“I’m sure she loves coffee, but telling her you’re taking ten minutes out of your busy schedule isn’t going to win you any favors.”
“You should write a self-help book.” Remi smirked as she pushed the buzzer.
“Can I help you?”
Remi recognized Dallas’s voice and was surprised she’d answered the buzzer. “Good morning, Dallas, it’s Remi.”
“I’m sorry, who?”
She took her finger off the intercom and looked at Simon. “Hell, ten minutes might have been an overestimation.”
“In these situations groveling and heartfelt apologies work just as well as precious stones.”
“Remi Jatibon,” Remi said, returning to the paces Dallas was putting her through.
“Sounds familiar…hmm…have we met?”
“I have some aliases you might recognize.” Remi shook her head and took her finger off the button, then pointed it at Simon to make her stop laughing. “There’s ‘dyke,’ ‘shit for brains,’ and ‘moron.’ Did I leave any out?”
“You left out ‘pervert,’ I believe,” Dallas said, then laughed. “You have to realize Bob suffers from a chronic case of foot in the mouth.”
“Let’s not waste our time talking about Dickey. Can I come in?”
A buzzer sounded, unlocking the door, and the plain exterior gave way to a beautiful courtyard and garden sprinkled with pieces of outdoor art and wrought-iron furniture. The place felt more like home than a temporary location rental. One of the chairs under the largest shade tree had a book on it, and Remi figured that must be Dallas’s reading nook.
She stepped onto the patch of grass, curious as to what Dallas was reading, and smiled when she saw
Footsteps on the slate floor made her look up to find Dallas wearing worn jeans and a loose white shirt, with her hair pulled into a ponytail.
“Good morning,” Remi said.
“Yes, it is.” Dallas stopped when she reached the edge of the grass. “You’re here, we both know who we are, and no one’s wearing a tux.”
“Not much on studio parties, are we?”
“I’m more of a barefoot and jeans girl, actually.”
Remi glanced down at the sandals. “You put on shoes for me? That’s flattering.”
“I figure if you’re here to fire me, it would be more professional if I was dressed somewhat like an adult.”
The reasoning made no sense to Remi, and she glanced back at Simon. “Your ideas on women are sounding better all the time,” she said, then laughed and shook her head. “I’m not here to fire you, since at the moment you don’t actually work for me, but I am here to ask you for a favor over coffee.”
“Have a seat and I’ll go make some.”
“We can go somewhere for coffee. I didn’t mean to put you out.” She nevertheless picked up the book and sat down.
“I promise not to poison you. Drip or espresso?”
“Espresso, with lots of sugar, thank you.”
Dallas walked away but left her sandals behind. It amazed Remi that for all the foot traffic outside, Dallas’s little patch of garden was as quiet as a church. She enjoyed the stillness with her eyes closed. “Makes me want to sell the penthouse,” she told Simon.
“Maybe you won’t have to,” Simon said. She sat close by with her head back.
“Do you read tea leaves down in Jackson Square in your spare time?”
“That’s fun to do every so often,” Dallas answered, making Remi’s head jerk up. She put down the tray she was holding and handed Simon a cup first. “What can I do for you, Ms. Jatibon?”
“It’s Remi, and I wanted to ask you out to dinner.”
“That’s the favor?”
“If you say yes, I could apologize for not coming clean about who I was when we met, and we can talk about your upcoming project.”
“That’s a new way of going about things.”
“I thought it would be more relaxing and we could maybe get to know each other better,” Remi said, catching a hint that the ice under her boots was cracking.
“And if I say no to the offer, which I’m sure comes complete with a casting couch?” The question was venomous, but Remi detected a history behind it.
“Then you and Bob can handle it with legal.” Remi stood and put her untouched coffee back on the tray. “Thanks for the coffee. I’m sorry we disturbed you and that I’ve somehow given you the impression that your future with the studio lies solely on your back.”
They were halfway to the door when Dallas spoke up. “And if I said yes, what did you have in mind?”
