AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gabriel seemed a bit starstruck as he shook Harper’s hand and mumbled his name. Then I asked, “Is it a cat? The pet you need a sitter for, I mean. Will always brings his to work and keeps her in his trailer. If you bring yours along next time the sitter bails on you, maybe his fiancé could watch both of them.”
“Actually, it’s a chicken, and she doesn’t play well with others.” I tried to decide if he was kidding, but Harper seemed perfectly serious. He ran a hand over his short, dark blond hair and said, “Man, am I dreading another of Lang’s lectures. I know I’ve been screwing up a lot, but I really don’t mean to.”
“Don’t you have a personal assistant to help with stuff like hiring pet sitters?”
“Not at the moment.”
“You know what you need to do? Hire Phoenix Jaymes,” I said. “I know he worked for you in the past, so I don’t have to tell you how great he is.”
Harper frowned and said, “He was the best P.A. I ever had, but he hates my guts.”
“He’s a professional though, so I bet he can put aside any past misunderstandings and get the job done. My suggestion is to throw money at him until he agrees to work for you again. He’s available beginning a week from today.”
“I guess it doesn’t hurt to ask, and God knows I need his help.” Harper looked around again and said, “I can’t face Lang yet, so I’m going to go to wardrobe. Please tell Gina I’ll be with her in about ten minutes, or longer if Lang intercepts me on the way back here.”
I promised I would, and once he was gone Gabriel asked, “Why would you try to get your friend a job with someone he hates?”
“Because I’m not entirely convinced Phoenix hates him. He was furious because Harper dated his identical twin brother Dallas for a while. Doesn’t that sound like jealousy? If so, maybe it means he secretly has a crush on Harper.”
“Or maybe he just hates him.”
I shrugged and said, “Then he’ll say no to the job offer. It won’t hurt for Harper to ask.”
“True. Also, why didn’t I know Harper Royce is gay?”
“He’s actually bi, but he tends to be more public with the women he dates.” I got up and said, “Come on, let’s go tell Gina and Will that Harper has arrived. Then you and I can find a ringside seat for when Gage Lang finally corners him.”
“I actually feel bad for Harper. He seems like a nice guy.”
“He is, but the lectures are kind of funny. I keep picturing Lang in his action star days when he played a modern-day Zeus in that superhero film, and Harper in his most famous movie role as Robin Hood. How often do you get to watch Zeus tear Robin Hood a new one?”
The morning went exactly as predicted. After Lang cornered Harper and delivered a dad-worthy ‘time is money’ lecture, everyone moved over to the house. Gabriel and I watched Will and Harper recite the same lines through almost two dozen takes. Then on our lunch break, we visited the taco truck that had strategically parked near the set and attracted half the crew.
The three actors playing Liam’s parents and sister arrived on set at one, along with a publicist, a photographer, and a huge entourage. Everyone was buzzing with excitement because Melinda Howard, who played Liam’s mom, was Hollywood royalty with a lengthy movie career and a ton of awards. I wondered how they’d convinced her to take such a small part, until I learned she and Gage Lang were friends. He’d obviously called in a favor.
Ms. Howard turned out to be kind and generous. She signed autographs and posed for photos with the crew, and it totally made Gabriel’s day when she let us take a picture with her. That excitement carried us through the afternoon, as we watched the dinner scene being filmed and I divided my time between touching up Will’s makeup and assisting Gina.
At the end of the day, we joined Phoenix in Will’s trailer. As we sat on the couch, the cat climbed onto my lap and Gabriel leaned in and kissed me. “I’m glad I came along today,” Gabriel said. “Everyone was so nice, and I loved getting to watch you work.”
“It meant a lot to me that you were here.” Phoenix was sitting at the table with his laptop, and when he shut it I asked him, “Did you make any progress on your job hunt?”
My friend sighed and adjusted his blue baseball cap. “Harper actually asked me to come back to work for him, but I’m not that desperate.”
“He really needs your help though,” I said. “The guy’s barely holding it together. Wouldn’t it be satisfying to get him organized and on a schedule?”
