by MK Meredith
She stopped pacing and faced him, hands on hips. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”
He looked her over from head to toe, and something sparked in his eyes, making her a tad uneasy. “Oh, I plan on it.” Turning away, he dug through his portfolio, then handed her a check.
Her heart stopped for a beat. She took the paper from him, folded it, and slid it in the top band of her sweatpants. “Well, first things first.”
He threw her a questioning look.
Grabbing his cup from the table, she lifted it in salute. “Fresh coffee.”
Roque pressed his lips together in a slight smile, then turned toward the back door. “I’m going to explore a bit.”
She watched him slip through, fascinated by how strongly his presence remained even after the soft click of the closing latch. He was determined and driven, but by what? Success, sure, but there seemed to be something more.
A commotion from the front room caught her attention. “What’s going on? Anything I can help with?”
A young man and woman, part of Roque’s small crew, froze, and she almost laughed at the expressions of guilt on their faces—as if they’d been caught stealing her sofa instead of moving it in order to take measurements.
“Here, let me get you the specs of the house. It has all the measurements, load bearing walls, electrical, the works. My aunt saved it from the original design plans. That will save you the trouble and time of measuring.” She glanced over at the guy fiddling with her alarm system. “I’ll give you the codes and my password. I already informed the company about the rental. So you should have the system up and running to your satisfaction this morning.”
He dropped his hands back to his sides with a nod. “Thanks.”
She looked them over as the other two lowered her sofa. “I’m Addison Dekker; you can call me Addi.”
The security system guy brushed his hand on his jeans then reached forward to shake. “Marty, and this is Billy and SueAnn.” He indicated with an outstretched hand. “We’ll have one more with us most days, Jimmy Callahan, our locations manager.”
She grinned, liking them already. Whether it was the guilt on their faces or the fresh scent of ambition, she understood both. “If you have any questions let me know. I’d love to help out in any way. But I do have one question: what’s the most important thing, in your opinion, for me to take care of?”
They all answered in unison. “Food.”
She laughed. “Okay. I can handle that.”
SueAnn piped up. “We forget to eat otherwise, and it’s a sticky situation with the union if we’re not fed on time.”
Addi nodded as panic laced through her spine. “I had no idea. Okay then. Thank you.” There were union requirements? Shit. She pulled out her phone and brought up the web. If she wanted to keep this job, she needed to find out what those rules were—and fast.
A few minutes later, she found Roque contemplating the meaning of life in her backyard. She’d give back the check he’d handed her to know what he was thinking. Well, maybe not the check but certainly a penny.
“Your coffee, sir.” She hoped her curtsy mocked louder than any outright laughter could.
“Don’t be a smart-ass.”
She winked. “Can’t help it. Have you met my family?”
Roque took the offered cup, warily peering at the dark brew. Glancing back at Addi, he lifted a brow.
Rolling her eyes, she placed her hands on her hips. “Really? What do you think I did, poison it? Oh, for shit’s sake.” Addi removed the cup from his hand and took a cautious sip. “It’s hot, not poisoned. Damn good, if I do say so myself.” She returned the coffee to him. “Look, we may not love the situation we find ourselves in with me as your assistant, but my work is important to me, no matter what it is. The one thing I can’t stand is being thought of as a flake. I’ve lived my whole life fighting that stereotype.”
He cleared his throat, nodded once, and took a sip. “Wow. You’re right, this is great. What did you do different?”
Addi sauntered up to stand in front of him with a wicked grin, and he tilted his head, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.
Standing toe to toe, Addi leaned back slightly to give him a once-over. “I’m full of pleasant surprises,” she all but purred.
He closed his eyes and sighed, and she did a mental fist pump.
“Just because you close your eyes doesn’t mean I’ve disappeared. What are you, two?” To throw him off a bit further, she ran her finger down the front of his shirt again. “Definitely not a toddler.” Her voice came out a bit too breathless as she emphasized her last word with a tap on the shirt button at his navel. She couldn’t help but admire how hard he was everywhere she touched. He was so fun to tease, and the devil in her couldn’t resist. But she found she liked playing with him a little too much.
His eyes snapped open. Dismissing her comment and ignoring her roaming fingers, he pinned her with a look. He lifted his cup for a long swallow of a different kind of stimulant, and she was curious about her immediate disappointment.
His movement forced Addi to take a step back. “Speaking of shirts,” he said.
“No one said—”
“My dry cleaning is in my car.” He continued on without pause, ticking additional items off his fingers in quick succession. “You’ll officially start tomorrow, but you’ll need to get started tonight if you’re going to have catering ready to go. How about the security system check? And you have things that need to be moved into storage, I’d imagine.”
Addi crossed her arms and yawned, waiting for his passive aggressive diatribe to die down. She couldn’t stand being told what to do, and she either had to pretend boredom or throttle him. The former seemed the safer choice as far as her job was concerned.
“What?”
