Free Among the Ducklings by Marsh Brooks Page B

she needed to buy her own private plane.   No one recognized her. Good thing. She did
not model or act anymore because, to her, that was not where the money was. Who
would want to be an actress when you could be the executive movie producer who
hires the actress?   Who would want to be
an employee when you could be the boss?   In California, financial success had come quickly to Stacy. Only two
years after her move from Miami, she had moved from acting and investing with
the movie-director-ex-boyfriend in low budget television miniseries, to
investing now in big screen movies.   Although she abhorred violence, she carved a niche for herself in gore
and splatter B movies. To her, that was where the money was. Less investment,
less risk, dedicated fans and great rewards.   All in all, Stacy had been right in her choices. The horror films that
she had produced had had great success, both in theaters and in video
sales.   Her love life had suffered
greatly, but it was a choice she had to make.  

    As Stacy's
limousine navigated the Miami traffic jam, she picked up the phone to call
Phil's secretary.   Although Stacy had
asked Phil's secretary not to tell Phil that she was coming to Miami, Stacy
knew that she would tell Phil. As Myra picked up the phone, Stacy could not
help but smile at how her plan to get Phil back was developing perfectly. Stacy
was well aware of her own beauty and the effect that she had on men and even
women.   What people failed to notice,
however, was her intelligence. When she first moved to California, a lot of men
prejudged her as another brainless pretty model. Their mistake had cost them
dearly, including her last husband that she married right before he signed the
biggest movie contract of his career. Divorce came quickly afterward.   Gone was also half of the money he made from
the movie. Now with Phil, Stacy's genius was again at work. Getting Phil back
was to her like choosing which movie to produce. There had to be a good
script.   She knew she had the right
script for Phil. She had written it.

    ##

    “Boss?” Although it was not unusual for Phil's
secretary to call Phil at home, it was unusual for her to call him after work,
on Skype, a popular video and voice communication service that Phil sometimes
used when he was in front of his computer.

    “Are you
OK, Myra?” Phil asked, as her face blanketed his computer
screen.    

    “Stacy just
called me.”

    “At
home?”

    “Yes.”

    “What did
she want?”

    “She said
she was going to be in town tomorrow and wanted to know if I could work for her
part-time, in the evenings, as her personal secretary.”

    “Can you?”

    “Yes. She
said she would pay for the babysitter for the kids.”

    “I hope she
is paying you enough.”

    “She is
paying me four times more than what I make at work.”

    “Wow.
Great.” Phil said, while hoping that Stacy would leave him alone.
    “Are you OK
with it, Boss?”

    “As
long as it doesn't interfere with your work at the office.”

    “Thank you boss. I really can use the extra money.”

    “You won't
leave with her to California, will you?”

    “No, boss,”
Myra replied.   Phil's attempted joke did
not register.  

    After they
hung up, Phil wondered what Stacy was up to.   The last thing Phil needed was for Stacy to show up in Miami. His love
life was a mess and he didn’t want any more problems.

    ##

    When Isabel
reached home that evening, Richard was already there with Rebecca watching
television.

    “You look
tired Bella,” Richard said.

    “I am,”
Isabel replied.

    Rebecca's
eyes were fixated on a news anchor delivering “Breaking News.”

    “When does
this stop being Breaking News? Every half hour they repeat the same thing,”
Rebecca said before looking at Isabel. “The lawyer called and said you needed
to call her today if you could. She will be working late at the office
tonight.”

    Richard and
Isabel then called the attorney, who told them the details