Chapter 20
On Sunday morning at seven a.m., Ronan met the party cleanup crew in front of Damian’s house.
“Thank you all for coming,” he said. “Mr. Leon is still asleep, so please use the side gate to get into the backyard. And if you need to go into the house, I ask that you keep any talking to a minimum.”
“No problem, Mr. Davis,” the manager said.
“If you need me for anything, just text. I’ll be inside.”
“Will do.”
Ronan entered the house, planning on making himself a cup of coffee, but as he stepped into the kitchen, he pulled up short at the sight of his boss in front of the coffee maker.
“I thought you were still in bed,” he said.
Damian stared at his mug that was slowly filling with coffee. “The older you are, the less sleep you get, no matter how much you wish it was otherwise.”
“Shall I order you some breakfast?”
Damian had a personal chef, but she was off on Sundays.
The actor shook his head and picked up his coffee. After taking a satisfied sip, he said, “I’m still full from the party. Which, if I haven’t said already, was wonderful.”
Ronan wanted to smile at the compliment, but he couldn’t. “I’m sorry again about the pool incident.”
Damian finally looked at him. “Did you push your friend into the water?”
“Um, no.”
“Did you invite the woman who did?”
“Definitely not. She should have never been allowed into the party.”
“True. But were you the one checking every guest that came in?”
“No. But—”
“No buts. You did a fine job. Did something happen that wasn’t planned? It did. But let’s be honest. It made the night even more memorable. Though, of course, I would appreciate it if that didn’t happen again.”
“So would I.”
Damian chuckled and took another sip of his coffee.
This was why Ronan loved working for Damian.
Given the man’s accomplishments, he could have been a demanding jerk who was never happy with anything.
But instead, he was surprisingly understanding and down-to-earth.
When Ronan had commented on it, Damian had said he preferred to leave all the drama in his life on the screen or stage.
“How is your friend doing?” Damian asked.
“Other than being annoyed, she was okay when I last saw her. I haven’t talked to her this morning yet. But knowing her, she’s fine.”
“Is she a late sleeper?”
“Actually, the opposite.”
Damian raised an eyebrow.
Taking the cue, Ronan said, “I’ll call her now,” and pulled out his cell.
The line rang once before Emma picked up. “Yes?”
“Good morning,” Ronan said. “I wanted to see how you were doing.”
“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Before Ronan could reply, Damian whispered, “Put her on speaker.”
“Um, sure.” He did as his boss requested.
“Emma, it’s Damian Leon,” Damian said.
“Okay,” she said.
“I wanted to make sure you weren’t having any problems after what happened last night.”
“Last night?”
“The pool?”
“What problems would I have?”
Damian looked at Ronan, brow furrowed.
Ronan took the call off speaker and raised the phone to his ear. “He’s just concerned. Remember, we talked about this kind of thing.”
“Right, sorry. Please tell him I’m fine and thank him for asking.”
Ronan relayed the message.
“Is that it?” Emma asked. “Ari and I are about to go on a hike.”
“A hike? Are you sure you should exert yourself like that?”
“Because I fell in the pool?”
“No, because of the stitches on your leg. Remember?”
“They’re fine.”
“Emma.”
“Ronan.”
He let out a breath. “Just be careful.”
“I will. And, uh, thanks for…caring.”
“Wow. Progress.”
“Goodbye, Ronan.”
“Bye.”
He hung up.
“Sorry about that,” he said to Damian. “She’s not great at small talk.”
“I gathered that.”
“She really is fine, though.”
“I’m glad,” Damian said. “Is she your…?”
“No,” Ronan said quickly.
“But you want her to be.” Not a question.
“Uh.”
Damian raised his mug in salute. “Your secret is safe with me.” He downed the rest of his coffee. “I think it’s time for a shower.”
“Before you go,” Ronan added, “Peter Barrington and Billy Barnett asked if they could meet with you.”
“What about?”
Ronan shrugged, knowing it would be better if the answer came from Peter or Billy. “I was thinking you could have them over for cocktails this evening.”
Damian thought about it, then said, “Sure, why not?”
“I’ll let them know.”
—
Around the same time, at the Centurion Pictures house, Stone wheeled his suitcase into the living room where Billy, Peter, Tessa, and Ben were gathered.
Tessa gave him a hug. “I wish you could stay longer.”
“Me, too,” Stone said.
Ben was next. “If you finish up early with work, you can always come back.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Billy shook his hand. “Stone, keep working on that golf game. You may never beat me, but I’m sure you could put up a decent round with a little more practice.”
“Your suggestion is taken in the spirit it was given.”
“Let me guess. In one ear and out the other?”
Stone’s eyes widened in mock surprise. “So you’re a mind reader, too.”
Peter took control of his father’s bag. “I’ll walk you out.”
“Wait!” Hattie called.
She and Mari emerged from the stairway.
“Have you two been down there all night?” Stone asked.
“They have,” Peter said.
“When inspiration strikes, you have to act,” Hattie said.
“A new song?” Stone asked.
“A pretty good one, too, I think.”
“I’d love to hear it.”
“And you will, but not until it’s done.” Hattie hugged her father-in-law. “I’m so glad you came.”
“Have a safe drive, Mr. Barrington,” Mari said.
“I’ve already told you,” Stone said. “It’s Stone.”
She winced. “I’m not sure I can do that.”
Stone pointed at Billy. “What do you call him?”
“Billy.”
“He’s older than me.”
“Yeah,” Mari said. “But he’s not the father of a friend of mine. Father-in-law, too.”
“Fine, but I’m not going to stop trying to change your mind.”
They all followed him out to where a car and driver waited to whisk him away to the Arrington Hotel in Beverly Hills.
More hugs and goodbyes were exchanged while the driver stowed Stone’s suitcase in the trunk, then Stone climbed in, and everyone waved one final time as the sedan drove away.
As Billy turned back to the house, his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and answered the call. “This is Billy Barnett.”
“Mr. Barnett, it’s Ronan Davis. I hope I’m not calling too early.”
“Not at all.”
“If you and Mr. Barrington are free this evening, Damian would love it if you could join him for cocktails.”
“That sounds great. If it’s all right, I think Ben Bacchetti will also be joining us.”
“Of course. How’s seven p.m.?”
“Perfect.”
“We look forward to seeing you then.”