She narrowed her eyes, enjoying the wary look in his. “Give me your keys, and I’ll see to your dry cleaning. The security company has already been phoned, the system updated with a new password, and the company has consulted with your security supervisor. All of my remaining things will be out of the way by tomorrow morning, and if you want the catering taken care of, then you need to give me your filming schedule with who will be here what days so I know how many to feed.”
He nodded once. “Well then, I guess you’re right. You are full of pleasant surprises.”
A smug grin turned up the corners of her mouth.
“You might just be able to handle this job after all.”
Addi stared at him a moment with a heated desire—to see him dead. “You annoy me.” She snapped her teeth together, turned on her heel, and marched back into the house.
His chuckle followed her through the kitchen. “No, I don’t. You love it. This is a challenge for you, and you can’t wait to tackle it.”
She bit her lip to keep from smiling. Damn if he wasn’t right.
A short time later, Roque and his band of merry men and a lady left, and Addi walked through her home in silence. Making a list as she went, she wrote down what needed to be moved to the attic or taken to her storage shed. She sent out a few prayers and positive thoughts to the universe and whoever was listening that they wouldn’t have to tear down any walls or do too much damage to the place she loved, to her home. Standing in the wide open space of her main floor, she pulled the piece of paper from the band of her sweatpants and opened it.
Eighteen thousand dollars, made out to Addison Dekker.
She’d done it. On her own, based on her personal resources, without help from her family. She’d done what she had to do and saved her home.
For the moment. Now to keep this job she knew nothing about so she could cover her coming taxes for next year and keep her home. Oh yeah, and get published. Little things. No big deal. She choked on her laugh.
She clutched the little paper, the only thing that stood between her and certain proof that she still couldn’t handle life on her own.
The relief was so great Addi sunk to her knees and
hung her head, trying to make sense of the past twenty-four hours. She blinked back tears and breathed to pull air back into her lungs against the giddy excitement that filled her chest. Her home was saved.
She didn’t care that she had to make sure she could pay for living expenses and next year’s taxes, and the year after that and again after that. This job and her plans would secure the rest of it.
Her plan. Time to put it in motion. She hesitated. Once she started this charade, there was no going back. A small twinge joined the joy tightening her chest. Now was not the time to second-guess, but to be brave. She had one chance to prove she was capable of taking care of herself, by herself. One chance to find justice for a situation that was stacked against her.
No writer who went after a studio for plagiarism came out the other side with a thriving career. That option didn’t exist.
So this was it. No turning back.
Pulling in a steadying breath, she pushed up from the floor and found her way to the attic door in the back hallway leading to the bedrooms and bathroom. The cord to pull down the stairs was too far out of reach for her to grab, so she pushed her vanity stool from her room into place and stepped up onto it. Just right. Thank God she was tall. At five foot nine, she was an inch taller than her sister, which Sam hated and Addi loved, but then again, Sam had bigger boobs, so she could bite it.
With a yank, she had the stairs to her “hotel room” pulled down. Once secured, she scrambled up the ladder to the attic space. This was a secret that couldn’t get out. The hotel fee for Huntington Place was no small deceit. She clenched her hands into fists to keep them from shaking. On a sigh, she climbed the ladder.
Lucky for her, she loved the attic. Aunt Addi had stashed many treasures in the space, and Addi had visited often to carefully go through each piece: pictures, clothes, and keepsakes. It made her feel like her aunt wasn’t gone.
But right now, Addi loved the space because it was the one place off-limits to everyone else, leaving her to easily store all her things.
Using the list she’d made, she carefully carried all of her necessities up to her new hiding place. Pillows, bedroll, clothes, makeup, lamp, and last but not least, her laptop. The laptop was most important because while she was saving her home, she also had to break into publishing. All in a day’s work. She laughed as the weight of it settled into reality. Laughing at this was the only way to remain sane.
Not for the first time that day, she worried about the plan she’d concocted—against Chase’s strongly worded discouragement. Not just because a small amount of double-dealing was involved, but also the fact she’d be living and sleeping in an attic. Her hands shook. As much as she loved visiting the space during the day, the night was a different story altogether.
Hollywood would never miss the hotel money she pocketed. Besides, they would still get everything they paid for, and so would she.
The extra money would work toward securing her future and keeping the lights on. Which was paramount.
She was afraid of the dark.
Chapter 4
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee pulled Roque through the front door. Catching sight of Addi in the kitchen, he crossed the front room, then took the cup she offered with the gratitude of a man being thrown a lifeline. “Thank you.”
He took in her pressed ivory slacks and tailored button-up dark gray shirt. Her eyes were rimmed in a matching shade, setting her baby blues to sparkling. The whole effect was quite striking, but he couldn’t figure out which he preferred. This clean, professional Addi, or the chaotic version with éclair cream on her shirt.
She smiled in question. “What?”
“Nothing at all.” He moved over to the table and set down his portfolio, rummaging inside. “You’re here bright and early.” He sipped his coffee. “Damn this is good. You never did tell me what’s different about this coffee of yours.” Raising the cup, he paused.
“It’s a gift. And my little secret.”
