Chapter 44 ZACHERY RETURNS TO THE WHALE’S BELLY
Chapter 44
Z ACHERY R ETURNS TO THE W HALE ’ S B ELLY
I don’t plan to ever step foot in Desdemona Lovechild’s world again, but during a dinner with Catalina and Sweta in late June, Catalina admits she might pull out of Romeo and Juliet . Her agent can’t get through to the director, which is exactly why she was reluctant to work with him again, and the accent coach he insisted on hasn’t gotten back to her with only a month until shooting.
I tell her I’ll handle it, but I don’t have Luigi Casperra’s contact information.
So I call Jester.
He doesn’t answer. He always knows when someone he doesn’t want to talk to is calling, even if caller ID is blocked. It’s a weird skill of his, Desdemona’s favorite trait.
I’ll have to go in. I can’t count on a call back, even if I leave a voicemail. And Desdemona’s in London. She’s kept me in the loop even though I have no intention of doing anything she asks.
But for Catalina, I will return to the belly of the whale.
I stop by the office on a Friday morning, hoping to catch Jester in a jovial mood. I bring his favorite coffee and an entire box of Voodoo Doughnuts.
When I arrive, he’s arranging pencils in the original broken Charlie Brown mug that he repaired so many weeks ago, before everything went downhill.
“I see you found a second life for it,” I say, kicking the door closed behind me.
He narrows his eyes. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, showing up here.”
“I come bearing gifts.” I set down the coffee and doughnuts.
He sniffs the cup and opens the lid of the box. “You’ve bought yourself five minutes of my good graces.” He sips the coffee and sighs. “Just like Kelsey used to bring.”
My gut tightens at the mention of her name. He knows somehow, because he sits back in his office chair, palms rubbing together like he’s got something good to say. “You miss her, don’t you?”
“Who?”
“Who? You’re asking who?” He shakes his head. “Both of you are out of your minds.”
“Have you talked to her?”
Jester peers at the selection. “Did you think these doughnuts would buy you the price of information about Kelsey?”
I stand there, trying not to lose my cool. “Did you get a wedding invitation?”
He looks up at that. “What are you talking about?”
“She was on a total fast track. Family approval. Planning on turning their old homestead into a bed-and-breakfast.”
He looks genuinely perplexed. “At her dad’s farm?”
Wait. What is he talking about?
“Did she take him to meet her dad?” I was joking, but now I wonder.
“It’s too early in the morning for this conversation,” Jester says. “Who do you think Kelsey is marrying a scant ten days after she came here to say goodbye?”
This is the most frustrating conversation I’ve ever had with Jester. “That’s what I’m talking about. She’s moving to that Wyoming homestead with her tree farm lumberjack.”
“You haven’t talked to her, have you?” Jester counts on his fingers. “For, well, practically the entire month!”
“Of course not. She found what she wanted. She doesn’t work here. Why would I?”
Jester slams the lid down on his box. “Because you two were friends, you ol’ fool. You damn yokel. Take back your bribes, mister. I’m not telling you a thing.”
I sigh. It doesn’t matter. Kelsey is gone. I can’t do anything about it. “I’m not here about Kelsey. It’s about Romeo and Juliet . I need to get in touch with Luigi Casperra’s team. Catalina is about to walk on this project.”
He stares at me with angry eyes, but finally turns to his computer. “Next time, an email will do.” He fires off a message to me. “There. It’s in your inbox. Good day.”
But he picks up the box of doughnuts and slides them into his drawer, as if he’s afraid I’ll take them away.
I glance over at Kelsey’s desk. It’s still empty. I guess they haven’t found a replacement for her. I’m not surprised. Desdemona had trouble hiring someone before Kelsey, and the word is bound to have gotten around that she fired this one abruptly.
Something glitters on the corner, small and sparkly. It’s in arm’s reach, so I pick it up.
It’s the tiny tip of one of her unicorns’ horns. It must have broken when she packed.
“Was this Kelsey’s?”
Jester relents, his mouth drooping. “Everything breaks after Desdemona gets hold of it. Kelsey was devastated about those unicorns. Desdemona slammed them in a box when I wasn’t here.”
“Did you ever know where they came from?”
His angry face returns, but I can tell he’s having to force it. I’ve known him a long time. “Why should I tell you anything?”
I sit in her chair, fingering the tiny horn.
Jester watches me awhile, but his urge to talk is stronger than his upset. “Her mother took her to a glassblower every year on her birthday. It was literally the only day her father let them out of chores.”
“Peach of a man.”
“Kelsey’s not too thrilled to be going back.”
Now his words penetrate. “Why is she going back?”
“Desdemona froze her out. She can’t get a job.”
“But she was going to stay in Wyoming.”
Jester leans back in his chair. “All right. I’ll spill. She ditched the lumberjack. He told her she couldn’t have both Hollywood and his babies.”
“He said what ?”
Jester raises his palms. “That’s all I know. She came home, learned she was fired, and has spent the last few weeks trying to find anything else. But Desdemona’s got her blackballed in Hollywood, so she’s going back to Alabama.”
Everything in my body vibrates at once. “When?”
“I’m not telling you.”
“When did you last talk to her?”
“Your five minutes are up.”
“Jester!”
“Zachery, neither one of you has been worth the tit on a mayfly since you left. Unless you tell me what went down, I’m not saying another word.”
I lose my head for a moment, and out comes what I was trying to never admit to anyone. “I fell in love with her. That’s what went down.”
He sits up, his face going pink. “About time you figured that out. And you still ran off with that woman to Italy?”
“She’s ... otherwise engaged.” I’m not about to spill Catalina’s secret. “It was strictly for show.”
“You know Kelsey saw it. You know she follows all your socials. You know what she thought.”
“What do I do now?”
“Go to her!” He leaps from his chair. “Fix this mess! Declare your love!”
“How? Where?” I’m not sure she’ll take a text from me, but I can try.
I pull out my phone, but Jester snatches it. “In what Hollywood happily ever after does the hero declare his love via a damn text message?”
He’s right. “So what do you suggest? Should I go to her apartment with roses?”
He crosses his arms over his pink pinstriped suit. “She left yesterday. But I know one place she’s going to be. Better use that fast car of yours.”