by Elena Aitken
“Good morning. Is there some reason you’re giving yourself a concussion today?”
Megan jumped up at her assistant Cindy’s voice. She smoothed her skirt and rubbed at her forehead where she was sure she’d have a mark.
“Well, you don’t have to quit on my account,” Cindy said. She snapped her bubble gum as she waltzed into Megan’s office with a stack of files and her morning latte. “Here.” She handed her the coffee. “Looks like you could use this.”
“That bad?”
Cindy nodded and dropped into the chair across from Megan. She blew a big bubble and popped it before flipping open her portfolio.
“You know I hate the gum, right?”
Cindy nodded. It wasn’t the first time Megan had mentioned it and if she wasn’t such a great assistant, she might have actually done something about it. As it was, some battles weren’t worth fighting.
“Hey,” Cindy said. “It’s the gum or the smokes. I pick gum.” She clicked her pen and poised it over the paper. “So, are you ready to get to work, or what? I have your agenda for the day.”
Megan took a sip of her coffee, praying the caffeine worked quickly. She’d done nothing but toss and turn, wondering if she’d made the right decision by breaking up with Ryan. He was sweet and kind. Funny and handsome. Successful and…he was perfect. But not for her. Which was why it’d been so hard. And to watch his face, usually so strong and handsome, crumble when she told him it was over—it was heart wrenching.
But she couldn’t change her mind. Despite the hours of talking, and tears from both of them. Ryan wanted to get married. And that wasn’t happening. No way.
“Earth to Megan.” Cindy was waving a piece of paper in front of her face. “I get that you had a rough night, but you’ll get over it and in a few days everyone will stop talking—“
“Wait.” Megan snapped to attention. “What are you talking about? A rough night? How did you know and what do you mean, everyone’s talking about it?”
Cindy blushed and looked down at her paper where she was furiously drawing circles. “I didn’t really say that everyone was talking about it, but—“
“About what?” They knew. Megan’s stomach clenched into a knot and squeezed.
“About you and Ryan breaking up,” Cindy said and looked at her with pity.
“How does everyone know?” Megan asked despite already knowing the answer. They were a PR firm. Knowing things was their business.
“If it helps, no one is blaming you, not really,” Cindy said. “And Ryan isn’t in yet. But his assistant said—“
“Stop.” Megan held up her hand. “I need to think.” She took another sip of her latte, not caring that the hot liquid burned her tongue.
“I really am sorry,” Cindy said. “Is there anything I can do?”
Megan reached across her desk and handed Cindy the memo. “Yes,” she said. “Tell me what I should do about this.”
Her assistant scanned the note and to her credit, didn’t brush it off. Instead, Cindy let out a low whistle. “You think she knows?”
Megan nodded.
“And she’s probably not very happy about it either,” Cindy added.
“So? What do I do?”
Cindy handed back the note. “If I were you, I wouldn’t put it off much longer,” she said. “Besides, how bad could it be? Lois is a professional.”
Those were the words Megan kept in her head as she walked down the hall. How bad could it be, really? After all, Megan was one of her top agents and that wasn’t going to change just because she wasn’t going to marry Ryan. She’d continue to do a good job, and they’d continue to work together and everything would be fine.
She’d almost talked herself into believing it by the time she arrived at Lois’ office. Her assistant waved her right in as if she’d been expecting her. Which she no doubt was. With a deep breath and a tug at her jacket to pull it into place, Megan walked through the doors.
Lois, blond hair pulled back into a low bun, makeup meticulous, and looking much more like Megan’s sister rather than her almost mother-in-law, was reclining in her chair, twirling a pen between her perfectly manicured fingers when Megan walked in.
Megan tucked her own chewed-to-the-nub nails behind her. It was a bad habit she thought she’d broken, until a few hours earlier when she’d walked out of Ryan’s living room. “Lois,” she said, doing her best to go for calm and relaxed. “Good morning.”
“It is,” Lois said coolly. “There’s nothing quite like a California morning, is there?”
Megan nodded, and gave her a smile. She walked through the room and tried her best to get a read on Lois. Did she know? Was she mad or ready to demand answers out of Megan? She couldn’t tell. Lois was practically impossible to read—it was one of her best traits—but at the moment, Megan was finding it exceedingly troubling.
“You wanted to see me, Lois?” Megan sat across from her and crossed her legs. She was careful to make eye contact the way she normally would because she was determined not to let her personal life impact her career with the Grace Agency. She’d worked too damn hard.
“I did,” Lois said. “Thank you for coming so early. I know you’re very busy, but I thought it important for us to meet right away.”
“Absolutely.” Megan leaned forward. “Lois, I have to tell you…I didn’t intend for—“
“I have a problem, Megan.”
“A problem?”
“Yes, I think you’re the woman to handle it for me. And it’s really quite time sensitive.”
“It is?”
“Yes.” Lois looked at her strangely. “That’s why I called you in this morning, Megan. Did you think it was something else?”
