The Fallen Starlet

by Eve Corso

  He smiled at her. “You’ll do fine.”

  Jack walked behind Molly, his hand on her lower back as he introduced her. “Molly, I’d like for you meet Vivianne Lindley.”

  Vivianne smiled cooly. “Molly, how nice to meet you. Won’t you come in for a cool drink?”

  Molly looked at Jack. “I’d love one. But I’m afraid I can’t stay long. I have to get back out there and assess the work, then make some phone calls. But a drink sounds great,” she said so that she could give Jack and Vivianne some alone time together.

  “I have iced tea on the counter. Jack, if you wouldn’t mind pouring,” Vivianne said, as she led them into the kitchen.

  “Mom, you look very nice today. I hope you didn’t get too dressed up on our occasion.”

  Vivianne laughed. “Life would be so dull without all this beauty,” she said, motioning towards herself.

  Molly looked around the massive house. Jack had been right. It wasn’t dirty or anything, it was just old, and there was a lot of space. “You have a lovely home, Miss Lindley.”

  “So, Molly, is it? Please, call me Vivianne. Now, let’s cut to the chase. How much work is needed out there?”

  “Well, I’ll be honest. It’s a lot. But Jack kept me up to speed on your situation and we’ll make sure that whatever we do is minimal.”

  Vivianne straightened up. “And what situation would that be exactly?”

  Molly looked at Jack, letting him take over. “Mom, I only told her you didn’t like to go outside much because of the sun damage,” he replied, trying to be as delicate as possible.

  “Yes, well, that’s very true. The sun can be extraordinarily damaging. I hope that in your line of work, you still protect yourself from its harmful rays.”

  “I do, thank you.”

  “And you find this work stimulating, do you?” Vivianne asked coldly as she stirred her iced tea.

  Molly wasn’t fazed. “I do. I get to wake up before the sun and work with nature and the earth. What’s not to love? It’s wonderful helping home-owners and businesses fall in love with their homes and their work place. That’s very important to me and I am very proud of my business and how far we’ve come,” she said, the passion in her work showing in her eyes.

  “Well, good for you, darling. Jack speaks very highly of you and he’s excited to see what you can do with the mess out there. Sadly, I am solely responsible for allowing it to get to that point. But such things have never mattered to me. The house can fall to dust after I’m gone as far as I’m concerned. I’m only here to pass the time, and that time is coming to an end sooner rather than later.”

  “You’re not sick, are you?” Jack asked his mom, a concerned look on his face.

  “No, I’m just old, dear.”

  Molly cleared her throat and took a long sip of her iced tea. “Thank you for this, it was quite refreshing. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to make a few phone calls. You can find me back at the motel,” she said to Jack.

  Jack nodded and walked her out to the door. When he came back inside, his voice had a serious tone to it. “She’s here to help. Why were you so rude to her?” he asked, leaning against the kitchen counter.

  “I was not rude. I merely asked her a question. A good way to get to know someone is to ask them a blatant question about something they’re passionate about. She passed with flying colors. Instead of getting defensive, she was calm, cool, and collected. She’s a charmer, Jackson. And very pretty. You should be proud.”

  “Well, it’s nothing yet. But I would appreciate it if you were kinder next time she comes around. She’s only trying to help.”

  “She likes you, Jackson. That’s all this is. Invite the girl for dinner,” Vivianne said as she stood up and took out some leftovers from the fridge. “How does a chicken salad with crackers sound?”

  Jack, who wasn’t too hungry, nodded absentmindedly. “Yeah, sounds great.” He helped her with some veggies and placed them on the platter she took out. The chicken salad was placed in the middle, with crackers on one side and veggies on the other.

  “Mom, it looks like this project isn’t going to be very cost-effective. I wasn’t sure how much you wanted to spend on getting it done.”

  “How much?”

  “I’m guessing fifteen hundred.”

  “Well, I have the money, if that’s what you want to know.”

  “But do you want it done?”

