by Jade Winters
Hannah felt a real sense of excitement about the upcoming project for the first time. She started to actually believe she could make it work. Skye was going to be playing the part of Courtney, the love struck woman who was having an affair with Amy, played by Alisa, who was trapped in a relationship she felt unable to leave.
Hannah glanced at Jen, who gave her an enthusiastic nod, then stood and walked over to Skye who was still making eyes at Larry.
“I would like to personally welcome you on board.”
Skye jerked her head back. “I got the gig—cool.”
“I’m sure,” Hannah said eyeing Larry, “that Larry will fill you in with any more details you wish to know. I’ll be in touch with Bobby to sort out your contract.”
“Cool.”
“Well, I’ll see you in a few weeks when we begin shooting,” she said and then to herself a silent plea. Please don’t say—
“Cool.”
There, she’d said it. There was only one word out of the entire English dictionary that irritated her—and that was cool. If she could somehow erase it out of existence she would. Smiling, she turned back to Leah who gave her a thumbs up. She was glad that Leah could see her potential as well.
“I think she’s going to go far,” Leah said once they were seated in her car on their way back to the house.
“I’m a bit concerned about her doing a lesbian movie so soon in her career. I don’t want to be the one responsible for stereotyping her.”
“She’ll be fine. There are a lot of credible people working on it. I think it will only enhance her future as an actress. Don’t forget, she is working opposite Alisa. It’s her first lesbian role as well and Bobby doesn’t seem to mind letting two of the girls from his stable work on a gay film.”
“Do you think so?”
“Yes, I do. I think the face of cinema is changing now that indie movies can produce some great stuff on a small budget. You’ve only got to look on YouTube to see some great lesbian films that have been made and they’ve been viewed millions of times.”
“Feels like I’ve been out of the loop for too long,” Hannah admitted.
“That’s what you pay me for, to keep my ear to the ground. I know initially I was against you doing this movie but after reading the script, I think you made the right decision. It would be a shame if the story wasn’t told—it’s a great romance.”
“Yes, it is. I only wish Naomi was around to see her work becoming reality.”
“I truly believe this is what she left behind as her legacy.”
Hannah nodded in agreement. “I’m so glad Alisa decided to share it with me. There was no reason for her to do so, she could have just kept it to herself.”
“That’s Alisa for you, always wanting to be the knight in shining armour,” Leah said sourly.
Though Hannah didn’t say it, she didn’t believe that statement was true. She couldn’t accept Alisa had an ulterior motive in giving her the script. It was an act of kindness on her behalf, just the sort of thing Alisa would do.
Hannah hoped Alisa would be pleased with her choice of co-star. They must have met before both having Bobby as their agent. She was lucky in that sense. Any problems she had on the set with either woman she would be able to go straight to Bobby. Not that she anticipated any hiccups but it was nice to feel a little security. She was going to have to lean on as many people as she could to get through this period in her life.
***
After what seemed a long day, Hannah made her way through the front door to her home closely followed by Leah. As she dropped her bag onto the floor, she heard a noise coming from the living room and poked her head around the door as Leah continued into the kitchen.
“Mum, I thought you were out for the evening?”
Maggie swivelled around, a startled look on her face. “Oh, hi, darling. Yes, I’ll be leaving in about half an hour.” She turned back to the bar and continued topping up her glass with gin and tonic water. “So, how did it go today?”
Hannah slumped down onto the sofa, tiredness suddenly overcoming her. “It went well, we now have our other leading lady.”
“Well done, Hannah—you’re half way there now,” Maggie said, settling into the sofa next to her.
Biting her lip, Hannah looked away. “Yep.”
Maggie leaned forward, turning Hannah’s face towards her gently with her hand. “What’s the matter? I thought you’d be ecstatic. You’re finally getting your life back on track.”
Her eyes welled with tears as she was forced to look at her mother. “I am. . .”
“But?”
Hannah sat in silence. Thoughts of Naomi flooded her mind, every crevice filled with memories of their life together. She dropped her eyes to the floor. “Oh, I don’t know, Mum. I am happy with the progress I’ve made but there’s still something in me that says if I really loved her, I would still be grieving and not making a movie.”
Maggie shifted in her seat. “Hannah, you are still grieving, can’t you see that? You’re just returning to work, you’re not getting married, not that there would be anything wrong with that if you did.”
Hannah forced a smile. “Oh, God, that’s the last thing on my mind.”
Maggie stood up and walked back to the bar to pour herself another drink. “It may be now—but things might change and you may start looking to move on in that area of your life.”
“I don’t think anyone could replace Naomi.”
“It’s not about replacing her. Nothing can take away the life you shared with her. But there may come a day when you decide you want to share your life with someone else. That in itself comes with a whole lot of other problems,” she said opening the bottle of tonic. “Do you want one?”
She shook her head. “Not for me it won’t because it’s not going to happen.”
“Anything can happen, Hannah. No one knows what’s hidden around the corner.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“—I know, it’s okay. You know, I think I will join you in that drink after all.”
“Me too,” Leah seconded as she entered the room.
