The Fallen Starlet

by Eve Corso

  “My, that’s awfully big. Are you planning on turning my living room into a movie theater?” she asked, standing next to him.

  “If you hate it, I’ll put the old one back.” He sat down on the couch and patted the cushion next to his. “Okay, today we learn how to use this. The computer is going to take a bit longer. But we can tackle that little by little.” He showed her the remote control and then the power button, telling her to turn it on.

  She did and made a sound like an excited little girl when the picture came on, a commercial for butter.

  Vivianne stood up and almost touched the screen. “Would you look at that butter, Jackson? Why, it looks good enough to eat. I can almost smell it, can’t you?”

  Jack smiled and changed the channel to a movie channel. “Now, here is the classic movie channel.”

  Vivianne sat back down and watched for a minute. “Those faces. You can see every pore. Jack, this is incredible. It looks like the actors are in this room.”

  “Do you like it?” he asked, turning to her.

  Vivianne laughed. “Oh, well, I don’t know yet. It’s just so different.”

  “Is there anything particular you want to watch?” he taught her how to change the channel and flipped through a few. She asked to stop on a nature documentary about the ocean as she looked on in wonder.

  “There’s a whole world out there, isn’t there?” she asked. “I had almost forgotten how beautiful it all was.”

  “Why don’t I leave you to it for a bit while I call my daughter and get started on dinner?”

  Vivianne turned to Jack. “Thank you, for all of this. I really do appreciate everything you’ve done.”

  He placed a hand on her knee. “Enjoy it,” he said and got up, feeling pretty good about it.

  Jack walked out into the front lawn and made a quick phone call to his daughter to check in on her.

  After talking for ten minutes, he washed up to get dinner ready for him and his mom. He took out some ingredients for a salad, some chicken, and fresh green beans.

  When he called his mom in for dinner, she was still watching the nature documentary, only now it was about the rain forest.

  “They sure are beautiful, but I would not want to be caught dead in a rain forest.”

  Jack smiled, humoring his mother. “Why not?”

  “The buzzing of all those insects. Can you even imagine? It’s a little bit too much nature if you ask me,” she said, shaking her head as she sat down.

  “Have you ever traveled, besides to Los Angeles, I mean?”

  “Oh yes, I’ve gotten away with your father, believe it or not. He snuck in some time to take me to Hawaii once for my birthday. And we’ve been to New York several times on what he used to call business trips, but they were just weekend getaways.”

  “The sixties and seventies in New York. What must that have been like?”

  Vivianne laughed. “Hot, crowded and sticky. Which is why Los Angeles was perfect for me when I was there. I absolutely love the weather, there.”

  “It can get pretty hot out there, too.”

  “Yes, that’s when you find yourself a good air-conditioner and a few good books to keep you company until it passes.” Vivianne took a bite of the chicken. “How’s your daughter? You get a chance to talk to her?”

  “Yeah, and she actually gave me an idea I’d like to try after dinner,” he said with a secretive smile.

  “Well, I look forward to it,” she said, taking another bite of out the chicken.

  They continued to eat as Jack told her stories about Amber and places they had travelled to when she was younger. Vivianne listened and asked questions, loving to hear about his family and that there had indeed been some happy times in their lives.

  After dinner, Jack cleared the table and washed the dishes while his mom poured a glass of bourbon for the both of them. Jack thanked his mom. “Okay, just give me a few minutes to set this up. I think I know what I’m doing here. I’ll call you into the living room in a bit, okay?”

  “I’ll just be waiting right here with my bourbon.”

  Jack turned on the TV in the living room and found the icon for the internet. He typed in the information his daughter used to pull up the commercial on YouTube back on her own laptop and sure enough, the video he was looking for popped up. Jack arranged the video to fit the screen and he called his mother in.

  Vivianne couldn’t wait any longer and entered the living room with her glass of bourbon and sat down. “What’s all the fuss about?”

  “Well, it’s not a huge surprise, but I figured we could try it this way,” he said as he played the commercial his daughter had sent him in its entirety. When the video got to his mom’s commercial, Vivianne held up a hand to her mouth, her drink forgotten. The video on the TV was still a little fuzzy, but it was big and better than watching it on his phone.

