Great. Another scar. She hadn’t even thought of that. Three months ago she had one small scar at her hairline from chicken pox that no one ever noticed, and now she had two bullet scars and a shrapnel scar.
You’re lucky to be alive. Her conscience was good at keeping her abreast of the important things in life.
“Yes,” Ari agreed. “It is fast, but Henri’s schedule changed again and if I do the film now I can have him.” Henri, his director of photography.
“Three weeks sounds good. I’ll be ready,” Julie said.
“Brava!” Ari sounded thoroughly pleased. “It will be so good to work with you. I cannot wait.”
As long as he knew she planned only on working with him and not sleeping with him. “I’m looking forward to it, Ari. I have to go, but I’ll talk to you soon.” Julie disconnected and looked at her mother. “I got the part.” She’d lobbied so hard for this role and now it seemed anticlimactic. Funny how one car bomb could change a girl’s perspective.
“So I heard. Congratulations, honey. I’m happy for you.” But she didn’t sound that happy. Or even look that happy. Julie had inherited most of her mother’s facial expressions so she knew the smile her mother now gave her lacked sincerity.
“As my manager, I’m wondering why—aside from the fact that you nearly got your head blown off by a bomb—you aren’t so happy with this decision of mine to do this movie?”
“It’s not about you, honey. It’s about Ari. I don’t like him. I understand this film is a great role, but there are other great roles and I don’t think you should put yourself in his world for too long at a time...and...”
“And a movie is going to put me near him. Mom, I’m fine. I can handle myself.”
“Three weeks,” Troy said. He almost made the words a question. “You’re giving the police only three weeks to find the man responsible for this? That’s unrealistic.”
“It’s life,” Julie informed him. “What if I take this little vacation and the police never find who did this? Do you think I’m going to stay in hiding my whole life?”
He clenched his jaw but didn’t say anything, which proved her point. She looked at her mom. “I’ll go for two weeks. It’ll give me time to heal and time to work on the part. But I’m coming home to shoot the film. Deal?” She looked at her mother, then Troy, and back to her mother.
“Deal,” Elena said. Her gaze moved to Troy. “Take care of my daughter.”
Troy nodded once. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Oh my God,” someone said behind them.
Everyone turned to see Cal in the doorway, taking in the scene. The officers blocked her path as she tried to step in. Wearing a pair of khaki shorts with matching platform wedges and a white T-shirt, she looked dumbstruck. How much had she heard?
“I don’t believe this,” she whispered.
Chapter Thirteen
Oh shit. A mini-panic hit Julie and her face got hot. She hadn’t had a chance to figure out how to tell Cal about the movie role and this was the last place and time she wanted to do it.
“She’s okay,” Julie told the cops and they let Cal through.
“Are you two all right?” Cal asked, launching into the room. She hugged Elena gently, then did the same to Julie.
“We’re okay. How’d you know we were here?” Julie asked.
“It’s all over the news,” Cal said. “I figured you’d be here since it’s the closest hospital.”
Julie had occupied way too many hospitals the past couple of months. “You guessed right,” she murmured.
“Are you seriously telling me that your car blew up? And you’re not dead? Do you know what kind of a miracle that is?”
“Uh...yeah?” Julie shot back.
“Now, Julie,” her mother scolded. “No need for that tone.”
Cal’s lips quirked up in a half grin. “It’s okay. She’s pissed. She has a right to be.”
“Thank you,” Julie snapped. She scrunched her face up. “Sorry, Cal. I don’t mean to take this out on you. I just really am pissed. You are so right.”
“Hey, I’d be pissed too if someone blew up my car. The important thing is that you and your mom are okay.” She squeezed Elena’s hand. “So what were you saying about a film?”
Julie closed her eyes and searched for her courage. It had possibly blown up with her car. The silence killed her, and she finally sucked it up and faced Cal head on. “Ari called me. I got the part.” Cal stared at