Liz inhaled deeply, as if she were a parent exasperated with a difficult child. He knew she wasn’t trying to impress him with the hint of cleavage on display. Mick didn’t fuck people he did business with, which worked out really well for Liz, too, because she didn’t mix her business with her pleasure either. To Mick, Liz was like a sister—a sometimes extremely annoying sister—who made him a lot of money.
“Mick, it’s summer blockbuster season. People are paying attention to television and magazines and to who’s showing up at these big movie premieres. This would be a great time to make an appearance at one of these huge, moneymaking movies. Cynthia Beaudreaux’s new film releases Wednesday.”
“What kind of movie is it?”
“Romantic comedy.”
Mick bit into a piece of bread. “I like action flicks.”
“But wouldn’t you love to attend the premiere of her movie?”
He’d rather have a root canal. But maybe Tara liked romantic comedies. “Let me check my schedule, and I’ll get back to you.”
Liz arched a brow. “Honey, I’m your schedule. I know every move you make.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do.”
“You don’t own me, Liz. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you do. You want to manage my career, fine. Don’t think you manage my life. I’ll check my schedule and get back to you.”
She picked up her glass of sparkling water, not at all offended. Her life consisted of dealing with athletes with huge egos. He knew it would take a steamroller to stop her.
“Can’t you do that right now?”
“My phone’s in the car.”
“Can’t you go get it?”
“No.”
And Mick had to admit that he enjoyed pissing her off.
She sighed. “You try my patience, Mick.”
“Yeah, but I make you a hell of a lot of money, so you’re willing to put up with me. I’ll call you later tonight, Liz. And then I’ll tell you whether to grab me some tickets for that premiere.”
“I meant for you to take Cynthia Beaudreaux to the premiere of her movie.”
“Doesn’t she already have a date?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she does. I don’t care. I’ll arrange for you to be her date.”
“There you go again, arranging people’s lives for them.”
“For their benefit. For your benefit.”
“If I go to this premiere, it won’t be with Cynthia.”
Liz’s eyes flashed with irritation. “Who will it be with?”
“I’ll bring my own date.”
“That event planner?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
“She’s a nobody.”
“But the point of me going to the premiere is for me to be seen and photographed, right?”
She tapped her fingernails on the table. “Yes. But—”
“But nothing. You’ve introduced me to these women for years now, Liz. And the PR has been great. Now and then I’d like to choose my own date, okay?”
She opened her mouth to say something, but the look he gave her made her think twice.
Smart woman. She knew when not to argue. “Call me and let me know what you decide.”
“I’ll do that.”
NATHAN WAS SPENDING THE WEEK AT A FOOTBALL camp. Both teams—JV and varsity—were attending. He’d never been away from her for so long. A few days for school excursions yes, but not all week long. Tara had put him on the bus at five a.m. this morning and tried not to let him see the tears that threatened to fall, knowing he’d be embarrassed. Plus she wanted him to grow up strong and independent, and he certainly was that and more. He’d been so excited about this camp, and she’d scrimped and saved to be able to afford this. She was happy to be able to do it for him. He’d earned it with good grades and doing chores, and if his attitude over the past year hadn’t been spectacular, she’d understood it wasn’t easy being a teenager and starting high school. There were so many pressures on kids these days. She tried to cut him some slack as long as things didn’t get too out of hand. And those pesky hormones accounted for at least some of his Jekyll and Hyde behavior.
But now she had an entire week of quiet nights at home. She didn’t know what she was going to do with herself. Days she kept busy with work. She had a luncheon on Wednesday, so today and Tuesday she and the other women would be busy enough prepping for that.
But what was she going to do at night? She supposed she’d better start preparing herself for those lonely times, since eventually he’d get his driver’s license, start dating, go off to college. He wasn’t going to be around all that much anymore.
She caught herself staring out the kitchen window, zapping back to reality at the sound of her cell phone ringing. She grabbed it and answered.
“Hey, beautiful.”
Mick. She smiled at the sound of his voice. “Hey yourself, handsome.”
“What are you up to?”
“Feeling sorry for myself because my son has abandoned me for a week.”
“Oh yeah? Where’s he off to?”
“Football camp.”
“I remember those. He’ll have a good time.”
“I’m sure he will. But it’s the first time we’ve been apart this long.”
“Geez, Mom, time to cut the apron strings.”
Now it was her turn to laugh. “You’re right. I’m going a little overboard, aren’t I?”
“Definitely. So what are you doing Wednesday night?”
“I have a luncheon to do Wednesday.”
“But Wednesday night? Are you free?”