  After the commercial, Jack paused the video and turned to his mom, who had tears in her eyes.

  “The fallen starlet,” his mom said in a barely audible whisper.

  Jack smiled. “I like that. The fallen starlet.”

  “Yes, well, it definitely says it all, doesn’t it?” she said and took another drink of her bourbon. “You know, that’s the first time I’ve seen myself on a big screen like that?”

  Jack placed a hand on his mom’s knee and patted it quickly. “I hope you like it,” he said.

  “I do, yes. Very much. Thank you for all the trouble you went through. I’ve done almost nothing for you, and you came out all this way.”

  “Mom, you didn’t do almost nothing for me. You made the right decision for the both of us, and it wasn’t an easy decision to make. I turned out okay in the end.”

  “And me? I’m just stuck here with all my memories.”

  “We’re working on making new ones, aren’t we?”

  Vivianne gave him a small smile. “Yes, I think we are.”

  “Alright, I’m going to head on back to the motel after I finish this here drink. Tomorrow, I’ll get the computer up and running. And I’ll make some phone calls out to Hollywood. During the next few weeks, we can take a few videos and see what we can come up with.”

  “I appreciate that very much.”

  “Again, I just don’t want you to get your hopes up. This whole thing could fall through. We have to make a damn compelling documentary. And then we have to pitch it to the right people.”

  “Okay, no expectations. I know how it works. Your father was the head of United Cinema, so I learned a thing or two. I suppose nothing has changed much.”

  A little while later, Jack said goodnight to his mom and headed back for his last night in the motel.

  It was going to be a busy month, but he was glad to have taken the time off to be there.

  Chapter Fourteen

  One Year Later

  Jack was back in town for the big opening of the documentary A Fallen Starlet. He arrived with his daughter Amber and his girlfriend Molly. They’d be in town for just the week. The documentary was due to air later in the week, on Friday. It would air on a big streaming network. They had two days to get everything ready. It would be a small gathering, just the family. Jack would have it catered by Willadeen Harper, so there was very little to prepare for.

  It was Jack’s fourth time back to Alabama in a year. He had flown back to oversee the filming and to make sure the documentary was done right.

  That night, Jack, Molly, and Amber checked into the motel.

  “Now, we’re going to be right next door, so if you get scared or need anything, just knock on the door that connects our rooms,” Jack said to his daughter, who only rolled her eyes at him.

  “Dad, I’ll be fine.”

  “I know, but just in case, okay?”

  Back in their own room, Molly turned to Jack with a smile. “I can’t believe it. We’re right back where it all started. How do you feel, Jack?” Molly asked, searching his eyes.

  “Well, I’m beat from the flight. But yeah, thi
s all feels right, doesn’t it? And my mom, she’s about as excited as a kid in a candy store.”

  “Her last big hurrah. And it’s all thanks to you.”

  Jack kissed his girlfriend on the head. “No, it was all thanks to you. You put the idea in my head, after all.”

  “Thank goodness you were able to get permission from your biological father’s family.”

  “Yeah, I know. I still can’t believe that his widow not only knew about my mom the entire time, but was cool with it in the end. And that she okayed all of this.”

  “It was a different time then, Jack.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “Come on. Let’s freshen up and head on over to Vivianne’s.”

  Jack nodded.

  A little later, Jack, Molly, and Amber made their way to his mom’s house. She came to the door in a sequined gold dress and her make-up was heavy and almost perfect. Almost.

  Jack greeted his mother, then introduced his daughter.

  “Mom, this is Amber.”

  Vivianne took Amber by both hands. “Let me look at you, dear. Oh, that FaceTime program thing does not do you justice. You’re absolutely gorgeous.”

  “And I know where I get it from,” Amber replied with a smile.

  “Jack, she’s a doll,” Vivianne stated. She then turned her attention to Molly. “Molly, hello again, darling. You look absolutely spectacular. I’m so glad you were able to join my son and grand-daughter.”

  “I couldn’t miss this!” Molly exclaimed, giving Vivianne a hug.

  “Come in, come in. Jonah prepared some appetizers for us and we have drinks galore.”

  Jack looked at his daughter. “One glass of champagne.”

  Molly did the pouring, and they celebrated being together through the night, excited for the premiere in a few days.

