Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 90464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“Kitchen,” I mutter, turning to look at her.
When she sees the stack of papers, she waves her hand. “Don’t bother with those. I have good news.”
I lift an eyebrow at her. “Yeah?”
“Robert fired Tim!” She lets out a bark of laughter. “He sent him packing when he heard you refuse to work with Tim.”
A smile curves my lips, and I’m not going to lie, it feels good knowing justice has been served to the bastard.
“That is good news,” I chuckle.
“Robert refuses to lose you. He said they’ll shoot all the scenes in New Zealand while you take personal time. Then, once they’re back at the studios, they can shoot your scenes.”
I cross my arms over my chest, my smile growing wider because Robert is a brilliant producer, and I love working with him. “That will be so much better for me.”
“Right!” she screeches. “You can still complete the film and be close to Lainey. I don’t know who the new director will be, but at least we’re rid of Tim.”
“While you’re here . . .” I smile as I shove one of the scripts across the marble top. “This one sounds good.”
She blinks at me for a moment. “Are you pulling my leg?”
I shake my head. “I like working with Steven.”
For a moment, it looks like Sylvia’s going to burst into tears, but then she closes the distance between us and gives me a hug. “Thank you! God, thank you.” She pulls away. “I was so worried about your career.”
“I figured the sooner I get back to work, the better.” Shrugging, I glance around the living room. “Doing nothing will drive me crazy.”
She grins from ear to ear. “Today is a day that just keeps giving.” She glances around. “Where are Lainey and Nova?”
“Out shopping.” I point at a stool so she’ll sit down. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“I’ll help myself,” she replies. Walking to the fridge, she opens it and grabs a can of soda. After she takes a seat, she sighs. “Heads up. The press is printing all kinds of shit.”
“What kind of shit?” I ask.
Sylvia shakes her head. “The kind you don’t want to know about.”
“Fuck. I hope Nova and Lainey don’t see any of it while they’re out.”
“You need to prepare them, Easton. You know how brutal the paparazzi can get.”
Trust me, I know.
Sylvia pulls the script closer and pages through it. “This is a great choice. I’ve only heard nice things about Emma Thorne.”
“Talking about the female lead,” I mutter. “Do you think you can get me a no-kissing clause?”
Sylvia lets out a groan. “God, I knew my luck was too good to last.”
“I star in actions and thrillers, not romances,” I remind her.
“Still, you have a large female audience.”
I let out a heavy sigh. “They watch my movies for the action.”
Sylvia glances at the ceiling as if she’s sending up a silent prayer for strength.
“There are other ways we can make it look like I’m kissing the female lead. Or we can use a double to stand in for me,” I mention.
She perks up, clearly liking the options I just gave her, but then worry tightens her features. “Have you already shot the kissing scenes for The Eradicator?” When I nod, she lets out a huge breath of relief. “Thank God.” She spreads her hands open over the script in front of her. “I’ll have Robert send over a new schedule so you can plan ahead. In the meantime, I’ll talk to Steven and see what he says about the no-kissing thing.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
She shakes her head. “This is why I get paid the big bucks.”
Frances comes down the stairs after packing away our clean clothes, and she gives my manager a friendly smile. “Hi, Sylvia. Will you be staying for lunch?”
Sylvia shrugs and looks at me. “Am I?”
Chuckling, I nod. “Of course.” I glance at my housekeeper. “What are we having?”
“Garlic butter chicken with zucchini and corn.”
“Sounds yummy,” Sylvia replies.
I climb to my feet. “Let’s go sit out on the veranda so Frances can have the kitchen to herself.”
As soon as we take our seats in the lounge chairs, Sylvia asks, “How are you holding up?”
I take a deep breath before answering, “The grief comes in waves. Having Nova here helps a lot.”
“How are things between you and Nova?”
I shake my head and glance out over the manicured garden. “It’s going slow. She’s not ready for a relationship yet.”
“But you still plan on dating her?” Sylvia asks. When I nod, she continues, “You’ve managed to remain single for so long. What is it about her that changed your mind about being the most eligible bachelor in Hollywood?”
“Everything.” A soft smile plays around my lips. “She’s selfless and unbelievably good with Lainey. There’s just something about her that calms me, but at the same time, she gets my heart racing just by blushing.” Sylvia stares at me for so long that I mutter, “What?”