Текст книги "To Love Jason Thorn"

Автор книги: Ella Maise

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“We understand that it could be a little overwhelming, but you definitely impressed us with your story and we wanted to get your attention before anyone else could steal you.”

“Keith is right.” Bobby took over again. “We want you to look at this as the first step of our partnership. You don’t have to decide on anything today, but you should know that we are extremely eager to take on this project. You should also be aware that—excuse me.” He paused when his phone pinged with a new text message. Lifting his eyes, he absently waved his hand in a gesture that said ‘keep going’.

“I need to check on something, but please go on without me for a few minutes and I’ll be right back. We might even have a surprise for you, Olive. I think you’ll like it.”

I forced a smile on my lips and then Boobie Bobby was gone.

“Let’s get to it, shall we?” Keith asked and got a nod from both Harry and me. “As Bobby just mentioned, we are interested in optioning your book. But—” He lifted his hand as if to stop me from cutting in.

I’m all ears, Keith. No one is stopping you.

“We wanted to set this meeting so we could get to know each other better and see if we can impress you. After today, if you like what you’re hearing, I’d be happy to set up a lunch meeting so we can go over the details and present you with an option agreement for the exclusive rights.”

“Okay,” I nodded, because that made sense, right? He wasn’t saying anything scary, not at all.

Keith nodded back at me with a big smile that showcased his blinding pearly whites again and kept going. “So, essentially, Olive, we want to stay true to your story as much as we can. You captured so many hearts from so many different age groups, so we want to keep the heart of your story. The only difference is that we want to elevate it even more. Polish the main characters, maybe do a few small changes here and there, add a few new secondary characters, big names from Hollywood of course. We haven’t decided if we want to change the ending yet, but that’s just the details I’m sure you’re not interested in.” Linking his hands together on top of the table, he looked straight at me. “We want the movie to get everyone’s attention.”

Somewhere in the middle of his explanation of the studio’s intentions with my book, had he just said that I wouldn’t be interested in the changes? What on earth was he talking about?

“It all sounds great, but maybe we should take a few steps back,” I said. “I really feel like I’m out of my depth here. When you say a few small changes…?”

“I’ve read your book, Miss Taylor, and while everything was great for a book format, for a movie it won’t translate the same way. Making changes will be necessary at certain parts,” Harry said, speaking for the first time.

“We’ll walk you through everything.” Keith assured me, cutting in. “Usually it takes time—around a year or possibly even more than a year—to gather funding for the movie, to find the right director for the story, the right actors, the production company, and many other steps…but we want to use the buzz of your book to our advantage and keep the momentum going. Since you don’t have a book agent, I would highly suggest you to find one or have a lawyer go over the contract we’ll be presenting you at our next meeting so there won’t be any issues in the future.”

“Sure, sure. But what about those changes?” I asked, feeling more overwhelmed by the second.

Keith must have seen something on my face because his smile softened.

“I don’t think we asked you, would you like to have something to drink? Something to celebrate, maybe?”

“No, I’m good. Thank you.”

“Next time then. So do you have any questions for me?”

I glanced at Harry, but he was having none of it.

“I think I do. First of all, it’s very exciting to hear that you’re interested in my book, but to be honest, the changes you mentioned you want to make are…I don’t know how to put it into words actually. The thing is, I’ve spent years on this novel. While I do want to see my characters come alive on the big screen, I’m not sure if it’s worth it to go through this whole thing only for it to end up completely unrecognizable.” Every word in that book held a special place in my heart.

“You are not interested in selling the movie rights?”

“I didn’t say that. Actually, I did some research and I believe in some cases authors can act as a consultant. Would that be an option for me? Will I have any say in the making of the movie?”

“Olive, trust me, all authors feel the same way as you do at first, but when the project goes forward and the production starts, everything changes. The screenplay isn’t written yet, so we can’t really comment on any changes, but I’ll definitely make sure that you are included in the process.”

Thankfully, I was smart enough to know that having a say in the screenplay and being ‘included in the process’ were nowhere the same thing.

“Let’s talk about the casting,” he said while I was still trying to decide how to answer.

