7 Miles High

by Pike, Leslie

  I think Natalie will join in and feel the fun. Hell, she’ll be a part of it.

  “Here’s your per-diem,” the redhead says. “I’m Sandy.”

  “Hi, Sandy. Nice to meet you.”

  I leave it there, despite the clear signals she sends. I’m off the market. Gladly. But she persists.

  “You’re a stuntman, huh?”

  “Yeah. One of the eighteen here. We’re everywhere.”

  She leans back in her chair and twirls a strand of hair. Uh oh.

  “I’d love to hear some of your stories.”

  Shit. “Well thank you. Aaron has much better ones. Have you met him yet?”

  Her face falls and her eyes narrow.

  “I met him. Not my type. You are.”

  I’m going to have to spell it out. “My girlfriend arrives in a few hours.”

  Now her crooked smile changes into a defeated smirk.

  “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”

  She looks behind me at the next person in line and waves her forward. That works.

  “Parker, over here.”

  Isaac stands with the location scout and they’re looking at the screen of his iPad. I walk over.

  “Hey.”

  The stunt coordinator doesn’t waste time with inconsequential conversation.

  “We’re looking at a spot for the big explosion. You’re going to be featured along with Nia’s burn.”

  My blank expression is misinterpreted as surprise.

  “Don’t you ever read the fucking script?”

  “Just my parts. I don’t give a shit what everyone else is doing.”

  “Obviously the call sheet doesn’t grab your attention either.”

  “You’re right.”

  The fact he’s known and worked with me many times explains the smirk on his face. I think if he didn’t respect my work so much he wouldn’t bother to hire me.

  “Let’s go. We have a few hours before I have to get back.”

  Shit. I hope it isn’t going to take that long. I have more important things to attend to.

  * * *

  Fucking location scout. He had his head up his ass picking those two spots to look at. One was impossible to light and the other one too close to the freeway. The sound man would have had a stroke. In the end, Isaac and I found what we were looking for.

  But for his idiocy I missed meeting with my parents and Natalie. When I messaged them they understood, but it pisses me off. I wanted to “greet” Natalie in the manner I want her to become accustomed to. Naked and hard.

  As far as the parents and Natalie go, we’ve set up a dinner tonight. There’s still two days till filming starts and I want for them to start to get to know each other. I feel my stomach twist with the thought. It’s not nerves. There’s nothing to be nervous about. It’s a sort of excitement. Man, I’ve never felt that way before about introducing my girl to my family.

  But this is no girl. She’s a woman. And my interest in her goes so far beyond any woman before. My mother will pick that up quickly. She’s got a kind of Spidey sense about me.

  Now, as I approach my room, things are falling into place. Fuck the movie and the location scouting. Fuck all the details it took to organize this trip. She’s behind the door and I’m going to see her beautiful face in a few seconds.

  The laser reads my key and it clicks my permission to enter. I walk inside and hear the water running in the shower. A small bouquet of fresh flowers sits on the table.

  “Parker?” she calls me.

  “It’s me, babe. Want some company?”

  I’m not waiting for her answer. I’ve already rid myself of my shoes.

  “Yeah get in here and give me some lovin’.”

  My clothes lay where they fall, a trail of pants and socks, shirt and briefs. When I walk into the bathroom I find her standing within the big heart she traced on the steamy glass. She turns around and wiggles her ass. Her spectacular ass.

  “I’m coming in!”

  The door gets pulled open and I enter behind her, water bouncing over her head onto my face. The warmth envelopes me and I take her in my arms.

  “I’m so in love with you,” I say unexpectedly.

  Her face wears the expression any man would love. Her eyes are locked on mine. She’s biting her bottom lip and there’s tears welling.

  “I love you too, Parker. More love than I knew possible.”

  I seal her words with a kiss. I never want to forget this moment and how it made me feel. Loved by the one you love. That’s about the greatest feeling in the world.

  “There’s no other woman for me but you. I’m sure of it.”