He glanced up at her when her voice caught on her last word, but was drawn back to his cup. Damn, it was good. He’d never admired someone for their coffee-making ability before, but this coffee was the best he’d ever tasted.
She winked. “Okay, boss. Whaddya got for me?” She stepped over to the table, bringing the scent of honey with her. He wasn’t sure if it was her or the éclairs she ate that made her smell that way. But he couldn’t stop himself from breathing her in.
“I don’t expect you to know everything right away, but I do expect hard work and honesty. The one thing I can’t tolerate is being lied to.”
She swallowed. “Of course.”
Clearing his throat, he pulled out a file and handed it to her. “Okay, here’s everything you’ll need. Any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask. We’ll start most mornings by seven unless we have a need to come in earlier. The few times I’m certain of are in the schedule you’ll find inside.” He watched her flip it open and look through the papers. “You’ll also find the cast and crew list with pictures and shooting schedule. Those are best to have on hand. And I’m giving you access to my calendar and contact list.”
Finishing off his coffee, he set the cup in the sink, then turned and leaned back against the counter. “I’ll need you to set up catering, there’re a few appointments to make, and you’ll find the list in the folder. Also, make a quick call to your security alarm company. They need you to verify some information. SueAnn needed you for something. Oh, and here—”
He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket. “If I’m in a jam, I’ll count on you to help me out.” He held up one key. “This is the key to my condo, and this is to my car.” Tossing them to her, he picked up his portfolio. “You can finally get my dry cleaning taken care of.”
Glancing up at her, he narrowed his eyes, suspicious she’d just stuck her tongue out at him. The innocent wide-eyed look practically confirmed it. “Any questions?”
A slow turn of her head from side to side accompanied her grin. “Shall I breathe for you, too, sir?”
She’d punctuated the “sir” and tapped her heels together. Always the smart-ass. With a laugh he walked toward the crew. “I’ll let you know.”
Confirming the team was setting up outside for the first takes, he mentally checked it off his list, then pulled out his phone to make a few calls. Reaching out to Heath Fairmont lately was like trying to reach the president. Every time he spoke to an assistant, he’d been told “the gentleman was unavoidably detained.” Tension pulled at the base of his neck as he looked up Fairmont’s number, yet again. He cracked his knuckles on one hand, finding satisfaction in each loud pop. A female voice answered on the third ring.
“Ms. Delaney, you’re answering Mr. Fairmont’s personal cell now?”
He listened to her cluck and coo about how busy her boss was and further nonsense about not enough hours in the day. “Come now, Ms. Delaney. Help me out. You and I are a lot alike, you know. Always trying to make those around us happy. I have a whole cast and crew I’m trying to please over here. They’d like to be paid for their work. You understand.”
After persuading her to set up a lunch for later in the week, he disconnected the call and dropped the phone into the pocket of his slacks. He’d been pacing the length of the front room and finally stopped, leaning against the wall and dropping his head back with a dull thud. His eyes fixed on the ornate whitewashed carving that surrounded the base of the light fixture in the middle of the room. It was old and worn and beautiful like the rest of the house. Like the soul of the protagonist in his movie. His mother would have loved it. He’d have to remember to use a shot of it.
“Come now. It can’t be bad as all that. It’s only the first day.”
He pulled his head from the wall with effort. Addi sauntered toward him with a cup and a smile. “Here. This will help. You have eaten today, right? Lunch will be ready soon.”
“You’re a godsend.”
“Make sure to tell my boss. I’m hoping for a raise.�
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His bark of laughter widened her smile. “It’s your first day, and you’re already asking for a raise?”
Placing her hands on her hips, she shrugged. “I know my worth.” Running her fingers through her long crop, she tucked one side behind her ear. “Gotta run. My boss is a slave driver.”
Before he could respond, she was wrapping her arm around SueAnn’s shoulders and guiding her toward the back hallway. She was something, all right. He knew he threw her in all at once, but he didn’t have time for anything else. As it was, he needed to go check on the sequence being filmed out back.
To make sure he didn’t disrupt any active filming, he went out the front door and walked quietly around back. He walked up and looked at the film screen, loving the simplicity of the shot.
His director called, “Cut.”
Slapping a hand to his shoulder, Roque gave a gentle shake. “Looks good, doesn’t it? I love the space here.”
“I’m making it work.” Doug Kemper was known for his keen eye and dry humor. Charm, however, was never uttered in the same sentence as the man’s name. Unfortunately, the two of them had been looking through opposing lenses from the beginning. Roque had hoped he’d come around, but instead Doug argued with him at every turn. He was getting tired of it, but his hands were tied. He needed a director, and now wasn’t the time to search for another one.
“That’s your job, right?” Roque said, holding the man’s gaze. He let his hand fall back to his side. “Look, this film is everything to me. I’m a man with high expectations and a clear vision. I want to see space, a literal and figurative division between the characters. Show the void with lighting, use the shadows. That’s what I’m looking for with this scene.” He spread his hand out in front of them as if he’d already accomplished it.