by Claire Raye
“Wonderful,” he says, the sound of a hand coming down on something hard echoes in the background and I can picture him slapping it down almost in celebration.
“What about the movie?” I suddenly ask, the direction of the conversation changing drastically.
“What about the movie?” he questions back, sounding slightly confused. “You have what about a week or so left of filming, so I’d assume you’d go into post-production.” He chuckles a little as he gives me a basic rundown of what happens after a movie is finished filming. Something we both clearly already know.
“Yes, that’s right, but you’re not at all concerned about the black cloud that now hangs over this movie? That we’ll forever be known…”
I don’t even have a chance to continue as Ethan interrupts with a hardy laugh. “Sadie, please,” he says, relaxing the tenseness I feel blooming in my chest. “I’m not at all concerned about this bullshit overshadowing the incredible movie you’re creating. The movie will speak for itself and as far as I’m concerned Noel Robinson and his loose-cannon behavior can, excuse my language, get fucked.”
I too laugh a little, knowing this is the mentality I should’ve taken years ago.
“Okay, so I’ll just move forward then,” I add, hoping things settle down now.
“That’s exactly what I hope you do,” Ethan responds, pausing for a second. “There’s one other thing I wanted to discuss with you.”
“Okay, what’s that?”
My heart begins to race again, thumping hard against my ribs even though at this point there isn’t anything more that could have a negative impact on our conversation.
“Someone may have told me you’re thinking about putting together a documentary based on The Guardian article…”
“Someone told you?” I ask, a playful quality in my voice as I shoot a look at Paul. He happens to be attempting to look busy, but there’s not a chance he’s not eavesdropping on this call.
“I’m guessing he’s there with you, but yeah it was Paul. I met with him the other day. I’m guessing he hasn’t shared his news with you yet either.”
Now I’m shooting him daggers as he smirks at me, knowing he’s been talking behind my back. Luckily it’s all good, but he’s still going to hear it from me.
“He hasn’t shared anything with me, but that’s okay. I’ll deal with that later. I am tossing around the idea of a documentary. As primarily a writer I’ve never gone that route, but in this case, I’d like to give it a try. I’d like to expose the seedy underbelly of filmmaking and the abuse of power, because I’m sure Noel isn’t the only one.”
“Like you, the studio has never gone the route of documentaries, but if you’re open to it, I’d love to meet with you to talk about partnering up on this project. I think you have a lot to offer.”
“I think that would definitely be something I’m interested in. Let me know some times you’re available and I’ll have my assistant set up a meeting,” I say, smiling so much my cheeks begin to burn.
“Great, will do,” Ethan says, ending the call.
I would never have thought my day could begin with such a mess, but end on such a high note.
I quickly jot down some notes about having Shannon set up the meeting and about reaching out to Roger to assist in moving forward with the documentary. The next thing on my list is to call my lawyers, but before I go into the long process, I look over at Paul.
“So, you’ve been talking about me, huh?” I say, sliding over to where he’s standing in the kitchen area of my trailer. I wrap my arms around his waist and look up at him.
“Of course I am. I’m telling anyone who will listen about my exceptionally brave and talented girlfriend.”
“I’m your girlfriend now?” I tease.
“What would you call yourself?” he teases back, his hands running under my shirt, his fingers giving my side a pinch. “I think it’s clear that’s what you are. And now that the media has stopped giving a shit about you cheating on your husband, I think it’s the perfect title for you.”
I laugh, rolling my eyes at his cheating comment. The media loves to make something out of nothing. I can’t help but wonder what spin on the story of Noel assaulting me they will take.
“But enough about me. So tell me what you were chatting with Ethan about?” Again, I look up at him, my eyes narrowed, my brows knitted together.
“Well, if you must know…” he says, dragging out his words, teasing me.
“Yes, I must know!” I demand, stomping my foot a little for effect.
“Ethan offered me a job, a permanent position with Clapboard Films as their stunt coordinator.”
“Seriously? That’s amazing! You know how hard those jobs are to come by?” I ask, my head swirling with what this all means. Paul will have a permanent residence. He won’t be going back to Canada and any fears I had about my career going up in flames have now been extinguished. The stress of wondering what would happen to us is long gone.
“That means you’re staying,” I add, feeling myself getting a little choked up.
“I’m staying,” he replies, giving a single nod of his head in finality.
“So how does your job even work?” I ask.
“I work on films they are producing. They put up the money so when a contract is signed I’m included as part of it. I have first right of refusal when it comes to projects, but they seem to have their shit together so I don’t see why I’d turn down a job.”
“Maybe you’ll be so busy you’ll have to,” I joke, fully aware Paul’s talent in his field, I imagine he’ll be contracted to plenty of films.
“So,” Paul starts, pulling back a little so he’s looking at me. My arms are still around his waist, and it feels like no matter what, I will always find comfort in being close to him. I know what’s coming and I suddenly don’t find it so overwhelming. “You ready to call your lawyers?”
“I think I am.”
Paul’s lips press gently to my forehead as he reaches into the back pocket of his jeans and pulls out the business card with the police officer’s name on it.
