a fist and started to tap her fingers on her thigh. “I assume this setup is why my assistant suddenly bailed on flying to New Mexico with me.” It wasn’t a question, more like an angry accusation.
I dipped my chin in agreement. “She’ll meet you at your dad’s house. Lennon put her on an earlier flight.”
Maren barked out a bitter laugh as she continued to glare at me. “I can’t say I’m surprised Lennon had a hand in this, but I am disappointed. I thought keeping me as a client would mean more to her.”
I sighed and let my boot bounce on my knee to bleed out some of my anxiety. “You mean the world to her. She wants what’s best for you, no matter what. She’s scary as hell, and I wouldn’t put it past her to put bodies in the ground for you if need be.” Lennon was head and shoulders above that creep who’d given her a start in the industry but manipulated her beyond belief.
“No. If she wanted what’s best for me, she would’ve made sure our paths never, ever crossed. I told her that numerous times. You’re bad news, Salinger. Nothing good comes from being around you.”
I put a hand to my chest as her words hit dead center. I knew she was still resentful and bitter about how things had gone down between us, but hearing her say it to my face stung. I wanted to remember her as the only one who cared about me when I was surrounded by hungry vultures. Facing the reality of the damage I’d done when I’d been at the start of all my carelessness was hard for me to swallow.
“That was true in the past. I’ve changed.”
Maren rolled her pretty eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, I know. I’ve seen all the effort the celebrity press has put into trying to get people to buy your redemption story. Anyone who doesn’t know you might believe you’ve been reformed. But anyone who’s been burned by you knows better. You don’t just play with fire, you’re the flames that destroy everything they touch.”
I cleared my throat and pressed on the center of my chest. I felt like I was trying to hold my heart in place. It wanted to fall at her sneakered feet and beg for forgiveness because my words weren’t going to be enough.
“You don’t think people can change?” I asked the question as I realized she didn’t just cross her arms to show she was angry. She was actually holding herself together.
“I know people can change. Usually, it isn’t for the better.” Her words were biting and her expression fierce.
I knew this confrontation wasn’t going to be easy, but I hadn’t planned on her turning to stone in the years we’d been apart. It made me furious at every single person who had forced her to harden over the years.
I dropped my foot and leaned forward, which caused her to push back even farther in the plush seat.
“I didn’t just change. I grew up.” And learned some seriously hard lessons along the way.
She scoffed and gave her head a slight shake. “Oh, really? You call hijacking my flight and conspiring with my agent growing up? You’re still the same spoiled kid who can’t stand to hear ‘no.’ You’re the same brat who has to get your way regardless of who it might hurt and what the consequences might be.” She frowned a little bit in the middle of her rant as if something suddenly occurred to her. “Why are you here, anyway? Does this have something to do with the production company you’re starting? I don’t want anything to do with that nonsense.”
“I’ve been trying to figure out a way to meet with you for months. I wrote a script when I was in rehab. It’s a story I feel like I can’t tell without you. It is a story I don’t trust in someone else’s hands. It’s why I wanted to start my own production company. The first person I sent the script to was your agent. I hoped she could convince you to read it. I wanted you to see just how much I regret the way things ended between us when I was younger. I hoped the story would show you how sorry I am because I know just saying the words to you won’t get me anywhere. I know she tricked you into reading it and meeting with me,