Jack's Christmas Mission. BEVERLY BARTON
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I’m not firing you. But keep in mind that I can dismiss you at any time.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted her and clicked his heels.
“So, now what?” she asked.
“We start by going over some ground rules,” he replied, a mischievous twinkle in his golden-brown eyes. “My ground rules.”
Before Peggy Jo could comment, she looked past Jack to where Ross Brewster stood just inside the doorway, a couple of mugs in his hands. She motioned for Ross to come to her.
Jack glanced over his shoulder. “Who’s this guy?” Jack asked, and when Peggy Jo glared at Jack questioningly, he explained, “I need to know the identities of all the people who work here at WLOK and what their positions are and their relationships to you.”
Peggy Jo nodded, understanding his need for this information. “This is Ross Brewster,” she said as Ross approached her.
“I’ve brought you some fresh coffee,” Ross said, handing a mug to Peggy Jo. “And I brought some for you, too.”
Jack accepted the bright purple mug emblazoned with the WLOK emblem. “Thanks.”
“Ross is a student at UTC,” Peggy Jo said. “He works here at the studio every morning before classes and various hours between classes.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jack said, and shook hands with the young man. “I’m Jack Parker, Miss Peggy Jo’s bodyguard. We’ll probably be seeing a great deal of each other for a while.”
Ross visibly flinched. “A bodyguard?”
“Yes,” Peggy Jo said. “With the stalker getting more bold—bold enough to ransack my dressing room here at the studio without being caught—I decided that it was in my best interest to hire someone to watch my back.”
“I think that’s a really good idea,” Ross said, his gaze scanning Jack from head to toe. “Do you carry a gun?”
Jack grinned. “Sure do.” But he made no move to reveal the whereabouts of his weapon.
Ross swallowed, then cleared his throat. “Oh, yeah. Mr. Compton said to tell you that Leda and Burt are here.”
“Thanks.”
Ross smiled, then walked backward, exiting slowly, melting away like snow in the sunshine.
Peggy Jo turned her attention back to Jack and before he could ask her, she said, “Leda Seager is the director of Self-Made Woman and Burt Morgan is our production manager. I wanted to speak to them and explain about your presence on the set…well, actually, your presence in my life. I asked Chet to let me speak to them first. I was afraid that if he told them about you, he would…well, he might—”
“Chet? Chet Compton, the station manager. Right?”
“Yes, but how did you know?”
“His name stuck in my mind after I read your file that Dundee put together quickly and gave me before I left Atlanta yesterday. If I recall correctly, Chet’s also a former boyfriend of yours.”
“Chet was never my boyfriend,” she corrected. “He and I dated occasionally, but we’ve never been anything except friends. And not even that anymore. We’re business associates and that’s all.”
“Who broke whose heart?”
“What?”
“If you two were friends before you started dating and now that you don’t date any longer, you aren’t friends, then that tells me somebody took the relationship seriously and got hurt when it ended.”
“You’re quite astute, aren’t you?” Peggy Jo sipped her coffee. “Chet wanted more than friendship. I didn’t.”
“Any chance Chet is your stalker?”
Peggy Jo wanted to reply in the negative, but she couldn’t. Chet had a temperamental nature and tended to be possessive. She didn’t like the idea of suspecting him, but she knew she couldn’t rule out the possibility.
“Probably not,” she said. “But it’s possible.”
“And what about Ross? It’s obvious the boy’s got a crush on you.”
Peggy Jo shrugged. “I doubt it’s Ross. He’s such a sweet boy. But then again, I suppose he could be considered a suspect.”
Jack harrumphed. “Just how many lovesick fools do you have in your life?”
Peggy Jo narrowed her gaze and glowered at him. “What happened to that good-ole-boy charm of yours?”
“Sorry, ma’am.” The corners of his mouth lifted, but didn’t quite form a smile. “Let me rephrase that. How many men do you suspect might be your stalker?”
Before Peggy Jo could answer his question, Leda and Burt entered the studio. She glanced at her watch and realized that she had only a couple of minutes to introduce Jack Parker and explain his presence before it was time for a quick rehearsal. They would begin taping the first of the Christmas week episodes in less than an hour. And the audience would be allowed into the studio in about thirty minutes.
“I’ll go over all the possible suspects with you on my lunch break later today,” Peggy Jo said. “But for now, come meet two very important people who have helped advance my television career.”
Jack stood on the sidelines, off to himself just enough to keep a close watch on his client without being seen by either the camera or the small local audience that fitted snugly into the studio. As he watched and listened to Peggy Jo Riley doing her thing, he marveled at how adept she was at putting her guests at ease, even those with whom she disagreed. Why hadn’t she used a little of that charisma with him? he wondered. She’d been downright hostile. Of course, he hadn’t put his best foot forward with her, either. The score was pretty much even in the ornery and unpleasant department. Face it, Jacky-boy, you aren’t used to women taking an instant dislike to you. Miss Peggy Jo kinda bruised your ego, didn’t she?
When she had threatened to fire him, why had he all but pleaded with her for a second chance? Ego! Male ego! It would be one thing if he quit, but another thing altogether if she fired him. He intended to contact Ellen tonight and tell her that he wanted a female agent to replace him on this job as soon as one became available. That way both he and the client would be happier.
The well-rounded young woman Peggy Jo had introduced to him as Kayla Greene, her assistant, came up beside him and said softly, “Isn’t she wonderful?”
“Huh?” Jack glanced at the friendly Ms. Greene, whose gaze was glued to the set where her boss lady was discussing with a dietician how to eat well during Christmas without putting on extra pounds.
“I’m talking about our Peggy Jo,” Kayla said, keeping her voice low. “Isn’t she wonderful? Everybody in the whole state of Tennessee just loves her. That’s why I can’t figure out why anyone would want to hurt her. Do you think it’s possible that her stalker is just some misguided guy who’s in love with her?”
“Sure, the guy stalking her could think he’s in love with her, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous.”
“I’m really glad that Ms. Lennard talked Peggy Jo into hiring you. If anything happened to her, we’d all be just devastated.”
Jack laid his hand on Kayla’s plump shoulder. She gazed up at him and smiled. He indicated with a nod that he wanted her to move back farther away from the set. She followed him into the nearby corner.
“What is it?” she asked, her blue-gray eyes sparkling and her round cheeks flushing a rosy pink.
“I was wondering if you’ve got any idea about who Miss Peggy Jo’s stalker might be,” Jack said. “You probably know everyone she works with and the guys she dates and—”
“I’ve