“Here,” he says, handing me the card as he moves back just slightly. “You’re going to need this.”
I take the card from him, slipping it into the pocket of my jeans as I take in a deep breath.
“I can do this,” I say, announcing it to the room, to Paul and to myself.
I can’t wonder if Noel will come after me. I can’t live my life with the constant fear he’ll eventually decide to cross the line even further than he already did. I also can’t allow him to continue to treat other people like this. By pressing charges, it will end that. It will end the fear for everyone else, too.
I know the new stories are already circulating, ending Noel’s career indefinitely, and a part of me still has some guilt over it.
“I never wanted to ruin his life,” I admit out loud. It’s something that has weighed heavy on me since this whole thing began. I truly wish he’d faded away like all ex-husbands are supposed to do, but that’s not in his nature.
“He ruined his own life,” Paul says, amending my statement.
And for a second I let his words sink in. They remind me that only I can stop blaming myself for Noel’s behavior.
He isn’t in control of my thinking anymore.
I step away from Paul, giving him a simple smile and a small nod of my head to let him know I’m about to make the call.
Paul leans in and gives me a quick kiss before heading out of the trailer to give me the privacy I may need.
I grab my phone, my hand shaking a little as I scroll through my contacts for my lawyers’ number. Hitting the call button, the phone rings and on the first ring, the call is answered.
“Hello, this is Tony Mollen.”
“Hi Tony. It’s Sadie Washington.”
“Oh Sadie, your ears must have been burning,” he says, giving a wry little laugh at the end.
There’s no way he would have missed the s
tory and I’m actually surprised he or one of his associates haven’t reached out to me already.
“I’d like to pursue the assault charges against my ex-husband Noel Robinson,” I declare and suddenly I feel lighter. This isn’t just for me, but for every single person who has been victimized by him.
“I think that’s a great idea,” Tony says, and now it’s me laughing a little.
“Like you would’ve suggested I didn’t?” I joke, knowing he’s getting paid to hunt down Noel and pin his ass to the wall.
“Can I also suggest a restraining order?”
“Why not.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Paul
In the days since Noel’s outburst on the set, things have been remarkably calm and relaxed. Everyone’s been really supportive and positive toward Sadie, knowing they all owe it to her to get this movie finished.
The detective investigating the case against Noel has been by, re-interviewing both Sadie and me and various other cast and crew who were on set that day. Sadie also now has a restraining order against Noel, meaning he’s not allowed to come within one hundred feet of her or her place of residence and even though we know he’s been made aware of it, I know she’s still carrying a small amount of anxiety over whether he’ll actually adhere to it.
“Morning,” Sadie says sleepily, as she rolls toward me, a half smile on her face.
“Good morning,” I whisper, leaning over to kiss her.
It’s our last day of filming today and even though we still have a few things to get through, we’re starting later than usual so we can all hang back for the after-party that’s been scheduled.
“You wanna get a quick workout in?” she asks, her eyes still closed as she slides her hand onto my chest.
I chuckle. “My god,” I tease. “Is this the same woman who just mere months ago thought the idea of working out was the craziest thing in the world?” Sadie pinches my nipple, clearly unimpressed with my teasing. “Or,” I murmur, leaning closer so my mouth is against her ear, “were you thinking of a different kind of workout?”
Sadie smiles, opening her eyes as pushes me onto my back and hovers over me. “Well,” she says, trailing her fingers across my chest, “I guess we could combine the two somehow?”
I laugh, pulling her against me as I press a hard kiss against her mouth. “Told you it was addictive,” I whisper, my mouth against hers.
Sadie smiles, sucking on my bottom lip as she says, “Actually, I think it’s you who’s addictive,” before silencing anymore conversation.
A couple of hours later, we are up and dressed and heading down the drive of her house. Just as the gates start to open, a guy on a messenger bike pulls up. I drive through the gates, stopping as I lower the window to see what he wants.
He pulls a large cream envelope from his bag, glancing at the name on the front before leaning down to look in the car. “Sadie Washington?”
“That’s me,” Sadie replies from the passenger side.
He thrusts the envelope through the window. “Sign here,” he says, now holding out a clipboard.
I take it from him and pass it to Sadie, watching as she scribbles her name in the signature box, before I hand it back to the messenger.
“Have a nice day,” he says before riding off.
I glance over at Sadie, watch as she turns the envelope over, slipping her thumb under the flap and ripping it open. Inside is a stack of papers, held together by a large clip, several pages marked with sign-here tabs.
Sadie looks up at me quickly, but doesn’t say anything, instead looking back at what she’s holding as she starts to flick through the pages.
“Holy shit,” she murmurs, a smile slowly curving at her mouth. “Holy, shit!”
“What?” I ask, not wanting to pry. “What is it?”
Sadie turns the papers to me, holding them up as she laughs. “He signed the fucking papers!”
“What?” I repeat, still confused as I stare back at her.
“Noel!” she half shouts. “He signed the divorce papers. Finally!”
“Holy shit,” I whisper, smiling.
“Right?” Sadie says. “I mean I know he’s doing this for a reason, probably to get me to back off with the charges, but whatever… I’m…I’m…”
“You’re free.”
