by L. L Hunter
“Thank you so much, sir.”
Less than a minute later, the man returned with a towel and a slip of paper. He placed both on the bar in front of me.
“And what would you like to drink? It’s on the house, of course.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that. You’re so kind.”
“It’s not a problem. You remind me of my daughter. She found it so hard when she first came here. She had the same look of confidence in her eyes that you have. But it wasn’t long before that was replaced by desperation. Everyone wants to make it in this town, but this town can chew you up and spit you out. You have to really want it to succeed.”
“Thank you. And I do want it. I’ve wanted nothing else since I was a little girl. It’s always been a dream of mine to become an actress.”
“My daughter is an actress. Maybe she can introduce you to a few people, help you get your foot in the door.”
“That would be amazing!”
He winked at me and turned to grab a bottle of sauvignon blanc from the fridge behind him. He placed a wine glass on the bar and poured some in before sliding the glass toward me. My eyes widened.
“That’s for me? How’d you know my favourite drink?”
“I just know things. I don’t think I caught your name before. My name is Leonard. Leo for short.”
“I’m Kate. Nice to meet you, Leo.” I shook his hand and then picked up my drink. As Leo busied himself with another customer, I studied the piece of paper he had given me. On it, was a name and a phone number. I sipped my wine and thought about what had just happened. Life was funny sometimes. And so was fate. And it seems like fate brought me into Leo’s bar. There was a lot of bad in life, but there was also a lot of good. And sometimes your life could change depending on the people you met.
I pulled out my phone, which was a little wet but still worked, and dialled the number on the paper.
“Hello, Bree? This may sound weird, but I met your dad, and he told me you were looking for a roommate…”
2
I approached the front porch of the address Bree gave me over the phone. It was an art deco building with a lovely little garden out front and a Juliet balcony looking out from the fourth floor. Bree had told me there were four apartments in this one block, and that hers was the one with the Juliet balcony in the front. It was quite pretty. As I walked up the path toward the door, the door opened, and a cute, curvy redhead poked her head out.
“Hi, you must be Kate? I’m Bree. Welcome to Casa de la Vista.” Bree made a sweeping motion with her hand toward the surrounding gardens and front door entry.
“It’s sweet. I know this must be weird, me showing up here out of the blue.”
“No, it’s not weird at all. I’ve had a few people come and go as roommates. You’re the first to come recommended by my dad.” She laughed musically and loud. My first impression was that she was an extrovert with a personality perfectly suited for acting. I didn’t mind. I was usually able to get along with everyone.
“Anyway, come on in. As I said, my place—our place—is on the top floor. It’s a spacious studio apartment. I hope you like it. I adore it myself.”
“Thank you. I’m sure I will.”
We climbed the stairs to the top floor, and Bree led me down a corridor to the end, before unlocking the door to her apartment—now mine, as well. What I saw inside, took my breath away.
“Oh my! This is gorgeous!”
“I know. This is what made me fall in love with it the first time I saw it, too.”
I set my bag down on the floor where I stood and wandered over to the balcony doors. French doors opened out onto the Juliet balcony I had seen from the garden. There was a bird feeder hanging from the corner of the roof, two sunshine yellow metal chairs, and a turquoise blue table underneath so you could sit and drink your coffee in the morning and admire the view. Oh, what a view it was!
“Oh, my goodness!” I stepped out onto the balcony, as the doors were open, and walked over to the railing. I inhaled the sea breeze and stared out at the glistening blue ocean.
“I didn’t realise how close to the beach we were.”
“Yeah, that’s another thing that sold me on this place. Anyway, let me show you to your room so you can get settled. You must be tired. My dad told me you’re from Ohio and that you came here on a bus?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“He also told me you want to be an actress.”
“Yes. It has been my dream ever since I was a little girl. I’ve wanted nothing else as bad.”
“That’s awesome. I’m an actress. I’ve just booked my second film. I can take you to a couple of networking industry events if you like, introduce you to people.”
“That would be wonderful. Thank you.”
She smiled and waved me along to follow her. She led me through the spacious living and kitchen areas and down a couple of stairs to the back of the apartment. We walked past a spacious bathroom with a spa bath and shower. The tiles in it were modern—a stark contrast to the outside of the building. It had apparently been renovated.
“There’s only one bathroom, so I hope you don’t mind sharing.”
“No, that’s okay. We only had one bathroom in my house back in Ohio. I had to share with two brothers, a sister, my parents as well as my grandmother.”
“Oh, wow. I’m an only child, so I can’t imagine sharing with your entire family.” We walk past a bedroom door a little further down the hall.
“This is my room. And this one is yours. There’s a closet, but it’s quite small. I hope it’s okay.”
“This is more than okay,” I said, stepping inside and looking around at my new room, the start of my new life. The walls were painted a pale yellow, and there was an unmade bed in the middle, with two white nightstands on either side. There was also a desk and a bookshelf along one wall, and the closet Bree mentioned.
“It’s perfect,” I said, smiling.
“Let me get you some bed linens and a pillow. You’ll have to go shopping if you want to personalise it. I know you didn’t bring many possessions.” I continued to glance around, placing my bag on the bed but noticed Bree had lingered in the doorway a little longer.