Megan assessed the other woman. It was almost impossible to tell if Lois knew about her and Ryan. She debated for a few moments about saying something. She opened her mouth to tell her. But tell her what? Megan closed her mouth and shook her head. “No,” she said finally. “I wasn’t sure what you needed to talk about.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. “So what is this you need my help on?”
Lois narrowed her eyes and let out a long breath. It was in that instant Megan realized she’d been tested, and she’d failed. “I wasn’t sure you’d be right for the job until just this moment,” Lois said.
Megan tried not to cringe and let her panic show on her face.
“Lois, I—“
“I need you to run damage control with Gage Mitchell.”
It took a second for Megan to catch up with what Lois had said. She shook her head. “What?”
“Gage Mitchell,” Lois repeated. She clipped her pen and started making notes. “Hollywood’s hottest new thing. Star of the summer blockbuster, Extinction.” She looked up and stared directly into Megan’s eyes. “Please tell me you saw it.”
Megan nodded. She’d seen it with Ryan. It was the typical blockbuster with shoot ‘emup action, and aliens or some such threat to the world and no real story line to speak of. But Gage Mitchell, despite the terrible writing, had somehow risen above and managed to shine against the backdrop of special effects and cars blowing up. There was no doubt, he was the real thing. And it wasn’t just his six-pack abs that were a hit with fans. He’d proved he had the skills to make it. “I saw it,” she said. “It was…good.”
“It was terrible,” Lois said. “But Gage was great. And he’s also one of the agency’s biggest clients right now.” She rolled her eyes.
“That’s a good thing…” Megan struggled to make the connection with what Lois was saying and what she’d need her for.
“It would be if he wasn’t such a huge party boy and a total train wreck right now.”
“That’s pretty normal,” she said with a shrug. “What’s the problem?”
“The problem?” Lois slapped both her hands against the desk and leaned forward so she was practically in Megan’s personal space. “The problem is that he’s one of the Grace Agency’s most important clients right now and his party boy ways are go
ing to get him fired from the biggest job of his career if he’s not careful.”
Megan shook her head. “I don’t follow.”
“Megan, are you not paying any attention at all to our industry?”
Ouch. That was a hit that hurt and Lois would have known it. Megan’s clients were primarily musicians and literary wonders. A completely different species, if you were to ask anyone in the agency. Movie stars were not her specialty. They required a completely different skill set. One that typically involved running interference and handling damage control.
Without giving Megan a chance to respond, Lois said, “Gage has been given the starring role in Tumbleweed. It’s a new Western series set to premiere in less than a month. It has the top producers, directors, and a supporting cast any show would kill for. The writers are top-notch and there is nothing standing in the way of it becoming a huge hit. Except, of course, for the stars themselves.”
“I don’t get it, Lois.” Megan reclined in her seat. “I mean, he’s just doing what he always does. Why should it matter so much?”
“Because, Megan,” she said her name with a malice Megan had never heard. “Tumbleweed is being billed as a wholesome, all-American show, with heroes kids can relate to, look up to. Something for people to believe in. And if Gage Mitchell insists on keeping up with the party boy image, he’ll be in breach of contract.”
“That doesn’t even—“
“The first season just wrapped, but the producers have already said they’d kill off his character in the premiere and find themselves a new hero if he doesn’t pull it together and fast.”
Megan sat back and watched Lois, afraid to ask the next question. “I don’t understand what this has to do with me,” she said after a moment.
“You’re going to be the one to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid between now and the premiere,” Lois said. “I figure if he can keep his nose out of trouble until the premiere, America will fall in love with his character, Wyatt Dean, and the producers won’t be able to afford to kill him off.”
“Okay,” she said slowly. “I still don’t understand what this has to do with me.”
“You,” Lois pointed a red nail at her, “are going to be the one to make sure he stays out of trouble.”
Megan almost laughed, the idea was so funny. “I don’t do television stars, Lois.”
“You do now.”
“But—“
“You’ll find your flight information on your desk when you get back.”
Megan’s head spun. “Flight information? But, where—“
“Canada. The mountains, to be exact,” Lois said. She turned to some papers on her desk and started flipping through them. “Tumbleweed films in Alberta. It’s above Montana.”
“I know where Alberta is.”
Lois looked up sharply. “Well then,” she said. “You’ll be familiar with the Rockies, then.”
“Of course.” Megan didn’t like where the conversation was going, or the tone Lois had taken.
“Good. Because I’ve booked Gage into the Castle Mountain Lodge,” Lois said. “He shouldn’t be able to get into too much trouble there and the press won’t know where to look for him.”
Megan shook her head slowly. “I’m not going—“
“You leave in four hours,” Lois said. She stood abruptly and pushed her chair back. “Unless you refuse to honor your commitment, of course.”
Megan knew what Lois was fishing for. “My commitment to this agency has never wavered, Lois.” Megan stood and faced the other woman.
Lois grinned and the look in her eyes made Megan sit again.
It was just a moment, but one long enough for Megan to realize exactly where she stood, before Lois said, “Then I trust you’ll enjoy your time in Canada.”