  “And no other man for me. In fact there’s no other man period. I see only you.”

  Skin on skin we hold each other close. And a little trepidation seeps in that says, Will she always love me? That’s the fear. It’s so good you have a hard time believing she’ll always see you in the same light. God, I hope you make it so.

  * * *

  Sitting in the restaurant waiting for my parents to show is making me want another drink but I’ve already had two and another might unleash the beast. That’s what Matt and Elliott used to call me when I’d had too much. But that was my high school self. The beast has been in hibernation for a long time now.

  My mother walks in, followed by my dad.

  “Here they come. Don’t be nervous,” I say to a completely calm Natalie.

  What happened to the nerves I thought she was going to feel? I can’t see a one.

  “It’s going to be fine,” she says, patting my leg.

  She’s calming me. A plot twist to our story. I’m always the calmest guy in the room. Not at this moment.

  “Darling!” My mother reaches out for me as I stand. Taking me in her arms I get the whole treatment. Kisses on the cheek, firm hug, and then a whispered message. “She’s beautiful!”

  “Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet Natalie. Natalie these are my parents, Shelley and Grant.”

  My mother goes for the hug and kiss, which Natalie accepts with ease.

  “Hello, dear. It’s so good to meet you. Parker has said so many nice things about you I feel like I know you already.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too, Lisa. Your son reflects well on his upbringing. He speaks so fondly of his childhood, it’s made me wish I had grown up in your neighborhood.”

  “Well, that’s about the nicest thing anyone has ever said. Thank you.”

  My father is a little less outgoing. He extends a hand.

  “Good to finally meet. I’m Grant.”

  Natalie brushes aside his handshake and overrides it with a peck on the cheek.

  “Let’s not stand on formalities. Hi, Grant.”

  That brings a smile to my father’s face. Everyone finds their place at the table and settles in for the big reveal. As we talk I’m aware of the undercurrent. Are they thinking what I am? I’m wondering if they consider the fact they could be family one day. In-laws. This may be day one of a lifelong relationship.

  Weird to even contemplate the scenario. But I have. The idea makes me happy, as if it’s almost predestined. Maybe preordained. Wife, meet your mother and father-in-law. Parents meet your daughter-in-law. Sounds right to me. Since I met Natalie, my whole life has taken on a kind of glow. I should have the good sense to know someone is watching over me.

  Chapter 20

  Natalie

  I’m glad he told me about Nia being part of the stunt crew. He reiterated the fact she is not in his life at all. Hasn’t talked with her for six months. Not that it makes a difference in my life. Her being here shouldn’t affect me in the least. That’s what I tell myself every time I feel any sense of jealousy about the woman who lives in Parker’s past. It’s not like they were married.

  I do believe him when he says there’s nothing between them now and nothing to worry about. But it’s also understandable to have a hesitation. And I do. You can’t be wounded by a man like I’ve been and come out of
it unscathed and unchanged.

  I know it will eventually pass, but for now I’m going to forgive me my own insecurities. Being one hundred percent confident like I was in my marriage ended up to be a glaring negative. Being the gullible girl wasn’t the person I ever imagined I’d be. I was too smart. Ha!

  Little by little I see myself believing in love again. Actually it’s a done deal. There’s no doubt I love him deeply. Before this week the only time I voiced it was in my journal. I love Parker was written like a schoolgirl does of her first boyfriend. I did it then and now, writing it in the late hours. It’s the safe place for being vulnerable. Now I don’t need to hide my feelings within the pages of a book. I feel a lightness I haven’t felt in years. And it’s bolstered by a feeling this time it’s undeniable.

  “Are we meeting at the pool?” I ask.

  “Yeah,” he says, squeezing my hand.

  The elevator doors open and we step out into the lobby. You’d be hard-pressed to believe it’s three in the morning. Cast and crew members mill around as if it’s the middle of the day. Everyone’s schedule is upside down. Night and day have become new concepts.

