by Frances, Jo
"Do they really make you bring donuts every morning? And wear a little girls backpack?"
Chase cocked an eyebrow. "Who told you that?"
"Sports Illustrated. I read the article about you." There was no point in trying to pretend she didn't follow his career.
"Then I guess it's true." He looked pleased. "But there are other rookies so I don't have to get the donuts every morning. I always do have to wear the backpack on game days, though. But the good news is, I've learned that pink really is my color."
"That's important. But now I have to tell you something."
"What's that?" A note of concern crept into his voice.
"I don't think pink's your color." Jamie fell into their easy banter.
"Well, maybe you're just jealous because I look better in it than you."
"Don't go there, Chase." she said, playing the diva.
"Oh, we're there, hun-ni." They couldn't keep up the joke any longer and both burst out laughing.
"So, I've heard you're crazy busy these days." he said after a moment.
"I guess..." she turned towards him eagerly. "I did get to walk for Merlin Nast, though. Do you know who that is?"
"Yeah, Merlin Nast! Doesn't he do that----ok, I have no idea."
"Well, he's a pretty big British designer. And he has the best, nicest, assistant--Brooks. He's from Florida too, from Jacksonville but he pretends he's from Miami. So people don't think he's, you know---a Southerner." Jamie was rewarded with a big laugh from Chase.
"That's what I should have been doing all along!"
Their eyes met. A spark.
"You're in a very strange industry, Jamie."
"This from a man forced to carry a pink toddler's backpack." she replied archly.
Chase gave her his lazy half grin. "Don't be a hater."
It was almost an hour later when they returned, but no one complained. Jamie threw some butternut squash, mushrooms and broccoli in the oven and ate that on the kitchen counter while the poker party continued. Every now and then she caught Chase looking over at her, just making sure she was OK.
Chapter 19
"You are in a lot of trouble." Ali adjusted the brim of her hat to shade more of her face. Jamie had run into into her at a Pilates class that morning, and after going out for breakfast at Urth, they had decided to extend their day by going for a hike.
Jamie sighed. "I know." Part of the reason she asked Ali to go on a hike with her was that she wanted to keep busy and not think of Chase. She wanted to stay outside to feel the warm sun on her, to remember the feeling of being back in L.A.
"Well, how did you guys leave it?" Ali asked.
"We didn't really. I was just so tired I went to bed, and then it was morning."
"Hmm. Well, at least he's not mad at you. It always sucks when you breakup with somebody and then they hate you."
"Maybe he still does. I mean, it was great and funny and everything, but it was a friendship vibe."
Ali sounded surprised. "Nothing more? You're sure?"
Jamie nodded, defeated. "Oh yeah. I'm sure." She slowed her pace down as Ali was struggling to keep up.
"Well what about Sean?"
"Now there's someone who hates me."
Ali stopped, mouth open. "Why?! He was totally into you at the party."
"He says I used him."
"Shut up! Did you just totally fuck his brains out?"
Jamie laughed at the irony. "Are you serious right now? No! He thinks I used him for publicity, or to get a part in his video, or something."
Ali rolled her eyes. "What, guys are the only ones who are supposed to use chicks, but not the other way around?"
"Ali, I didn't use him. He was the one who always wanted to go where we were photographed, and he was the one who wanted me in his video." They began their hike back to the car. "He's just mad because I wasn't into him." She wanted to change the subject. "So when do you go back to work?"
Ali perked up. "I'm doing a pictorial in Costa Rica next week I'm bringing my surfboard. How about you?"
"I hate you." Jamie wailed. "I'm flying back to New York day after tomorrow."
That evening after he got back from work, Luke and Jamie were met by their real estate agent, Barbara Morrison, who was the self-proclaimed doyenne of L.A.'s Westside, but also a former sorority sister of Frances Cameron's. Although she was the same age as their mom, Jamie was struck by the contrast. While Frances was still youthful and trim, her unbuttoned face clearly showed her age.
Barbara, like most successful women in L.A., had botox'ed, lifted and plasticized her face and body so that while she didn't look middle-aged anymore, she didn't look young either. Just...mummified. At first, women with these faces stood out to Jamie, but the longer she stayed in L.A., the more she began to get used to it. And, Barbara couldn't have been nicer to them, so Jamie was glad they were working with her.
Barbara picked them up in a new SUV, handing them an itinerary when they got in. "So, these are the three houses we're going to focus on tonight. They're all in Manhattan Beach, which I thought would be a good start for us---"
"I'm sorry, Barbara" Jamie interrupted. "Did you say Manhattan Beach?" Chase lived in Manhattan Beach.
Barbara started the car and began driving. "Well, yes. When we did our phone interview about neighborhoods, you said you wanted easy access to LAX, your brother wanted to live in a beach community and you both wanted a home as opposed to an apartment. That says Manhattan or Hermosa Beach." She looked between Jamie and Luke. "Is there a problem?"
Luke remained quiet, so Jamie spoke. "We can look at these houses today, but, um, where there other neighborhoods that would be a good match?"
"Do you have something against living in Manhattan Beach?" Barbara looked at her through the rear view mirror. "Tell me now, because I don't want to waste an evening." She turned to Luke. "Luke?"
