“I could tell you, honey, but I don’t think you want to know.” Jolene glanced around. “Someone jacked it, huh? Bet it was Ramon. I heard Sammy talking about how Ramon’s into some bad stuff in the laundry room last week.”
Cassie nodded. “I came out and it was gone. Rhett seemed to think this is not the part of town to live in. Besides, I’ll be working pretty long days for him. He said living on his property would make things easier.”
“Just be sure he keeps it in his pants around you, Cass.”
“Jo!”
“I mean it. He’s an incredibly good-looking guy who wields a lot of power in this town. Don’t let him walk all over you. Don’t let him take advantage of you.”
“He’s not that kind of guy, Jo.”
Jolene stared at her. “Honey, he’s male. They’re all that kind of guy in the end.”
CHAPTER 10
Cassie let a grumpy TJ out of his carrier. The cat stepped gingerly around his new surroundings, throwing in a few yowls for good measure. He climbed on the sofa back, walking its length before jumping down to investigate what would be Cassie’s bedroom. She hoped he would find his new litter box, which she already had in place before she let him out to prowl.
She walked into the sunny kitchen and set out bowls of water and TJ’s favorite crunchy food. The cat came running the minute he heard the kernels hit the plastic. He rubbed her legs once for good measure before scarfing down the meal.
Cassie stroked his silky fur. “You better stay in for a while, TJ. Learn this place first, and then we’ll negotiate letting you out. I have no idea how Shep will react to you.”
The phone rang. Cassie wondered who would have this number since the place had been empty for some time.
“Hello?”
“Hey, General. I hear you’re settling in at the fort.”
“Hi, Breck. Yes, I just brought my cat over. Jolene is with the movers now. I think we’ll be moved in record time.”
“Rhett said you guys are going to be busy this afternoon so I ordered a couple of pizzas. They should be here any minute. Come on up to the house and grab a few slices before your strategy session with the boss.”
“Will do.” Cassie hung up and noticed TJ already curled up in a corduroy chair. She left the door unlocked since she didn’t have any keys for the place and figured that she might never need one with Rhett’s security gates.
Passing the pool, she saw a topless Randi sunning. Cassie tiptoed past her, not wanting to speak with the Playmate, much less wait on her. She made it to the house unseen and walked into the kitchen.
Rhett closed the refrigerator. “Want a water?” He handed her the bottle in his hand. “Pizza just got here. I’d really like to make it a working lunch if that’s okay with you.”
“Sure. Let me grab a pen and paper. Be right back.”
She went to Rhett’s office and also brought a printout she’d made yesterday of his calendar and a calculator. She believed in being prepared. When she returned, Rhett had plates out, and Breck served up slices.
“I figure you’re the kind that’ll eat anything but anchovies,” Breck told her.
“You got that right. And artichoke hearts. Not too fond of them either.”
“Okay. Ix-nay the hearts in the future.” Breck finished placing pizza on everyone’s plates. “You two have a lot to do and I’ve got calls to make. Nice having you on the property, General. I feel safer already.”
Breck left with his plate in hand and Rhett eyed her questioningly. “General?”
Cassie nodded, her mouth already full with vegetarian pizza. She finished chewing and said, “It’s his nickname for me. We’ll see how long it lasts.”
“I won’t ask how you got it. Everything working out back at your place?”
“Yes. Jolene put the word out we were leaving and she was holding an impromptu yard sale inside the apartment. The movers packed our clothes and miscellaneous items. Jo said she would sell everything else, from chipped dishes to worn out linens. I told her she could keep whatever money she got.”
“You talk to your landlord?”
“He’s fine about it. We were good tenants. He won’t be patching holes in the wall from flying fists. A little paint’ll spruce the place up and he’ll be ready to rent it in a few days. I had the utilities turned off. The cable bill hadn’t been paid in a couple of months, so it was already stopped.”
Cassie paused for a sip of water. “What’s this about a charity event?”
“I’ve participated in several fundraisers over the years but I really want to do more for breast cancer awareness. Seeing how it can strike someone as young as Carreen has totally opened my eyes. I’d like to do some kind of event for the American Cancer Society, specifically linked to breast cancer. Do you have any ideas?”
“You’ve got a decent-sized back yard. You could always hold a carnival like the Elizabeth Glaser Foundation for Pediatric AIDS does.” Cassie saw the pained look on Rhett’s face. “Or not. I forgot the unwritten rule. Privacy is number one. Okay, let’s re-think this.”
She let a few thoughts toss around her head. “What about renting out a theme park? I’m sure we could work with them on the price. It could be after hours and we could do an all-night event. Donate a fee to get into the park. Maybe do an on-line bid and line up stars that would ride certain rides with guests, munch on popcorn with them, snap selfies with fans. We could include families of women with breast cancer and cancer survivors. Hook them up with their dream stars. Hold a fashion show along the main entrance. Have a parade for kids to watch.”
Rhett chewed thoughtfully. “Sounds good. You’re talking awfully big, though.”
“If you want to raise a lot of money, you have to think big. Do you have a target date in mind?”
Rhett flipped open the calendar. “How about late spring? Avoid the holidays and bowl games. Make it before the TV season starts shooting to make more of those stars available. Could you throw something together that fast?”
Cassie told herself not to freak out at his request. If she aimed for mid-May, that would be five months away. She couldn’t begin to guess at all the work involved in a project that huge but she wasn’t afraid of tackling it.
“If you’ll give me a few people you’d really like there, I can pull it off. Throwing your name around helps in getting things accomplished more quickly.”
“Done.” Rhett studied the calendar again. “Let’s aim for the first weekend in May.” He chose another slice and bit into it.
“Do you have anything else big for me to work on? I can tell you that this project will take an awful lot of my time.”
“I have a few scripts that have come in that I’d like you to read but not much else. It always slows down around the holidays. Even the vultures take a break.”
Cassie couldn’t believe Rhett wanted her to read scripts for him. This assistant’s position was turning into a dream job with an incredible amount of responsibility. She would plan a huge Hollywood charity event while combing through scripts, trying to find the one that would be Rhett’s next big hit.