“I hope you don’t mind me asking, Kate. I don’t mean to pry. You’re probably a private person, but are you running from anything? Anyone? Back in Ohio?”
My breath caught in my chest, almost choking me, stealing my oxygen. I suddenly felt faint. How could she know? Did her father tell her? I don’t think I told him much. But maybe he was better at reading people than I thought. I looked down at my hands and at the chipped nail polish on my fingers.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. You don’t have to tell me. I just wanted to know, in case, well, you know, you’re in danger of any kind.”
“Oh, no. I’m not in danger, I promise. I’m moving to Hollywood to start a new life, that’s all.”
“Fair enough. Let me get you my spare set of bed linen.”
“Thank you so much, Bree. You’re very kind.”
She smiled. “It’s my pleasure.”
Bree came back a few minutes later with a stack of bed linen in her arms. She set them on the bed and then set about making it up for me. Of course, I helped her. I was thankful to have somewhere at all to stay. Because I didn’t think of accommodation when I left Ohio. That was the last thing on my mind. I just had to escape.
While we were making the bed, I brought up a topic that had been on mind since I got here. Money.
“So, how much do I owe you? You know, for rent.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it right now. You just got here. You just escaped from God knows what back in Ohio. The last thing I’m going to do is make you fork out money.”
“But I want to pay my way. I’ve always worked hard and paid my own way. It’s how my grandmother raised me. I’ve got some savings which should last until I find a job.”
Bree stopped adjusting the sheet on the bed and turne
d to me, sighing.
“I’ll tell you what, if you find a job and make a decent living, I’ll let you pay rent. But until then, I’m not about to let you spend your savings on rent. Okay? You need that money.”
A tear rolled down my cheek. “Oh, thank you so much, Bree. You don’t have to do that.”
I hugged her and sobbed. I was so, so happy that someone was so kind to me.
“It’s okay. I want to. You need some kindness in your life, it seems.” And I sobbed harder. It was true. I hadn’t had much kindness in my life, apart from the customers at my grandmother’s diner and my grandmother. I was used to fending for myself. So I think I cried out of pure shock that night.
3
I had the best sleep I’d had in a long while that night. The next morning, after a healthy breakfast of fruit and yoghurt, which was so refreshing, Bree took me for a tour of downtown L.A. I stared out the window of her little car in absolute awe of my new surroundings. This was my world now. It was much different from the small corner stores and cow paddocks of my small town in Ohio.
We walked along Sunset Boulevard sipping fancy green smoothies. I already felt so healthy. I was going to lose so much weight living here. I already loved the L.A. lifestyle. We walked past a couple of expensive designer boutiques with gorgeous window displays. I paused in front of one dress store because I had not seen anything so beautiful in my entire life.
This dress was the stuff of dreams—it was baby blue and sheer with embroidered flowers covering the skirt. It looked like a garden. The details were exquisite.
“Oh my!”
“You should get it,” Bree said, stopping next to me. “It’ll look amazing on you.”
“Oh, it’s probably way out of my price range.”
“I can probably get you a discount. I’ve bought things from this store before. Come on.” She grabbed my hand and began pulling me into the store, but I halted and cemented my feet into the sidewalk.
“No, I can’t! I can’t imagine spending that much money on a dress.”
“At least come and try it on.”
The longer I stared at the dress, the more I was torn between the devil and the angel on my shoulders. I could hear the voice of my father saying it was selfish to spend that much money on a dress, on yourself. And then the other part of me, the angel, told me that this is my life and my father was back in Ohio, and he wasn’t here. I was an adult, and I could spend my money how I wished. With a defiant smile and my head held high, I stepped into that store and tried on the dress.
And then I bought it.
“Welcome to Hollywood, Kate,” smiled Bree, taking my arm in hers. I walked out of the shop with my purse several thousand dollars lighter, but my mind was also several emotional pounds lighter.
This was my life, and I was going to start living it.
“You know, that dress is perfect for your first industry event.”
“Oh, my gosh. I don’t think I’m ready.”
“Of course, you are. I’ll be there the whole time. I’ll introduce you to all the important people you should know. You’ll be fine.”
“But I’m not an actress yet. I’m a nobody girl from the country.”
“No, you’re not a nobody.” She stopped walking and stepped in front of me placing her hands on my shoulders. Then she looked me dead in the eyes.
“You’re an actress. You’re Kate Brooks, and the world is yours. Now repeat it back to me.”
“I… I can’t, Bree. It’s not true.”
“Yes, you can. Because it is true. Come on, I’m Kate Brooks, and the world is mine.” She nodded, telling me to repeat the words as if they are a mantra, an incantation that will make it true. I didn’t believe them yet. I wasn’t an actress. I was a country bumpkin, a nobody from a small country town with daddy issues.
But if I was going to go to an industry event, get my foot in the door, and become a real actress, I was going to have to believe in myself first. After all, how was anyone else going to believe in me if I didn’t believe in me? I took a deep breath and said the words.
