Free Dreaming With A Broken Heart (Hollywood Legends Book 1) by Mary J. Williams

of her mind?”
    Way to play it cool, Garrett . A simple phone call;
    that was all this was supposed to be. Instead, he practically accused some
    unknown person of keeping Jade whacked-out on tranquilizers.
    “Who is this?”
    “A friend.”
    There was a pause.
    “A friend who happens to be a reporter?”
    Fair question, Garrett acknowledged. If this woman was there
    not as Jade’s jailer, but to protect her privacy, questioning a caller’s
    motives made sense.
    “Definitely a friend.” Then, after a little
    consideration, Garrett added, “Or rather an old acquaintance who would
    like to be Jade’s friend. Will you tell her Garrett called? I’m available at
    any time.”
    “Wait.” The woman paused before continuing.
    “I’ll ask if she wants to talk to you. Give me a minute?”
    “Take your time.”
    Not drugged. Unless the woman was throwing him a red
    herring. Or maybe he was becoming a victim of his profession. The world was not
    a movie script full of impossible intrigue. Conspiracies happened all the time
    on the silver screen — less frequently in real life.
    “Hello?”
    Again, not Jade.
    “Yes, I’m still here.”
    “Ms. Marlow wonders if you could call back tomorrow.
    Around ten a.m.?”
    “Absolutely.” Garrett felt a lightening of the
    weight he carried around. Not complete relief. It was a start. “Tell Ms.
    Marlow she’ll be hearing from me.”
    “Mr. ah…”
    “Landis.”
    “Mr. Landis. Please, don’t forget to call.” The
    woman’s voice was earnest, almost desperate. “She needs a friend. I think,
    maybe, more than anything. And one more thing,” she whispered.
    “Yes?” Garrett leaned forward as if she was in the
    room.
    “Don’t tell anyone.”
    Garrett sat unmoving for several minutes after he hung up.
    So much for imagined danger. Something strange was going on. Whoever the woman
    was, she was looking out for Jade. Did she work for Anson Marlow? That was a
    silly question. Jade’s father had to be paying the woman’s salary. Was part of
    her job description to keep friends away?
    Suddenly full of energy, Garrett jumped from his chair. None
    of his questions would be answered today. Grabbing his keys, he headed out. A
    long swim in his parents’ pool followed dinner. Then a long visit. He would
    still toss and turn. He knew there would be little sleep tonight. Until then,
    he had his family to help ease the next few hours.
    And Jade? What did she have? Who did she have? One
    caring, yet ineffectual woman. A woman paid by Anson Marlow.
    That was about to change, Garrett promised himself. Soon,
    Jade would have him. He hoped that she would let him in.
    The next morning at ten o’clock on the dot, Garrett made the
    call.
    “Hello? Garrett?”
    Jade. He knew her voice immediately. A little tentative. A
    bit unsure. He wanted to reach through the phone, gather her into his arms, and
    promise to keep her safe.
    “Jade.”
    After running this conversation through his head a thousand times,
    now the moment had arrived, he didn’t know what to say.
    “I…” Garrett heard her take a deep breath.
    “I’m sorry I couldn’t speak with you yesterday. I was meeting with my,
    well, I guess there isn’t a pretty way of putting it. I was meeting with my psychiatrist.”
    “Is she helping you?”
    “ He . And no, I don’t think he is. But as he and
    my father keep reminding me, it’s early days.”
    “Would you be more comfortable with a different
    shrink?”
    Jade didn’t answer. Crap. Maybe shrink was an indelicate
    word. No, not indelicate. Thoughtless.
    “Thank you, Garrett, for not pussyfooting around the
    elephant in the room. I don’t speak with many people these days. The ones I do
    seem very uncomfortable with any mention of therapy. Of course, most people
    think I’m crazy.”
    “Are you?”
    Again, a pause. He should never joke over the phone. Any
    nuance was lost.
    “I know you’re kidding.”
    “I was,” Garrett assured her. “How could