Page 60 of Catch Me
My breathing slows down and I push her words aside, replacing them with a list of my accomplishments in recentmonths. Not only did I obtain a job in my very competitive field, but it’s with one of the most famous movie studios in the world.
I’m leaving work from the set of a major motion picture right this very moment. My mother can’t take that away from me. I work hard each day to be a part of this team that’s putting together what, in my heart of hearts, I know will be a smash hit in theaters.
And then there’s Andreas.
“Mom, I have to go.” The confidence in my voice doesn’t come from me, not directly. It comes from a place that recalls the gleam in Andreas’ eyes when he looks at me.
“We’re not done speaking,” my mother tells me. “I stayed up late in order to?—”
“Thank you for your call, but I will reach out to you and Dad when I’m ready.”
I suppress the little piece of me that feels like an ungrateful bitch for being so abrupt with my mother.
Hanging up the phone, I look around to see a few of the crew from my design team waving at me as they leave for the day. Only one or two will stick around for the remainder of today’s shooting. It’s supposed to go on for a few more hours.
My heart aches, tempting me to stay, but I was only half-lying when I told Andreas that I needed to get home to Ms. Shelby. Exiting out of the door, I determine to give Andreas a call later tonight to explain why I didn’t stay to have dinner like he asked.
“Ms. Sterling?”a man standing outside of the driver side door of a black town car asks as soon as I enter the studio’s parking lot.
My eyebrows lift as I look around only to realize that, yes, he is talking to me.
“Yes?”
His smile widens. “I’m Spencer, I’ll be your driver this evening.”
“Excuse me?”
His pleasant expression doesn’t waver in the face of my obvious confusion.
“Mr. Knight requested my services for you. I will deliver you to his home this evening.”
“Deliver me to …” I mumble. “You’re here to take me home.”
At this, his expression falls, but only for a beat before his smile is back in place. “Yes, but tonight, Mr. Knight planned for you to be taken to his home for dinner.”
He pauses when I begin to shake my head.
“I can’t. I, uh, have to get home to my cat.” The words sound lame as I say them, but they’re nonetheless true.
Spencer’s eyes sparkle, his grin grows exponentially, and I immediately realize he’s in on a secret that I’m, as of now, unaware of.
“That has been taken care of as well.” He moves from the driver door to the back door of the car, opening it. “I hope you understand the need for the cage, but with the leather seats, it couldn’t be helped,” he says, apologetically.
To my surprise, he pulls the door wide to reveal Ms. Shelby nestled in a huge crate. As soon as her blue eyes land on me, she meows.
Instantly, I go to her, opening the crate, and she crawls into my arms.
“I was told that you feed her twice a day, so she hasn’t been fed yet, but I did give her some water on the way. And because she’s so pretty, I caved and fed her these special freeze dried treats. I do hope that’s alright,” Spencer says, affection in his tone.
“She loves those,” I tell him while scratching her head. “I’m sure she loved it.”
He chuckles and nods. “That she did.”
“I’m so confused. Can you tell me how you got my cat?” Ms. Shelby nuzzles her head against my chest. She’s content as can be.
Obviously, Spencer took care of her.
“Yes, well, when Mr. Knight called our team for his request, he made sure to provide us with the information we needed toretrieve Ms. Shelby and her belongings. All given to Mr. Knight from your roommate, uh …” He pauses to check his phone.
