Role of a Lifetime: Out of Hollywood Romance

by Cora Davies

"I'm going to bed. These pain pills are calling my name," Hailey said smiling as she broke away from the hug. She took the small pill bottle out of her robe pocket and shook it, the sound of pills hitting the sides of the bottle loud in the quiet house. Jason promised to make sure the all the doors were locked, and then Hailey walked to her bedroom.

  She changed into the shirt that smelled like Eric and crawled into bed. Her phone was on her nightstand charging and she checked it for messages. Eric had sent her a text almost an hour ago.

  Don't believe everything you see on TV. Monday should be quiet.-EFJ

  EFJ? Eric Fucking James. She rolled her eyes, pulled his shirt up to her nose, lie down, and promptly fell to sleep.

  When she awoke it was to the sound of her phone ringing. She answered before she checked the caller ID.

  "Hello?" Hailey croaked and then cleared her throat.

  "Hailey! You broke my heart!" Gretel practically shouted into the phone. "I thought you were dating Eric James! What about the date? What about him staying there at the ranch? What about-"

  "Gretel, I'm not dating him. So there, he's free for you now," Hailey said then looked at the time. It was almost seven in the morning. "Why are you calling me so early?"

  "He's not free for me! TMZ reported he was cheating on Sandy with Tricia Daniels."

  "Who?" Hailey felt groggy from the pain pills. Gretel's words made no sense to her-Eric broke up with Sandy a week ago.

  "Get your head out from under a rock! She's the biggest country singer in the world right now!"

  Hailey sat up and grabbed her laptop from under her bed, then she typed Eric James into the search engine. There they were. At least ten pictures of them walking off a plane, holding hands and sharing a quick kiss. There was a video file and she clicked on it. "Gretel, I have to go."

  Hailey ignored Gretel's protest and hung up just as the video started. It was only thirty seconds long but showed Eric and Tricia walking hand in hand. Eric held a newspaper over their heads, and it took Hailey a moment to realize he was attempting to cover their faces from the press. Attempting poorly. Eric was wearing the same clothes he left their hotel room in the night before. Had he been going to meet Tricia the whole time? Hailey's head was swirling in confusion. Maybe this was what his text meant last night, about not always believing what you see on TV. That had to be it. Something about Eric was different with Tricia than it had been the whole time she was with him.

  "Eric! Tricia! How long have you guys been dating?" a man shouted.

  Tricia's arm was wrapped around Eric's waist, and she buried her face into his chest as if to shield herself from the cameras. Hailey thought she was one of the most beautiful women she'd ever seen. She glanced at her own face in her dresser mirror and cringed. Sure, she may be covered in bruises now, but even on a good day, she was no Hollywood beauty. She turned her focus back to her laptop.

  "Are you guys serious?" another man, or maybe the same man, asked.

  "What were you doing in Colorado?"

  Eric and Tricia stopped walking. Eric looked straight into the camera. "I fell in love in Colorado. You can believe some of the things you hear on TV."

  Hailey's hand flew to her mouth. "You asshole."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Three weeks later

  Hailey stood on her porch and watched as the farmhands brought in the final dead sheep. They had found six of them altogether, slaughtered at the edges of the ranch grounds. The veterinarian told Hailey and Jason it had definitely been at the hand of a human, not a wild animal, and their deaths had been almost a month ago. As ranch foreman, Jason contacted the proper authorities and reported the vandalism, though they were all certain it had been the Michaels brothers.

  Jason apologized to Hailey almost every day for hiring Bill and Ted, but Hailey did not blame him for anything that had occurred. It was not common for the temporary hires to have full sets of paperwork done on them out on some of the smaller ranches. The pay was cheap, the work was grueling, and complete sometimes as fast as it started.

  There was still so much that did not make sense about all of this. The dead sheep. The manuscript. Christian Davis.

  Christian Davis had died five years ago. The official story was he had fallen asleep smoking a cigarette in an old trailer and the home went down in flames. Christian had been identified by dental records because he had been burned to an absolute crisp. So how did the letters end up with his fingerprints?

  Scott told Hailey that not all the letters had Christian's prints, but each letter had, at least, one of the Michael's brothers prints. His current working theory was Christian had started the letters, but never sent them to Hailey because he was unable to find a way to contact her. The Michaels brothers had found out about the diamond, if not through their own father then through Christian. Here was where Hailey thought Scott seemed like he was having a little too much fun. He had gotten into contact with Eric's private investigator, and the two of them were working a theory different than the official theory. They believed that the Michaels brothers, or their father, took the letters from Christian and then burned him to the ground in his trailer while he slept that night.