“I’m Kate Brooks, and the world is mine.”
4
The first industry event was on Saturday night, and I finally got to wear my gorgeous dress, the first thing I’d bought for myself since arriving in Hollywood. The event was for the premiere of a new lipstick line for a famous brand. Bree told me these are the sorts of events you want to attend as a newbie. These are the sorts of events that will help you meet the right people to get your name out there. I was nervous, of course. This was my very first time attending anything like this, but Bree reassured me she’d be by my side the entire night if I wanted. She also told me to drink a few glasses of wine or champagne because it helped with the nerves, but not too much because you wanted to make the right impression. One wrong move and my career could be over before it even began.
Bree called an Uber for us to get to the event—I was hesitant about getting into a stranger’s car, but Bree assured me it was fine—and when we arrived, I felt the buzz of energy before I got out of the car. One thing I was expecting that didn’t happen was photographers. There were none. There was a media wall with the name of the brand stamped on it that people could get photos in front of, but no official media people were waiting to capture your every move on camera.
I hesitated before stepping out of the car. “Um… Bree? I thought this was supposed to be a big event, an important event.”
“It is. What’s wrong?” she asked, checking her makeup in her hand compact.
“I just thought it would be a lot… busier.”
“Oh, you mean paparazzi? They rarely attend these events, unless someone they’re after attends. These events are for the smaller media people—the vloggers and bloggers and social media influencers.”
“What’s a social media influencer? And a vlogger?”
“Sorry, I keep forgetting you’re new here. Follow me, and I’ll show you. There’s a whole new world out there, Kate. Tonight, you’re getting your first taste.”
We climbed out of the car and walked over to the media wall. Bree handed someone her phone, and I watched as she posed in a few different positions, before turning to me.
“Come on, Kate. Come get your picture taken. You want to be an actress, don’t you? This is the first step.”
“Oh, okay. Sure. But I don’t have a phone…”
Bree sighed and made a rude noise. Then she shook her head and pulled me toward her, grabbing my hand and positioneing it on my hip, then she did the same.
“I see I have a lot to teach you. Smile.”
I looked at the young woman holding Bree’s phone and smiled. We posed a few different ways, before Bree thanked the woman and took her phone back. Then we headed inside to the event.
The building where the launch was being held was an artistic space now but was, once upon a time, Bree told me, used to be a warehouse. And I could see why they chose this space for the event. The walls were lit up with pink and gold lights that made the shadows more pronounced for some reason, and lining those walls were portraits of women in different gorgeous poses, all of them either naked or near nude. The music playing was produced by a DJ at a table set up on one end of the oblong shaped room, and on the other was a bar serving all kinds of alcoholic beverages. On one side of the room, there was a makeup table set up where ladies were sampling some of the new lipstick being launched, and on the opposite wall was a gorgeous wall of greenery and flowers—a vertical garden. The effect was absolutely stunning.
“This is amazing!”
“I know. Let’s get a drink!” She grabbed my hand before I could say anything and tugged me toward the bar.
“What do you want, Kate?”
My attention was dragged to the bartender, who was a cute guy maybe in his twenties, and I finally realised Bree had asked me a question.
“Oh, um… I’ll just have a glass of champagne, please.” I reached for my purse, which was borrowed from Bree’s ex
tensive collection, and opened it to retrieve my money. But Bree put her hand over mine.
“No money needed. It’s an open bar. It’s free. The perks of coming to an event like this. You’re welcome.” She grinned.
“Oh, that’s awesome then.” I put my purse away and accepted the champagne flute from the bartender. “Thank you.”
When we turned around, Bree spotted someone she knew and waved at them. She ran over to meet them, and I was left behind feeling awkward and out of place. I sipped from my champagne, then remembered Bree’s word of advice to fixing nerves. I downed the champagne in one gulp and walked over to greet Bree’s friends. Well, here goes nothing.
5
Kate, come and meet my friends. Harry, Mindy, this is my new roommate, Kate. Kate, this is Harry and Mindy. Harry is a TV and film producer, and Mindy is a makeup artist.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said, stepping up beside Bree and shaking their hands.
“What do you do, Kate?” asked Harry. He was a man in his forties if I were to take a guess, but he had no wrinkles or grey hairs.
“Oh, I’m an actress. I only just moved to Hollywood, so I hardly know anyone. Bree thought this event might be a good networking opportunity for me.”
“That’s a great idea. It’s definitely good for making connections,” said Mindy, smiling. “I hope you don’t mind me saying, but you’ve got gorgeous hair and a natural glow about you. I’d just love to make you up sometime.”
I blinked a couple of times, wondering what on earth this woman was talking about. Make me up? Was I a mannequin or something?
On sensing my awkwardness, Harry laughed. “Sorry about her, Kate. She gets excited every time she sees a pretty face.”
“Oh, that’s okay. I’m still getting used to all this,” I said, waving my hand at the scene around me.
“It can be quite confronting for a newbie. But Mindy is right, you’ve got a great natural, young look about you. You’d actually be perfect for a show I’m producing. Here’s my card. Call my office, and I’ll get a screen test arranged for you.”