“At least you’ll have Leah by your side,” Maggie said nodding towards Leah.
“Yes, there is that.”
“You know me, Maggie, she’ll be in safe hands,” Leah said as she sat in the armchair and picked a magazine up off the coffee table.
Maggie handed them each a drink and returned to the sofa. “I know she will. I’m banking on you keeping that woman away from her.”
“Mum, I’m right here you know and I don’t need protection from Alisa. She didn’t put a hit out on me. If it wasn’t for her jumping on board I don’t know how we would have managed to secure funding for the film.”
“So she’s the hero who saved the day, now is she?”
“I’m not saying that, Mum. I’m sure she regrets what she did more than anyone.”
“I doubt it,” Leah said under her breath.
“All I’m saying is that I’m glad you’ve got Leah watching your back.”
“That’s right,” Leah said smiling. “With me by your side, who else do you need?”
***
Alisa took the ice cream tub from the freezer, grabbed a spoon and curled up on the sofa, tucking her feet beneath her. She held the ice cold container and began to scoop out the soft dark chocolate ice cream, putting it into her mouth and savouring the smooth taste. She plunged her spoon back in again searching around for the elusive chocolate chips that she was convinced were lurking somewhere at the bottom. She felt bored and restless—torn between wanting to go back to L.A. and honouring her commitment to star in Hannah’s film.
Hearing Bobby’s footsteps on the deck, she dragged herself off the sofa and trotted barefooted towards the door, ice cream still in hand.
“Hey, Bobby, I wasn’t expecting you today,” she said, taking a step back to let him enter.
He eyed her choice of comfort food
with a raised brow. “I know. I was passing by so I thought I’d tell you the news in person. They’ve cast Skye Daniels opposite you. So filming should be taking place in a few weeks.”
Alisa turned and walked back to the sofa, flopping down onto it. “Great.”
Bobby went straight to the cutlery drawer, took out a spoon then moved to sit down beside her. Grabbing the tub of ice cream, he took a scoop before licking the remains off the back, he said, “You don’t regret changing your mind do you?”
She let out a sigh and pushed herself back against the sofa. “No, not really.”
“What’s the matter then?”
She covered her eyes with the palms of her hands. “I was just wondering whether or not it was such a good idea to give her the script in the first place.”
He gently wrapped his fingers around her wrist pulling it away from her eyes. “Don’t you think it’s a little bit late to start getting cold feet?”
She looked at him sorrowfully. “I’m just feeling a little guilty.”
“How were you to know what she was going to do with it.”
Rising to her feet Alisa looked down at him, thinking thoughtfully before replying. “I know. But I keep thinking I should have told her what the script was really about.”
“And what would be the point of that now? Naomi’s dead. It’s all irrelevant. There would be no closure. And anyway, how do you know it was exactly about their affair?”
“I know there were a lot of changes but I can read between the lines. It’s obvious it’s based on their affair.”
“Well, I think your conscience should be clear, Alisa. You didn’t do anything to create this mess, remember that,” Bobby said as he leaned back and finished eating the rest of the ice cream.
“What would I do if she ever found out?”
He set the empty ice cream tub on the coffee table. “How’s that going to happen? I doubt very much Leah’s going to tell her. She’s not that stupid. You’re not going to say anything and neither I am.”
Alisa tilted her head back, her eyes focusing on the ceiling. “Doesn’t that mean I’m just as bad as Leah?”
“Well, if that makes you a liar it also makes me a liar—but do you see me knocking down doors to tell Hannah something that could ruin her life? No—because we care. Our motives are completely different from Leah’s and anyway like you said the script’s not completely true—there aren’t any obvious signposts suggesting it’s based on anything but characters made up in Naomi's head. Stop stressing over it, you did the right thing.”
Alisa brought her head down, turned and walked to the window. “Maybe, but the right thing for who?”
Chapter 18
Time flew by in a flurry, so much so that the transition from spring to summer appeared to have happened in the blink of an eye. Hannah had been totally absorbed in being a part of every aspect of the shoot preparation, she had barely noticed that the tall stems of the Jerusalem sage had gracefully replaced the daffodils in her garden.
She hadn’t seen Alisa since bumping into her and Bobby by the river. Anything to do with the film had been dealt with directly with Bobby, which was fine with her. Once filming began, Hannah had made up her mind that she would remain amicable with Alisa—she wasn’t going to let their personal problems leak into their professional relationship.
Her visits to see Dr Cross had been reduced from every week to fortnightly as her emotional strength grew. Though she wore the memory of Naomi like a second skin it was now more of a comfort than a source of constant grief.
Larry Conner had worked miracles in getting the funds in place as well as all the other necessities. He was young and dynamic, just the sort of force she needed behind her. Though they had a good team working their hardest to get everything ready for shooting, she was always watching over everyone’s shoulders. She was the only one who understood Naomi’s vision—she knew what would and wouldn’t work for the script. It became like an addiction—her constant companion.
“I can’t believe how near we are to filming,” Hannah said to Leah. Shooting was scheduled for the following Monday. Leah looked up from the stack of paperwork she was mulling over.
