Page 62 of Jason
He had pulled onto her street when he got a call from Uncle Graham.Jason braced himself, ready to defend his latest decisions.The cost overruns were beginning to mount.
“Good morning, Jason,” Uncle Graham said pleasantly.“How’s the weather in sunny California?”
“Sunny,” Jason said.“How is it up your way?”
“Good sailing weather.Have you seen the most recent entertainment news?”
Jason braced himself.“No, I’ve been on the phone.What now?”
“Well,” Uncle Graham said with a giddiness that startled Jason, “a video has surfaced of one Miss Candice Herrera and Mr.Cass Farenthold having a little conspiracy meeting at a Starbuck’s in New York.”
“What?”
“A customer sitting next to them recognized them both and videoed their conversation.They planned the whole thing to get him out of his contract without penalty, and get her a little money.He wanted to make it look like he had to leave because of your poor judgment in hiring.”
Jason was stunned.Nothing should surprise him anymore, and yet, everything did.
“The good news is, I’ve instructed our attorney to speak with your attorney, Jason.You’ve got a very good defamation lawsuit you can file.Just wait until you see the video.”
“I don’t even know what to say.”
“Say you’ll get this production rolling and reduce the overruns,” Uncle Graham said jovially.
“I will, Uncle Graham,” Jason assured him as he pulled up outside an apartment building in Studio City.“There is just one last thing I have to do to get it all nailed down.”
They said their goodbyes, and Jason sat a moment in his car, going over what he would say.For the thousandth time in his life, he wished he could organize his thoughts a little better.He wasn’t quite sure where to start with Mallory.He needed Mallory to organize his speech to Mallory.
He found the apartment and knocked on the door.A very pretty woman with long black hair opened the door.She also had lovely expressive brown eyes, because they were radiating surprise and disgust at him.“Umm…I’m Jason—”
“I know who you are.”She glanced over her shoulder.“Mallory is busy right now.”
“No, she’s not,” Jason said calmly.“I don’t know what she’s told you, but I’ve come here to make it right.”
“Really?”She folded her arms.“Because—”
“Inez?”
Mallory appeared in the hallway behind the woman whose name, apparently, was Inez.“What are you doing?Jason?”
“He’s going to give you some song and dance, Mallory,” Inez said.
Mallory was staring at Jason.She looked confused.She looked beautiful.She looked like she’d missed him as much as he’d missed her, but that might have been a whole lot of wishful thinking on his part.She stepped up, nudging her friend out of the way.“Don’t you have to get to set?”she asked as she studied Jason.
“Not for an hour.”
Mallory turned her gaze away from Jason and stared at her friend.
“Fine,” Inez said.She disappeared into the apartment, and Jason could hear things banging around.
“How are you?”he asked.
“Okay,” she said, a little uncertainly.“You?”
“Good.”
“Your back?”
“I got a steroid shot.”
