Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Katy
Did you see what that Anika girl was wearing? Eww. I don’t know why he called her over. She looked like a suburban mom or something. Are we sure she’s not? And it was sad the way she dropped that ice cream all over her shirt.
Anika
Did I? Huh. I didn’t notice. No. I didn’t miss the fact that I dripped a little ice cream. But it wasn’t because I got lost in his eyes. I just wasn’t looking. The ice cream was good. Do you know what isn’t? Protein bars. They’re gross and taste like cardboard, but that’s what everyone around here eats. If they eat. Have we considered we’re teaching eating disorders? Throw in a burger every now and then. What? Oh, I guess the date was fine. He’s nice. Yep. That’s all I have to say. Except I’m serious about the burgers.
Chapter Twelve
It’s late when we return to the mansion. Luca’s already on his one-on-one date with Hannah, and I can’t help but be a little relieved that I missed helping her get ready. It’s not nice or fair, but I have to acknowledge that it’s weird getting another woman ready to go on a date with the guy you just had a date with. Even after someone helped me with my makeup while we were on a date with the same dude.
“I’m going to take a shower,” Shelby announces as though anyone cares.
“I’ll start dinner.” Emily sets her bag down. “Is chicken okay with everyone? I saw some chicken breasts in there.”
“I’m sure it’s not okay for the chicken,” one of the vegan girls pipes up. “Have you thought of the chicken?”
“Well, the chicken’s already dead, so I’m thinking he would probably not want to be wasted,” Emily shoots back.
I am not hanging around for that showdown. I’ve got a tray of meatballs I do not want to be forced to defend either physically or morally. I simply want to eat them while I stare out the window and wish I was home, thinking about anything but that man.
“Hey, you’re Anika, right?” A short girl with glasses and a headset on stops me before I climb the stairs.
Ah, the new production assistant. The one who took my place. I’m not going to tell her I tried to get her fired earlier. I didn’t really, but it would have been helpful. “Yes. And you are…”
She stops, surprise in her expression. “I’m the PA assigned to the house.”
I feel for her. I’ve been her. She should know I’m not going to treat her like a servant who should grovel for scraps. “That is a weird name, but one oddly suited for your job.”
She snorts. “Patrick said you were sarcastic. I’m Lily. No one’s asked my name. They usually call me PA. Which is funny because Pat’s middle name is Arthur, so his initials are PA. He’s the one with the oddly suitable name.”
I’m surprised she’s already so comfortable with her new boss. “You’ve gotten to know him very quickly. He wasn’t that friendly with me.”
She shakes her head. “No. I’ve worked with him many times. This is like our tenth shoot together. I’ve known him for years. We were interns together.”
So that’s how they replaced me so quickly. He’d likely been upset he couldn’t hire his friend in the first place. “Has he always been so irritable?”
She shrugs. “Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Or so they tell me. He’s always been a wee bit taciturn, but he’s a good guy. I think this job is getting to him, though. He’s definitely more difficult than he usually is since I would say he’s an excellent boss.”
“Well, you should understand he doesn’t like me.”
“I’m not sure he likes anything about being here, though he’s on his way up. I was surprised that the director’s spending an awful lot of time with him,” Lily confesses. “Usually we don’t get a lot of face time with a director of that caliber. They have their own assistants. It’s probably why he’s anxious. He knows if this shoot goes well, he’ll get asked to oversee the assistants on Helms’s next film. That would be a big jump for Pat.”
I don’t mention that Helms’s already offered me that job. “Well, I wish him all the best. It’s good to meet you. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“Oh, I was told you would say that, and I’m supposed to tell you to spend your time trying to… Well, he thinks you should brush your hair more. Sorry. I guess he can be a dick. I appreciate the offer,” she says with a sunny smile. “I needed to let you know that someone from construction brought in another suitcase of yours. I guess one of your friends dropped it off earlier today. The construction chick is working in your room. Something about the electricity. I don’t know. She sounded super competent, so I left her. I didn’t want you walking in and getting surprised.”