The Ghost and Mr. Moore by Ryan Field Read Free Book Online

there was no way he could live with that kind of anxiety. Whether he sold
     
Keel Cottage or not, he still had to think about his financial future. He had a daughter to
     
support; it was time to get serious. So the last phone call he made that morning was to his
     
agent in Hollywood. Dexter hadn’t actually worked in show business in years, but he still
     
kept in touch with his agent and they’d always had a good relationship—he’d learned not
     
to burn bridges in Hollywood. Working as an actor again was the last thing he wanted to
     
do, but he didn’t know how to do anything else. If he wanted to hold on to his life, he
     
didn’t have much of a choice.
     
His agent was so thrilled to hear from him he almost gushed into the telephone.
     
Dexter wasn’t like most childhood television stars are as adults. He was better-looking
     
now than he was then, he’d never done anything that would hurt his public reputation,
     
and he’d always attracted the best publicity without controversy. His agent told him about
     
an opportunity he’d just heard about that might be interesting. One of the newer,
     
aggressive Hollywood TV personalities was branching out into production, and he was
     
looking for an angle to do a new reality show. He wanted to film the life of a well-known
     
star for three months, but he wasn’t having much success getting a star. This producer
     
wanted someone interesting, someone who would attract ratings, a character who the
     
public loved. All the interesting people in Hollywood were turning him down because
     
they thought it was beneath them. There was a long list of C-listers lobbying for this
     
reality show, but the producer wasn’t interested in them and he was almost ready to
     
disregard the entire concept. At first, Dexter flatly refused. The thought of being followed by a film crew day
     
and night for months made him nauseated. But when his agent told him how much money
     
he’d make doing a reality show, he stopped and took a deep breath. With that kind of
     
money he’d be safe again. And it would be his own money, not Michael’s. It was an offer
     
too good to refuse, and he was too desperate to be above any offers now. So he closed his
     
eyes tightly and told his agent to get him the job, and to ask for even more money. Dexter
     
had learned how to play hardball in Hollywood, and he wasn’t shy about asking anyone
     
for anything.
     
A few hours later, Dexter’s agent called back. Dexter had just returned from the
     
beach and he was undressing so he could take a nap before dinner. When the phone rang,
     
he’d just removed his shoes and swim trunks. He knew it was his agent because he had
     
voice-activated caller ID. He crossed to the nightstand next to his bed, wearing nothing
     
but a black T-shirt. But the phone wasn’t there. His lowered his head and followed the
     
sound of the ring to the floor. He got down on his hands and knees and lifted the dust
     
ruffle. The phone must have fallen off the nightstand and slid beneath the bed. He
     
reached under the bed fast and pressed the talk button.
     
When Dexter pressed the phone to his ear, his agent told him the producer was
     
thrilled to hear Dexter was willing to do the reality show. They made the deal that day,
     
and for more money than Dexter had even imagined. Dexter closed his eyes and sighed,
     
then thanked his agent and told him to send all the paperwork.
     
After the phone call, Dexter got up from the floor and sat down on the bed. He
     
pulled off his T-shirt and rested his elbows on his knees. He wasn’t thrilled about turning
     
his home into a public spectacle, but he smiled anyway. He knew he’d been lucky and the timing had been perfect. If he hadn’t called his agent, he might have missed the
     
opportunity. A year earlier, the first person he would have called would have been
     
Michael. But this time he stared at the telephone and shook his head