Personal Assistant (18 page)

       
Janice
seemed a bit panicked now. “Oh, God, he didn’t tell you to get them tickets did
he?”

       
“I’m
so confused right now.” Frankie rubbed her forehead. She pushed her glasses
down her nose and pinched the bridge.

       
“He
told us you suggested he take our mother out on a date since she hasn’t been
out since the divorce. He wanted to take her to the symphony. He didn’t tell
you any of that? It isn’t in the schedule?” Janice groaned. “Not for nothing,
Frankie, but when he starts working he will get absorbed in it, so you have to
be extra diligent about making him clarify things. He drove me nuts on that
last one. That’s why I suggested he hire an assistant. I wasn’t about to do it
again.”

       
Frankie
could only feel the relief that it was his mom, not some starlet.

       
“Oh, Frankie.”
Janice shook her head and said, “I do hope
you two get it together soon. You’re obviously both in a lot of pain
separately.”

       
Frankie
blinked at Janice, unable to say anything. Janice picked up Buddy and told him,
“Say bye to Frankie, sweetheart.”

       
“Bye
Fane-
kie
!” He waved.

       
“Bye
sweetheart.” Frankie smiled. It was impossible not to adore him.

       
“Maybe
I will take you up on the babysitting. Buddy doesn’t trust many people with
him, but he would trust you. I know now he told you about the baby.” Janice lit
up with happiness as she talked. “Get some rest, Frankie. You’re going to need
it soon enough.”

       
Frankie
wished she had beaten him to the house. She needed a shower, maybe a nap. She
knew he was in one of four places and hoped she could at least get out of the
clothes before seeing him.

       
“
Wooh
, you’re a hot mess.” He stepped closer and gave her a
hug.

       
Frankie
let her body sink into his and her hands move up to hold his back. Exhausted,
she had one piece of business to tend to before collapsing. “You forgot to tell
me to get tickets for the symphony.”

       
“No,
I didn’t want you to get them for me. It’s my mom, what you said made a lot of
sense. She needs to feel special, not like an obligation. If I had you set it
all up, she would have said no.” He squeezed her then let her loose. “What is
all over you?”

       
“Buddy
had a piece of chocolate cake. He hugged me as soon as I got there.” Frankie
laughed at the memory. “Ugh, it has been a hell of a day. There is still one
thing I don’t get, why would you give me Saturday off? Saturday has been the
day I run lines with you.”

       
“Well.”
He followed her. “I thought I could take you out on Saturday.”

       
“I
don’t understand. If you wanted to run lines somewhere else I need to set it
up.” Frankie continued her trek to her room in the house. She was not going
home tonight. She would stay in that room and sleep until Monday if he let her.
“Why wouldn’t you put it on the schedule?”

       
“Frankie.”
He stopped her as they started down the hall by grabbing her hand and waiting
for her to turn to face him. “I don’t want you to go because I put it on the
schedule. I want you to go because I’m asking you if you want to go on a date
with me.”

       
She
frowned up at him. “You don’t need me to do anything?”

       
He
placed a kiss on her forehead. “I need you to take a shower, get some sleep,
and I need you to tell me if you want to go or not.”

       
“Of
course I do,” Frankie sighed. “I’m just a little shaken from today is
all.
”

       
He
smiled down at her.
“Hmmm.”

       
“What?”
she asked.

       
“Nothing,
I was just thinking, but I know what I want, and I’m going to wait for it.” He
placed a kiss on her cheek and left her standing there as he moved on to his
bedroom.

       
Frankie
made her way to the shower. She was off on Friday. She had a day off. She
planned to take advantage of it.

***

       
She
woke up late on Friday. Her phone was gone. She could not find it anywhere.
After stripping the room like she was a cop searching for drugs, she headed
down stairs.

       
 He’d
left a note on the counter. It said ‘I took the phone. Take the day off. Go do
something for yourself, like use what’s in the envelope.’

