“We’re four months out from filming. I talked to Jessup Fields and Kitty Ellis to get some ideas on how to work with you. They tell me that you take to coaching well.”
“I think that’s due to his sports background,” Kent said.
“Our goal is to have you do as many of your stunts as possible, keeping safety in mind. The one I’m most worried about is the opening sequence, or what we’re calling the ‘million-dollar shot.’ They’ve convinced me to save it for the last week that you’re with us in case …” he said as he trailed off.
“… he dies, gets maimed, breaks something,” Kent finished.
“We would completely understand if you decided not to do it,” Mark hurried to assure me.
“Can you share what you plan?” I asked.
Chubby got excited and ran me through the scene. I was sitting on the edge of my seat, bouncing up and down with him when he finished. What I loved most about the James Bond movies were the extended action sequences. Many a movie franchise had tried to duplicate what they did, but they were the best. When he was done, I turned to Kent and Lexi.
“You tell my mom, and you’re both fired.”
Lexi looked at Kent.
“I think he’s decided to do it.”
She made both Chubby and Mark’s day.
◊◊◊
I let Manaia leave after we got home. It was just Lexi and me.
“We can either eat leftovers or order delivery. Which do you want?” she asked.
“You decide.”
“How about Chinese?”
“I want something unusual and spicy,” I suggested.
“I know what to get. Leave it to me,” Lexi said.
“Hey, quick question. Do you want that box of booze and wine?”
“Yes, please,” she said and ran off to my bedroom to get it before I changed my mind.
She came out struggling with the box. I hadn’t guessed there was that much. I took it from her and followed her out to her car, where I placed it in her trunk.
When we came back in, I changed into shorts and a t-shirt while Lexi called in our order. I ambled to the media room and watched some college basketball. It was hard to get used to the East Coast late games starting at 5:00. I found an ACC battle between Duke and Louisville.
Settling back, I zoned out and was on the verge of a good nap when Lexi came in and held out her hand. I found my money clip and handed it to her. She came back in with a couple of bags of Chinese food. She knew me too well. Lexi handed over a box of potstickers to get me started. She’d gone for crab Rangoon. I’d devoured my first two potstickers when Lexi asked me a question.
“Are you happy with my work as your PA?”
“Don’t tell Kent or Kendal, but you are by far the best PA I’ve ever had. I seriously don’t know how you could do better. You have gotten to know me and my quirks. You anticipate what I need before I even realize I need it. Except for the little misunderstanding we had concerning Brook, you’ve exceeded all my expectations,” I said.
“Does that mean you want me to work for you again come summer and next fall?”
“If you want to, I would love to have you,” I assured her.
Lexi smiled and nodded. I hadn’t considered that she might not join me. I was relieved when she confirmed she would travel with me when I made the movies.
After the appetizers, she handed me two boxes. Inside of my first one was a steamed salmon filet in a spicy black bean sauce. The other container had sesame and peanut noodles in it. It amazed me that she’d picked the Chinese peanut and noodles dish that was one of my favorites when I was young. Lexi had hit it out of the park with the salmon. Never would I have thought of ordering that as carryout. She’d ordered an eggplant and tofu dish in spicy garlic sauce for herself. Of course, I made her share.
Once we finished eating, she cleaned everything up and left me to watch my game.
◊◊◊
When halftime came, Lexi walked in, grabbed the remote, and turned off the TV. The first thing I noticed was that she was wearing one of my dress shirts, stockings, and high heels. The old bird dog, Mr. Happy, took an immediate interest. Meanwhile, the big brain had klaxons going off that this was trouble. Before I could figure out who had control of the body, Lexi straddled my legs and sat on my lap, facing me.
I started to say something, but she touched my lips to shush me.
“Before you say anything, let me say my piece.”
I just swallowed in response. A one-night stand wasn’t what I needed. Plus, I knew that there wasn’t enough liquor in the house to ease my frayed nerves. This was a bad idea. Having sex couldn’t cure my woes. Brook had just told me she was moving to Cincinnati. Even though I knew we’d broken up, this felt like cheating.
“I want to add to my duties as your PA. I want to offer you no-strings hookups,” she said, and she saw my eyebrows go up in shock. “Before you reject it out of hand, let me explain.”
I blinked at her. Somehow, I’d lost the power of speech.
