Vickie? I haven’t spoken to her in weeks, plus, I don’t think she’d have any useful advice. Audrey’s off in Paris and unless there’s some emergency with the house, I don’t want to bother her.
Really, there’s only one person I want to talk to about this. Unfortunately, he’s halfway across the country.
Feeling sorry for myself, I stop at the grocery store for a few items. As I’m standing in the check-out line, a copy of Star Reports with a rather unflattering photo of Chaser and me on the cover catches my eye. I flip it open to the “inside scoop” about the torrid “love triangle” I supposedly have going on with Chaser and Andrew. The photo of the three of us from the night of the Small Screen Music Awards, ripped in half with a bloody gun in the middle caps it all off nicely.
“For God’s sake,” I mutter, reading the completely fabricated bullshit. A lone photo of a forlorn Pamela tucked in the corner has me rolling my eyes.
“Do you think she forced Andrew to say Chaser didn’t do it?” someone asks.
I glance up, frowning at the stranger. “Chaser didn’t do it,” I snap, tossing the magazine on top of the rack.
The woman’s eyes widen with recognition and she slowly backs away.
As if anyone could force Andrew to do a damn thing.
Still furious when I finally arrive home, I unpack the groceries quickly. A copy of tomorrow’s script is waiting for me in the mailbox and that gives me some comfort. I sit at the dining room table and flip through it, highlighting a few key lines and jotting down notes in the margins.
Around nine, the phone rings pulling me out of my reading. My stomach rumbles. I never ate dinner.
“Hello?”
“You get home, okay?” Chaser’s voice warms the emptiness that settled in me the second I left him.
“Yup, I was just going through the script for tomorrow.”
“This might be the only chance I’ll have to call for a few hours.”
“What’s going on?”
“Andrew checked himself out of the hospital. He’s determined not to cancel another show, so we’re rolling out tonight and headed to Lafayette.”
“Oh my God. Is he okay?”
He takes a few seconds to answer. “He’s settled down since you saw him. Almost subdued. It’s kinda weird, honestly.”
“Don’t get used to it. I’m sure it won’t last.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“What about Jacob? Was he able to leave?”
“Paxton said unless they want to charge Jacob with something, it’s on them to come find him. Not like they can’t figure out where we are.”
I bite my lip. “I don’t want you in any more trouble.”
“I’m fine. Free to go.” He lowers his voice. “What’s going on with you? Did you meet with Marilyn?”
“I did.”
“And?”
“I need your advice.”
His rich laughter soothes my inner turmoil. “I’ll do my best, little dove.”
“She wants me to star in an exercise video.” As the words come out of my mouth, I cringe. It sounds so silly.
“Like Raquel Welch?” he asks.
“That’s one of the examples she gave me.” I squint at the wall. “You came up with her name awfully fast. Why do you even know that?”
He chuckles. “Obviously, you were never a teenage boy.”
“Gross,” I mutter. “Oh! Eww. What if I end up being spank material for horny teenage boys across the country?”
He laughs even harder. “I think you’ve already achieved that status, ‘Candy Jar’ girl.”
“It’s not funny.”
His laughter cuts off. “Did she say why?”
“To capitalize off the Video Vixen award. She says it could be another lucrative revenue stream if it does well.”
“They want you specifically? This isn’t an audition situation?”
“No, they want me.”
“That’s interesting.” A soft humming sound comes through the phone and I have a vivid image of Chaser running his hand over his jaw while he thinks through the situation. “It’s not a bad idea to have another asset out there making money for you. Are they offering you a one-time fee or royalties?”
That’s something I hadn’t thought of asking. “I’m not sure. Chaser, the bigger problem is, I don’t know anything about choreographed sweating in front of a camera. I’ve been to like two step-aerobics classes in my life and all I learned is that I’m painfully uncoordinated.”
He lets out a groan. “I bet you look hot in a leotard.”
“Not the point.”
“Mallory, you can do anything you set your mind to. I believe that with all my heart.”
“Thank you.”
“I don’t think it hurts to find out more. Meet with the production company.”
“I’ll have to take dance or choreography lessons.”