Role of a Lifetime: Out of Hollywood Romance

by Cora Davies

  Eric followed the woman inside. She turned towards the stairway and screamed, "Chrissy!"

  Eric would have jumped if he were not used to women screaming around him. A moment later, a returning scream came down the stairs. "Risa!"

  "She's changed her name." The woman rolled her eyes at Eric. Eric nodded as if he knew what she was talking about, but the woman was already onto a new topic. She was asking him if he was hungry. Could she fix him a snack? Something to drink? A beer perhaps? "We have a bar, but there is never anything on it. I'm afraid all we have is beer."

  "A glass of water would be great actually," Eric said. She nodded and indicated for Eric to stay where he was. He stood at the bottom of the stairs, taking in his surroundings. The house was cozy-lived in. Not dusty, not messy, but homey with scattered bits of life everywhere. There were pictures all over the walls-in haphazard fashion-of families, scenery, and a young girl. Towards his left was a hallway and to his right a room that looked like a family room with books, yarn, and blankets scattered about. It was the complete opposite of his home, which always looked sterile and orderly. He could sell it tomorrow completely furnished and there would be no trace that he had ever lived there.

  A black blur ran down the stairs beside him and he turned to see who or what it was, but it was gone before he could take it in. He noticed the blur in the family room just then-remote in hand. He cleared his throat. A teenage girl dressed head to toe in black, complete with black nail polish and lipstick turned to face him. He enjoyed watching her expression change from utter annoyance to disbelief, to the wonder of a child.

  "Grandma!" she shouted, then bounced on the balls of her toes. "Grandma!"

  The woman came back in with a tray containing three glasses of ice water, a couple sandwiches, and a small bowl of fruit. "Risa, calm down. Let's show our guest into the sitting room."

  Risa raised her eyebrows at her grandmother, then pulled herself up tall and turned down the hallway. "Follow me."

  Eric noticed there was a bounce in her step and guessed that was unusual for the teenager as he saw the grandmother looking at her with an expression of joy on her face. They entered the small room, less lived in than the rest of the house Eric noted, but still, not sterile. The two women sat down on the small couch and he took their lead by sitting across from them.

  "Ms. Rogers, you have a lovely home," Eric said, hoping that was the correct thing to say. He was not in homes very often that were not completely designed and maintained by a full staff.

  "Oh no, I'm Ms. Anders. My daughter is Mrs. Rogers-it's her married name." She handed him a sandwich. "She will probably be home at any minute. It's date night with Herb. This is Hailey's daughter Chrissy. And you can call me Rebecca."

  "Risa," the teenage girl said and Eric nodded.

  "Risa and Rebecca, thank you for letting me in." Eric felt a twinge of disappointment in finding out that Hailey was married. One of his greatest assets was his ability to flirt-it usually allowed him to get whatever he wanted. But he would not be able to flirt with a husband standing nearby without looking like an asshole. Not to mention squashing his dreams of getting movie rights on this book. And of course, if she had not been married he could take it even further than flirtation to get what he wanted.

  "What brings you here?" Rebecca asked.

  "You don't know? About The Passenger's Control?" Eric asked feeling a little surprised.

  "Oh no. I know you want to get your hands on the movie rights real bad," Rebecca said popping a grape in her mouth. "But, there is no way my daughter will ever sign them over. Even if you are very handsome and charming."

  Eric laughed. "You seem drawn to my charming side, Rebecca."

  Rebecca giggled as Risa rolled her eyes. "My daughter is not me. She's stubborn as hell, and I'm afraid I mostly agree with her as far as this book goes. But, I know she is working on something just brilliant right now that I know you would do wonderfully in."

  "It's Thomas and Addy that I want," Eric said, and if he was not mistaken Risa seemed to shut down at this. He changed the subject. "Does your husband live here too Rebecca?"

  Rebecca laughed and Risa seemed to relax again. He flirted idly and respectfully with Rebecca for a few minutes until he noticed both sets of eyes were looking behind him. Rebecca stood up. "Oh, Hailey love. We have company."