“Isn’t it a little early for that?” I asked, fidgeting in my seat.

“That’s one of the first things we focus on because securing the right actor for the role will change everything. We already have a few names we think would be a perfect fit for Isaac and Genevieve.” He checked the notes in front of him. “For Isaac, your main character, we have one specific actor we are trying to get in touch with, but for Genevieve we have a pool of names we are going through. Do you have any ideas, maybe suggestions for the casting?”

“Well, when I picture them in my mind, I don’t see them as other people.”

Lie, Olive. Lie through your teeth.

“I would love to hear the names you’re considering though,” I added.

Right at the end of my sentence, the door to our left opened and Bobby walked back into the room with another man right beside him. Keith’s gaze shifted toward them too, and before I knew what was happening, Jason walked in behind them, playing with the phone in his hand.

As in Jason fucking Thorn.

My mouth dropped open.

Shit!

My Jason.

Double, triple shit!

No, not my, my Jason.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

In shock and stuck in my seat, my mouth was still hanging wide open when Bobby chuckled, drawing my attention. I’m sure I was a sight to see.

“Olive, I want—” Bobby’s mouth was moving, but none of it was getting through to me.

Remember the peaceful waterfall Lucy tried to trick me into believing I was?

It was gone. All dried up. It was a disaster, really.

I was an avalanche—the mother of all avalanches to be precise.

Jumping up from my seat in a rush, I turned my back to them before Jason could notice me. Maybe I was acting crazy, but there weren’t that many Olives in the world. What if he remembered me? Remembered my name?

Damn it!

What if he saw my last name on the book cover that was sitting so prettily in the middle of the table?

Searching for a quick exit, I found none. Surely it would hurt a bit too much if I tried to break the window and jump out. Noticing the bar cart next to the window, I shakily made my way toward it.

Damn that Keith guy, why did he keep calling my name?

Reaching for the pitcher of water that had floating lemon and lime slices in it, I grabbed a glass and started pouring. Since my hands were shaking, some of it didn’t land in the glass, but who cared. As soon as it was half full, I chugged it down and poured another one.

Alcohol would’ve worked much better, but water was doing the trick.

Someone touched my arm, and I was ashamed to say I almost lost my grip on the pitcher, making an even bigger fool of myself.

“Olive, are you okay?”

Noticing it was just Keith, I slowly lowered the pitcher down and clung to my glass.

“Ah, sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” I tried to smile, but to him it probably looked more like a grimace.

Keith chuckled. “It’s not every day you see a movie star this close. I understand your excitement.”

He understood nothing. Why was he talking about Jason as if he was an animal in a zoo?

“Let’s take our seats again so we can introduce you two. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Actually I’d hate that, thank you very much.

There went my hopes that maybe Keith would be nice enough to smuggle me out of there.

“Sure,” I mumbled, using the glass of water as a shield in front of my face.

When I glanced at the table, I saw that Harry was gone and Bobby had taken his seat. Next to him sat the man who had walked in next to Bobby.

And then, there was Jason…

I tried not to look at him at all.

Dear God, please help me breathe.

Still using the glass as my shield as I kept sipping water, I sat down right across from the unknown guy—who had an amused expression on his face—and then I jumped a little and sloshed water on myself when Keith pulled out the chair next to mine and sat down.

Jesus…get a grip, Olive.

I was ready to jump out of my skin and run away to find Lucy so I could kill her. Surely this was all happening because she hadn’t come with me.

Keith started the introductions. “This is Jason’s agent, Tom Symond, and this is the author I mentioned to you, Tom, Olive T—”

“So very nice to meet you,” I said in a louder voice than Keith’s, interrupting him before he could say my last name.

Tom Symond chuckled, rose up, and reached for my hand.

Then I had to get up, too. Don’t you just hate being civil sometimes? As we were shaking hands, I slipped and glanced at Jason since he was being so quiet. When I noticed he was looking at me with a frown on his face, I quickly looked away, sat down, and reached for my beloved water glass.

“Jason Thorn is who we want for the role of Isaac. We think he’ll be perfect,” Keith started up again.

Damn, but the guy talked too much.

“We still have a lot of things to talk about, Keith, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” said Tom.