“I am,” she says, her eyes filling with tears now.
I pull her toward me, wrapping my arms around her in a tight embrace, my lips pressed to the top of her head.
“It’s really happening,” she whispers, angling her face so she’s looking up at me as she moves her hand to my cheek. “I’m getting him out of my life.”
I brush my thumb across her cheek bone, catching the tear as it starts to fall. “I’m so fucking happy for you,” I whisper, before leaning down to press a soft kiss to her lips.
The last day of filming runs smoothly, everyone’s filled with a mix of excitement at knowing the shoot is now done and sadness that it’s all over. After Sadie calls cut on the very last scene, everyone starts to cheer and clap, Sadie included.
“Thank you!” she shouts, knowing this whole process has been a huge joint effort.
“Let’s get drunk!” Ian shouts back as laughter breaks out.
Sadie nods. “Food and drinks will be here in an hour,” she says. “Please stay back and join us in celebrating the end of this. It’s something I couldn’t have done without you all.”
More cheers break out before everyone disperses, cast to remove costume and make-up, crew to pack away the last of the set pieces. I head over to the stunt guys, who’ve all come back today to join in the after-party.
“Word on the street is you’ve gone and got yourself a new job?” Gus asks, grinning at me as I walk over.
I chuckle. “Maybe,” I say, even knowing they all know it’s the truth. It’s hard to keep anything a secret in Hollywood.
Gus laughs, slapping me on the shoulder. “Just remember who your friends are when you’re looking to cast,” he says, winking.
“Always,” I say.
“So, does this mean you’re staying in L.A.?” he asks, a knowing smile on his face.
I glance over his shoulder at Sadie who’s busy chatting with Shannon and a couple of others. We’ve never talked about what happens after this movie, at least not in terms of current living arrangements. And while Sadie never asked me to leave when I got my boot off and was back on my feet, I know I can’t just assume that I can stay with her indefinitely.
Even if it’s exactly where I want to be.
“I’m probably gonna have to head back to Vancouver,” I tell him, knowing I need to get my apartment cleaned out if I’m now going to be based here in L.A. God knows what my sister is going to think about this move, considering I never wanted to live in Hollywood. I’m sure she’ll give me plenty of shit about this and so many other things that have changed since I met Sadie. “But yeah, it does,” I say, turning back to Gus.
He nods. “Good. Be nice to have you around.”
I feel arms slip around my waist and Gus chuckles. “Hey,” Sadie says, smiling up at me. “You gotta sec?”
Gus laughs harder. “Is that all he takes? Geez.”
I punch him in the arm as I turn to Sadie. “Of course.”
We excuse ourselves and head inside her trailer, Sadie closing the door as I flop onto the couch and wait for her.
“So, I signed the papers and couriered them over to my lawyer,” she says, smiling as she leans against the wall, arms crossed over her chest.
“Oh yeah?” I say, hands tucked behind my head.
She nods, the smile still on her face. “He says he’ll lodge them first thing tomorrow. Hopefully, with all the other shit Noel’s facing, he really won’t fight this anymore.”
“He’d be smart not to,” I murmur.
“It’s still going to take months to finalize,” she adds. “I mean we’ve got to divide our assets, but this is a big step in making that all happen.”
&n
bsp; I pull a hand from behind my head, beckon her toward me. With our eyes locked, Sadie saunters over, the smile that’s still on her face widening as I pat my lap, indicating exactly where she should sit.
“So,” I start, as she straddles me, her fingers slipping under my t-shirt. I grin, sliding my hands up her thighs, “does this mean you’re gonna sell the house, get your own place and start over like you said?”
Sadie stares back at me, the smile still on her face. “Well,” she says, cocking a brow. “I was, but…” she pauses, rocking her hips a little as though to tease me.
“But?” I prompt.
She giggles. “But I have a whole bunch of new memories from that house now,” she says, leaning down to kiss me. “Good ones and so I kinda want to keep it.”
Chuckling, I slip a hand to her cheek. “Then you should keep it,” I tell her. “It’s your house.”
Sadie leans into my palm, her smile fading a little as she bites her bottom lip. “It could be our house,” she whispers, her words barely audible.
“What?”
She swallows hard, her eyes dropping to her hands, still resting on my stomach. “I mean, you’re staying in Los Angeles, right?” she says, not looking at me. “And I like sharing a house with you, so I…”
“Sadie,” I say, my fingers under her chin, tilting her face so she’s looking at me. “I like sharing a house with you too,” I tell her. “And yeah I am staying in L.A. but I didn’t want to assume that I could just stay with you. Even though I want to,” I quickly add.
She stares back at me, her eyes searching my face. “I want you to,” she whispers. “Really want you to.”
I smile, leaning forward to kiss her. “Then I guess we’re officially moving in together,” I whisper, my lips brushing against hers. “But I am gonna have to head up to Vancouver for a bit, sort my place out.”
Sadie nods. “I know, I figured you might.”
I pull back a little. “You could come with me,” I suggest. “Just for a few days,” I add. “Meet my family?”
“Really?” she whispers.
