Two-B blue golf shirt. ‘Hey, Megan. Megs, Clem Copeland. Megan is my Lodge manager.’
Megan didn’t even blink when Nick introduced her. She’d probably had so many celebrities through the Lodge that it was now old hat to her. It was nice, Clem thought. Different but nice.
‘Nick. Hi, Clem.’ Megan glanced down at the slip she held in her hand and looked back at Clem. ‘I’m glad I caught you both; I was just about to radio you. A Jason Feinstein has been trying to reach you, Clem. He says it’s important and he’s waiting for you to Skype him.’
Clem frowned. ‘He wouldn’t be calling unless something else has gone wrong. Can I call him?’
‘We’ll take it in my office. Thanks, Megs.’
Clem followed Nick but stopped when Megan called her name.
‘I’d never normally do this but I’d just like to tell you that I’m sorry. He was truly awful.’
Clem blinked and dipped her head. ‘Thank you. So has everyone in the Lodge seen the interview?’
She grimaced. ‘Pretty much.’
Clem tried to shrug it off. ‘Well, I’m prettysure there are tribes in the Amazon who haven’t seen it.’
‘I haven’t,’ Nick said as she reached him. He nudged her through a door marked ‘Private—Staff only’.
‘Why not?’ Clem asked him, curious.
‘Hey, I have to live with you, I don’t need to see or hear any more of you than I already do.’
Fair enough, Clem thought.
Clem stared at Jason on the computer screen in horror. This could not be happening. She risked a look at Nick, whose face was equally thunderous.
‘There is no question, it’s not happening.’ She repeated her internal statement in a wobbly voice.
Nick leaned over her shoulder and stared at the screen. ‘Let me get this straight. Some production company wants to film Clem as she deals with her breakup from Campbell?’
‘Essentially.’
‘That’s sick,’ Nick stated.
‘That’s showbiz.’ Jason shrugged. ‘The thing is that the production company have the option to extend the contract for another ten episodes if they so want to, and they do.’
Nick turned to Clem, his face perplexed. ‘You agreed to this?’
Clem shrugged. ‘Cai agreed to it. I just went along for the ride.’
‘That’s a terrible excuse,’ Nick snapped.
‘And you did sign the contract agreeing to themfilming the extra episodes,’ Jason stated, looking miserable. ‘How many times did I tell you not to sign stuff Cai handed to you?’
Nick stood up and shook his head, obviously disgusted by her stupidity. But he didn’t realise that, with Cai, it was frequently just easier to go with the flow than fight the tsunami.
Clem rested her chin on her fist. ‘So where do I go from here?’
Jason looked as if he’d swallowed a poisonous bug. ‘Well, I checked with your lawyers and the bottom line is that if you don’t do it they can sue you sideways.’
‘For what?’ Clem cried.
‘Loss of income, not honouring the terms of the contract, blah blah. It’s two weeks of filming, Clemmie, they recommend that you just do it.’
‘When hell freezes over,’ Clem muttered but she knew he was right. It was also a good excuse to leave this place … But she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
And where did that thought come from? Just this morning she had been desperate to leave. And where did this need to prove to Nick that she was more than a fluffy airhead come from?
And why did she care?
‘I have a suggestion …’ Clem looked at the screen and saw Jason take a deep breath. She recognized that look and knew that whatever was coming would be far left of centre.
‘What?’
‘I think you should film at Nick’s Lodge.’
‘I think you should get your head examined,’ Nick growled.
Jason ignored him. ‘Clem, it would be a great way to “rehabilitate” your reputation.’
‘Excuse me? Is my rep that bad?’
‘Yes, in a way. Although the world sympathizes with what Cai did to you, the sympathy doesn’t run that deep. You’re a young,
Megan didn’t even blink when Nick introduced her. She’d probably had so many celebrities through the Lodge that it was now old hat to her. It was nice, Clem thought. Different but nice.
‘Nick. Hi, Clem.’ Megan glanced down at the slip she held in her hand and looked back at Clem. ‘I’m glad I caught you both; I was just about to radio you. A Jason Feinstein has been trying to reach you, Clem. He says it’s important and he’s waiting for you to Skype him.’
Clem frowned. ‘He wouldn’t be calling unless something else has gone wrong. Can I call him?’
‘We’ll take it in my office. Thanks, Megs.’
Clem followed Nick but stopped when Megan called her name.
‘I’d never normally do this but I’d just like to tell you that I’m sorry. He was truly awful.’
Clem blinked and dipped her head. ‘Thank you. So has everyone in the Lodge seen the interview?’
She grimaced. ‘Pretty much.’
Clem tried to shrug it off. ‘Well, I’m prettysure there are tribes in the Amazon who haven’t seen it.’
‘I haven’t,’ Nick said as she reached him. He nudged her through a door marked ‘Private—Staff only’.
‘Why not?’ Clem asked him, curious.
‘Hey, I have to live with you, I don’t need to see or hear any more of you than I already do.’
Fair enough, Clem thought.
Clem stared at Jason on the computer screen in horror. This could not be happening. She risked a look at Nick, whose face was equally thunderous.
‘There is no question, it’s not happening.’ She repeated her internal statement in a wobbly voice.
Nick leaned over her shoulder and stared at the screen. ‘Let me get this straight. Some production company wants to film Clem as she deals with her breakup from Campbell?’
‘Essentially.’
‘That’s sick,’ Nick stated.
‘That’s showbiz.’ Jason shrugged. ‘The thing is that the production company have the option to extend the contract for another ten episodes if they so want to, and they do.’
Nick turned to Clem, his face perplexed. ‘You agreed to this?’
Clem shrugged. ‘Cai agreed to it. I just went along for the ride.’
‘That’s a terrible excuse,’ Nick snapped.
‘And you did sign the contract agreeing to themfilming the extra episodes,’ Jason stated, looking miserable. ‘How many times did I tell you not to sign stuff Cai handed to you?’
Nick stood up and shook his head, obviously disgusted by her stupidity. But he didn’t realise that, with Cai, it was frequently just easier to go with the flow than fight the tsunami.
Clem rested her chin on her fist. ‘So where do I go from here?’
Jason looked as if he’d swallowed a poisonous bug. ‘Well, I checked with your lawyers and the bottom line is that if you don’t do it they can sue you sideways.’
‘For what?’ Clem cried.
‘Loss of income, not honouring the terms of the contract, blah blah. It’s two weeks of filming, Clemmie, they recommend that you just do it.’
‘When hell freezes over,’ Clem muttered but she knew he was right. It was also a good excuse to leave this place … But she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
And where did that thought come from? Just this morning she had been desperate to leave. And where did this need to prove to Nick that she was more than a fluffy airhead come from?
And why did she care?
‘I have a suggestion …’ Clem looked at the screen and saw Jason take a deep breath. She recognized that look and knew that whatever was coming would be far left of centre.
‘What?’
‘I think you should film at Nick’s Lodge.’
‘I think you should get your head examined,’ Nick growled.
Jason ignored him. ‘Clem, it would be a great way to “rehabilitate” your reputation.’
‘Excuse me? Is my rep that bad?’
‘Yes, in a way. Although the world sympathizes with what Cai did to you, the sympathy doesn’t run that deep. You’re a young,
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