       
She
opened the envelope and pulled out a gift card for a posh salon. A note said
she had an appointment already set. Because she slept in and tore the room up,
she had to leave immediately to make it on time.

       
Frankie
was given the five-star treatment, lunch, chocolate covered strawberries, a
massage, a haircut, facial, waxing, manicure, pedicure, and enough pink
lemonade to water an elephant.

       
“Hi,”
the young starlet said as she took a seat next to Frankie. They were both
waiting for their toes to dry.

       
“Hi.”
Frankie was a bit flustered. “How is your upcoming film going? I read about it
in
Variety
. I really hope they work
it out, I think you would be amazing in a historical role.”

       
“Scrubbed.”
She sighed sadly. “I came here to forget about
it and pamper myself.”

       
“I’m
sorry,” Frankie winced. “You know what? There is a script you would enjoy. I
have it in my bag. It’s a risk, I know, but the script is so good.
Still historical, but drama, and edgy.”

       
“Are
you an agent?”
She quirked a brow at Frankie.

       
Frankie
laughed, “No, not at all. I…know Jonas Gunner. He’s signed on for the trilogy.
Think
Indiana Jones
, without the kid
stuff, and with amazing, at least if they translate it to film the way it was
in the book and seems laid out on this paper, amazing outfits and accessories.”

       
The
woman leaned back in her chair and looked at Frankie. She felt a bit awkward
under the close scrutiny.

       
Finally,
her eyes lit up and she said, “Oh my God, you’re the girl in the picture. The
one he was carrying.”

       
Frankie
about had a heart attack. His publicist had probably called to let her know
that the pictures had made it to print, but since she didn’t have a phone she
was hearing about it from a stranger.

       
Realizing
it, the woman reached into her bag and pulled out a magazine. She handed it
over to Frankie. “You’re on the cover. He’s been lying low lately so this was
huge. A friend of mine once said to me it is better to pick and choose when
you’re seen than have them come after you because you’re in hiding.”

       
Frankie
understood her mistake. She had helped him stay hidden. The woman was right,
she should have made him get out a few times and the photographer would have
been less likely to sneak around his neighborhood to get a picture.

       
His
publicist had put her spin on it. The main photo had him carrying her, she had
buried her head in his chest in one of them, he was smiling and in the next she
was too, the last one had him placing a kiss on her forehead. Something she
didn’t even remember thanks to the pain.

       
“Is
he the lead in that movie?” she asked. “I think my fiancé would be okay if I
co-starred with him now. I had a chance once before, but since we had just
started dating and Jonas was known for getting involved with his co-stars, he
had begged me not to sign on. But now, it shouldn’t be a problem. Just look at
him, Jonas Gunner, smitten!”

       
 If
a picture was worth a thousand words, Frankie wished she could find one of them
she could process and understand at that moment.

       
“He
is the lead in the film,” Frankie finally said. To keep the focus off of the
private moment captured on film she added, “It’s a trilogy. I think you would
look beautiful next to him on screen.”

       
“Thank
you.” The starlet blushed. “I’m going to give my agent a call.”

Later…

       
“Frankie,
look what I got,” he said as he walked in the door with Buddy next to him. He
knew she would return tonight. He knew, because she wanted her phone.

       
She
wanted to be mad at him, he could tell by the expression on her face, but the
moment she stepped into the kitchen Buddy Junior ran towards her calling,
“Fane-
kie
, Fane-
kie
look!”

       
“Hey little man.”
She kneeled down to return the hug he was
after. She looked at the action figure in Buddy’s hand and recognized the
outfit immediately. “Carrying Uncle Jonas around in your pocket, huh?”

       
“Yup,”
Buddy nodded.

       
 “Janice
met us for dinner and I told her I would take him for the night. I won’t be
able to do that soon enough, so I thought I better get some Buddy time in now.”
He moved to where they were. Buddy looked up at him. He wanted to go get in his
toy box. Jonas smiled at him and said, “Go on. We’re right behind you.”

