Senior Year Box Set

What frustrated me, once we were done, was that Paul didn’t even seem apologetic for trying to dupe us.

Once we got outside, I turned to Rita.

“Thank you,” I said sincerely. “There’s no way I could have done that without your help. I don’t say it often enough, but I do appreciate all the time you’ve spent working with me. I hope we can continue in the future.”

“Don’t worry; I plan on it.”

I started to walk away but stopped myself.

“Did I really work for free?” I asked.

She laughed.

“No. I had it written into the contract with the studio that you would defer your pay until the movie opened. It’s set up so that you get paid first, and your portion is guaranteed. I did that so we could get Paul’s studio to take us on. They wanted someone like you to put on the marquee to help sell the movie, but we needed to do it on the cheap,” she explained.

I felt better about that and thanked her again.

As I got into the car, I realized Rita had known I would take the role of the best friend before I was even asked. Adults were evil. At least it had all worked out this time.

◊◊◊

I convinced Lexi and Chuck to go surfing for the rest of the afternoon. The rush I got from catching and riding a good wave was exhilarating and relaxing at the same time. I needed more afternoons like this.

◊◊◊

Chapter 22 – Poker? I Hardly Know Her! Saturday April 15

This morning I would meet with Jeremy Pike, the clairvoyant who’d told me I had five kids even before I knew it. He’d contacted my people and said he wanted the meeting. I liked him personally, so I was looking forward to it.

“So, what are you going to ask him? What will you be when you grow up? Oh, I know. Is there love in your future?” Lexi teased as we pulled up.

“You should ask if you’ll get a new PA,” Chuck suggested.

“You mean, one that doesn’t harass me first thing in the morning?”

“Exactly.”

“You two are dorks. This should be fun,” Lexi predicted.

“You realize you don’t get to come in with me, don’t you?” I asked Lexi.

“Please,” she begged. “I’ve never been to one before.”

If my niece couldn’t get me to buy her a horse, Lexi didn’t have a shot at going in there with me. She must have seen I wasn’t going to budge, so she tried a different tack.

“I’ll make it worth your while,” she purred.

“Chuck, cover your ears,” I quipped and then raised my eyebrows at Lexi.

“I know what makes David a happy boy.”

I shrugged and opened the front door. We both recognized that I knew what made Lexi a happy girl, so her suggestion didn’t carry much weight with me. Besides, if I was just looking for a good time, I could count on Halle to show it to me. Then again, Lexi was fun to play with.

“How about I get a session, and you can come in for it?” Chuck offered.

Lexi dismissed Chuck with a look and turned her pleading eyes on me. I suspected she’d seen my drowned-puppy-dog expression and had practiced it since the last time I’d seen her. If I hadn’t seen Lexi cry at the drop of a hat to get her way, that might have swayed me.

I gave her high marks for the little quiver of her bottom lip. I decided I would have to steal that move.

“Okay, you can come in if Jeremy allows it,” I caved.

What a guy wouldn’t do to be a ‘happy boy.’ In my head, I heard Tami calling me a ‘stupid boy’ for thinking with Mr. Happy’s brain and not my own.

◊◊◊

Jeremy and I had met when I was on a press junket for Star Academy. He’d been there to promote his reality TV show where he did readings for celebrities. That was a long way from his upbringing. Jeremy had grown up in a small town, and his parents were extremely religious. It had been tough for him because they didn’t understand their son was different.

Jeremy hadn’t ‘come out,’ so to speak, until he was in college. He had told me he could talk to the departed and had a sense for what would happen to someone.

In the brief time I’d spent with him, I’d come to I like Jeremy. He was probably eight to ten years my senior, but I was used to everyone in ‘the business’ being older than me. What made Jeremy likable was his outgoing personality; it also didn’t hurt that he had the looks for TV. I’d heard his show had only aired for one season, so I was interested in finding out what he was doing now.

When we walked in, the door chimed. Jeremy came out from the back to greet us.

“David, I’m so glad you agreed to stop by. I was worried about you, then I heard you’d been shot. I was afraid I was too late to warn you,” Jeremy said in a rush.

“Getting shot sucked,” I admitted. “Did you still want to see me?”

“Of course. You have a lot going on,” Jeremy said as he ushered me to the back room.

I’m not sure what I expected, but he had it set up as an informal seating area with a leather couch and a couple of comfortable chairs.

Lexi followed me in, which gave Jeremy pause.