  Vivianne shook her head. “Like I said, such things never mattered to me. I can go outside and water it from time to time, but if you’re asking me, if I want to, the answer is ‘no.’”

  “Okay, so I’m here for a month. What would you like? What kind of renovations do you find yourself needing? I, for one, would like to get wifi in here, with a new television set for you, and something like a computer or somewhere you can communicate with the outside world besides that landline over there. Something to help make your life more comfortable here on the inside.”

  “It’s funny, you know? I haven’t thought about that sort of thing in years. I thought I was comfortable until you came into my life. Now, you’re asking me what I’m missing. Truth is, I just don’t know.”

  “Okay, well, how about this? I’ll do some basic things outside, get that fountain back on, put some lights out there, then maybe work on some things in here. Are you sure there’s nothing you’d specifically like?”

  “Why don’t you surprise me?”

  Jack laughed. “Okay, I can do that.”

  She grabbed her purse, which was sitting in one of the chairs to her side, and took out her wallet, handing him a credit card. “Do not and I mean do not go crazy.”

  “Give me a dollar amount.”

  “Three thousand dollars to start.”

  “I can help with some of the expenses, too. What should we do about the lawn?”

  “Screw the lawn. But I like what you said about the lights and the fountain. I could see out from my window and take a look every now and then. That could be nice.”

  Jack smiled. “Looks like we have a plan.”

  “We sure do.”

  Jack ate a little more with his mom and asked her about dinner plans for later that evening. “Yeah, we can come over for dinner. Should we bring something, or do you want me to make something you’ve got here?”

  “No need to spend more money if we don’t have to. I have some steak in the fridge we can make. How about you make some mashed potatoes and some steamed veggies?”

  “Sure, I can do that.”

  “Now, why don’t you get back to that girl waiting for you, and I’ll let you know if I need anything while you’re out and about. And do not lose that credit card, Jackson.”

  “I won’t.”

  Back at the motel, Jack knocked on his motel room before entering. Molly was on the phone, but it sounded like she was almost done with her conversation. She hung up a few moments after she let Jack in. Molly sat on the bed criss-cross, as Jack sat across from her.

  “Look, I wanted to apologize for the way my mom spoke to you. I talked to her about it.”

  Molly cut him off. “Jack, don’t worry about it. She’s spunky. I like it. And I can handle myself. How did the rest of the brunch go?”

  “Well, she invited us for dinner. I think she was just testing you, but she likes you. As far as I can tell.”

  “Okay, yeah, I’ll come. I mean, what else am I going to do?”

  “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

  “No, it’s okay. I mean, from what you’ve told me about her, she sounds fascinating. I’d love to come. I promise, I won’t let her snarky remarks get to me.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Molly placed a hand on Jack’s leg. “Hey, don’t be. I’m used to Southern women. And besides, she’s still kind of a stranger to you. It’s okay, no need to apologize.”

  Jack nodded and updated her on the rest of what he and his mom discussed.

  Molly listened to all of it. When he was done, she cla
pped her hands. “Okay, now that is something I can actually help you with while I’m still here. I actually made a layout of just the lights, since that was something you were adamant on. C’mon, let’s go shopping!” she exclaimed excitedly.

  Chapter Eleven

  When they got back to Vivianne’s house, Jack and Molly worked together relentlessly in Vivianne’s yard. They had both changed into clothes they could work in easily.

  Occasionally, and much to Jack’s surprise, Vivianne came out to re-fill their glasses of iced tea and provided snacks on a small tray, but she didn’t stay out long.

  The fountain proved to be the biggest challenge, but Molly remained positive the entire time.

  “Just think of it as exercise. No one wants to do it, but once you do, it feels pretty great,” Molly said.

  “Yeah, this does feel like a work-out.”

  Molly laughed as she walked away and grabbed the hose to rinse the fountain off once they were done. She started to spray the fountain while Jack was still inside of it.

  “Whoa, hey, wait until I’m out,” he said with a laugh.