I nodded enthusiastically. What kind of hell was I in that they had brought in the ONE actor that I would be—

“Olive Taylor?”

Oh, god…

Death could be so peaceful. My own heaven. Didn’t that sound nice? Breathing was so overrated anyway.

“Olive?” Jason asked again in a surprised voice. There was complete silence in the room.

My stomach grumbled.

Anyone up there? Kill me.

Kill me now.

“Nice to meet you…Mr. Jason Thorn,” I said miserably when nobody else spoke for several seconds, silently shaving off years of my life.

Of all the things I could’ve said at that moment, of all the things I could’ve been doing instead of sitting there shaking like a leaf…

“Little one,” he said once he got up from his seat. There was affection in his voice. Definitely surprise, too, but mostly affection.

All the hairs on my body stood up.

Jason was already rounding the table coming toward me. No escape now.

Defeated, I let go of my water glass and pushed my chair back to face Jason.

Once he reached me, only two steps separated us. Two short steps after not seeing him for so many years.

“Olive,” he said, his lips cracking into a big grin. His eyes took in every inch of my body, causing me to blush.

Then he was in my space, his hands cradling my already flushed face. Involuntarily, I took a step back, my ass almost sitting on the table. He just came with me.

“Little one, look at you.” He laughed, triggering a smile on my face. “I can’t believe it, Olive. Fuck, look at you,” he repeated again.

The dimple? It was still as heartwarming to see as it had been the first day I’d met him.

“Hi,” I said, lifting my hand in a little wave.

He threw back his head and laughed.

Wow.

“Mr. Jason Thorn? That’s what you say to me?”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” I mumbled, my face heating up.

“Jason?” his agent asked from behind. “You know her?”

“Yeah, I know her,” Jason answered, his eyes still on me. “I was her favorite person in the whole wide world. She said so herself when she was eight years old.” He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. “Or was it maybe seven?”

“Probably seven,” I muttered and closed my eyes. Yup, I had done that, because he had been exactly that for me.

“Oh, this is a nice surprise,” Bobby cut into our unexpected reunion. “We didn’t know you two knew each other. This will definitely be a plus for the project.”

Jason winked at me.

My heart fluttered.

Then his hands finally left my face alone, only to grab my hand and turn back to Tom.

“You can handle this?”

“Of course, but I think you should stay. We’ll keep it short,” Tom responded.

What?

“You can take care of everything.”

“Jason, wait a minute.”

Yes, Jason! Wait a minute!

His gaze landed on Bobby. “I’m in. You can go over everything with Tom.”

He was in? In what? IN WHAT? Certainly not my book?

“Are you done with your meeting with Olive?” he asked Keith next.

Hello, people! Am I not still standing here?

Keith’s gaze found my startled one before he answered Jason’s question. “I’ll send you the contract and personally call you to schedule a lunch date. We’ll go over the optioning agreement with you and make the necessary changes then.”

I was starting to feel dizzy. Had I said okay to their proposal already?

Absentmindedly, I nodded.

“Call me when the meeting is done, Tom,” Jason said as he pulled me behind him.

“I can’t believe this,” he muttered as soon as we were out the door and in the maze again.

Other than being shocked into silence, I just hoped he had been in the building enough times to know how to get out of the damn thing.

One hand engulfed in Jason’s, the other flailing behind me with my handbag, I tried to keep up with his big strides.

Is this really happening?

Just when I saw the light and thought we were finally out, I was pulled into an empty office and those dark chocolate eyes of his focused completely on me.

“Olive, you are beautiful,” he said after we took in each other in the thick silence. “You’ve grown up so much.”

Fuck.

“I did do that. You look very good, Jason. It’s nice to see you.”

Was that my voice that was trembling? He was still my first crush and my first heartbreak, but he was also Jason Thorn. The Jason Thorn who was only twenty-six and had two Oscar nominations under his belt, but I wasn’t going to think about what was under his belt because that would be bad. Really bad. He was one of the most versatile leading actor in the industry. Did I mention he was the best? He was more than just an actor. He was a star—a troubled one, I should say, but still a big, shiny star. Any other woman would be jumping on him if they ever found themselves locked in a room with him, which I believed they usually did.