“I know, it only seems like yesterday all the plans were thrown into action.”
“That’s the power of money.”
“It sure is. So have you decided what you’re going to wear tonight?”
“Not as yet. Have you?”
“No, I might pop to the shops this afternoon and see if I can find something.”
“What time is the car picking us up?”
“He’ll arrive at mine at seven so we should be here around half seven. Are you looking forward to it?”
Hannah shrugged her shoulders. She still wasn’t that keen on the idea. When Larry had broached the subject of a pre-production party she had been a little apprehensive—it would mean bumping into a lot of people that she hadn’t seen since Naomi’s passing. In the end, despite her misgivings, she had agreed it would be a good idea. Dr Cross had told her that if she was committed to moving on in her life she was going to have to start doing all the things she would normally do, and socialising was one of them.
Perhaps she could just pop in for a quick appearance and duck out before things got as crazy as they usually did at those kind of parties.
She sighed and noted the time; she had perhaps six hours before the party started, time she would spend ironing out a few more details with the production designer.
After a busy and fulfilling day, Hannah returned home to shower and change into a black strapless dress for the party. An hour later, the chauffeur driven car pulled into the visitors’ parking lot of Larry’s home. Leah let out a long whistle. Hannah had to admit, he had the most beautiful, glamorous home she’d ever seen. Everything about the house screamed style, from the perfectly manicured lawns and sculpted hedges to the glittering walkways.
There was a rumour going around that the multi-millionaire producer had actually paid for millions of pounds of genuine diamonds to be mixed in with the cement and knowing how eccentric the man was, Hannah had no trouble believing it. The house itself was an ultra-modern design. Stained glass portraits and marble columns welcomed guests into the foyer.
“Oh, well, here goes,” Hannah said, letting out a sigh as they stepped out of the car.
“Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Just think of it as your last night of fun because once filming starts on Monday, it will be work, work, work, from then on.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Hannah said as they followed the sounds of revelry to the absurdly spacious living room, already packed with cast and crew.
Hannah scanned the room and spotted Alisa standing near the centre. She looked every inch the beautiful movie star in an off the shoulder black silk dress, revealing lightly tanned skin. She was breath taking. Skye popped up at Alisa’s side just at that moment with a couple of drinks in her hand and they began talking animatedly. From the way Alisa was hanging on every word from Skye’s lips and the smouldering look in her eyes, Hannah suspected she already had all the company she wanted.
A twisted, queasy sensation filled Hannah’s gut as she made her way to the open bar. Briefly, she wondered if she’d eaten something she shouldn’t have but as she turned back to the party with a drink of her own and caught sight of the couple once again, the feeling intensified. What . . . wait, was this jealousy? Nonsense, what did she have to feel jealous about? An answer presented itself as she watched Alisa burst into laughter, probably at one of Skye’s insipid little jokes. Hannah’s eyes widened as she considered the possibility, which seemed more and more like a certainty. Of course, why wouldn’t she be jealous? They had been good friends for years and she missed her and her friendship. Now watching her with Skye brought back all the memories of the good times they’d had together. The queasiness blossomed into a full blown ache and Hannah downed her champagne to dull the pain. She was fast regretting going to the party already.
She
turned to talk to Leah, then she suddenly realised she wasn’t there, having somehow lost her in the throng of Larry’s guests. Taking another glass of champagne from a waiter’s silver tray, she wandered around the room catching snatches of the guests’ conversations. Some were discussing where they could get coke, others about the upcoming filming schedule and a few about family issues. She stopped and spoke to several people in the industry she was familiar with, only talking for a brief period of time—she didn’t want to be drawn into lengthy conversations whereby people might feel obliged to talk about Naomi. They were there to enjoy themselves not have their moods brought down by death.
“There you are,” Leah said, suddenly appearing out of nowhere, startling Hannah who had been lost in her thoughts. “Alisa’s been giving you the eye,” she said.
Hannah felt stunned for a moment unsure of what Leah meant.
“I’m sure she hasn’t.”
“She has, I’ve been watching her.”
“Leah, there’s at least a hundred people in this room. I doubt she’d have the slightest bit of interest looking at me.”
“I’m just telling you what I saw. I’m sure if she had no qualms coming on to Naomi she would do the same to you.”
As if she needed reminding of that again. She wondered, not for the first time, if Leah got some kind of kick by bringing that up every time Alisa’s name was mentioned.
***
Across the room, Alisa accepted the second drink Skye handed to her in as many minutes. Raising her glass to her lips she noticed Hannah standing at the end of the room, she was enthralled by what she saw. The black strapless dress she wore moulded perfectly against the feminine shape of her body. The sight of her bare flawless shoulders caused her heart to flutter as a mounting need to be near her overwhelmed her. For the past few months she had imposed a cast iron control on herself in order to give Hannah the space she needed. The prolonged anticipation until shooting began was almost unbearable but she believed it would be worth the wait, as it would give her an opportunity to see her every day and try and mend their broken bridge. Today is as good as any to test the water, she thought as she leaned in close to Skye’s ear. “Can you do me a favour?”