  “I don’t think so,” Molly replied, smiling from ear-to-ear.

  Jack got out and went after her, laughing now. “Oh, is that how it’s going to be?” He grabbed the hose from her and sprayed her hips.

  Molly yelled, laughing hysterically.

  Vivianne, from inside, heard the commotion and checked through the curtains to see what the fuss was about. What she saw and heard brought tears to her eyes. Her son, Jackson, was out in her yard, laughing and splashing around like a wild child. It was a sight she had always wished for. Forty-five years later, she was finally getting it. The moment was not lost on her.

  A smile grew on her face as she witnessed a private moment between the two of them. She watched as Jack lowered the hose to the ground. Both of them were soaking wet in most places, but it didn’t stop Jack from leaning into Molly. He put a hand to her face and kissed her ever so gently.

  Vivianne closed the curtain, allowing them some privacy. She wiped the tears from her eyes, but her smile didn’t go away as easily.

  MOLLY LOOKED AT JACK after the kiss, searching his eyes.

  “What was that for?” she asked.

  Jack smiled. “I wanted to. Is that okay?”

  “It’s more than okay. I think I’m going to want some more of that later,” she said, smiling.

  Jack looked down, but Molly was quick to reassure him and took both of his hands in hers. “Look, we’ll take it slow. We won’t get too ahead of ourselves. Besides, I kind of like the idea of waiting until we’re both home, to...you know?” She did a quick dance and laughed, feeling silly.

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “We’re not really ourselves here, are we? I mean, not fully, anyway?” Molly confessed.

  “I guess not,” he said and picked up the hose. “But I’m glad you’re here these few days. I would have been lost and given up on this fountain by now.” He sprayed her one more time.

  Molly laughed. “I don’t think so. You’re determined. I can see that in the way you work.” She took the hose from him and continued to rinse off the fountain.

  The two worked until that evening, and before they knew it, it was time for them to shower and get ready for dinner. Before leaving, Jack reminded his mom that they’d be back and told her not to peek out at the work they’ve done until they return.

  When they had both showered and got ready, they headed back. While Molly was putting on her make-up, Jack walked to the small market to pick up some flowers for his mom.

  Vivianne was still wearing the same outfit when they arrived, but the night was substantially cooler, so Jack had on his corduroy sports jacket over a white dress shirt and Molly wore a stunning royal blue dress that stopped just above her knees and a black blazer. She wore her short hair down and was curled more than usual. She looked incredible, Jack thought as he knocked on his mom’s door.

  Vivianne greeted them at the door when they arrived.

  Jack was quick to warn his mother. “Okay, no peeking behind us. Not just yet.”

  Jack set the items he had brought over down and together they all walked up to the second story of the house, where Vivianne’s bedroom was. He turned off the lights, but there was still enough light for them to make their way to the window. They all looked down, and the vision before them is one that made Jack proud. They had outlined the path up to Vivianne’s door with solar light sticks and had put two strong white lights in the fountain, and a few around it, highlighting the fountain where it sat, in the middle of the path.

  Vivianne gasped.

  “Oh, it’s so beautiful. All those lights. It’s like something out of a fairytale.”

  “I’m glad you like it,” Jack said, smiling. He took Molly’s hand and gave it a squeeze, as a way to say thank you. Molly squeezed back.

  Vivianne turned to both of them. “Thank you. It’s breathtaking.”

  Molly nodded and smiled.

  When they made their way downstairs, Jack poured a drink for his mom from the bar, then opened up a bottle of wine and poured a glass for himself and Molly.

  “There’s plenty of food for tonight. The steaks just have to be cooked, but that won’t take long.”

  “And I also brought some mac and cheese from the Get It N Go,” Jack said, taking it out of the bag.

  He asked his mom if she had a vase for the flowers.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve had fresh flowers in here. I’ll be surprised if you can find one,” Vivianne replied, as she held the flowers to her nose so that she could smell them.

  “I can try and find something,” Molly offered.

