Forgetting Jack Cooper: The Outlaw Edition Read online

  “You ready for this, kiddo?”

  On the tail end of the conversation with Mom, Ralph calling me “kiddo” was a serious tactical error. Not that I would have expected him to call me “Miss Miller,” even in front of a bigwig, but “Ruth” would have been a better choice.

  “I’ve got this,” I said between gritted teeth.

  His eyes showed his momentary surprise at my tone, and honestly, I wanted to kick myself. Ralph also knew what it was like to be at the receiving end of Mom’s disappointment. It wasn’t his fault that I was feeling like a complete screw up.

  Case in point—this entire mess of a publicity tour that I had no idea what to do about. Because from everything I’d learned about Jack Cooper, he was the most miscast human being in film history for a movie about screwing up. The guy was practically my polar opposite. He never made mistakes, he never showed up with two different colored shoes, he’d never drink his cereal straight from the bowl…and he probably never made his former step-dad crinkle his forehead at him in dismay for a snippy comment. Ralph had a nice forehead. It shouldn’t crinkle like that.

  “Sorry, Ralph. It’s been a long day already.”

  “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. You’ve got a lot on your plate, but I know you’ll make it happen. You’re fantastic that way.”

  The knot in my stomach eased. See, asking for forgiveness wasn’t that hard…

  Annnnd Boom. I had my idea.

  “So, Forgive Me is a movie about making amends,” I said, speaking fast as plans formed in my head. “The lead character, Bobby, is an alcoholic working his twelve steps and trying to get his brother, sister, parents, estranged wife and young daughter to forgive him.”

  Ralph nodded. Obviously, he knew this, but he also recognized that this was a test run of my presentation.

  “Jack Cooper, who’s playing Bobby, is an up and coming actor who seems to have lived a fairly charmed life. To the best of my knowledge, he doesn’t have any bad habits. He doesn’t smoke. Rarely drinks. No one reports that he’s been difficult to work with. He’s never lost his temper on set… and he’s worked on a lot of random projects with some of the most difficult actors and actresses in Hollywood, and there’ve never been any rumors of on-set friction. I’ve scoured the darkest corners of the Internet to find any dirt on him, and there’s shockingly little. Not even TMZ has found anything more interesting than a rumor of a minor B&E in high school… and his rumored co-conspirator took full responsibility for it. There have been a couple of romances that faded early, but his exes all pretty much state that he was a good time fellow, and they weren’t broken hearted when it ended. And that’s all great, but it’s also seriously boring. Everyone in the world loves a redemption story, but we gotta show people that here’s a guy who knows what it means to be redeemed.”

  “So what do you have in mind?” Ralph asked, leaning forward.

  “What if, in order to get into the role, he finds the people that he’s wronged in life and makes amends?”

  “Good, that’s good—but how do you know he’s wronged people?”

  “Ralph. He’s in his late twenties. And he’s a Hollywood soon-to-be star. No way could he have made it this far, in this business, without wronging someone. Probably a lot of someones, especially when he was younger and didn’t know how to go about it all that well.”

  “Fair.” Ralph stroked his chin for a moment. “So, he goes out and redeems himself. How does this give the film publicity?”

  “We record the whole thing. Make it a press event.”

  “An apology tour…” He nodded as he thought it over. “That could work.”

  “Exactly.” I bit my lip. “Think he’ll go for it?”

  The voice behind me was every bit as silky smooth as the silver screen portrayed it. “Only if you are the one coordinating it,” Jack Cooper said as I spun around.

  I literally lost my breath for a second. Jack Cooper, in addition to being the anti-me from a life choices standpoint, he was also one of the most beautiful, put-together men I’d ever seen up close and personal. And I’d worked in Hollywood for the last seven years. The only thing asymmetrical about him was his grin, which was just a tiny bit lopsided. He even had equally-deep, equally located dimples in either cheek. He also had bright blue eyes and brown hair that had enough of a tendency to curl that it made a girl want to run her fingers through it.

  I felt a pure rush of something that was probably hormonal streak through my entire body. It affected my heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure and made me tingle in places that hadn’t tingled in quite a while. I was pretty sure it’d amped my credit rating while it was at it.

  Holy Moly.

  That was it. I had to pull this off. I didn’t want to fall flat on my face in front of one the hottest men in Hollywood.

