“Don’t be stubborn.” He still held it out to me. “It’ll give me peace of mind.”
“No…” I pushed it back.
“I’m not taking no for an answer. You don’t have to use it. Just hold onto it. You never know when you might need it.”
I felt the guilt rise up just thinking about it. I appreciated the offer, but I could take care of myself. I never needed a man to take care of me, especially family.
“You’re going to miss your flight,” he threatened. He still held it out.
I shoved it into my wallet. “Fine.”
“Thank you. Seriously.”
My friends stepped back and gave us some privacy. I was glad Gavin moved out of the way. My brother was patient, but not extremely so.
“I love you, Pru.”
He hardly ever said that. In fact, he only said it one other time. And it was a day I’ll never forget. “I love you too, Jer.”
He hugged me again. “Let me know if Gavin bothers you.”
“He’s just friendly—not a threat.”
He rolled his eyes as he pulled away. “Have a good time. You’re going to make it big, Pru. There isn’t a doubt in my mind.”
I found that hard to believe. I’d been in this band forever, touring and trying to get recognition. I practiced my instruments three hours a day, every day. It still got me nowhere. To be honest, I was a little resentful about it. But I was overjoyed by my brother’s confidence in me. “Thank you.”
“Now go break a leg. And the best of British.”
“Best of British to you too.”
He smiled then stepped away. His hands moved into his pockets and he waited for me to turn around. After I reassured him with a grin, I joined my friends by the gate. Gavin was still holding my purse, waiting for me to come beside him.
“It’ll be all right.” He patted my back gently.
“It was hard leaving my family too,” Desi said. “But it’s only three months.”
“Yeah—only three months.”
Chapter Two
Cash Matthews
“That’s a wrap.” The stage manager cut the scene and the crew dissipated. The noise level increased as everyone congratulated each other. The rehearsal was over and they were prepared for the live show. I sat in the middle row and watched them work like ants.
“What did you think?” Ted asked as he sat beside me. He adjusted his baseball cap then flattened it on his head. He wore it even when they were inside.
“I think the joke about North Korea was distasteful. We should change it.”
“To what, exactly?”
I rubbed my chin while my head filled with ideas. “Cut the images of the concentration camps. This is supposed to make people laugh, not make them depressed.”
Ted nodded. “I’ll tell the writers.”
“And we’re overkilling the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. I feel like that’s old news.”
He made notes on his clipboard. “Anything else, Cash?”
“Other than that, it’s perfect.” I gave him a thumbs-up.
“Thank you, sir.”
As the executive producer of the show, I had the most input when it came to the final product. It was my money they were using, after all. I could hire and fire anyone I wanted. Hell, if I didn’t want Jay Leno to host my show anymore, I could just replace him. And I was thinking about it…
Ted rose from the chair. “We’re breaking for lunch at the food trucks. Coming?”
“Yeah. I’m starving.”
The crew and I left the studio and crossed the street to Lankershim Boulevard. Food trucks stopped every day, so the choices were always different. We ordered our grub then sat on the grass. Julia, one of the writers of the show, sat next to me. She had a particularly short skirt on, which wasn’t normal for her. And she kept glancing my way. I ignored her and ate my pad thai.
“Any plans tonight?” she asked.
“None.” I used my chopsticks to place a ball of rice into my mouth. The stickiness and lightly buttered taste was to my liking. The sun was bright, so I pulled my sunglasses over my eyes.
“Ted told me you didn’t care for the North Korea joke.” She picked at her fruit cup and didn’t look at me.
“It wasn’t as funny as I thought it would be.”
“Why didn’t you say something at the table read?”
I knew she was angry by the tone of her voice. Of all the writers, she was the most sensitive. Things were considered then scrapped on a daily basis, but she always took it personally.
“I didn’t realize how it would sound until I actually heard it.” I kept my tone professional. I was annoyed with her attitude but didn’t want to embarrass her in front of the rest of the crew.
She shook her head slightly then concentrated on her food.
I was glad the conversation was over.
Parker joined us a second later. He worked on a different lot so I didn’t see him much, but he was a good friend. “Lacy wants to head to Loaded tomorrow night. A good indie band is playing and she wants to see them. You down?”
I didn’t have any plans. “Yeah.”
“And she’s bringing a friend—just so you know.”
That got under my skin. “Then count me out.”
“Dude, I’ve seen her—she’s fine.”
“Doesn’t matter. I don’t do blind dates.”
“Do you do dates at all?” Julia snapped.
I eyed her angrily. Like the coward she was, she looked down at her food. I knew Julia had a thing for me. She was clearly upset that I never asked her out. Which explains why she took my rejection of her joke so seriously. “I’m not interested, Parker. But thanks.”
“It’ll be fun.”
“Drop it.” I left the ground and tossed my garbage into a can. My personal life was private, something I kept to myself. And I definitely didn’t do blind dates—no exceptions.
Chapter Three
Prudence Clearwater
When I reached my seat, Gavin plopped down next to me. “Here’s your bag.” He placed it under the seat.
“Thanks…” I waited for him to leave.
“I’m excited to see LA. And we have so many gigs lined up.”
“Yeah…” I watched Desi come down the aisle.