Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“I know his name,” Carter said. “What is he doing with the Shar-Pei while he’s here?”
“He’s at home with his mom.”
“Oh my God. That’s even more precious.”
They’re gonna eat him alive, was all I kept thinking. Hacksmore wasn’t wrong about Jace’s appeal, and what people had seen so far was just the tip of the iceberg. They wanted his realness, his coolness, his friendliness, and the moment they were presented with even more of it, they would want to leech every good quality he exuded, in the worst possible way imaginable.
“Okay, go hop in Grindr or something and find some good London cock. I need to reread a few things and start planning out the details for my pitch of how the rest of this campaign is going to go down. There are events to be scheduled, deadlines to make…”
“Yeah, and surely I don’t need to know about any of these things?”
I rolled my eyes. “Go be butthurt somewhere else.”
He laughed. “Alright, powertop. I’m outta here.”
After he left, I checked my phone and noticed Serena had called.
Three times.
She was on a yoga retreat in India, so I figured I needed to call her while she was available.
Serena answered the phone with, “Does my busy son finally have a moment for his mother?”
“I’ve been swamped. I told you we have Jace Kruse coming in, and are you even supposed to be on your phone? I thought they took those away from you for this?”
“I just brought two and gave them the one that doesn’t work.”
“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of this little ‘Zen getaway’?”
“Antianxiety meds give me all the Zen I need. I’m only here because Melanie asked.”
I already knew that.
Like my mother, Melanie Harley had been a TV icon in the ’90s. After falling into obscurity in the early 2000s, Melanie spent her free time working on a self-discovery quest that took her across the globe, my mother in tow all too frequently. Their adventures suited me just fine, since Melanie had never been into the drug scene, and she kept my mom clean. We were going on a five-year anniversary on that front, but there was always a lingering fear in the back of my mind because I knew how Serena could get, and one slipup required years of recovery. Although, truly, my mom was always in recovery. It was a lifelong journey. And as much as we’ve had our differences in the past, that was something I empathized with.
“You should come and do one of these retreats sometime,” she went on. “I think it’d be good for you. You’d have a chance to relax. You’re always sounding so stressed out these days. Even now, you sound like your nerves are wracked.”
“That’s because I’m talking to you.”
She enjoyed a laugh before saying, “Don’t be so snippy, Dax. Something must be working on your nerves right now.”
“This is a major endorsement deal I’m working on at the moment.”
“Yes, even Melanie was talking about it. Evidently, you’re a big deal in a behind-the-scenes way.”
“Where I prefer to be.” She was always discussing my career as though, because I didn’t live my life in front of the camera, I was somehow missing out on what life was really about.
“You say that, but Melanie was talking to her agent, and they’re casting for this new action series. Looking for a sexy, studly guy—”
“Serena, what have I told you about doing this?”
“You would be so perfect for the role, though! You’ve always been such a fabulous combination of my charm and your father’s eyes.”
I never understood why she mentioned the bastard who’d wanted nothing to do with either of us, and certainly never anything to do with me. She must’ve been able to tell by how I quieted down that I was annoyed, because she quickly followed with, “What did I say? Oh, I’m sorry that I want my son to be successful.”
“I am successful. In my own industry, thank you very much. I don’t need to have your dream.”
“Okay, okay. I won’t push, especially while you’re on edge over this deal.”
“Right now, I’m on edge because of you, but that’s fine.”
I heard someone talking near Serena, and she added, “It’s one of the yoga instructors. I’m not sure what he’s saying, but looks like he wants me to get off the phone.”
“Have fun in Zen hell,” I told her.
“Send good vibes and a cake with a file. Love you.”
“Okay, bye,” I said, snickering as I hung up.
I’d heard my phone buzz while we were chatting, so I checked my messages.
JACE: Ooh, this is a nice room. Better than the one you had in Fever Falls, that’s for sure.
It was just what I needed after chatting with my mother.
Oh, he was going to be living a very different life now that he’d signed on to the project.