  Eric's heart pounded as he stood and turned to face Hailey. Most of the writers he had met were old, angry, and had a cigarette hanging from the corner of their mouths. Or they were incredibly young and more interested in getting back to their laptop than talking to him. He had learned to expect to see a lot of things when he met a writer. But meeting a beautiful woman was the last thing he had expected. She seemed to have the angry writer thing down pat just from the look in her eyes.

  "Hailey Rogers, I'm so pleased to meet you." He extended his hand to shake hers but she did not return his offer. Instead, she seemed to just stand there and suck all the air out of the room. He felt as though he was swimming through a deep fog and if he could just reach her... everything would be all right. What the hell is wrong with me? Finally, he dropped his hand. "I'm Eric James."

  Hailey continued to stare at him and he noticed her lips pressed together. She really did have the angry thing down. "I know who you are."

  She said it so evenly, so quietly, Eric felt as though she could have sliced through the air if her words had a physical form. He forced his eyes off of Hailey, and for the first time, Eric saw her husband standing next to her. He was a plain looking man Eric noticed. They were not a pair Eric would imagine as a couple if he saw them walking down a street. In Hollywood, they definitely would not have been cast together. He looked to be a good fifteen years older than her and was dressed in a drab suit. Hailey was wearing a fitted sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. Eric noticed she had multiple ear piercings. He loved that, but he had a hard time imagining a guy who looked like her husband loving that look. Night and day.

  "Mr. James." The husband extended his hand for Eric to shake. Eric shook his hand-not surprised to find it clammy. "I am a huge fan. We both are actually. We saw Hawkman twice. Sorry, I'm Herb-"

  "Why are you in my house?" Hailey asked raising her voice above Herb's. Herb released Eric's hand and almost seemed to remember his place beside Hailey.

  "Your mother invited me in," Eric said slapping the million-watt smile on his face.

  "No. Why are you in Colorado? Were you in Colorado this morning when I talked to you?" She folded her arms across her chest and Eric's attention dropped to her breasts. He noticed a tiny yellow stain on her white sweatshirt. Mustard? He forced his eyes back to her face.

  "I was in California when I talked to you this morning," he answered.

  "Then how did you get here?"

  "An airplane."

  Hailey sighed and rolled her head around her shoulders. Eric heard small pops as her head came back to facing him straight on. "I'm not signing over the book."

  "If you'd just give me a chance to talk to you. Take a meeting with me," Eric said and he noticed Rebecca had sat back down next to her granddaughter. The two seemed to be enjoying the show. They would be no help-enamored by him or not. He decided to appeal to the husband. "Herb, what do you think about The Passenger's Control?"

  "Uh..." Herb seemed uncomfortable with the spotlight. "It's kind of a sore subject for us."

  Great. Well, the husband was not going to be helpful, either. Eric was so used to everyone just doing what he asked-he was not used to having to find support from anyone.

  "I'm not going to have a meeting with you. If you are serious, you can have your agent call mine and-"

  "You know Luca's called her every month for the past six months."

  "I'm sorry if he hasn't been able to get the answer he likes. But I don't deal with any of this movie stuff directly. I just put the words on the page. All the legalities are for Gretel to figure out."

  "She says you refuse to budge," Eric said and smiled as Hailey looked
flustered. She was one of those women who grew more beautiful the more frustrated they became. That was not something every woman could do easily. Eric knew from experience-he pissed off a woman or two every day.

  "What is it about this book Eric?" she asked dropping her hands to her hips. "Hollywood must be slapping you with a hundred scripts a day. Why are you after my book?"

  Eric had rehearsed this moment in his head for months. Almost since the day he had read the book. But now, face to face with Hailey, he was at a loss. He knew why. He knew why it was perfect for a movie. Perfect for him. But the words could suddenly not form. Now that he had met her, he needed time to wrap his head around how to speak to her. In his head, he had always winked and flirted, skirted around the deepest parts of the book. But now, with all eyes on him, he was lost for words. For the first time in his life.

  "That's what I thought," she said huffily.