I, however, was slowly stepping back toward freedom.

“That’s it? That’s all you’re gonna say to me?”

The last day I’d smiled up at him, he had managed to stomp on my heart with a simple text message, not even knowing he was stomping on it. The last time he had tugged my hair as a goodbye had been the last time I’d ever heard from him.

Sure, he had texted and called Dylan for the following few weeks, but after that I don’t think even Dylan heard from him again. One year later, we had watched his first movie as a family in the same living room where he had spent countless hours with us.

“I’m too shocked, I don’t know what to say really,” I blurted before I could say something stupid.

“I am too, but, god, look at you, little one.” Another slow perusal of my body. “I didn’t even recognize you when I first walked into the room. What are the odds?”

“Right?” I chuckled nervously. “What are the damn odds…”

“You have to tell me everything.”

“Everything? What do you mean?”

“Dylan? Is he here in LA. too? How about your mom and dad? Is everyone okay?”

“Yes. They are all fine. Mom and Dad still live in San Francisco. Same house, actually. Dylan is in D.C. He is a teacher, and married to the sweetest girl. Can you believe that?”

I kept walking backwards.

Small steps, Olive. You’re so close to freedom.

“Actually, I can.” His smile got even bigger as he sat on the edge of the office desk. “He wanted to be a teacher ever since middle school or something like that, and family was always important to him. No wonder he couldn’t wait to start his own.”

 Finally reaching the door, I rested my back against it and waited for the perfect moment to escape.

“God, Olive, you can’t even imagine how much I missed you guys.”

“When you stopped calling, they missed you too.”

He arched an eyebrow. “So, you didn’t miss me?”

You hurt me, you big, sexy meanie, I wanted to say.

“Um, sure. Of course.”

His dimple disappeared and he straightened. When he started walking toward me, I had nowhere to run.

“What’s wrong with you, little Olive?” Reaching out, he tugged a strand of my hair, a gesture so old that it tugged at something in my heart. “I’m not your friend any more?”

He had remembered. The hair-tugging thing he had started doing every single time he saw me was like a warm ‘hello’ from him. I used to love it, thinking he couldn’t keep his hands off of me. I had been in love with him. You could call it a crush, but for me, it was pure love. He’d been my one and only wish on every single one of my birthdays.

“I would’ve thought you’d be happy to see me, too, Olive. If not happy, hell, maybe a little excited. My ego is taking a real beating.”

“Sorry,” I said, wincing a little. “It’s been a…a weird day, to say the least.”

“Still not admitting that she missed me,” he muttered almost to himself. His eyes seemed to be taking in every inch of my face, yet I chose to focus on a spot over his shoulder. His face wasn’t strange to me, as mine was to him. And I remembered that tender look all too well. Hell, it was just one of the things that made me swoon for him.

“You’re a writer,” he commented, as if the thought had just occurred to him.

“Looks like it.”

He hit me with that dimple again. “Tonight I’ll be reading your words.”

Panicking, I said, “Oh, you really don’t have to. It’s not even that good. It’s my first book and these people are plain crazy.” His smile got bigger and bigger. “I might even be getting punked right now. I’m being serious, you wouldn’t even like it, Jason. And what kind of a movie star are you that you have enough time to read a book?”

There was sex in that book! Pounding. Fucking. Sucking. Orgasming.

Oh, dear god. There were words like cock and pussy!

He chuckled. “Now you’ve intrigued me even more. I’ll have to read it as soon as I get home. Plus”—he lifted a finger when I opened my mouth to object again—“I just said I’m in to the studio execs who are interested in turning your book into a feature film. I think I should know what I’m signing up for, don’t you think?”

“Why did you even say that if you have no idea what it’s about?”

“My agent dragged me here, saying it was a good choice for me. I’m guessing he knows about your book and I trust him.”

“Fine. You go do that. I have to go.” Taking a step to my right, I opened the door. “It was so good to see you. Goodbye now.”

His eyes lit up. “There’s the little Olive I know.”

Before I could pull my hand away, he grabbed it as if he was getting ready to walk a kid across the road.