"Nope, no problem." Luke said. "Jamie?"
Jamie leaned back into her seat. She knew she was being unreasonable. "Nope, no problem at all."
Barbara softened her tone. "Maybe you two were thinking about Malibu, or Santa Monica. Which is fine, but both of you are so young! Malibu and Santa Monica is where the people who used to live in Manhattan and Redondo move to when they get a little older, and make a little more money. I really think this is the right neighborhood for the two of you."
Jamie knew she was right. She loved hanging out in Chase's neighborhood, and so did her brother and their friends. She just hadn't realized she was describing it exactly when listing what they wanted.
The first house was about a mile from the ocean, and on the other side of a busy street. It was big, and had a pool, but it felt too much like a suburban house.
"Luke, what do you think?" she asked as they walked through.
"I don't like it," he said with finality.
As they drove up to the next house and the streets began to look familiar, Jamie felt her heart beating a little faster. "Here we are," Barbara said. It was a house one street over from Chase's, and like his, was one block from the beach. It'll be fine, she told herself. You won't like this house either.
However, once they walked through the front door, both she and Luke knew they had found their home. It was a two story house with Spanish detailing. The bottom floor consisted of a small living room, a dining room, and powder room. There was a small wall that separated that half of the house with the large kitchen/family room. "It's a small house but this will make it seem a little bigger," she said, sliding open the glass doors. The backyard, while small, had a built in brick oven and barbeque pit in an enclosure. Barbara walked towards a fenced door. "And this," she said dramatically, "is real beach access." On the other side of the door was a path leading to the beach itself.
"Wow." Luke's eyes were lit up at the possibilities.
Barbara nodded: I-told-you-so. "Shall we look upstairs?" On the second floor was a landing that lead to a small bedroom, flanked on each side by the larger rooms. The master sui
te had the larger room, walk in closet and updated bathroom. On the other side was another bedroom with a bathroom which led to a sunroom that had an ocean view. "Jamie, this is perfect. You could take the master suite for your clothes. I'll take this room and use the sunroom for an office. The third bedroom is for mom and dad when they visit, or guests." At the hesitation he saw in her eyes, the big brother in him pushed forward. "Think of the beach, Jamie! Isn't this why we wanted to live out here?"
Jamie then reverted to her little sister role. "OK, but let's see what mom and dad say first." This wasn't as childish as it seemed. Since Luke had received a full scholarship and Jamie wasn't going to college, their parents had offered to put the money set aside for their education towards the down payment for a house.
Barbara nodded approvingly. "Of course your parents can call me if they have questions about comparable prices. I know they're going to have sticker shock when they hear these prices---you could buy a huge house in North Carolina for this price, and I'm sure they're going to wonder why anyone would pay so much for a 2000 square foot home."
After Barbara dropped them off, Jamie and Luke drove to their favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner. Sitting outside in the patio on plastic chairs, they discussed the house some more. They talked about finances, at first. Luke asked if Jamie were ready for the responsibility of paying the mortgage every month.
"It means you have to view modeling not as something fun, but really as a way to pay the bills. Are you sure you're ready to do that?" Luke pointed out.
"Well, it's not like we're overextending ourselves and buying some Beverly Hills mansion." she began. "But yeah, actually it feels good---I can look at this as my career, and treat it seriously. I want to start thinking about where I want to be a year from now, five years from now and start working towards that. Just like Dad taught us."
Luke was impressed. "OK, so what's your plan?" He saw his sister's eyes light up with excitement as she began to talk.
"Well, my one year goal is to get a cosmetics contract. That's usually a multi-million dollar deal. Then in five years, I'll probably be on the downside of my career---"
"At 24?!" Luke asked incredulously.
"I didn't say it was going to be over, but anything over 25, and you're looking at the twilight years for modeling. But that's OK, because I want to transition into acting. And not model-slash-actress, like everyone says they are but a serious actress."
"Jamie, no one wants to be a bad actress. How are you going to be a good one?" Luke felt as if he were watching his little sister grow up before him.
"When I was shooting that video, I spent some time with the director, and we're still in touch. So I asked him what he would recommend, and he said I should start taking acting classes where the focus is on craft, and not fame. He gave me some recommendations, but they're all in New York."
"Are you going to do it?"
"Yeah, of course. Then in the meantime, he said I should also start auditioning for small roles, and play to type. Like, be, the 'girlfriend', or 'cashier' with one line in a movie because that's how I'll get experience, and that's how casting directors will get to know me." She smiled at him as if she had just recited a long poem by heart. "I don't know if it will happen, but that's my plan."
"Jamie, that's amazing." Luke said sincerely. "You're right, who knows what will happen, but just having a plan like that puts you way ahead of everyone else." He took a bite of his taco before talking again. "Now that we don't have to worry about meeting the mortgage...I'm guessing there's really only one reason you don't want to pull the trigger on this house. Am I right?"
Jamie nodded. "But before you say that I shouldn't let anyone keep me from a house I want, you have to understand. This is going to be my home too. And if every time I drive down the street I'm going to worry about running into Chase, or worse, running into Chase with his new girlfriend, then that's really going to suck for me, you know? I don't want to ever dread coming home."