  “There’s some tall glasses I don’t ever use, up there in that cabinet. One of them should do the trick.”

  Meanwhile, Jack was working on dinner. Molly had helped prepare a fresh salad, plus they had the mashed potatoes and mac and cheese.

  “Let’s use the old china and sit out in the dining room. It doesn’t ever get used,” Vivianne said, feeling excited.

  Jack laughed. “Sure, Mom.”

  It took an additional fifteen minutes to wipe down and dry the china they’d use that night, but seeing how happy Vivianne was, it was a small task.

  He served the food with the help of Molly, and they all brought their drinks in and sat down.

  “It’s a lovely home you have, here,” Molly said to be polite.

  “It’s old, just like me. We fit right together.”

  “Jack mentioned that you lived out in Los Angeles. Whereabouts, if I may ask?”

  “Oh, all over. But my longest stay was in Studio City. That’s where I had my apartment once I signed with United Cinema.”

  “I can’t imagine what it was like back then,” Jack said, taking a bite of the mac and cheese. He groaned with pleasure. “This mac and cheese is delicious.”

  Vivianne agreed. “I can only have a bite or too. It’s too rich for my blood, but thank you for thought.” She looked at her son. “You make sure to be careful with all that eating at Willadeen’s. I don’t want you leaving with a heart condition from all that cholesterol and grease and butter and what not.”

  Jack laughed. “You’re right. I’ll try to eat here more often. I can help out with the groceries, too.”

  Vivianne gave him a stern look. “You will not! Besides, someone has to help me eat all of this.” She pointed her fork at him. “And I’ve been meaning to talk to you. After your visit with Molly, you should check out of that motel of yours. I have a perfectly fine guestroom upstairs. It needs to be dusted, the bedsheets laundered, but I think you should consider it.”

  “Sure, if it’s not too much trouble.” Jack nodded.

  “Well, it’s no trouble of mine. There is a laundry machine out back. You’re going to have to figure it out. My cleaning girl comes by once a week and launders whatever I need, and I handwash the delicates,” she said referring to the outfit she was wearing. “But I have no doubt
that you can figure it out.”

  “Okay, yeah, sure.”

  “Very well, it’s settled then.”

  “I’m thinking of getting you that TV upgrade within the next few days, too,” Jack said, wiping his mouth.

  Molly didn’t want to feel excluded, so she said the first thing that came to mind. “Speaking of TV, you know, Jack showed me this incredible commercial you were in. Vivianne, you were an absolute looker back in the day,” she said.

  Vivianne’s eyes went from Jack, to Molly, then back to Jack again. “Commercial? What commercial?”

  Jack gave Molly a worried look, but then tried to save face as quickly as possible. He turned back to his mother. “Mom, it was just a commercial my daughter Amber found online. It was a compilation of commercials, actually.”

  Vivianne looked confused. “I would have gotten a royalty check. You must be mistaken.”

  Jack sighed. He was going to bring up the commercial when he got a better bearing on her mental stability. But he had no choice now. “No, Mom. It’s not like that. There’s a website where they have all this content. Old movies, old commercials. No one is paying to have them aired. They are just uploaded for prosperity’s sake.”

  “Uploaded? I don’t understand. What commercial?” she asked, starting to sound angry.

  Jack took his phone from his pocket and went to sit next to his mom. He showed her his phone. “These are the texts I received from my daughter, Amber. They’re messages that we send to each other, but in real time. In addition to messages, we can also send videos and pictures. And she found a video with you in it on the internet.”

  He turned up the volume and let his mom watch the video from the beginning. When her commercial came on, her eyes were immediately wet with tears. She put a hand to her mouth. When it was over, Jack set the phone down as tears fell from Vivianne’s eyes. No one spoke for quite some time. Jack placed a hand over his mother’s.

  Molly looked away politely as Vivianne got emotional. She wished she hadn’t opened her big mouth. She hadn’t known, hadn’t realized what she had done until it was too late.