Page 56 of Jason
She and Jason had a quick meal, but Jason was clearly ready to return to his room and take a pain killer.Mallory turned in early, too.
She was on set at five the next morning.
When she talked to her sister later than night, Mallory could not adequately describe how her first day on the job had gone.It was magic, so fantastic, so much of what she had always dreamed, that the usual superlatives seemed ridiculously inept.Mallory had felt alive.She had felt like this day, and the direction she had done with Trent on something as simple as walking out of the hospital, was the thing she was put on this earth to do.At the end of a sixteen-hour day, she had boundless energy.She couldn’t wait to get back out there.
Jason actually laughed at her when she joined him in his room for dinner and told him the same.“This is what I am meant to do,” she said excitedly.“This is in my blood.”
“You are really excited,” he said, and shook his head to the wine that had been delivered with dinner.
“I’ve said “action” before in my short films, but today, it felt…it felt real, Jason.It felt like I am this person.Like I am finally getting somewhere.”
“You’re good at this,” Jason said.
Mallory beamed at him.“Thank you.So are you.”It felt like they were a team.Like they’d been producing shows together for years.
“I’m serious.You’ve got great instincts.Neil thinks so, too.And you’re much more pleasant to work with than Cass, so that’s a big bonus.”
She laughed.“I listen to him.I’m learning a lot from him, honestly.Leaning on him if you want to know the truth.”
“That’s great.Take advantage of his experience.”
Mallory was learning from everyone.She was creating entertainment, and she was in love with life.
And Jason.
Yes, she was falling in love with him.He was part of this—a huge part of this perfect life she was suddenly living.He was warm and creative and he was supportive.That night, they watched episode three of the first season and as Mallory pointed things out, he agreed with her.
He agreed with her and she didn’t hate it.
She knew Jason was worried about the production, but she hoped Cass never came back.It was odd—he’d disappeared from the production, but he hadn’t actually resigned.And he was still giving interviews about Darien.Mallory couldn’t figure out what his end game was.
As for Darien, a woman had recently come forward claiming Darien had raped her ten years ago, and the media attention had turned to the war of words between her and Darien.Which meant away fromBad Intentionsand Blackthorne Entertainment.Mallory was aware that Blackthorne Enterprises was still concerned about the situation, but Mallory was too wrapped in her own world to pay much attention to those phone calls.
She didn’t mention going back to L.A., and Jason didn’t either.After the hospital scenes, they would be filming the warehouse scenes.
After her third day on set, Mallory called Inez to tell her she’d be a few more days.
“You sound giddy,” Inez said.
“Inez, I am not kidding when I say this is the best time of my life I’ve ever had.Ever!It’s all coming together.I’ve got the job, I’ve got the guy.”She had to pause a moment to swallow down the insane fit of giggles building in her.“I feel like I’ve been on this path for so long, and against all odds, it’s happening.”
“That’s wonderful, Mallory.Really,” Inez said, and Mallory could tell she meant it sincerely.
Jason’s back improved slightly, and one night, he convinced her to go to the estate and meet his grandmother.“I need to check on her,” he said.
Fiona—Nana—invited them in.Her house smelled like fresh baked bread.Her white hair was newly coiffed, and she’d put on button-up jeans and a cable-knit sweater for the evening.Over bowls of homemade clam chowder, Fiona delighted Mallory with a tale about Jason when he was a boy.“It was Phillip’s birthday,” she said.“We’d all gathered as we did for all the boys’ birthdays.We thought Jason was playing baseball.Oh, he loved baseball, did you know that?”
“I didn’t,” Mallory said, sharing a smile with Jason.
“Well, we waited and waited and he didn’t come home.Graham and Claire were so worried.They kept asking the boys, ‘are you sure he was at school?’They said they thought he was.”
Jason snorted.“I wasn’t exactly on anyone’s radar.”
“Where were you?”Mallory asked.
“Oh, he finally came strolling home.He’d been to the movies.”
Jason looked at Mallory.“Star Wars.”
