fear of lawsuits.If Cass convinced the public that everyone at Blackthorne Entertainment knew about Darien’s past and the accusations, he could see that definitely coming to fruition.”
“Damn it Cass,” he muttered when he tried the director again.“Call meback.”
On the third day, Jason thought about firing Cass, but had a sneaking suspicion that was exactly what he wanted.He couldn’t fathom getting a director at this late date, so he decided to play Cass’s game.He instead called in the troops.Meaning, Mallory.“You have to come back.”
“No way,” Mallory said.“You wouldn’t believe the work piling up here.”