  "Please, just a meeting. Just let me talk to you, one on one-one time. If you don't like what I have to say, I'll leave. You'll never hear from me or Luca again."

  "How can I trust you? You're an actor, you can just say whatever you want and I'd believe you."

  "Here." Eric raised his fingers. "Scout's honor."

  Eric did not know if he imagined it or not, but he thought he saw a smile play at the corner of those wine red lips. He wondered if they tasted like red wine. Focus. Married. Boring as hell husband standing right next to her.

  Hailey raised her hand, finally looking as though she would accept the handshake Eric tried to offer earlier. "One meeting. How long are you in town?"

  "As long as you need me to be," he said dipping his voice into deeper territory, forgetting that the husband was standing nearby. He took her hand in his and was surprised as he felt the shock as their skin touched.

  "The air's dry up here," Herb said laughing. He touched Hailey's back and Eric heard another shock. Hailey twitched a little before releasing his hand. "Almost always a shock."

  "I have a deadline Friday evening at five. But we can meet Friday after I'm done. I'll send you the details. Where are you staying?" Hailey asked and Eric was relieved she was going to talk to him.

  "I don't know yet. I wasn't sure if I'd be staying, or getting back on the plane tonight," he said and Hailey squinted her eyes.

  "I thought you said you weren't leaving without a meeting."

  "I kind of thought you'd take one look at me and agree to whatever I asked for," Eric said unintentionally dropping his voice again.

  "Wow! Cocky much?" Hailey asked as she let out one laugh and raised her hands in the air.

  "That was before I realized you were married. No offense there Herb," Eric said nodding at Herb. The man looked perplexed and opened his mouth to say something, but Hailey interrupted.

  "Right then, Mr. James. You can have your agent email mine, and I will provide him the details of our meeting. Do I need to show you out, or can you find your way through our impressive Colorado mansion?" she sounded sarcastic. He loved that in a woman.

  "I think I can find it myself," Eric said, then turned to the other two women as they rose to say goodbye. He shook Risa's hand, and he kissed the back of Rebecca's. He winked at the older woman. "Until we meet again..."

  Eric shook Herb's hand and nodded at Hailey with a promise to call his agent tomorrow. Then he was out the front door before he could say anything else that could cause him to look like an ass. Keep it in your pants man. You want to get the deal-not the girl this time. But as Eric peeled off down the gravel road towards town he wondered what it would be like to have both. If only she wasn't married.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Hailey did not take her eyes off the back wall of the sitting room until she heard the front door shut. Eric James in her house. In her personal space. She was going to kill Gretel. She betrayed her confidentiality agreement. The thought had not even run across Hailey's mind until this moment. She had not considered how he had gotten her name, number, and her address until he was out the damn door.

  "Well, that was exciting wasn't it? He is so handsome in person," Rebecca said.

  "Grandma!" Chrissy hissed at the same time Hailey said, "Mom!"

  "He was taller than I imagined," Herb said rubbing his chin.

  "I'll walk you out," Hailey said to Herb. They heard the rev of the Ferrari as they approached the front door, then the sound of the vehicle tearing off. At the doorway, Herb leaned in to kiss Hailey and she closed her eyes. As soon as her lids shut, there was a different face in front of her. One with deep brown eyes. She flung her eyes open. The kiss was short, sweet, and to the point. Just as things always were with Herb. She smiled at him then opened the front door. "I'll talk to you this weekend."

  "Don't go running off with that incredibly attractive man who was just here," Herb said jokingly. "It's not every night someone goes to a meeting with a movie star."

  "The only people who are in danger of running off with Eric James are you and my mother. Honestly, what was that thing about Hawkman?" Hailey asked and tried to place a note of lightness in her tone.

  "He is Hollywood royalty," Herb said chuckling. "Really, on my newsfeed this morning there was a picture of him and the words Hollywood Royalty."

  Hailey leaned up and kissed Herb on the cheek. He used the right words to sound like a protective boyfriend, but she could tell he did not really believe what he was saying. They both knew Eric James did not run off with women like Hailey. On top of that, Hailey and Herb were together for the quietness. The drama free life. The convenience of it all. There could not be any real jealous meaning in those words. As the door shut behind Herb, Hailey leaned against the wall.

