—
I woke up the next morning fully refreshed and ready to kick some butt. I felt like I could take on the world with my guys by my side. Seeing how everyone had come together for me yesterday really made me feel invincible and loved.
I knew in my gut that we were going to pull this off. Not only did the guys make me feel good physically, mentally they had driven my confidence to a whole new level. I had always been a fairly self-assured woman but it’s like they say when you have the right people in your corner you feel unstoppable.
Now that I had the guys, I felt like I could finally do all the things I had never been able to accomplish before. I knew with them by my side I could start my own firm, be the best mom to Lucas, and be a good partner to them.
Ryan swung by my house that morning to pick me up. We couldn’t take the chance that my credentials had already been pulled. If I couldn’t make it through the studio gate it wouldn’t be much of a meeting.
The plan was for the guys and I to head straight into the conference room. They were supposed to be in hair and makeup by 9 A.M. but we knew if we all headed straight to the conference room that the receptionist would sense something was up and get everyone down there pronto. She would wonder why they were all not on set and get in touch with the studio head.
“Are you ready to do this thing?” Ryan asked when he picked me up.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied.
I gazed at Ryan as he drove. He looked so hot in his black button down and gray slacks. The dark coloring made his hair stand out and his gorgeous blue eyes shimmer.Down girl! You’ve got too big a day to get horny.
“I want you to know that no matter how this thing goes down, I want you and Lucas to stay in Los Angeles. I don’t care how we work it, I can pay your rent. You guys can move in with me. Whatever it takes to keep you here. I can’t lose you two now that I have you,” Ryan said, squeezing my hand gently.
“Ryan, I really appreciate that. But this is something I need to do on my own. I don’t take handouts,” I replied.
“Tinsley. This is hardly a handout. It doesn’t have to be a forever thing. Consider it back child support that you are rightfully owed if you have to. Just don’t leave me. I can’t take that,” he said, choking up just a bit.
“I’ll think about it,” I promised, squeezing his hand back.
“Not that you are going to need me,” he said, suddenly lightening the mood. “Cause you are about to kick some ass!”
We met up with the guys in the parking lot and at 8:55, we all made our way into the building. I could tell the guys wanted to hug me or comfort me, but we had agreed to keep things professional. We got onto the elevator and rode up to the third floor.
As we passed the reception desk, she took in the site of all the guys, and then me. Her eyes nearly doubled in size and she picked up the phone. I’m not sure who she called but I could hear her saying, “I don’t know what’s happening, but the main cast is all here with Tinsley.”
That should do that trick, I thought with a laugh. As we all took seats, mine at the head of the table, I took a moment, “Guys we don’t have much time, so I just want to say that I’m so grateful for each and every one of you. You didn’t have to put yourselves on the line, but you did, you are. And it means the world to me. You all mean the world to me.”
They started to speak but just then I heard a commotion outside. It was go time.
Grant Chaswell, the head of the studio was the first through the door. He took in the sight of us and furrowed his brow. He was followed closely behind with his team, and finally Lee brought up the rear.
As soon as he saw me, he shot me a death look. “What the fuck are you doing here taking time away from my already overbooked schedule?” Lee growled.
“That’s enough Lee,” Grant said, shooting him a look. “Despite the rather poor delivery, Lee’s questions stand. What are you all doing here instead of being where you should be at the set filming reshoots? And Tinsley, your presence here is no longer welcome. Must I remind you that you’ve been let go? Do I need to call security?”
I could feel Kai tense in the seat beside me. He almost started to speak but we had decided that Ryan would start things off.
“What you did to Tinsley was completely inappropriate. She has held a professional attitude throughout the time she has been employed here despite receiving some less than favorable working conditions from Lee. She worked tirelessly to fix any mess that Lee has gotten himself into, and believe you me, there have been several.”
“And she has gone above and beyond to incur good publicity for the cast and crew with activities like the children’s hospital visit, the ComicCon invite and all the great press we got in Utah before Lee’s little fiasco. Her firing was unjust and in our opinion a breach of contract on your end, not hers.”
“If you do not hire her back, Thiago, Kai, Michael and I will all walk. You will lose your entire lead male cast and we will not back down when asked why we would choose to walk away from Hollywood’s biggest franchise,” Ryan finished.
The room felt like it was standing still for a full thirty seconds.
“That bitch has done nothing of the sort,” Lee started in. “She didn’t keep those nosey paps away when I got drunk, I mean sick, at Chateau Marmont, and she certainly didn’t do me any favors in Utah. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t orchestrate the whole scene with that gay, cocktease actress.”
Grant’s assistant let out an audible gasp. And Michael turned to me and mouthed, “Holy shit!”
Grant turned, staring defiantly at Lee. “Excuse me, what exactly do you mean? You told me a completely different story when that TMZ story hit. In fact, your entire demeanor has changed. I can’t believe you have the nerve to speak to anyone like that, let alone in my presence.”
“You made the whole Utah thing seem like a misunderstanding, and you told me Chateau Marmont was food poisoning. Now you’re admitting to being drunk? Lee, your contract stipulates that you have to stay clean throughout filming.”