  FRIDAY NIGHT HAD FINALLY arrived. Vivianne was dressed in a flashy gold sequined gown, with a white band around her forehead. Amber decided it would be fun to match her grandmother and was dressed in a flapper-style black dress. Molly wore an emerald cocktail dress, and Jack wore a suit for his mom’s big night.

  After dinner from Willadeen, they all gathered together, with popcorn in three different bowls around the living room, where they’d stream the documentary. Each of them held a glass of champagne, though Amber decided to stick with sparkling cider that time.

  The documentary was a huge success. Jack’s phone wouldn’t stop buzzing, congratulating him on his accomplishment. The documentary was shot just the way he had imagined. It told the story of an eager actress in the sixties and seventies, who was only trying to make a name for herself and who dared to be different.

  The few guests they had on the documentary spoke fondly of Vivianne Gold. The last actress, an old friend of Vivianne’s from her time in Hollywood, spoke last.

  “She had balls, beauty, and talent, she did. But she trusted the wrong man in Hollywood. Now, I’ve been in this business a long time. I’ve been in those shoes. She wasn’t the first and she won’t be the last, but I hope we can all learn something here. It’s never too late to tell your story. It’s never too late to be heard. Vivianne Gold, wherever you are, you gorgeous thing, you showed them that you’re still here and that you won’t go down without a fight. It’s never too late, honey. It’s never too late to get your slice of fame.”

  The documentary closed there. When the credits rolled, they all had tears in their eyes.

  It was midnight when two champagne bottles had been emptied. Jack decided to call it a night. He took his mom upstairs, and Molly and Amber helped her get ready for bed. Vivianne looked completely different without make-up, but she didn’t look any less beautiful than she had in her headshots from all those years ago. She had just lived a life, that’s all. And what a life it was.

  Vivianne’s eyes twinkled as her head hit the pillow. “Wasn’t it just a glorious night?”

  Amber nodded. “It was even better than I could have imagined. Thanks for showing us your life, Gramma,” Amber said, tucking her in. “I’ll never forget where I came from.”

  “I hope not. That father of yours knows a thing or two.”

  “He’s still learning, but you helped him more than you know. You helped him find himself. Goodnight, sleep well. I love you,” Amber said, her voice soft as she kissed her grandmother’s forehead.

  “I love you, too, darling,” Vivianne replied.

  It was the last time anyone said anything to Vivianne Lindley, or as the world had come to know her, Vivianne Gold, the fallen starlet. She died in her sleep that night and would never see the success of her documentary or the countless awards it would win in the year to follow.

  Acknowledgements

  I would like to thank everyone who helped make this book happen.

  To Crazy Ink, who came up with the idea for this Crazy Town series. I loved writing for the series, and it was such a fun challenge for me, as it was so different from what I’m normally used to.

  Thanks to the Crazy Ink Family, and to all the Crazy Town writers and readers, this was so much fun! I really hope I wrote a story that lived up to that incredible cover. I still get goose-bumps every time I see it. Thanks to Mary Duke for securing it for me. And thanks to Crazy Ink who did an incredible job with it. Thank you to Samantha Talarico for your fantastic edits! You rock!

  Thanks to my friends and family, who supported me during this book. Love you all so much!

  About the Author

  GROWING UP IN LOS ANGELES, California, it's easy to see how movies and film have inspired Eve Corso. At a young age, she studied screenplays, transforming them to fit the theatrical stage for high school festivals. Los Angeles has offered many exciting adventures to Corso, from writing alongside Jim Morrison's spirit under the Santa Monica pier, to seeing George Clooney's motorcycle in person. That is, of course, right after she waved to Matt Damon from the back of a golf cart on the Warner's lot.

  CORSO RESIDES IN LOS Angeles, where she still loves to lose herself in books, film and music. She will transport you to worlds where her love for music and film converge. She is the author of the Esteban & Marialena series, a Hollywood romance, a sweet novella titled You & Me in Washington, D.C. and A Matter of Timing series. Learn more about that and other upcoming publications by following Eve Corso.

  Follow Eve Corso at:

  Twitter: @evecorsobooks

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  Email: eve@evecorso.com

  Blog: www.evecorso.com