Page 42 of Rest In Pieces
“The wife’s really giving you a hard time, huh?”
He groans and nods. “Still, it’s no excuse. I’m sorry. I swear I don’t hate women, even though it might’ve sounded like it.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me. I get it. Like you said, this job and relationships don’t really go together. They either freak out about the danger I put myself in or feel emasculated because I’m a stuntwoman.”
“I apologize for my sex. We’re idiots.”
I snicker. “I don’t know, Jack. I think you’re pretty cool.”
He puffs up at my words.
“But just so we’re clear, I’m not sleeping with you, or the director, the boom guy, or the lead actor. I don’t mix work with pleasure, but I do collect friends like other people collect fridge magnets. As far as I’m concerned, you can never have too many.”
“Friends?”
“No, fridge magnets,” I deadpan, making him laugh again.
“Alright, friends it is. And just so you know, I wouldn’t sleep with you anyway. The sad truth is, I still love my wife, even though she hates me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s my own fault. She warned me, and I didn’t listen.”
I don’t say anything else because what else is there to say?
I stop when we reach the first marker, a neon yellow line on the ground that’s easy to spot from a distance. I look around, checking the ground to see how uneven it is and if there are any potholes or roots to watch out for, but it looks pretty clear.
“This looks good. As long as Jasmine cooperates, I shouldn’t have any problem getting to my feet when I reach the marker.”
“That’s what we figured. The second marker is there,” he says, pointing to the nearest tree. “The ground’s pretty much level the whole way there. But after the second mark, it gets pretty bumpy. So if you need to abort the stunt, jump off onto the mats or sit back down in the saddle.”
“Okay, no problem. You think I can do a walk-through with Jasmine? I just want to get her familiar with me again and me with her.”
“I don’t see why not. Whatever they’re talking about over there is getting pretty heated.”
I turn and see Stefan and Monica arguing.
“As long as it doesn’t involve me, I don’t care,” I say, turning back to Jack.
We spend a few more minutes going over the stunt before I wave goodbye to him and head back up the trail.
I walk back to Jasmine and give her another stroke before checking that the saddle is secure. Gathering the reins and saddle horn in my left hand and the back of the saddle with my right, I put my foot in the stirrup and pull myself up onto Jasmine’s back. With a firm grip on the reins, I make a clicking sound with my tongue and press my heels into her sides.Jasmine starts walking, and I shut out everything else as I focus on her movements.
She’s been in a few movies now, which sounds crazy when you think of a horse being a movie star, but it’s true. She’s used to the noises, bright lights, and dealing with a crowd of strangers. Hell, she even manages to put up with bitchy actresses without taking a bite out of them, which is a skill in itself.
We walk through the scene, and I take everything in, familiarizing myself with every detail while Jasmine and I get used to each other again. Everything feels good and comfortable, but I don’t let myself become complacent.
After running through the scene once more, we head back to the holding area.
When we stop, I rub my hand along Jasmine’s neck. “Such a good girl,” I praise her as Jack walks over with one of her handlers.
The girl smiles at me before offering Jasmine an apple. “How’d she feel?”
“Good. I’m ready to go when Stefan is.”
Jack looks over to where Stefan was standing and sees that he’s alone now. “Give me two seconds,” he says before heading his way.
I slide off Jasmine and hand the reins to the handler as I spot Nevaeh approaching.