AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cecelia steps inside my office and shuts the door.
When she’s all settled into the chair facing my desk, she pins me with a serious look. One that screamsthis conversation is going to hurt.
“It looks like you’re about to tell me that my puppy just went to live on a farm.” I try joking to relieve the tension. She doesn’t smile in return.
“Cecelia, what is it? You’re freaking me out right now. Did something happen with Mason?”
Oh hell. That has to be it. Maybe his mother stressed him out so much he went on a drinking binge—although I have my phone set to alert me if there are any media mentions about him at all, good or bad.
“In a manner of speaking.”
“Is he all right?” I blurt out, my heart hammering in my chest. Is he in the hospital? On his way back to rehab?
She gives me an odd look.
I deserve it. I’m clearly not asking out of professional concern.
“He’s fine, as far as I know. He’s asked for a change in representation.”
It takes me several seconds to process what she just said. “I’m sorry, what?” I say stupidly. Did Mason actually just ... fire me?
And did he not have the balls to do it himself? Did he use Cecelia to dump me?
“Could you please clarify what you just said?” I ask.
“Mason has requested that he be assigned another publicist.”
I am actually speechless. Everything was fine between us. If anything, at the zombie movie-thon, he was the one who kept trying to get physically closer to me and I was the one who kept scooting away from him and giving him reproving looks ...
And then he met with his mother yesterday ...
What the hell?
“Did he give a reason?” I keep my tone polite and professional.
Cecelia shakes her head, but the concern shining from her eyes tells me that she knows that I crossed the line with Mason, and things got personal between us. She warned me, and I ignored her, and pretty much lied to her or at least misled her. I feel like an absolute idiot.
“This is rather irregular, considering that our charity extravaganza is right around the corner and Mason has had no complaints that I am aware of up until now.” I straighten up and look her right in the eye.
“All I can tell you is that he was very adamant about it. It’s been decided that Amanda’s going to be taking over for now. After that ... well, when the season’s over, I don’t know if we’ll need someone to babysit him anymore. His image seems to have been effectively rehabilitated, and we may be able to just focus on the team as a whole ...”
“Amanda?” I echo stupidly.
She nods.
Amanda.
“Is he on board with this?”
“Yes. He is.”
The hurt and anger churning in my stomach burn like acid. “Cecelia, she deliberately lost the invitations for our charity night. I had to re-order the invitations and call every single person on that list personally. She risked an absolute public relations fiasco for us, and for the team, and I know this may not be the most important thing to you, but she also would have screwed over all of the children and their families.”
She gives me a narrow-eyed look. “That is a very, very serious accusation. What would she say if I asked her about it?”
I meet her gaze unflinchingly. “She’d lie through her teeth.”
“But why is this the first I’m hearing of it? You didn’t say a single word to me about it at the time.” She isn’t wrong and I regret that decision.