  I shook my head. No! This job was about business. About proving my worth. To my mother and to myself. This was not about Jack Cooper, except insofar as he was the object of this publicity campaign. Jack Cooper, the movie star, needed to know who was boss here. Jack Cooper, the client, needed to do exactly what I told him.

  But most importantly of all, Jack Cooper, the Hollywood Hunk of the Moment, needed to stay as far away from me as possible, because otherwise Jack Cooper, the man, might realize it had taken all of three-point-five seconds for him to steal my heart.

  Forgetting Jack Cooper…

  Jack Cooper, current Hollywood It man, has a blockbuster new movie in the works all about redemption—only he’s never had to apologize for anything in his life, and he knows how lucky that makes him.

  To prepare for the role and score some publicity points along the way, Jack undertakes a round-the-country tour to make amends to those whose lives he’s inadvertently harmed. Only what Jack doesn’t realize is that fate is taking a ride-a-long on his redemption tour, and each of his long-overdue apologies will lead to unexpected romance…

  See yourself how hard it is to try Forgetting Jack Cooper--five different times! The Forgetting Jack Cooper series features New York Times and USA Today Bestselling authors Erin McCarthy and Jennifer Bernard, and award-winning authors Lizzie Shane, Elizabeth Bemis and Jennifer Chance.

  Forgetting Jack Cooper:

  The Big Idea Edition

  (A FREE PREQUEL)

  by Elizabeth Bemis

  Even as the successful, hardworking PR director for a major Los Angeles studio, Ruth Miller has never felt like more of a fraud. Browbeaten by her stage-managing mother, overworked and pathologically under-glammed, Ruth must deliver a knockout concept to publicize the upcoming movie of Hollywood It-Boy Jack Cooper…and she only has twenty minutes to do it. What happens next launches Ruth and Jack on a whirlwind tour through Jack’s less than sterling past…but could it open the door to Ruth’s future as well?

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  Forgetting Jack Cooper:

  The Stuntman Edition

  by Erin McCarthy

  If there’s one thing Toni Salvatore knows how to do, it’s make people laugh. Having embarked on a life of comedy back in college playing pranks with current Hollywood star Jack Cooper, she’s now a YouTuber with her own passionate following. Too bad her newest joke—a fake on-set kiss with Jack—results in an epic case of mistaken identity…and with Toni getting flattened by Jack’s stunt man and body double. What’s a girl to do but make the best of a bad situation?

  Chance Ashton takes everything seriously—he’s had to, because of his past. Then he mistakenly drops the hilarious and hot Toni to the ground in what he thought was an action scene, and he’s so intrigued he lets her kiss him after all. The results? More explosive than anything he’s experienced filming movies. When Toni seems to be interested in more than a fast laugh, he knows better than to believe her…and yet…

  For the first time in her life, Toni’s pratfalled herself into what could just be a real romance. But can she convince the sexy stunt man she’s capable of more than just a joke?

  Buy It | Re
ad an Excerpt

  Forgetting Jack Cooper:

  The Outlaw Edition

  by Jennifer Chance

  Always hanging out on the edge of trouble, Chantal Green didn’t so much mind taking the fall for Jack back in high school—it was worth it to get under the hood of old man Hassel’s prized Ferrari. Fast forward ten years, and Chantal’s racked up a string of misdemeanors and a whole lot of miles under her chromed-out wheels. She’s now the successful owner of Sex Machina, a high-end custom motorcycle and gear shop that has her on the road constantly, where she most wants to be. Sure, she wonders what it’d be like to have a real home and sense of community, but that’s not on the horizon for her.

  When Chantal gets Jack Cooper’s redemption-tour invite, her first thought is to ignore it. But the publicity would be sweet, so…

  For military vet Luc Martin, home has special meaning. He never expected to be caring for his great aunt and uncle—or taking over their French bakery in Panama City Beach—after his second tour of duty, but he can’t deny he loves it. He’s traveled the world over and he’s ready to stop and watch the sunset more, even if it’s a little lonely watching it all by himself. Then a vision in spiked motorcycle boots roars into his shop, and Luc suddenly finds himself wondering if maybe his definition of home is all wrong…and if maybe a tough-talking biker with a heart of gold is worth chasing, even if she’s mostly running from herself.