  Hailey told Scott that the real world was rarely that complicated. But then he reminded her that Paul had stolen a twenty-million-dollar diamond and smuggled it around the world. After that, she let Scott work his theories. Rebecca and Risa were due to return home next week now that all threats were neutralized. There were no more men left standing from the diamond team. They were all either dead or in jail.

  Hailey could not say she was not entirely guilt free when it came to conspiracy theories, however. She had asked Jason to bring Paul's boxes down from the attic last week. There were fifteen boxes in all, but she started with the ones full of paperwork. If the bank accounts would be anywhere, surely they would be in one of those. Jason had offered to help her go through the boxes, but she declined.

  Not wanting to be around for another sheep autopsy, which she had found out the hard way was not as fun as it sounds; she drove out to her PO Box. She had not checked her fan mail since before Eric had arrived, and was disappointed to find only twelve pieces of mail awaiting her. She waited until she was home to go through them. From the comfort of her own living room, surrounded by Paul's boxes of memories, Hailey went through the small stack. She found eight fan letters, three pieces of junk mail, and one letter in familiar and frightening handwriting.

  Her hands began to shake as her heart rate spiked. She was afraid to open the letter. She ran upstairs and stuffed it into her underwear drawer. Surely, this was not something that needed to be dealt with today. Threatening letters sent from before her stalkers died.

  Hailey sat on the edge of her bed and stared at her hands, willing them to stop shaking. Her phone buzzed in her jeans back pocket and she almost screamed. She forced a laugh and tried to convince herself she was being silly. It did not work.

  Hails,

  Help. Help. Help. HELP!!!!

  I hate what he is doing to the script. HATE. Read the attached and give me notes to take back to him.

  Please.

  I'll be in your debt forever.

  EFJ

  P.S. Are you really dating a bank teller? Yawn. What is it with you and money guys?

  Hailey grinned. She wasn't dating anyone, but she was not completely opposed to Eric thinking she was. Eric had called the house a few nights ago and Jason answered and told him Hailey was on a date. Jason had confessed that much to Hailey, even though he knew it was more research than a date. And yes, it was a little boring, but not every night out could be spent with a movie star.

  Hailey pressed reply and then stared at her screen as a small smile started at the corner of her lips and then spread to the rest of her face. There were a million things she could say in a text back to him, but she decided on the most businesslike.

  EFJ

  It is not my job to fix what YOUR guy screws up. Remember, I recommended four scriptwriters
? You could not wait for any of their schedules to clear. Does this sound familiar? If you had waited they'd be available in a few weeks, and you would get a glorious script.

  Hailey

  PS He is a loan officer.

  PPS I'm not reading fifty pages of handwritten red ink scrawls in text messages. Do you know how to use your email?

  She looked at the clock. Two PM here; God knows what time in Uzbekistan. She had given up on memorizing time differences just days after he left. He might not even be in Uzbekistan anymore. They changed location so often that there was no way to be on top of where he was. He had been truthful when he told her he was a workaholic. He was halfway through filming Hype City as of yesterday, and he was working with his production company to get ready to shoot The Passenger's Control. Hailey did not even get dressed some days.

  Hailey looked down at her legs right now, and just as she thought-she had pink bunnies on her pants. "I went to the post office like this? Risa would kill me if one of her friends saw me."

  She smiled as she thought of her daughter, and a rush of excitement ran through her. Her daughter would be home next week. She seemed happier the last few times Hailey talked to her, and she hoped that happiness would be included on the flight back home.

  Hailey's eyes flickered over her dresser drawer where she had just stashed the envelope. Think about something else.

  Hailey flopped down on her bed and pulled her laptop out. She should really get some work done. No sooner than she opened the laptop then her email notification buzzed. She opened her email and saw Eric's name. He had sent the attachment with notes for her to look over, and he had sent her a personal email as well. She felt giddy as she clicked it open.

  Hails,

  My number one choice to write the script wouldn't. Said she was too busy working on an epic fantasy.

  Guess where I am today?

  Give up? Greenland. It's beautiful. This is actually the first time I've been here.

  Also, we found our Addy. I can't tell you who it is yet, because she has not actually said yes. And I know how much you love to tell all my business to the press. She doesn't like me.

  You'll probably love her.

  EFJ

  PS She isn't as beautiful as you are, but she'll have to do.

  PPS I bet the bank teller never jumped out of a plane while wrestling a tiger.

  As soon as she finished reading the email, another message popped up.

  Hails

  Okay, it's a CGI tiger, and a blue screen. But you get my point.

  EFJ

  She laughed and clicked reply, but then her fingers hovered over the keyboard. What could she say? Millions of things flashed through her mind as always when she thought of him. As she struggled to settle on one of them, a video chat notification popped up at the bottom of the screen.