His dark aviator glasses couldn’t cover the bags under Gage Mitchell’s eyes when his driver pulled up at the front doors of Castle Mountain Lodge, but he put them on anyway.
It was better than nothing, and he knew enough even in his hung over state, that his manager, Lucas Stevens, would string him up if he walked into such a classy place looking like he’d partied for three days straight. Even if it was exactly what he’d done.
The door to the car opened and Gage instinctively covered his eyes with his arm. Whatever time it was, it was too early if the sun was still so high in the sky. And not for the first time, a wave of regret washed over him. The pounding head and churning stomach when he woke up wasn’t worth it anymore. Not that it ever had been.
When his eyes adjusted to the bright light, Gage got out of the car and took his time looking around. He’d never been up to the mountains before, which seemed ridiculous, but was true. He grew up in a small farming town in the middle of Indiana and all he’d known in his twenty-six years was corn fields.
That was, until that moment when a talent scout found him sitting on his tailgate, eating a burger. After that, things had happened so fast he’d barely had a moment to breathe, let alone look around.
The mountains loomed over him, making Gage dizzy when he tipped his head back and stared. He spun slowly in a circle, taking it all in. Breathing in the fresh air, he filled his lungs. It had been too long since he was out of a big city, away from the buildings, the noise, and the smog. Even filming Tumbleweed, just outside of Calgary, wasn’t really getting away. Not once you added in all the set pieces, trailers, and equipment.
“Mr. Mitchell?” A voice interrupted his private assessment of his surroundings.
Gage brought his head down, aware of how ridiculous he must look, gaping at the mountains like a child. He cleared his throat and looked at the woman who’d spoken to him. She had dark hair and beautiful green eyes, and while she seemed to be in charge, she clearly looked nervous to be speaking to him. He had that effect on women.
“That’s me,” he said.
“My name is Carmen Kincaid.” She held out her hand and for a split second, Gage considered kissing it, which is something his new persona would do. Instead, he reverted to his upbringing and shook the woman’s hand.
“I assume you're my new babysitter?” He couldn’t help the sarcasm that crept into his voice.
The woman's face hardened and she withdrew her hand. "Why you need a babysitter is your own business, Mr. Mitchell. But I am the manager of guest relations here at the Lodge and it's my job to make sure you have everything you need."
Shame flooded through him. "Well, I'm sure you'll do a good job," he said, and instantly regretted his choice of words. He glanced around for the cloud of paparazzi that followed him wherever he went. That little statement said to a beautiful woman would be eaten up by the press. "That's not how I meant it," he added quickly. "I mean, I—"
"It's fine, Mr. Mitchell." Carmen's face opened in a bright smile. "I know how you meant it. And don't worry," she added. "There aren't any cameras up here. I worked closely with the Grace Agency to be sure no one knew you were coming."
Gage took another look around. Besides the spectacular scenery that was the notable feature, there were no photographers. The endless parade of reporters that hounded him for any shred of scandal or misstep. And hadn't he done a good job fuelling their fire? "It is quiet," Gage said after a moment.
"You'll find the Lodge to be one of the most peaceful places you've ever been to. There will, of course, be other guests who will no doubt recognize you, but with any luck, we can keep the press away. And for the protection of all our guests, we've lowered the gate and added extra security."
"I'm sure everything will be fine," Gage said. He took another look around. Lucas had been looking to keep him out of trouble, and by the looks of the place he'd found for him to hide, there wouldn't be any trouble he could get into. It was perfect.
He flashed Carmen one of his killer smiles and she blushed.
"Why don't I show you your accommodations, Mr. Mitchell?"
He followed Carmen into the main Lodge and tried to maintain his cool, detached demeanor. But it was hard
when all he wanted to do was revert to his country boy roots. The place was amazing and unlike anything he'd ever seen with the rough timber beams along the vaulted ceiling and the oversized river rock fireplace that was the centerpiece of the room.
"What do you think?" Carmen turned and asked.
He hadn't realized he'd stopped walking. He cleared his throat and said, "It should do."
Carmen eyed him strangely, but didn't say anything. "Most of our guests like it," she said.
Dropping the persona he'd worked so hard to create, he smiled an honest smile and said, "It really is beautiful. I've never seen anything quite like it."
She smiled, obviously satisfied. "Well, let's get you checked in and you can explore everything Castle Mountain has to offer. I think you'll like it."
Gage smiled and for the first time in longer than he could remember, it was his own, honest smile. "I think you're right," he said.
He followed her to the front desk and quickly scrawled his signature. Lucas and his PR agency had taken care of most of the registration details. No doubt trying to make his exile as painless as possible. If only they knew the truth. The moment they told him about it, and after he got over the initial shock of being told what to do, he'd been looking forward to it.
"And I think that's all we need," Carmen said, when he slid the paper across the desk to her. "If you'd like, I can show you to your suite. We were told there'd be one other person joining you."
Gage tried not to roll his eyes. "That would be my latest PR rep."