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“Did Walton give you a hard time?” I ask him, lowering my voice so only he can hear.
“No. I think he was… surprised that I came up with the money so quickly. He might have mentioned something about doing business in the future.”
“Don’t fucking do it,” I warn. “You need money, you come to me. No questions asked, and I won’t even threaten to break your kneecaps when you can’t pay me back.”
Charlie swallows. “Thanks, Stride. I don’t know why I agreed in the first place.”
“Walton’s charming when he wants to be. He’ll catch you in a moment of weakness and have you sign your soul away before you even know what’s happened.” I pat Charlie on the back. “Send the dailies off to editing and lock the memory cards up as soon as possible. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Will do, boss man.”
I let the rest of the crew worry about cleanup as I walk back to the office building. After sixteen hours on set with no breaks —because the man in chargenevertakes breaks— all I want is a stiff drink and to throw my feet up. If I can get an hour of peace and quiet while I recharge, I’ll consider myself lucky.
Renee is waiting outside my door when I get there.
Hooray.
“Mr. Stride,” she says with a demure smile. “Fancy running into you here.”
“Did you need something, Ms. Thatch?”
“I needed to speak to you about an anomaly I found in last month’s expense report.” She produces her phone, scrolling through heaps of numbers. “I discovered a charge from Holt Security for almost two thousand dollars, but I don’t have them on file as a previous payable. Can you tell me if this was indeed a business expense?”
I groan. “That was my mistake, sorry. They’re the private security company that monitors my home. I must have accidentally charged their services to the business card. Forward the charge to my personal account and I’ll have it squared away.”
Renee arches a brow. “For your home?”
“Just a couple of issues with the exterior cameras. It’s been handled.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Lots of crazies roaming out there.”
“Anything else, Ms. Thatch? I have some things to take care of.”
“Actually…” She puts her phone away and takes a deep breath. Renee picks at her fingernails, shifting her weight uncomfortably from foot to foot. She’s normally not this squirmy. “Hunter… I was wondering if you were maybe free for din—”
“Hunter!” a woman’s voice blasts from down the hall.
I turn to see none other than my film’s leading lady skipping across the tiles. Annabeth has changed out of her day’s costume, her hair thrown back casually, and her makeup removed. Even without makeup, she’s a stunning woman with high cheekbones, full lips, and twinkling eyes.
I can see where Eden gets her good looks from.
Ah, I miss Eden.
“Annabeth,” I greet curtly. “It seems everyone wants a piece of me tonight. What were you saying, Ms. Thatch?”
Renee shakes her head, smiling stiffly. “No, never mind. It wasn’t important. Have a good night, Mr. Stride.”
Annabeth hooks her arm around mine, smiling. “I want to talk to you about tomorrow’s scene. The sides just came in, but I have a ton of questions.”
“It’s a straightforward scene, Annabeth. Literally you talking to a cashier.”
“But, like, what’s my motivation?”
I sigh. “To buy groceries.”
Annabeth giggles, practically dragging me into my office. Obviously, it’d take no strength at all to put a stop to her shenanigans, but sometimes it’s easier to go along with the current than fight against the stream.
She explores my office and ends up hovering near Eden’s desk.
