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She doesn’t argue.
“Let’s talk about the house,” I move things along. “You said your father pulled out as much equity as he could to keep the business afloat?”
“That’s correct,” she confirms.
“So once the bank gets what they’re owed, you’ll be splitting whatever’s left with Hillary.”
“I guess so.” Her mood is somber.
“You can’t contest your father’s will,” I remind her.
“Unfortunately,” she says grudgingly. “Everything is a mess, and I have no clue where I’ll live once the house is sold. I guess I could stay with Sydney for a few weeks––”
“A lot of actors and wealthy people use house-sitting companies when they’re out of town for a long stretch of time. Even with the most sophisticated home security service, having someone in the house is a big deterrent to would be burglars. I’ll ask my friend Collin Dennison––”
Jules’s eyes go wide. “You know Collin Dennison?” she practically shouts her question.
“I do. And I know his brother––”
“You know Collin and Shane Dennison?”
“I do,” I repeat.
“How do you know them?” I open my mouth to respond, but she interrupts. “Sorry. That’s too personal. You don’t have to answer,” she rushes out.
I cringe.
I’m sure this has to do to with how I handled things last night.
“It’s not too personal,” I assure her. “I met Collin and Shane through Rod,” I explain. “The Dennison brothers are tight with the guys from Random Misconception.”
Shane is a renowned fitness guru and chef extraordinaire. Collin transitioned from actor to superstar fitness model. According to him, it’s way more rewarding and far more lucrative than being a C-List, if not a D-List actor. Once a household name as a successful teen actor, Collin’s star has been fading as he became an adult, relinquishing him to a status he hates—the easy-to-remember, but hard-to-name character actor. This is the kiss of death in Hollywood. When he did get roles, he was too often typecast.
“Wow, you know people in high places,” Jules says.
“It’s an occupational hazard,” I wink. “Going back to what I was saying,” I veer the conversation back on track, “Collin and Shane travel on location to shoot their annual calendar of hot men.” The Dennison brothers sell an obscene number of them every single year. “When they’re away from LA, they go through an agency to find a house-sitter. In LA, it’s as common as burger joints. You’ll have to store your belongings, but by becoming a house-sitter, you’ll have a multimillion-dollar roof over your head, located in one of the best ZIP codes in the city.”
“This is far beyond what I could’ve ever expected,” she places a hand over her heart. “I was drowning and you’re my life jacket.”
I grab her by the neck, lacing my hands through her long, blonde, silky hair. “I’m committed to seeing you through this, Jules,” I affirm.
“Thank you, Levi,” she murmurs.
The temptation to kiss her is overwhelming, but I pull away. “It varies, but if you’re able to find a six-month housesitting contract, you’ll have time to breathe.”
“Something I forget to do these days.”
“Let’s remedy that,” I suggest.
“I like the sound of that,” she offers a warm smile. “In many ways, this works well because I don’t have much to my name. Just the things in my bedroom. Hillary used most of the money she received from Dad’s insurance to update all the furniture in the house.” She sucks in a deep breath. “She was tired of living with my mother’s memory looming over her head. She invested the rest in her daughters to transform them into Hollywood star material.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I wish I was.” Her words drip with disdain.
“Some people are real assholes. I guess I should say, Twatts.”
“Your timing was impeccable.”