  “Are your parents going to join us?”

  “I told them about it, but they didn’t look too excited. I think staying up all night took it out of them.”

  “I get it. It’s even hard for me to adjust.”

  He wraps an arm around my shoulders as we walk through the doors leading behind the hotel and to the pool.

  “Oh, poor baby. We’ll just stay an hour then head back. Okay?”

  “I understand. You stunt people need to come down. Unwind.”

  His eyes meet mine and he chuckles. “You’re learning, girl. We are an odd bunch. We like to do our job and then we like to talk about it. There’s a lot of pent up energy to let out.”

  “I see that look in all your eyes. The one I thought was just specific to you.”

  As we approach the group sitting in a circle of chairs by the pool their laughter and voices announce the good time they’re having.

  “Parker! Natalie!” Someone calls for us to join them.

  Almost every stuntman and woman are here tonight. This is the biggest bunch by far. Cans of beer and cocktail glasses brought from the rooms dot the shape of the circle. Someone is smoking weed. Maybe a few are. Only one guy smokes a cigarette and he tries to blow the smoke away from his neighbors.

  Every night the group has expanded and it’s easy to see why. It’s such a great group of people, sharing funny stories from the films they’ve been in, or telling tales out of school about the actors they’ve worked with. Which ones can’t throw a punch, who had an affair with whom, and the times a stunt went wrong. It’s all laid out on the table.

  “Great car work today, Gene.”

  Parker compliments the youngest stuntman here, bringing a proud smile to the kid’s face. He can’t be much more than twenty. I think I heard someone say Isaac is his Uncle.

  Just as we find our seats there’s an odd sound coming from the pool. An inebriated song, if you can call it that. And the female’s voice is loud and out of tune.

  “Ooo mizze luv mizze darli I hunger fr you luv…”

  One slender arm raises from the water. A head peaks up from the edge of the pool and hands attempt to hold on. She tries her best to steady the sway. It’s Nia.

  By the look on Parker’s face I’ve got a sneaking suspicion the Righteous Brother’s “Unchained Melody” could have been their song. Because she’s looking in his direction and trying to act sexy. Fucking bitch. Is she purposely singing to him? Reminding him of their past?

  As the thought passes through me I’m aware of the real response I’m having. The actual things I’m feeling. As much as I don’t want to admit it, I feel sorry for her. She’s making an ass of herself. Then I come to a more understandable conclusion. How could Parker have been with this woman? What weird character defect does he have to be attracted to both her and me? We are nothing alike.

  “Crap,” Parker says under his breath.

  “Fucking Nia,” one of the stuntmen says with a disgusted tone.

  “She shouldn’t be in the water drunk. That could turn bad quickly. Parker, help me get her out,” Isaac says getting up. “She’ll listen to you.”

  Oh really? Do his words carry more weight than the rest of the people sitting here?

  “Crap.” Parker reiterates his initial response.

  But he rises and takes a look at me. “Sorry. I need to do this.”

  He doesn’t wait for my response, and I don’t really have one. I shouldn’t have to voice my permission or rejection of the plan. Or say whatever else I’m thinking about the subject. I only have a nonresponse predicated on the fact I think her behavior sucks. The timing may have been perfectly planned though. For maximum effect. She got him and me at the same time.

  The two men go to the side of the pool and extend their hands, each one reaching for hers. While the rest of the circle watches the entertainment.

  “Come on darlin’, you’ve got to get out. Take our hands,” Isaac calls to the drunken figure.

  I can’t hear what the two men are saying, but Parker just whispered something to Isaac and there’s laughter coming from Nia. She liked it.

  Isaac quickly returns to the circle and grabs a beach towel thrown over a chaise. Parker is bending over, trying to convince Nia to abandon her middle of the night swim. Then it happens. A hand comes up and latches onto his shirt. The bitch pulls him in! He falls headfirst with a splash, and she tries to wrap herself around him.