Why did my heart flutter so much every time he touched me even though it was obvious that he still saw me as his best friend’s little sister, the kiddo?

“What are you doing?” I asked as I was being pulled toward freedom.

“I’ll drop you off wherever you want to go.”

“You don’t even know where I live. What if it’s an hour away? I’m seriously starting to doubt your movie star status.”

Again, that chuckle. “It’ll be fun. I promise to entertain you the entire hour, little one.”

“It’s not an hour. Seriously, I can get there in like no time.”

“Then you won’t suffer too much in my presence.”

“Were you always this stubborn when you were little?” I asked, starting to get a little annoyed about being pulled around like a doll.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he said softly, looking over his shoulder, the annoying dimple winking at me. “You were always the little one, not me.”

Chapter Seven Jason

After pushing a reluctant Olive into my car, I rounded it and got in as she was mumbling something about killing someone.

Amused, I asked, “Are we going on a killing spree?”

I still couldn’t believe my eyes, that she was actually there.

Frowning, she looked at me, her hand jerkily pulling on the seatbelt. “What?”

“Easy there killer.” I smiled and leaned over her to take care of her little dilemma.

My nose was almost touching her cheek. Mmm. She smelled like apples, fresh and sweet.

I felt her stiffen.

My little Olive.

Securing her, I leaned back and my eyes zeroed in on her parted lips. “There you go.”

“Thank you,” she mumbled, looking anywhere but me. I looked away, too.

“So, you were muttering about killing someone?”

“Lucy. My friend.”

“What did she do to deserve such a gruesome death?”

Starting the car, I discreetly glanced at her.

The little girl who had always given me the biggest smiles was long gone. While it looked like she hadn’t changed at all, I knew everything had changed. It looked like I wasn’t the receiver of any smiles any more.

“I can’t be that bad of company, can I?” I asked before she could reply about her friend.

She gave me a small smile. Not one of her beautiful ones that used to light up her eyes and flush her cheeks, but still a sincere one nonetheless.

“No, you are not that bad. You can drop me off at USC, I’ll find my friends.”

“You go there?”

“Yes.”

“Come on, Olive. Don’t be like that. Tell me more about what you’ve been up to. I still can’t believe we found each other here out of all the other places in LA.”

“A coffee shop or something like that would’ve been more like it, wouldn’it?”

“Exactly. A studio exec’s office? No way in hell.”

She chuckled. “It is a little weird, isn’t it?”

“Weird? I don’t know, probably. You never were an ordinary girl, though.”

Stopping at the red light, I faced her. She was looking out the window, her hands resting on her lap in tight little fists. I tugged at a strand of her strawberry blonde hair—which looked much lighter than it had years before—and she looked at me. I smiled and said, “Hi.”

She bit on her lower lip and smiled back shyly. “Hi back.”

“I missed you, little one. I didn’t even know how much until I saw you.” Her smile faltered a bit, but she managed to turn it into a lopsided smile, which looked strangely attractive on her.

The light turned green and I had to give my attention to the road, special cargo and all that. Several minutes passed by with neither one of us saying anything, then we both spoke at the same time.

“Did you—”

“Can I—”

I chuckled. “You go first.”

“I just wanted to ask why you stopped calling Dylan. For a while there, he used to get touchy if someone mentioned you. I think he didn’t want to show how upset he was. I know it’s none of my business and you certainly don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but I’ve always wondered.”

When the car in front of me stopped due to traffic, I changed lanes and slowed down. Rubbing the back of my neck, I let out a deep breath.

“You don’t have to answer,” she repeated before I could form an answer in my mind. I didn’t have a good enough reason to give to her.

“No, it’s okay, little one. I know it was a shitty thing to do after everything your family had done for me. To be honest, the first few weeks were really hard. Maybe you remember,” I said, glancing at her. “My father and I were never close, and my mother’s death didn’t change anything on that front. The day I left you guys, he didn’t even speak one word to me the entire ride here. When we finally made it, he showed me to an empty room in a big house and went back to his clients. Just like that. I barely saw him, and he certainly didn’t care what I was doing. Unfortunately, it only got worse after that. I didn’t want to be that kid who only called to complain. And, don’t tell your mom, but I think if I had talked to Emily about how I was doing, I would’ve broken down and cried like a baby when I heard her call me sweetheart in that tone of hers. Lying to Dylan was surprisingly easier.” When she didn’t say anything, I continued. “And in time, with school and then the movie stuff…”

It sounded lame even to my own ears.

