reconsider his offer. I really loved that script, and something happened to my insides when Salinger disclosed he’d been the one to write it. Suddenly, Lennon’s insistence that I should know who was behind the words I couldn’t get out of my mind made a lot of sense. Salinger was on every single page as clear as day. The writing was just as reckless and untamed as he was. The story was just as unpredictable and heartbreaking as he had been.
I silently repeated that I didn’t want a single thing to do with him over and over again until the plane touched down in Santa Fe. As soon as we landed, I sent a text to Lennon letting her know she was fired. I would have to go through a more in-depth process once I got back to California, but I wanted her to know I wasn’t happy. She had crossed a line there and there was no coming back.
I glanced at Salinger, who was staring at me with an unreadable expression on his perfectly sculpted face. Really, why did he get to have a perfect jawline and chiseled cheekbones when he was such a selfish jerk? Those good looks should belong to someone who would go out and do good with them. They were wasted on a guy who couldn’t think beyond himself and was bound to break a million hearts with no remorse.
“I’m sure Lennon or someone on your team arranged for your return to LA. I’d say it was nice to see you again, but it wasn’t. Stay the hell away from me, Salinger.” I nodded to the silent flight attendant who’d made herself scarce when Salinger and I started arguing. I knew the crew wasn’t at fault for the stunt Lennon and Salinger had pulled, but I was still irritated at everyone who’d had a hand in ruining my flight. I shouldered my slouchy weekender and headed toward the door. I was planning on staying with my dad for a few days, so I had another flight chartered for later in the week to go home. I assumed Salinger could just hitch a ride back to LA on the same jet, but he got up and followed me.
“I’m flying home tomorrow. Lennon told me if I couldn’t convince you to sign on today, she would make my life a living hell. She told me if I came back to LA with bad news, it would be bad for both of us. She said she needed time to cool off. I’m staying the night here in Santa Fe, so she has a buffer.” He chuckled like it wasn’t anything unusual to be hiding out from an agent on the warpath. “It’s hard to say who’s more disappointed that you won’t consider working on this project—her or me.”
He had it all wrong. The person who was most disappointed was me. However, my sense of self-preservation was too strong to give in to the temptation of working with him again. No matter how stellar that script was.
I walked across the small tarmac toward the even smaller terminal where my father usually met me when I came to visit. The airport here was tiny and nowhere near the star-studded spectacle like most of the ones in California. When I came home, I barely bothered to hide my identity because no one cared who I was or why I was there. I cast an apprehensive glance over my shoulder at Salinger. He was trailing behind me like a sullen shadow. He’d dropped a pair of mirrored sunglasses over his eyes and was walking with his head down like he was worried about being noticed. I wanted to tell him he didn’t need to be so cautious, but he was undeniably recognizable. My steps faltered when I realized if anyone happened to snap a picture of us together in my hometown, my life would once again blow up when the dust had just settled from the last implosion.
I spun around and slapped a hand on the center of his chest when he was close enough to touch. I tried not to flinch at the contact, but the way his golden eyebrows lifted above the rim of the sunglasses told me I failed miserably.
“Stop following me. Do you have any idea what will happen if a picture of us together leaks anywhere? Stay here for five minutes, then walk into the terminal. You probably won’t be recognized, but just in case, we need