Page 66 of The Groupie
Rylee
As I park my rental car in the Mass General parking garage, I get a call, and it feels like the equivalent of an electric shock. My phone has become the harbinger of bad news and unpleasant or dreaded calls. Still, my heart races with the possibility that it’s Zak calling until I check it.
Relief and disappointment knock around in my gut as I try to pull myself together. It’s my new super-agent, and I need to talk to him no matter how inconvenient his timing is.
“I have some good news about the GNU deal.”
“Thank you, God. I could use good news.”
“I’m not God and don’t thank me yet. There are strings attached, but I think you can handle it.”
“I’ll handle whatever I have to handle for an infusion of much-needed cash.”
“Good. Here’s what you’ll need to do as a condition for airing the commercial and full payment of your fee—up front.”
“Up front? The whole thing?”
“Yes.” He clears his throat. “You’ll need to do a TV interview on a local magazine show. They’ve scheduled you for three days from now. When they ask you why you’re in Boston instead of Park City, you tell them about your mother’s surgery. There will be no mention of your ankle and certainly no hint of anything wrong with you. No limp.”
“I can’t do it. I’m leaving for Park City after Mamma’s surgery. I need to.” I’m certain she’ll be fine.
“What about your ankle? You have your appointment today?”
“Yes. I’ll be cleared to compete. I won’t be around to do an interview.”
“We’ll arrange a remote interview. The beauty of modern technology. How about it?”
“It’s not that I don’t appreciate all the trouble you’re going to for me, but I don’t feel right about talking about Mamma’s illness. Especially not on TV.”
“How about if you let her decide that?”
“You play dirty, don’t you?”
“I’m an expert negotiator.”
“I won’t lie. I need the money and Mamma would kill me if I didn’t take advantage of the opportunity, even if it’s at the expense of her privacy.” Whatever control I thought I had of my life seems to be slipping away rapidly. I have that sense of being a puppet with too many people pulling my strings. “Zak has something to do with this, doesn’t he?” It has his signature all over it.
“Not exactly.”
“You’re lying. Never mind, I won’t make you betray a confidence. No need. I know he’s behind it somewhere, somehow.”
“I’ll let you work that question out with him.”
I don’t bother telling Jett that I have no intention of discussing this with Zak. The less involvement I have with him from now on, the better. We end the call and my chest feels like a field of butterflies fluttering around in chaos. Plus, I want to throw up right now because I have to get going to my appointment with Dr. Yancey.
* * *
I try to avoid looking at the enormous Mass General Hospital entrance down the street to my left. It’s a stark reminder about Mamma’s surgery tomorrow because that’s where she’ll be. But I have to make this appointment with Dr. Yancey at his office in a nearby building. It isn’t easy to keep my mind in the present, but I put one foot in front of the other because I need to.
Today, the doctor will tell me if I’m good enough to go back to Park City and provide the damn report to Chuck to make it happen officially. I hate being under Chuck’s thumb. It was a big mistake to start something with him because now he thinks he owns me.
No way am I going to make the same mistake with Zak. I can’t let him in any further than he already is. How did our lives get so entangled in such a short time? We’re tied by a contract, for pity’s sake. Plus, whatever his involvement is with the TV magazine show and the GNU promo deal. Fuck—there’s no way GNU would pay me the entire fee upfront. That’s Zak’s doing. He’s fronting me the money—that son of a hockey puck.
God, I am so stupid. But not stupid enough to become emotionally entangled. No matter how generous and thoughtful and selfless he is. I won’t let that happen. Can’t let that happen.
When I get to reception in Yancey’s office, I’m shown to an examining room right away.
“He’ll be in to see you in just a minute.”
