‘OK, well we’re here today to discuss a project that starts filming in April,’ Everett told her. ‘I believe you’ve seen some of the script before.’ His voice was pointed.
‘You’re still filming Adam’s story?’ Her eyes were wide. ‘Seriously?’ She looked over at Adam. He looked strangely calm. What the hell was going on?
‘No, I’m filming Matias’s story.’ Everett slid the script across the table to her. ‘We’ve been working with Matias for months on his account of what happened to him in Colombia.’
She turned to Matias. He looked as calm as Adam. ‘Are you OK with that?’ she asked him.
‘I’m very happy,’ Matias said, his English perfect. ‘It means my family and I can afford to live
here in the US.’
Her gaze slid to Adam again. He looked relaxed, his long legs crossed as he leaned back in his chair. ‘What about you?’ she asked him.
He shrugged. ‘It’s Mat’s story, he can tell it any way he wants to. I’m glad it means he can move over here and to safety.’
‘What about your family?’ she asked Mat. ‘Are you worried about reprisals?’
‘Mama and Tomas are moving here with me,’ Mat said. ‘We’re going to be fine.’
She was silent for a moment, trying to take it all in. The script – it had never been about Adam after all. ‘Why didn’t you tell the truth about it at Christmas?’ she asked Everett. ‘Why didn’t you tell Adam about Mat and his story?’
‘I was planning to, after Christmas, once everything had calmed down. But I knew he wouldn’t be happy that I went behind his back.’
‘I’m still not happy.’ For the first time emotion crossed Adam’s face. ‘I’m resigned to it. For Mat’s sake.’
‘So why am I here?’ she asked, not sure who to look at for answers. ‘What’s this got to do with me?’
‘Ask Adam.’ Everett shrugged. ‘It was his idea.’
Adam raised an eyebrow at his brother. It was clear there was still animosity between them, no matter how laid-back Adam tried to look.
‘I agreed not to block this if I had somebody on the inside,’ Adam told her. ‘Somebody I could trust. And there’s only one person in the world I trust enough to do this for me.’
It was her turn to raise her eyebrows. ‘Me? You want me to work on the production.’
‘You’re free in April, aren’t you?’ Drake said. ‘And you’re still looking for an internship?’
‘Yes.’ Her answer was short. She kept looking over at Adam, who remained impassive. He gazed back at her, his brown eyes warm yet unfathomable. ‘But I don’t know if I can do this.’
‘We’re happy to negotiate your salary,’ Everett said. ‘You can talk with Drake about that afterwards. And we know you can do this,’ he added. ‘Adam showed us your showreel. It was good.’
‘What if I say no?’ she asked, still looking at Adam.
He smiled at her question. ‘Nobody’s forcing you to do it,’ he told her. ‘But the way I see it you’re looking for a job, and I’m looking for some help. We might just be able to support each other on this.’
‘And we really are flexible on the salary,’ Drake piped in. ‘You’ll be pleasantly surprised, I’m sure.’
She looked over at Matias, next to his mother and brother, and then to Everett who was staring at her as intently as his brother. She couldn’t work out whether he was the devil or just a run-of-the-mill arse.
‘We’re happy to give you a couple of days to think about it,’ Everett said, ‘but we need an answer fairly soon.’
All eyes in the room were on her. Adam’s soft gaze, Matias’s interested stare, Everett’s anticipatory study. She could feel her cheeks pink up at their scrutiny.
‘I’d like to talk to Adam first,’ she said. ‘Is there somewhere we can go?’
A moment later the two of them were walking into the same small meeting room she’d been interviewed in. The walls were still bare, the room still sparse. But this time she was sitting on the edge of the table while Adam stopped next to her, reaching out to stroke the back of her head.
‘Are you OK?’ he asked.