sweetie. And for the record, I’m not trying to get rid of you, but I do have my own life to live as well. I swear I’ll make the adjustments the doctors suggested and work on taking better care of myself so you don’t have to worry. You’re welcome to stay for as long as you want, but you have to stop treating me like I’m going to keel over at any second.”
I pulled back and chuckled. I slapped him on his shoulder lightly. “I get it. I’m cramping your style.” I batted my eyelashes up at him playfully. “Does that mean you’re finally getting out and meeting new people? Dare I ask if you’ve started to date?” I thought the day would never come.
He snorted and rolled his eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He sounded gruff, but I thought I detected a hint of red creeping up his neck.
Interesting.
I was going to dig deeper when my phone rang. Seeing Lennon’s number on the screen, I excused myself and took the call. I walked through the kitchen and out to the backyard, which my dad had turned into a desert oasis. Shielding my eyes from the sun, I answered, “What’s up?”
I hadn’t planned on forgiving her as quickly as I did, but when she showed up right before my father’s surgery and stayed with me until he was awake and talking, I knew I couldn’t fire her, no matter how pissed off I was at her.
“Your flight is at four tomorrow afternoon. Arrow will pick you up at the airport. Do you need anything for your pops before you head home?” I could hear traffic in the background, and her voice was cutting in and out.
“He seems good. As long as he doesn’t run off all the different specialists I hired to help him, I think he’ll bounce back in no time.” I lifted my eyebrows, even though she couldn’t see me. “He’s joined the ‘get-Maren-to-forgive-Salinger’ bandwagon. Apparently, he thinks I should reconsider working with him as well.” I scoffed.
“That ship has sailed, beautiful. I just heard today that Salinger’s people signed Piper Damon to play the lead. Apparently, they have to fend off investors left and right now that they’ve got her name attached.”
I paused as a ball of unease slipped into my gut. My fingers curled tightly around the phone, and my face twisted into a scowl before I could control it. “Isn’t Piper like twenty-one or twenty-two? The character in the script is in her thirties.”
I could imagine Lennon’s shrug. “Who cares? They can do magic with makeup and special effects these days. Word on the street is she’s using the role to shake her Disney Princess image. Have to say, she and Salinger will definitely look good together on the screen.”
I huffed out an annoyed breath, not sure why I was feeling so irritated. “He’s not going to pop up on my flight home, is he?”
She laughed in my ear, still showing no remorse for her sneak attack. “No. I promised you I wouldn’t say anything else about Salinger or the project. I know I crossed the line, and I won’t do it again. Call me if anything comes up that you need me to handle with your flight. I’m in meetings all day tomorrow, so you might have to go through Ava until I’m free.” Ava was Lennon’s much-beleaguered assistant and a true saint. I had no idea how she kept up with Lennon day in and day out.
“I’m an adult. If anything pops up, I’ll handle it. Talk to you soon.” We said goodbye, and I threw myself onto one of the lounge chairs near the pool. I pushed my hair out of my face and sighed while looking up at the sky.
I was immensely bothered that Salinger found someone else to fill the role he specifically wrote for me. I knew business had to go on, and that his new venture couldn’t grind to halt because I said no, but still, I was more unsettled than I should be about the situation.
Coming and going, that guy got under my skin. Or maybe, he’d always been there under the surface, and I’d never managed to dig him out. Which was why I was still so cold and hostile toward him whenever our lives intersected. He was always there, irritating, annoying, constantly poking at the tender places I liked to keep hidden.