Page 31 of Stone Promises

“See,” I say to Paul, motioning to Kendra. “No harm done. It’s really no big deal.”

He puts down his iPad and looks me square in the eye. “Who is this Valerie anyway?”

“Cut the crap, Paul. She’s an old friend of mine. One who I hope will be in my life for a very long time. So you’d better get used to it and learn her goddamn name.”

He blows out a frustrated breath. “Kendra tells me you plan to stay in New York until the Vancouver junket, is this true?”

“It’s only a week. We didn’t have anything planned for the break between cities anyway.”

“What aboutBlind Shotlooping?” he asks, referring to voice-overs for the movie I filmed last fall.

“Done. Finished last week and I got an email two days ago that confirmed the studio got what they needed. You should know this, Paul.”

“Don’t you need to prepare for Vancouver?” he asks.

“I can do that from here. What’s your problem?” I stare him down. I can see him searching his brain for arguments when it dawns on me. “Oh, I get it. Mallory is not Courtney Benson.” I shake my head in disgust. “I really don’t give a shit if it’s not good for box office sales for me to be seen with her.”

“You just don’t get it, do you?” he asks. “You think you can act for nine weeks, collect a huge paycheck and sit on your ass until the next one? You have a lot to learn, kiddo. Acting is more about promoting. More about making the public fall in love with you off camera as much as on.”

“Funny, you don’t seem to care when the press brings up all the shit from my past. You don’t care if they pair me with ten actresses, as long as one of them is my leading lady.”

“It’s all about image, Thad. Where’s the Hollywood bad boy in dating a boring old school teacher? Hollywood bad boy sells tickets. Hollywood bad boy pays for your lunch.”

“Uh, Paul,” Kendra interrupts. “Although I agree with some of what you are saying, I’m not so sure Thad dating a school teacher is as deplorable as you might think. His female fans might appreciate the fact that he would date someone who’s not an actress. The girl next door so to speak. Someone who could be them. Who knows, it could have quite the opposite effect.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Paul says. “Nobody wants to see you with a school teacher.”

I stand up, almost knocking my chair over in anger. “This meeting is over. As my manager, I realize you have a say in my professional life. But I draw the fucking line at you thinking you can tell me who I can and can’t date. Remember that when your contract comes up for renewal, Paul. Remember that you are replaceable.”

He laughs a cocky laugh. “If I were you, I’d remember who got you to where you are today, Thad. You’ve been on top for exactly ten minutes. Replacing you with the next up-and-coming wouldn’t be hard. You’d be forgotten by next Christmas. Trust me.”

“Okay, you guys. Nobody is getting replaced,” Kendra says, trying to smooth things over. “Let’s adjourn this meeting and regroup tomorrow at nine at the hotel. Paul, I think you’re making too much out of this. Thad was just taking a friend to his brother’s house for dinner. Thad, you’ll be leaving in a week and you may not want to start something you can’t finish. Please, let’s all sleep on this.”

“Fine.” Paul flashes me a mutinous stare before he gets up in a huff and lets himself out.

“Thad,” Kendra says, pulling me aside before leaving herself. “Mallory is absolutely lovely. I see the way you look at her. I know you have a lot of history together. But you’d better be sure this is what you want. You can’t take a girl like that down this path unless you truly mean it.”

“I’m sure, Kendra,” I say without so much as a hint of doubt. “I’ve been sure since I was seven years old.”

Chapter Ten

Mallory

Teaching is hard today. I can’t keep my mind focused and away from last night. The way he looked at me. The way he touched me. It was almost like fifteen-year-old Mallory hanging out with sixteen-year-old Chad, but with serious sexual tension. Then there are the texts he’s sent today. He hasn’t asked to see me again; they’ve just been funny and casual. Letting me know he had a good time last night; he and his one testicle. Telling me he hopes I’m having a good day.

I find myself disappointed come the end of the school day that he hasn’t asked me out, and I wonder what that means. Do I want him to ask me out because I want to be with him? Or just because I want to feel like I’m worthy of the superstar he has become?

I lost a lot of sleep last night wondering if I can even blame him for everything he did when he was under the influence of drugs. I mean, yes, I blame him for getting involved with drugs, but once someone is physically addicted, do they have control over their actions? And is what he did to me really that bad in the overall scheme of things? It’s not unusual for friends to move away and lose touch.

Maybe I’m just making excuses so it’s easier for me to justify seeing him again.

Then a sick feeling washes over me. The person who killed my mom was drunk. He ran her off the road and right into a telephone pole, killing her instantly on the way home from her overnight nursing shift.Hewas held responsible for his actions. He was an alcoholic who went to jail for three years—not nearly long enough to make up for the time we’ll never have with her. Damn right he should be held responsible. Nobody forced the guy to drink. Just like nobody forced Chad to use cocaine.

I decide to visit my mom’s grave in the cemetery on the way home. Ask her what she thinks about all this. She loved Chad like a son. She loved all the Stone boys, but she had a sweet spot for Chad. Everybody did.

When I arrive home, there’s another strange car in the driveway and my heartbeat quickens. I want it to be him. I want it to be him more than I’ve ever wanted anything. But in some strange way, at the same time, I don’t. But there’s no Cole standing next to the car. I peek in the car windows before closing the garage, just to see if I can get a clue as to who is visiting. But when I go in the house, I can hear exactly who it is.

I walk into the living room. “Hi, Kendra. Nice to see you again.”

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