Personal Assistant (28 page)

A
month later…

       
Shay
was just happy to be there. Frankie and Jonas had invited her to the wedding.
She was happy for them. She was earning her place in Frankie’s life. It was
easy to do once Shay stopped trying to be someone else. Harvey had done that
for her. He broke through her bull-shit. He made her deconstruct every part of
her life and rebuild it. She was his last client. His last project as he called
it.

       
Her
agent was really his son, who would be taking over the family business now that
he had earned it by turning her into a viable actress. He did that by making
her stop pretending in real life. Some people get addicted to drugs, alcohol,
and other substances. She was addicted to an image. It took longer than a
normal rehab program to get her off the bitter pills of life she swallowed by
the handful. She was free, but lonely. Damaged, but recovering. Successful, but
not yet a star, and for once, that was all okay.

       
“Hi,”
Jed Gunner said in that rich voice of his as he leaned against the wall next to
her.
“Friend of the bride?”

       
Shay
nodded. He was stunning. Same blue eyes the family seemed to pass on
genetically, but Jed was older, wiser, and darker. A warm feeling ran through
her veins causing her to shift a little on her six inch heels.

       
“I’m
Jed,” he extended a hand.

       
“Shay,”
she replied and accepted it. The rough texture was softened by the grip and
careful way he held on to it a moment longer than necessary. The energy between
them pulsed. Something unexpected was happening.

       
They
stood there silently, awkwardly. He leaned against the wall and looked out at
the crowd. He glanced at her a couple of times, she knew because she made no
attempts to disguise her look towards him. He smiled. She smiled. He lifted off
the wall and with a tone that made it sound obligatory he said, “Do you want to
dance?”

       
She
shook her head no. She wouldn’t mind talking to him. She loved the way his
timbre carried on the air, caressed her like a touch. She wasn’t wearing
dancing shoes tonight. She hadn’t expected anyone to ask her.

       
“Thank
God!” He grabbed his chest with such relief she had to giggle. “I was afraid
you would say yes. Do you
wanna
get out of here?”

       
She
nodded her head yes. Shay looked over to the happy couple and realized they
were consumed with each other. This could be the biggest mistake of her life.
Somehow, looking at him, the way he was looking at her, she didn’t think so.
Harvey had told her to trust her gut more. She decided tonight was a fine time
to start.
“Where to?”

       
“I
like the beach.” He looked down at her. Shay stood five-five on bare feet. She
didn’t look him eye to eye even in the heels. He was a large man. About Jonas’s
height, maybe an inch taller, but he had a broader shoulder, or maybe it was
just a larger presence.

       
“Then
I guess I don’t need to walk in these heels.” She tugged at the strap on the
back of one as she lifted it, then the other. She held the shoes in her hand,
it shrank her height considerably.

       
He
laughed and nodded his approval. “Let’s go.”

Read more about Shay
and Jed in
The Director

Don’t forget about
Ivy, look for her in
Get a Grip