Chapter Twenty-Four
Isla closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment to catch her breath.
Since she’d arrived at the Corrigan estate the evening before, everything had been a whirlwind.
She was glad to leave them, even if her earlier play had failed.
Having one of the estate’s drivers return her to the rented studio apartment she’d been staying at for the past six weeks was like coming back to the real world.
When she thought the car wasn’t lurking around with instructions to watch her, Isla walked the couple of blocks to the Red Roof Inn, where it had all begun for her.
The apartment was what they could know about her.
However, this motel room was what she had to keep hidden.
It was where she’d come to reconnect with the past, the memories of the time she’d spent in this very room serving as a reminder of why she’d returned to this town.
Now, she needed to regroup and think of a contingency plan since shooting her shot with Victor Corrigan and failing miserably. Her phone buzzed.
Pack your bags and see you soon!!!
Isla was confused and read the words again, which did not compute. She was still trying to figure it out when a call interrupted, the number unknown. She answered, preparing to hang up if it was spam.
The voice boomed from the line as loudly as if he were in the room. “Isla, I’ll give you a shot with this article my wife wants me to do,” Victor said.
“But Mrs. Corrigan doesn’t seem to like me at all or want me around.”
“Is she the subject of this damnable piece, or am I? You let me worry about my wife. She’ll see it my way.” Isla didn’t believe anyone could see anything Victor wanted any other way than his.
She was stunned. “Why me? Like I said, I don’t have much experience.”
“Experience starts from somewhere, right? You said this could be what you need to get in the door. Plus, you got balls, and even though my wife has not welcomed you with open arms, that doesn’t deter you.
” He sighed, the humor leaving his tone.
“Plus, you remind me of someone I haven’t seen in a while. ”
Isla’s heartbeat doubled. “Who might that be?”
There was a long pause, and without the rush of air in the background, she’d have thought he had hung up.
“Just don’t get in my way. My schedule is tight, and I don’t know when I’ll be available for you, but I expect the piece to be done prior to the awards.
Just be available when Dixon calls. Sound good? ”
He didn’t wait for her response, disconnecting the call instead.
She gave Victor the reply he hadn’t waited to hear. “Sounds great.”
She went over to the tiny nightstand and pulled it away from the wall, turning it as she ran the tips of her fingers on the back of it.
Her fingers stopped when they glided over the grooves in the wood.
She turned it some more until she saw them.
She traced the letters scratched roughly into the cheap wood with the tip of the metal emery board from her nail clippers.
EG & IT
were here
She let out a deep breath, refusing to allow the tears that wanted to spill to have their way. She couldn’t believe it had worked. She’d gone off plan, by gut, and it was such a sloppy scheme—built on a lot of chance, luck, and the goodwill of people—it shouldn’t have worked. But she’d done it.