Senior Year Box Set

“Hence, people like your parents and Chubby getting tickets,” I said doubtfully.

That made her laugh.

“My parents would probably object, but I see your point. So, what did you need me to do?” Lexi asked to get us back on track.

“Coordinate the change of plans,” I said and then gave her the details. “Chubby has offered his jet, and he wants someone to talk to his people to tell them where and when to pick us up.

“Also, we need to arrange for everyone to either leave early or stick to the original plans. If we’re lucky, we might be able to cancel our tickets without too much hassle.”

I gave her the contact information for Chubby’s ‘people.’

“Hey,” I said before I hung up, “how’s my stalker doing?”

Lexi groaned.

“I’m beginning to think Kent hates me,” she said, making me laugh.

Kent ran what had been my management company. Actually, I was now part-owner, so it might still be mine, in a way.

“Chloe has become a full-time job,” Lexi ranted. “They finally let her out of the loony bin after she showed up at my condo. Somehow, she avoided being charged for tasing those cops.

“Chloe’s back on set, and I have to watch her almost 24/7. Then her mom showed up, and she’s worse than Chloe is. The woman is a world-class … well, you know.”

Yep, three guesses, and the first two don’t count.

“So, you’re learning a lot with your first management client,” I teased.

“If Kent hadn’t given me a big raise, I would’ve walked by now. I’ll have to say that being your PA is way less stressful.”

“You still plan to continue helping me? Or do I need to find someone else for this summer and fall?” I asked, concerned. I suddenly realized that Lexi might have moved up enough not to be my assistant anymore.

Both Kendal and Caryn had gotten better jobs after starting as my PA. I wouldn’t blame Lexi if she wanted to do the same. I would just have to break in someone new.

“No. I made it clear to Kent that I want to go with you to shoot your movies. He promised to let someone else babysit Chloe while I’m working for you. I hope when I come back that I don’t get stuck with her again,” Lexi confided.

“Okay, I’ll see you when I come to LA for the MTV event.”

“Speaking of which, do you know a Jeremy Pike?”

“Yeah. He’s that psychic on TV. I met him when I was promoting Star Academy in New York last year,” I remembered.

“He wants you to meet with him when you come back to LA. Should I set it up?”

“Why not? He seemed like a nice guy, and I had fun when he did a reading for me. He told me I had four kids and would shortly have five.

“It kind of freaked me out when all I knew about was Little David and Coby on the way. I still can’t figure out how he knew I had Carol, Dawson, and Allen.”

“Maybe he really is psychic,” Lexi said.

I chuckled.

“Maybe.”

We said our goodbyes. I was relieved that Lexi would be with me this summer and fall. She was someone I could count on. And then on top of that, there was the whole hooking-up benefit. I was sure she would keep me out of trouble.

◊◊◊

My grandmother roped us into helping with another homeowner who’d fallen afoul of the city regarding keeping up their yard. This time, I made sure she had done a little investigating to determine whether they really wanted our help. The first guy had been a piece of work.

She met us at the home. I helped Tim and Wolf unload the city truck they’d picked up. This time, Cassidy wasn’t grumpy, so she joined us.

The person we were helping was a little old lady who had to be pushing ninety. I felt better when she gave us a friendly smile and waved. With that, my grandma left us to our task.

I got elected to use the heavy-duty brush cutter to knock down the worst of the yard.

Wolf had chosen to grab one of the county’s mowers so he wouldn’t damage his. He followed me to chop up the worst of the would-be jungle after I knocked it down. He also mowed the more manageable sections while I slogged through the mini-forest she had growing in her yard.

Tim and Cassidy walked the yard first to pick up any garbage or anything that would damage the mowers. After that, they took care of the trimming and edging duties.

We spent nearly three hours, but once we were done, we’d made a huge difference. It was good to be doing something that would benefit someone who couldn’t do it themselves.

My Grandma Dawson didn’t miss a trick. She’d called the paper again, and they sent someone out to take after pictures. They’d already had a before shot showing how overgrown it had been. They got one with Mayor Duke and his work crew.

Grandma Dawson had made me text her when we got close to finishing. That way, she had time to call the paper and pick up my hound so the good people of our community would see what an excellent mayor he was.

It cracked me up that what had started as a way to stick it to Thomas Fox had morphed into my grandmother acting like my dog was really our mayor. To be honest, the public loved him.