Page 11 of Flowers To Give
“Mhm,” Clark walks over to the tall window and out to the dark night, continuing, “She wanted to get out of LA. I think shewas thinking North Cal, not my old hometown in the mountains. But she’s adjusting. I hope her kids will get used to it too.”
“Right,” Jeremy feels stupid for not having any better responses, offering, “It takes time.”
“Ha. Yeah. Okay,” Clark drinks, “It’s just hard leaving so much for work. I hope they’ll be happy here while I’m gone.”
Jeremy dares to take a step forward, asking, “Are you going somewhere?”
Clark looks over to him from deep thought, like he’s surprised Jeremy’s still there. His eyes anchor to the other’s as he tries on an ill-fitting smile, “Yeah. Hawaii.”
Raising a brow, Jeremy asks for clarification, “For work?”
“Yeah. Shooting this dramatic action-packed romance movie out there, called Crystal Island. I leave next week.”
“Wow.”
Clark laughs offhandedly, brow scrunched, “What?”
“Well,” Jeremy shrugs, “You just got here.”
“That’s showbiz, baby,” Clark jokes.
“I wouldn’t know,” he responds honestly.
“Yeah. About that,” Clark shifts his weight so his shoulders are squared up with Jeremy’s, sipping at his whiskey before continuing, “This movie. My character is an explorer that’s almost always on horseback. Production wants to assign me a random horse wrangler to train and work with. But I was thinking, why bring in some dude when I’ve got you!”
“Me?” Jeremy scoffs.
“Yeah, you’d be perfect!”
“No,” he shakes his head, “Clay would be perfect. He’s literally your horse wrangler for the ranch.”
“Pfft, he’s here to train Laurelai and the kids the basics. No, I need some real rough and tough experience. I need my old bud, the cowboy, Jeremy Munday,” Clark smiles at him as if he’s just presented the cure for cancer.
“The cattle though,” Jeremy reaches for an excuse to get out of this hare brained scheme.
“I already have someone lined up to cover you while we’re gone,” Clark explains, “The cows won’t even know that you left.”
“Alright, but what about the rodeo?” Jeremy finds another excuse.
“What about it?” Clark doesn’t follow.
Jeremy sighs and explains, “Every year I enter the rodeo and represent Willmaker Ranch. I can’t miss it.”
“Well, when is it?” Clark’s brow furrows.
“April.”
“We’ll only be away for a month and some change. That’ll be plenty of time beforehand, right?” Clark dismisses that concern too.
Feeling pushed into a corner, Jeremy averts his eyes and says, “I don’t know.”
“Your day rate would be twenty five hundred for twelve hours,” Clark states. Jeremy looks back to that smug face, cocking a brow and asking, “Got your attention now?”
“Twenty five hundred? As in two thousand five hundred dollars? For a single day?”
“Yep,” he finishes his glass of whiskey, “Hm, remind me, your monthly salary on the ranch is five thousand, yeah?”
Jeremy grinds his teeth, hating that Clark knows that information.
