“So, you didn’t answer my question,” I said to Harper.
She squeezed my hand and gave me a chaste kiss.
“I think I might be worth the wait.”
I knew she was.
I HAD A MESSAGE FROM Jessup when I arrived at the hotel. He and Janice, our producer, wanted to take me to dinner. I called him and we agreed I could bring everyone with me. We were invited to BOA, a high-end steak house.
The ladies used the occasion to dress up, so I pulled out one of my new Dakora suits. I figured since I was in LA, I could pull off the green one they’d given me. I’d brought it because I couldn’t think of too many other places I could wear it. Personally, I wasn’t thrilled with the suit, but Adrienne pushed me to broaden my horizons and embrace my inner model. I think she was full of it, but I knew what she meant. I needed to wear the clothes to help promote the ad campaigns.
One thing I didn’t do was shave my head. I hoped I didn’t have to get it shaved again this weekend. I wanted my hair to grow back out. I was tired of looking like I could scare small children. The only positive I found was the emo girls and girls looking for a bad boy found me sexy. For some reason, Harper wasn’t a big fan of my look.
When we met Jessup and Janice, they were in high spirits. The studio executives loved what they were seeing. Janice pulled out her laptop and showed us some of the things they’d worked on. One of the scenes was of me skipping across the cliff face.
“Did you let my baby do that?” Mom said indignantly.
I had to agree. Once the CGI guys did their magic, it looked like I was a hundred feet off the ground. Jessup looked up, concerned. I don’t think he’d ever faced someone like my mom.
“Mrs. Dawson, I can assure you David was in no danger doing the scene,” he started to explain.
I figured I should help him out. Jessup helping Craig and the rest of the cast to pull practical jokes on me may have colored my help.
“Mom, they told me I was safe. At first, I was worried because my stuntman had to be taken to the hospital the day before. Jessup assured me I needed to do it or it would alter the shots and hold up production.”
“What happened to your stuntman?” Harper asked, starting to be concerned.
“They slammed him into the ground. It was a little scary,” I said, and then gave a dramatic pause. “Wasn’t he hooked to the same kind of wire I was on?”
Janice raised her eyebrows and watched Jessup squirm.
“I had full confidence in David,” he said weakly.
“Mom, I was fine. It was a blast. You saw how I flew through the air. They did forget to tell me how to stop, though. The first time through I thought I was going to end up like the stuntman did. I was so glad we were done with it and without any problems or injuries, but Jessup’s a professional and only wanted what was best for the movie. He made me do it six more times,” I said with my best ‘little angel’ look on my face.
“Let me see if I understand this. A professional was injured doing stunt work the day before. You decided to dangle my son from a cliff and send him flying through the air. Did you have any of the other actors do something like this?” Mom asked.
Janice and Jessup looked at each other. While they were trying to decide how to respond, Mom turned to me.
“So, you had fun?” Mom asked.
I just nodded my head yes.
“Except this time, I didn’t have to go to the hospital.”
“What do you mean, this time?” Mrs. Mass asked.
Kendal had seen us do this before and started laughing. I think Mom took ten years off Jessup’s life. I showed them the video of when I tested the Range Sports Jet Water Board. After they saw the jet water board video, me flying through the air on a frozen cliff looked tame by comparison.
Over appetizers, Janice broached the subject I was sure this meeting was all about.
“As I told you earlier, the executives are very happy with your work and the potential the film has. They’re tentatively floating the idea of shooting two more pictures. What do you think about that?”
“This was fun and all, but I don’t know when I’d have time to do it. I need to focus these next two years on sports if I plan to get a scholarship to play football. I can’t take time off to do two movies,” I told them.
Kendal had talked to Kent during the week. He had sources that said insiders at the studio were projecting big numbers for our film. There was talk of moving the release date to Christmas. He warned her the studio might approach us about the next two movies. They hoped to play on Kendal and my inexperience and lock us into a two-movie deal now, before the first one was released.
The gamble was if the movie was a flop and I hadn’t signed, I could be hurt financially. If it turned out the movie was a huge hit, I’d be better off working with the other three lead characters and negotiating as a group. Kendal and Tom had talked to the agents for both Bree and Elizabeth, and they’d agreed to the second strategy.
Kendal, and especially me, had to play hard-to-get. It was easy for me since what I had just said was true. They would have to make it worth my while not to focus on football. I couldn’t just ignore it, either. The two-movie deal could potentially pay me more than I would ever make playing professional football. There was also no guarantee I would ever make it to the pros. Too many extremely talented players had been hurt or just didn’t pan out.
“What if you were to make enough money you didn’t need a scholarship to go to college?” Janice asked.
“I’d have to really think about it. I’d need to talk to my family before making a commitment of any kind. Can you give me an idea of what kind of money we’re talking about?” I asked.
Janice looked a little uncomfortable. She gave me an approximation, which was twice what Kent had told us to expect. Kendal gave me a funny look that told me I needed to hold off. I had forgotten Harper and Mrs. Mass were in the room.
“I think you might be valuing David’s contribution too low,” Mrs. Mass offered. “I have a feeling he’s tested very well with your focus groups. I understand you also have footage of him that will be used to market the film. I haven’t seen his contract, but I suspect you’ll need to compensate him for the extra work-product. I suggest you negotiate in good faith and pay him a bonus so as to avoid any unpleasantness.”
Both Kendal and I turned to stare at her. She obviously had done her homework. Janice and Jessup looked at each other. I don’t think they had expected us to be prepared. I sure as hell hadn’t. Then she gave them her best winning smile.
“Of course, what do I know? I’m just the mother of David’s girlfriend,” she said.
I was glad to see we’d slowed them down for now. The rest of the evening was enjoyable. Janice and Jessup were gracious hosts. BOA had aged beef that was some of the best I’d ever had. We all shared a variety of side dishes. When the check came, I glanced at the bill. It was more than many people made in a week. Even though it wasn’t cheap, I felt for a special occasion I would go back for sure. The meal really was outstanding.
When we got back to the hotel, Mrs. Mass wanted to talk to us. I invited everyone to my suite.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped my bounds at the restaurant. What I do for a living is read people. I was getting the vibe they were going to take advantage of you.”
“David had been warned before the meeting. He was playing his part tonight,” Kendal told her. “I have to say, though, you helped our cause tonight.”
Mrs. Mass gave me a hard look and I just stared back at her. Then she smiled.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“The same age as your daughter,” I said with a big smile.
“You were serious about playing football, though,” she said.
“That part was true.”
She watched me closely. I never wanted to play poker with this woman. It was as if she could read my mind. It was unnerving, but I was sure it served her well in her job as a District Attorney.