Redemption Read Online Free PDF

looks. I hate shooting in cramped quarters.”
    “You could build a theme park in there,” Marty replied. “And I’ve already asked for permission to use the chairs as props.”
    Matt studied the photograph closer. The delicate chairs—French Provincial was his uneducated guess—would provide the perfect contrast for the rough character he played in the film. He tossed the photo to Karen. “What do you think about that? It would save us some money on set decoration, wouldn’t it?”
    Karen was responsible for the total look of the film, from the design of the sets, to the wardrobe, makeup, and hairstyles of the actors. Matt intended to let her have the final say. Having been on sets where directors constantly second guessed every decision, he had decided his strategy would be to hire the best and then let them do their jobs.
    Karen barely glanced at the photo. “They’ll do. And that fountain there…” She pointed to another photograph, lying face up on the table. “I think it would be perfect for Scene Twenty, where Luke and Jane have the argument.”
    “It would have to be rewritten, but you’re right, it would be the perfect backdrop.” Matt glanced at the photo. “What’s it supposed to represent, anyway? Some kind of goddess?”
    “Fortuna, Roman goddess of Fortune.”
    “Is that right?” Matt grinned. “Let’s hope she’s smiling on us. I think we’ve got our prime location right here, Marty. Get the contracts signed. I want to be able to get in the place next week while I’m in town.”
    “We’ll have to film in the evening, after the store’s closed. I tried feeling them out about shooting in the daytime, but unless we blow our budget—”
    “No problem. The shots will all be indoors, anyway.” It would be hell on the crew, but sometimes after-hours shoots were necessary, especially for low-budget films. “Why don’t you schedule it for the first few days we’re there? We’ll all still be on California time. That’ll give us a cheap edge.”
    Marty nodded, jotting down the instruction on his notepad.
    Just as quickly, the rest of their decisions were dispensed with. Marty and Karen left, leaving Matt alone with Sadie, who snoozed under the desk. Though he knew pre-production was a crucial part of the process, he itched to get the actual filming underway. It wouldn’t begin for another two months, right after Christmas. If he was lucky, he could get in a few weeks at his ranch in Montana, the place he still considered home. The beach house in Malibu, an honest-to-God bachelor pad now that A.J. had moved in, was more a shelter for strays than home.
    His latest stray was starting to wear on his nerves. A week in Philly wouldn’t be so bad, provided he managed to keep his presence there a secret. To avoid attention, he had recently begun sporting the occasional disguise. With a week’s worth of beard stubble, a pair of dark Ray Bans, and a baseball cap pulled low over his brow, he could pass for nondescript. Plus, the name “Roscoe Arbuckle” on the guest register never stirred interest at the better hotels.
    He propped worn lizard-skin boots on the desk. He could just imagine the field day the tabloids would have if they knew he had played host to two naked nymphets last night. Though he had developed a Teflon skin over the years, he still hated the invasions of privacy that dogged him.
    That was one reason his relationship with Annie worked so well. As a gospel singer who’d recently gone country, she had no wish to have her name associated with Hollywood’s former bad boy. Consequently, she had worked harder than he to keep their affair a secret.
    Contrary to popular belief, he’d never been as totally lacking in morals as everyone had assumed—not that it mattered much anymore. The scandal that had erupted in the early days of his career had turned out to be only a momentary stain on his reputation, dismissed with a “boys will be boys” shrug.
    He had even managed to