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  Forgetting Jack Cooper:

  The First Love Edition

  by Jennifer Bernard

  You never forget your first love … especially if it was a total disaster…

  Ten years ago, Peyton Locke got dumped right before the biggest moment of her life. Valedictorian with a side of heartbreak--thanks to Jack Cooper. If not for the boy with the second best grade average, Nick Kolanowski, she never would have made it through her speech. Now that she’s back in Everton working at the Urgent Care, she’s determined to return the favor and be the most amazing friend Nick ever had.

  Now a high school baseball coach and history teacher, Nick’s come a long way since he helped Peyton pick up the pieces after her break up, and he seriously can’t believe he’s back in the friend zone with her. She obviously has no idea that he’s loved her since 7th grade. Maybe their upcoming high school reunion is the perfect time to reveal his true feelings…

  Or maybe not.

  How could he know that Jack Cooper, current Hollywood It Boy, would show up--with a plan of his own?

  It might take some epic reunion shenanigans, a bombshell from Jack, and maybe even a medical emergency, but one way or another, Nick is going to prove to Peyton that he’s the man for her. So what if he wasn’t her first love. Does that mean he can’t be her best?

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  Forgetting Jack Cooper:

  The Starlet Edition

  by Lizzie Shane

  Actress Ginny Jones knows all too well that sometimes her mouth moves faster than her brain. Case in point: badmouthing a beloved cinema icon on tape, a recording which was then leaked worldwide. Her costar Jack dropped her flat, along with her agent and so-called friends, leaving her in a career free-fall. It’s taken her six months to scrape her self-respect back together and get another chance—a no-budget indie flick filming in the middle of nowhere. Then, to her shock, Jack shows up on a mission to make amends…and he’s got a sexy new Brit in his entourage. A Brit who makes Ginny feel alive for the first time since the scandal broke.

  Jude knows he shouldn't have let Ginny assume he was Jack's new bodyguard, but how can he tell the girl whose career he helped ruin that he's actually the tabloid reporter who first released the now-infamous Tape? He’d thought Ginny was nothing more than a shallow starlet who needed to be knocked down a few pegs, but the more he gets to know her, the guiltier he feels.... and the more he falls for her. Making movies—like spinning tabloid stories—may be all about illusion, but nothing’s felt more real to Jude than what he’s experiencing with Ginny. Still, can she ever forgive him when the lights come up on his deception?

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  Forgetting Jack Cooper:

  The Soulmate Edition

  by Elizabeth Bemis

  Having led a charmed life practically since birth, Hollywood heartthrob, Jack Cooper, has never had to ask forgiveness for anything…even when he should have. But with a new movie role that might skyrocket his career, Jack gets a second chance to clear the air for some long-ago errors in judgment, and to score some publicity points along the way. He sets off on a round-the-country tour to make amends to those whose lives he’s inadvertently harmed.

  What makes the tour even sweeter? The studio’s director of Public Relations, Ruth Miller, is spearheading the effort. Though she’s shy, quiet, and more than a little attention-averse, there’s something about Ruth that keeps Jack searching for ways to make her smile.

  For Ruth, those smiles are harder and harder to come by. After a lifetime of trying to please dear old Mom, a former Hollywood starlet who is now Ruth’s boss, Ruth scarcely knows what it takes to please herself anymore. And no matter how unexpectedly flirtatious Jack Cooper is, she knows that falling for him before she has her own head on straight would be a disaster.

  Then Ruth and Jack hit the road, and she sees an entirely different side to the playboy. They have more shared interests and unexpected connections than she would have thought possible, and with each new stop on the tour, she finds how her own strengths mesh with his…and he helps her see how special she truly is.

  Unfortunately, before Ruth can drum up the courage to ask for what she really wants, it may already be too late. Because with the enormously popular “Forgiveness Tour” coming to an end, Ruth realizes that Forgetting Jack Cooper may be impossible after all.

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  Table of Contents

  Forgetting Jack Cooper: The Outlaw Edition

  Also by Jennifer Chance in the Gowns & Crowns series

  Read the Prequel!

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Epilogue

  A Note From

  About Jennifer Chance

  Forgetting Jack Cooper: The Whole Series

  FREE PREQUEL: Finding Jack Cooper: The Big Idea Edition