roof. Garrett Lawrence would be a convert if it was the last thing she did.
Â
On the drive back to the studio, Garrett kept thinking about his visit, not so much the shooting possibilities but the entire episode. Reality kept clashing with what heâd believed to be true. The constant butting of heads had thrown him completely off center.
He parked in front of the studio and went in, glad to see that Jason was still in the office. He tossed his battered leather flight jacket, followed by his cap on a vacant chair, then plopped down, stretching his legs out in front of him.
âSo letâs hear it. Whatâs the place like?â
Garrett looked at Jason for a hot minute. The corner of his mouth flinched upward. âBelieve me, itâs nothing like I thought.â He looked off toward the empty space, and a vision of Dione materialized before him. âNothing at all,â he whispered.
Chapter 7
T he intercom on Dioneâs phone buzzed. She depressed the flashing red light.
âYes, Brenda.â
âGarrett Lawrence is on the phone.â
Dioneâs eyebrows rose. Heâd only been gone a little more than an hour. Had he changed his mind about working with them? âThanks, Bren. Iâll take it.â She pressed the blinking yellow light. âMr. Lawrence, I didnât expect to hear from you so soon. Is there a problem?â
âNo. No problem. I, uh, I know I left some information with your assistant, but I felt it was better if I spoke to you directly. I hope Iâm not disturbing you.â
The message was clear enough, she thought, doing a quick mental replay of what Brenda had said, and couldnât imagine what was unclear.
âYouâre not disturbing me. Iâm listening.â
He cleared his throat, suddenly tongue-tied, knowing that the real reason why he called had nothing to do with the message heâd left.
âI was hoping that we could get togetherâbefore you come in to tape the PSAâgo over a few things.â He squeezed his eyes shut and hoped he didnât sound as idiotic as he felt.
Dione frowned. âIs that really necessary? I mean, Iâm sure you can tell me what you need. Iââ
âWhy donât I just be honest,â he cut in. âThatâs not the reason why I called.â He blew out a breath through his teeth. âWeâI started off on the wrong foot. And thatâs not the way to get into a business endeavor. I need to be objective and not bring my life or my opinions to the job. I was out of line with my comments.â
âI hadnât noticed,â she said fighting a smile.
âWell, I did, and Iâm sorry.â
âConsider your apology accepted.â
For a moment no one spoke.
âMaybe we could meet tomorrowâafter work. Iâm done here about six,â Dione said, not sure where that one had come from. But it was out now.
âSounds good. You name the place.â
âHave you ever been to Ashford and Simpsonâs place, the Sugar Bar onââ
âSeventy-second,â he chuckled, finishing her sentence.
âI take it you have. Hope thatâs a good thing.â
âDefinitely. Foodâs good. Great atmosphere. Say about sevenâgive you time to get there?â
âSeven is fine.â She hesitated a moment. âSo, Iâll see you tomorrow.â
âLooking forward to it.â
Had his voice taken on a huskier note, or was she just imagining things?
âTomorrow then.â
âHave a good evening.â
âYou, too.â Absently she hung up the phone. âWell, that conversation sure took a walk around the bend.â She leaned back in her seat. âOne minute Iâm twisted out of shape because of his ugly attitude, and the next Iâm meeting him for dinner. I must be losing my mind.â She slapped her palms down on the desktop and stood, picking up several folders in the
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