       
The
toddler ran off anxiously towards the living room across the hall.

       
Jonas
stepped in and gave her a nice warm hug and a kiss on the forehead. He didn’t
hold on to her for long. He still had some things to process in his mind. He
still had a few questions to ask. He released her and started walking towards
the hall. She naturally followed. He asked, “How was your day?”

       
“Most
of it was relaxing. I mean over the top relaxing, but I didn’t have my phone so
I didn’t know that the pictures had released.” When they entered the living
room she took a seat on one of the plush chairs.

       
Jonas
went over to the closet where Buddy was doing his best to turn the doorknob.
“Let go little man, I’ll open the door and pull the box out for you.”

       
Buddy
immediately left the door and ran to the center of the room and waited as
patiently as a two going on three year old could. Jonas considered the child’s
ability to get the knob turned most of the way and knew he would soon have to
set up precautions in his house for the little monster’s visits. He pulled out
the toy box and carried it over to a jumping up and down, Buddy.

       
“Here
you go,” Jonas opened the lid and Buddy immediately started sifting through the
box for his favorite things. Jonas took a seat on the floor, crossed his legs
as though he were ready to meditate, and waited for his nephew to hand him a
part to the train set he always dug out first. He looked at Frankie. She looked
good, rested, less frazzled, more like the woman he interviewed and less like
the woman afraid of her feelings for him. “The
pics
are pretty good. I look pretty heroic in them, rescuing you like that.”

       
He
watched her eyes widen behind the glasses and her cheeks blush.

       
“I’m
just
sayin
’,” he teased. Buddy handed him the first
of several tracks and Jonas began sorting them and putting together the ones
that fit as the child kept fishing them out.

       
“Yes.”
She nodded. “You did. Did I miss anything else?”

       
“Nothing
I couldn’t handle.” He smiled at her. “Your dad was shocked to talk to me. I
explained that I had stolen your phone. He was actually pretty happy about
that.”

       
“You
talked to my dad?” She asked with a mixed look of panic and shock.

       
“
Mmhmm
,
and he’s going to stop by the lot next week and get a tour of the place. Did
you know he was such a movie buff?” Jonas didn’t look at her. He was sure he
couldn’t keep a straight face if he did. He focused on the train tracks as he
linked them together.

       
“I…well,
yes, I did. It’s one of the reasons I know so much about movies. You talked to
my dad?” She asked again.

       
“Yeah,
I told him you would set up dinner in the near future. Giorgio
Baldi’s
would be the best place.” Jonas took one of the
train cars from Buddy’s hand and said, “Two more pieces of track, my friend.”

       
“Oh, yeah.”
Buddy said and the sound of shuffling toys could
be heard as he eagerly hunted for the missing pieces.

       
“You
want me to set up dinner with my dad for you?” She asked. Jonas looked up at
her. She was leaning forward, elbows on her knees, hands clasped, her chin
propped up on them. She blinked at him.

       
“Obviously
not just your dad, I mean I invited your mom too.” Jonas shrugged. He had a
feeling if Buddy wasn’t in the room she might have a few choice words for him
about making plans with her parents prior to consulting her. He really didn’t
care. He wanted to meet them. He wanted to know them. “Oh, and Shay called.”

       
“What!”
It was a statement not a question.
A loud statement that made
both Buddy Junior and him jump.
She was standing on her feet in a flash.
He had no idea the information would have that reaction. He could tell they had
an argument. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out. He obviously didn’t know
about what or to what extent. All he remembered about Frankie’s conversations
about Shay is that they ended with Shay not getting her seal of security
clearance.

       
“Yeah,
she said something about how sorry she was about this morning.
Something about some guy and breaking your heart, and something
else.
She left a message, I left it on there.” Jonas couldn’t look at
her. She would hear the message soon enough. Fire had burned his gut to hear
Shay talk about Frankie being in love with anyone but him. He wondered, by the
sound of it, if Frankie knew or just found out Shay had slept with the guy.
“Was that…he…recent?”