  The sound from my fellow night owls rises like a volcano’s lava. Everyone is as shocked as I am. Most find the circumstances funny. Hysterical I’d say. I certainly don’t. Parker quickly rights himself and lifts out of the water. She grabs his legs. Oh no she didn’t!

  He’s angry and it shows on his water-soaked face.

  “Get off me!” he hollers.

  She releases him and pushes back from the edge. That’s when I see the entire picture. The whore is naked!

  “Come back in, Boo Boo! Give me some! I knooow just how you like it! Let’s do a standing 69!”

  He doesn’t move. But just watches her as Isaac holds open the towel and tries to coax her in.

  That’s it. I’m out of here. I get up and walk away without looking back. Right there I vow never to do that stupid position again.

  * * *

  Walking onto the set isn’t changing the direction of my thoughts. Last night was messed up. Not just what happened at the pool, but what came later. The fight in our room was brief. When he defended his actions I went quiet. My thoughts were, ‘If he doesn’t see the flaw in his logic there’s no use talking about it.’

  Then he stepped on his dick. “I couldn’t let her drown! Come on, Natalie. Have a little faith,” he said, heading for the shower.

  When he used those particular words he misjudged their impact. That was the exact thing Alex said to me the first time I questioned his loyalty. And I reconsidered and listened. I doubted my own mind in lieu of his. It wasn’t until I actually walked in on them that my faith was proved to be misguided.

  Now another man is telling me to do the same.

  Is it coincidence, or proof I’m just not very good at picking men? And it makes me pissed that in my heart I do believe Parker is telling me the truth. He’s right about not ignoring the fact Nia was in danger. And he only was reacting to Isaac’s plea for help. Yeah, that’s all true. But another thing is as well. He could have let someone else be the hero.

  And now I have to go on set and see all the people that watched the debacle last night. Worse than that, I have to see Nia. She should be the one that’s embarrassed, but I have a feeling that won’t be the case.

  “You okay?” he asks, seeing my distraction.

  “Not really.”

  That look on his face is dismissing my feelings. He’s smiling!

  “Babe. Do you really think I’d have anything to do with that me
ss?”

  “Uh, yeah. You were her boyfriend. So I know for sure you would.”

  “Was. Was her boyfriend. She’s become an alcoholic. And that’s what’s fueling this behavior. Come on, let’s get past this. I love you, Natalie. And I promise you I’ll never put you in an embarrassing situation like that again. I hear what you’re saying.”

  Okay. That was good. He gets it. Maybe. It’s her I need to watch anyway. It’s a good thing I decided to stay here for the duration. I don’t trust her. Not a bit.

  “I’ve got to go to makeup. My mom texted me. They’re parked near where the shot’s going to be. They want you to come sit with them.”

  “Okay. Good.”

  After he goes I scan the set. The open field and the waning sunlight. It’ll be dusk soon. Everyone is acting as if nothing strange happened last night. The stunt people greet me as usual and I can’t detect any change in behaviors. Then I spot Nia. She’s laughing with one of the lighting guys. She touches his arm.

  As I make my way toward Parker’s parents’ rental car she turns toward me. Her eyes lock on mine, but her expression doesn’t change. She’s still engaged with the guy, but her attention is on me. There’s no embarrassed grin or wave. She lifts her shoulders sheepishly in a pathetic plea for my forgiveness. Oh no she didn’t!

  I do my best to ignore her and take the last few steps to the Kia. I don’t look back as I get inside the back seat.

  “Hi.”

  Parker’s mother turns and looks at my expression.

  “What’s wrong?”

  The tears well without my effort. Oh no! Shit!

  “Nothing,” I say, wiping the evidence away.

  Her hand reaches for mine. “It’s something. Obviously. Tell us.”

  Parker’s father glances through the seats, but quickly resumes his preferred position of facing forward. Can’t say I blame him. This is so embarrassing, and men rarely want to comment on the tears of a crying woman. They’d rather look away, hoping it passes before they’re required to try to make things better.