The Director (Hollywood Nights) by Cara North Page A

stay with me, silly. He needs to talk to you about something for
the discovering history or family, I don’t know, one of those channels you tend
to like to do work for.”
    Shay took several deep slow
breaths. She saw Alex Harvey, Milton Harvey’s son and her real agent, as he
tilted his head to look at her. Jed said something, but she couldn’t hear it.
Alex started walking towards her as Jed was walking towards Harvey. They
stopped midway and Jed’s mom took that moment to pat Shay’s hand between both
of her own and say, “Who are you dear? I must know. I haven’t seen my baby smile
like that in… a long time.”
    “I’m…I’m Shay,” she said as he looked
from Alex and Jed to Jed’s mom with a half-smile. “I’m…”
    “Shay,” Alex Harvey’s voice made
her spine stiff. “Aunt Helen, I see you have met dad’s newest client. May I
speak with her a moment alone?”
    “You’re an actress?” Helen Gunner
had a shocked expression on her beautiful face.
    “Yes, ma’am,” Shay said.
    Someone called her name and she
said, “I…well, I hope to see you again soon, dear.”
    Shay wished the woman had stayed.
    “What are you doing here?” Alex
asked. He was not happy. If she had worn heels she would look him square in the
eye. He didn’t resemble the Gunner’s at all. She wondered if Harvey was a
brother from his mother or father’s side. Alex was older than Jed by a good ten
years. Harvey was seventy-something she was sure. His dark brown eyes squinted
behind the glasses. He insisted, “Well?”
    “I came with Jed,” she said. She
pulled her shoulders back and addressed this issue head on in the casual tone
they had practiced her using when faced with confrontation. Shay from a year
ago would have told Alex it was none of his business and then told him where to
get off. Of course Shay from a year ago would only be here with Jed Gunner by
some miracle and she would have been making a scene to get as much attention
possible.
    “My cousin?” Alex made a sour
expression.
    “I didn’t know he was your
cousin, Alex.” She couldn’t even see Jed anymore. Alex had taken Helen’s spot
so she faced him and not Harvey and Jed.
    “He is. My father’s favorite at
that!” He looked briefly over her shoulder and then directly at her. She knew a
lecture was coming. “What have we talked about? You should have consulted me
prior to accepting this invitation. I would have told you that wearing what you
are wearing is not acceptable. You should be in something conservative, but professional.
At all times Shay, you must look professional, not casual. You are here with
some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, producers, directors, writers, and you look
like you’re heading to a backyard barbecue instead of a fundraiser. You look…well
you never look average, but had I known you were here, I could have made time
to escort you.”
    “She has an escort,” Jed said as
he moved behind her. She never heard him approach.  
    He put his arm around her and
placed his hand on her waist where Alex could see.
    “Shay, I want to see you in my
office Wednesday morning, understand?” Alex punched it into his phone, but he used
a tone that did not sit well with Jed.
    “Don’t talk to her like that,” he
said it simply and without raising his voice, but Alex got the message loud and
clear.
    When he spoke again he was
exercising the tone he had taught her to use. He then looked at Jed with more
care than she had ever seen Alex Harvey express and said, “This is business,
Jed. You don’t understand, what’s worse, I doubt you care. I care. If my client
is coming to an event this size, I need to know. She should have told me.”
    Alex narrowed his eyes again. He
did that when he was pissed. She had spent the first part of this twelve-month
twelve-step program on the receiving end of that glare. He had called it
Resurrection Rehab, an intensive program that he had designed to break a person
down to their core and then