“I’m sorry you had a rough time when you first got here, but you must be so happy now. I’m glad things turned out for the better. When we watched your first movie, I think I saw Mom wipe away tears more than a few times.”

“She cried for an action movie?”

“You were shot, and well, I think she cried because she was proud of you.”

An arrow straight to my chest. When my mother had passed out from her daily drinking, consequently locking me out for the night, Emily had taken me in. After that night, I’d stayed at their house more than I had at my own. She’d been a better mom to me than my own could ever be. Dylan was my brother and Olive…well, Olive had been my friend, too. They were the only family I’d known. It was as simple as that.

“You really didn’t miss me?” I asked, trying to diffuse the heavy quiet in the car. “Didn’t wait by the phone for my call? Come on, don’t be shy. You can tell me.” I watched her out of the corner of my eye.

She laughed. It was beautiful to watch.

“I definitely didn’t wait by the phone.”

“But you admit to missing me, don’t you?”

“Maybe,” she said so quietly that I wasn’t even sure if I’d heard her right.

When her phone rang, she gave me an apologetic look and answered it.

“Where are you? No. Okay. Yes, the meeting is over, I’m on my way back. Ok, I’ll be home soon. No! No, wait inside. Lucy, I swear to god, if I find you outside—Hello? Lucy? Damn you!”

“Something wrong?” I asked, amused.

“No, it’s okay. Well, good news for you, you don’t have to drive me all the way to USC. We’re closer to the house.”

“Lucy is your roommate?”

“One of them.”

“How many roommates do you have?”

“With Lucy, three.”

“Is it hard?”

“Not really. I mean, we’re all friends, so I guess it’s easier than it would be if they were complete strangers.”

After she gave me the address, we were quiet for the rest of the ride. Fuck, but I couldn’t stop glancing at her. She had the same little nose, that same spark in her eyes, yet she was so different than when I had last seen her. The worst part? She had boobs—boobs big enough that they’d cushioned my arm when I had accidentally encountered them as I secured her in.

Fuck me, but my little Olive—the same little girl I had protected from shitty bullies—was not so little any more.

“Is this the right street?” I asked when I took a right turn.

“Yes. You can stop here. I took enough of your time already.”

“Don’t be like that. Tell me which building it is.”

“Maybe I don’t want you to know where I live.”

I gave her an exasperated look, and she gave me an annoyed one, which only made me laugh.

She huffed and pointed to an old building. “Do you see those three people waiting there?”

“That old building?”

“Yeah that one.”

Coming to a stop in front of the building she had pointed out, I turned off the engine.

“Is this place safe?” I asked, leaning toward her to glance at the building through her window.

“Safe enough.” With a quickness I wasn’t expecting, she opened the door and got out. Leaning down to look at me through the open door, she said, “Thank you for dropping me off, Jason. It was really nice to see you again. I’m glad we did this. Don’t read the book because it kinda sucks if you ask me. Have a nice life. Bye.”

She shut the door on my smiling face. Ah. She was acting as if she could get away that easily now that I’d found her.

Chuckling to myself, I reached for my Ray-Bans and stepped out of the car. Following her, I watched a girl separate from the other two and run straight into Olive’s arms, all screaming and jumping.

The other girl had an equally big smile on her face when she finally reached the jumping duo. The guy? He didn’t look that happy at all.

“Start from the beginning, you have to tell us everything. Do they want the movie rights? Did you say yes? How much did they offer? Who will play Isaac?” I heard her friend ask rapidly. I couldn’t hear Olive’s answers, but I was aware that she was trying to herd them back toward the building.

And she hadn’t noticed me—yet.

“Olive,” I said next to her ear when her friend focused on the other two and was looking over her shoulder.

“Jesus!” she screamed turning around.