  Poor Herb. Poor most men for that matter. They would pale in comparison next to Eric James. Hailey had not been prepared for what she felt when she saw him. Tall, beyond handsome, and built like a freaking mack truck. As much as she was irritated with his consistency in trying to get her book rights, even she was not immune to his physical attractiveness and charms. Each time he smiled, she had to force herself to keep from melting into those gorgeous brown eyes.

  Herb had nothing to worry about in their steady friends with benefits relationship. Hailey had dated artist types over the years and it always ended badly. Beyond bad in fact. She had dated a painter, a musician, and a writer. Each very briefly and each coming with their own drama. It was apparent to her that most artistic types came with mental issues and their own neurosis. She was no different. Hailey knew she was damaged. The difference was, she was not looking for love but each of them was searching. She had already had her once-in-a-lifetime with Paul. Now she only sought out companionship. Herb was not looking for anything too serious either. They were exclusive and met for dinner weekly. Occasionally they went back to his house for after dinner fun. But Herb was married to his business. That made Herb stable, dependable, and trustworthy.

  Eric James was the opposite of Herb in every way. Even if she had not known his pretty boy, muscle head, fast car driving personality from her own experience with men like him, she saw the headlines he made. It was hard not to when he was on at least one or two tabloid covers each week. His name was big enough they actually covered some of his exploits on the news. Like what he did was an important part of American news. What was he thinking? Coming in here with those big brown eyes, five o'clock shadow, muscular arms... Hailey snapped her fingers. Get it together girl.

  "So mom..." Hailey jumped a little as Chrissy walked into the hallway. When had her daughter become cat-like with her stealth? "He was super hot, huh? Even for an old dude."

  "I guess if you're into that thing," Hailey said, feeling her cheeks redden slightly.

  "That thing?" Rebecca said joining the other two in the hallway. "Into incredibly handsome, polite, and rich? If you don't want him, sign me up."

  "Grandma! Ew!" Chrissy laughed. "Are you going to let him make the movie, Mom?"

  "I don't have the power to let anyone make a movie," Hailey said. "That's for agents and studi
os to figure out."

  "Hailey, you haven't given Gretel the paperwork she needs to turn this one into a movie," Rebecca said.

  Hailey sighed and rubbed her hands on her eyes feeling the leftover makeup as it smeared around her lids. "No, I haven't. But if I had, he'd have to go through her. Not me. I don't know how many times I can say it; all I do is write the words down."

  Hailey climbed the stairs. She was ready for a shower and maybe head to bed early. She had a lot of writing to get done over the next two days. She turned around to face Chrissy. "You have an hour until bed."

  "Mom! I don't even have school in the morning!"

  "Just because you are suspended does not mean you get a vacation."

  She listened as Chrissy mumbled about how unfair Hailey was, but she shut the door before she could focus on her daughter's words. She kicked off her shoes and sat on the edge of her bed. Her bedroom was calm, brown, grown-up looking. It did not suit the person Hailey was, but when she sat in here she felt responsibility wash over her unlike anywhere else. The corner of the room was set up as a small office with her laptop and desk even though she typed from anywhere in the house. She looked at Paul's picture on her dresser. He was smiling and looking at the ocean, not focusing on Hailey as she took the picture. It was her favorite of his.

  "What do you think Paul? Are you ready for the whole world to know who you are? I mean the whole world, not just the bookworms? I want to keep you for myself, even if it is just a little longer." She squinted at Paul and tried to imagine Eric playing him on screen.

  That night she dreamed Eric James was washing the gym wall at Chrissy's school.

  ***

  The next two days of writing went by faster than Hailey could have hoped for. Even with Eric James on her mind, she was still able to write the opening to her next romance. Luckily chapters that Gretel would be happy with and would push off to the publishing house for their initial look over. She noticed at some point her male lead in the story started morphing in front of her eyes to someone who looked a little more Hollywood and a little less cowboy.