Page 19 of Reckless
He studies me intently. “They can try, but if they faked the IP or used a dummy email, it may not turn up much.”
“Attacking me is fine and messing with my stuff is whatever, but they crossed the line when they tried to fuck with my career. This is the most important thing in the world to me, and I won’t let anyone ruin it.”
“That’s my girl,” Griffin says absently as he punches in a command on his phone. A few seconds later, he’s speaking to someone I assume works for Catherine’s husband.
Whoever sent the email does know me and must work here. They know enough to sabotage my professional relationship with Arthur Oswald and what it could mean for my position at CJJ and this production. Whoever is doing this is trying to ruin every aspect of my life, but why? It doesn’t make any sense. I’ve only been in California for a few weeks, which is barely enough time to make any friends, let alone enemies.
Griffin ends the call as I’m sending a conciliatory email to the journalist, apologizing for the mix-up. “They’re going to do what they can, but cloned emails aren’t exactly reliable.”
“I understand. Once again, I appreciate your help, and thank you for offering to take Mr. Oswald’s place in the interview.”
“You’re welcome. I told you I—wait, what? I didn’t say I’d take his place.” Griffin crosses his arms over his chest, making his T-shirt stretch over the muscles underneath.
I tear my eyes away and try to inject some genuine pleading when I say, “You said you’d do anything you could to help me. Making sure I don’t lose my job because of this psycho would be extremely helpful.”
“You aren’t going to lose your job if you back out of an interview you never booked,” he says.
“If they pull another stunt like that with Mr. Oswald, you and I both know I might. No one will ever want to work with me again. TheExaminermay be a tabloid, but it’s America’s favorite tabloid. If they refuse to work with me again because a legend like Arthur Oswald cancels, other publications will follow, and no amount of clout Catherine may have will ever save my reputation in this industry. Who would want to work with a unit publicist who can’t book any publicity?”
He rolls his eyes. “I want to say you’re being dramatic, but fuck. That’s diabolical. Fine, I’ll do it. But you have to be there with me and then after you owe me dinner.”
“It’s a date,” I say without thinking and offer my hand to seal it.
We shake, and he frowns, thankfully without commenting on my poor choice of the worddate. “I thought I was just going to help you with your stalker.”
“This is helping me. Besides, it’ll serve two purposes. It’ll help me save face, and it will get you in a publication that holds weight. It’ll be good for your image.”
“Since when did this turn into a consultation about my image? Don’t I have people for that?”
“You do, and technically, I’m one of them. At least while you’re working on this film. Besides, you can never have enough friends.”
He checks his watch, swears under his breath, and grabs his script. “Do you go on dates with all of your friends?”
So he hadn’t missed that.
Somehow we’ve gotten far too close, a certainty considering how small my office is, but still surprising when I find myself standing next to him in front of my closed door. He’s so near I can smell the woodsy scent of his cologne. I grip his chair behind me to keep my knees from buckling.
“W-what?” I stammer, having forgotten the question.
“Are we friends?” he repeats.
From his tone, I can tell we have a different definition of the word friends, but I nod. “Of course we are. You’ve been very kind to me, and I appreciate you doing me this favor. I’m lucky to have you as a friend if you’ll have me.”
His stare drags on for a tense moment. “We’d better go before we’re both fired.”
I release a long breath when he turns and walks away.
Griffin McNalley may be far more dangerous than any stalker.
Chapter Ten
Griffin
The next afternoon, I wait for Phoebe outside the lot once shooting is complete so we can go meet the journalist for the interview I got suckered into.
If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be going to a damn interview in the first place. I like interviews almost as much as I like journalists, which is to say not at all.
But maybe it won’t be so bad with Phoebe there.