They sat in silence for a minute as Luke seemed to absorb what she was saying. Slowly he nodded.
"You know what, I can understand that. It would be like moving down the street to a crack house, or something." This caused them both to laugh, breaking the mood. "OK, so Casa Chase is not quite a crack house, but the point is the same---something unpleasant in the neighborhood can really affect how you enjoy your own home."
"Exactly."
Then Luke said something surprising. "I'm sorry," he apologized.
"Sorry?" Jamie said. "For what?"
"For pressuring you. I totally get it, and I think we should call Barbara tomorrow and tell her we'll keep looking."
Jamie felt herself tearing up at her brother's loyalty. "But you love that house!" she protested.
"Yeah, but it's just a house. I wouldn't be able to buy it without you anyway, so you should be 100% ok with it. We'll find another one."
At the thought of giving up the house, Jamie suddenly realized how much she liked it too. And it wasn't a neighborhood menace, but an old boyfriend who she was still on good terms with, and was a good friend of her brother's.
"OK." she said, signaling for the check. "We'll call Barbara and make an offer tomorrow."
"Wait..what?!"
She held her palm up for a high five. "This is going to be the. Best. House. Ever."
Chapter 20
The next morning, as she got ready to go back to New York, Jamie called Chase. He sounded surprised that she called, and even more surprised when she asked if she could come over.
When she showed up forty five minutes later, Chase answered the door with his hair still wet from the shower. Jamie tried not to notice how his already muscular body had been refined into perfection by being in the NBA, how the aggression and competition of being in the league had made him seem more knowing as he stood there.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" she asked.
He looked down the street. "Do you have some guys waiting in a van to kidnap me?"
"It's just me."
Chase gave her an odd look. "Are you going to push me off the pier or something?"
Jamie pulled on his hand. "Come on."
The smile suddenly disappeared from Chase's face. Jamie turned around and saw a very pretty, but very disheveled girl standing behind her in tears. "Hi." she dropped Chase's hand.
"What's up?" Chase asked the girl coldly.
"Sorry, I didn't know you were going to have someone else here so quickly." She glanced at Jamie. "I'm Brittany," she said.
"Jamie." Please let her be a neighbor, Jamie prayed silently.
"Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt, but someone broke into my car last night and there's glass all over, and I was just wondering if I could wait for the tow truck here." Brittany may have had her car broken into, but she suddenly looked as if it had been the best thing to happen to her that week.
Jamie quickly figured out what was going on, and before Chase could answer, said, "I'm going to go."
Chase looked pained. "Jamie."
Feeling sick to her stomach, she backed away from him. "No, I'll---I'll call you later, OK?"
Jamie made it all the way to the 405 before the tears started falling. They fell even after she saw Chase calling her once, then twice, then three times when she refused to answer her phone. She cried more than she had when they had broken up weeks before, because this time, the breakup felt final. And now she was going to take all of her earnings and her college fund and use it to subject herself to more of this kind of pain. She flicked the tears off her face. "Fuck!" she screamed inside the car.
When she got home, she played Chase's voicemail
"Hey, I'm not sure why you're not taking my call. Give me a call back and let me know what's going on."
That message was not only irritating, it was also untrue. Chase didn't know why she didn't want to talk to him? OK, if they were going to play dumb, then so be it. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her upset, so the best thing to do now was to
avoid him. "Satisfied?" she said to her phone, which was now ringing again.
Jamie always found that keeping busy helped her when she felt stressed, so she grabbed her gym bag and headed to the gym. After taking two classes followed by a late lunch at a vegan raw-foods place, she felt cleansed, if not calmed. She wandered aimlessly down Robertson Blvd., until the roving band of paparazzi that were always in the area began following her around.
She was just thinking about shopping for dinner when Luke texted her that he was going out that night. Jamie thought of calling Ali, or any of her other friends, but decided she didn't have the energy to pretend nothing was wrong.
Almost as an afterthought she realized she could just leave for New York early, now that she had an apartment there. As she drove home to pack, she wondered if this would be the first of many times that she would use the New York studio as an escape.
Jamie wrote a quick note to Luke, then headed to LAX to catch the red-eye to New York. She arrived the next morning at 7:00; just as the city was beginning to gather momentum. It was 4:00 in the morning for her, but she felt energized just to be away from Chase. In her apartment, she dropped her suitcases to the floor, took a quick shower and walked to Union Square.
Jamie grabbed a large cup of coffee from a sidewalk cart and spent a pleasant hour buying flowers for her apartment and some food for the week. Eventually the fact that she hadn't really slept all night began to catch up to her, as she knew it would. She started to walk home, looking forward to a mid-morning nap, when Luke called.
"Where are you?" he asked when she answered.
"I told you, I left for New York early---didn't you get my note?"
"Yeah, but why? Did you get a booking or something?" Jamie could hear him in their apartment, getting ready for work.
"Luke. Why are you calling me?" As if she didn't know.
"Uh, Chase called me last night. He wanted to know if I had talked to you. He said you came over his house yesterday morning and freaked out because some girl was there."