  Are you online right now?

  She ran over to the mirror, smoothed down her hair, checked her teeth for anything not in the dental family, and threw herself on the bed. She clicked accept.

  The screen came to life; blurry at first, but a moment later Eric stared back at her from across the world. He looked disheveled and had a bit of a beard growing, but she'd know him anywhere from his eyes. "You look amazing as always. I like the shirt."

  She looked down to see what she had on today. She should have checked that in the mirror, too. It was a Sir Mix-a-Lot shirt with a few small holes from too much wear. She looked back at Eric. "And you look..."

  "Homeless."

  "Homeless." Hailey laughed. "I wasn't going to bring it up. Do the studios not pay as much as they used to?"

  "I'm a mountain man, awaiting my return to save an entire village," Eric said grimly. Hailey burst into laughter. "I'm serious here. You've read the book. Tell me that is what's supposed to happen."

  "I guess I just didn't imagine Doug so... hairy."

  Eric winked at her, and even in his messy appearance, she felt her stomach flip flop. "Hey, bright side. I'm halfway done. Then I'm good to just work on our movie."

  "Your movie," Hailey said shaking her head. "I gave you the rights. I washed my hands of it."

  She looked around him in the background. Usually, when he called her, he was inside of a trailer. Today, he looked like he was inside a tent. "These are your living accommodations?"

  "We are extremely remote; so remote I'm surprised I can reach you." Eric looked around conspiratorially. "But not really, because they put up these insane antennas and satellites just for us."

  "I believe it. Is that smoke?" Hailey stretched her neck as if she could look around Eric. He leaned to the side and a small fire in the middle of the tent came to life on the screen.

  "The smoke vents up. But the fire is amazing, warm, and almost sensual. You should fly out and experience it." His eyes seemed to burn through her.

  "My family's coming home in a few days," Hailey said shaking her head. "I'm not going anywhere."

  Eric leaned forward and stared at Hailey. "How are you doing?"

  "Fantastic." Now that I'm talking to you. "You?"

  "Same old, same old." Somehow Hailey had a hard time imagining Eric having a same old anything. Eric's voice deepened when he spoke again. "About this banker."

  "It was one date!" Hailey laughed. "And you were right, it was boring. How are things with Tricia?"

  Eric tilted his head. "Just friends. I still swear by it."

  "Just friends who make out?" Hailey felt jealousy burning in her stomach, and she did not like it. Their conversations had been so hurried and businesslike that she had not really talked to him about Tricia yet.

  "I just did that to get the press off your ass," Eric said. He folded his hands in front of the laptop, but Hailey's eyes were on his broad shoulders. "You see the way they follow us around right? They would have done that to you."

  "No, because I'm not some hot twenty-one-year-old blond."

  "You're not?" Eric's eyes widened in horror, he wrapped both hands at his throat, and he fell sideways. Hailey burst into laughter and Eric sat back up. "It's all a show. She's got stuff she's keeping off her back, too. When she comes to visit me, she is everywhere but with me, until we do a few photos." Eric raised an eyebrow and turned one corner of his mouth up. "Are you jealous?"

  "You wish," she said as she rolled her eyes, but then she looked at him and he was so serious. There was so much she wanted to say to him.

  "I've forgotten how intense your eyes can be, even from a million miles away," Eric said and the tension grew thick. Hailey suddenly imagined herself getting on a plane and showing up in Greenland. What would it be like to be with him on set?

  "Shut up. You're the one who is being intense." Hailey touched the screen, grateful Eric could not see her hand on his face.

  Hailey's doorbell rang and she looked away from the laptop. "Someone's at the door. I'll just leave you connected; it should only be a second."

  Eric nodded and Hailey jogged down the stairs. She threw open the door.

  "Hi, are you Hailey Rogers?" A young blond girl no older than twenty asked, and Hailey noticed she had a name badge on. She worked at a hotel in town.

  "Yes. How can I help you?" she asked.

  "My name is Rin," she said holding out a thick manila envelope. "You're friends with Eric James, right?"

  Hailey raised her eyebrows and looked at the envelope. It looked like it had been on a rough journey-parts were shredded and other parts taped back together. "What is this?"

  "This came in the mail for Mr. James this week. He stayed with us last month. He was the biggest guest we've ever had. The postmark is from when he was staying with us, and I thought you might know how to get it to him?" the girl was nervous and shifting from foot to foot.

  Hailey took the heavy envelope. "I can get it to him. Thank you for bringing it out. Here, let me grab my purse and get you a tip."

  "Oh no!" the girl shook her head and twisted the toe of her shoe in the dirt. "I don't need a tip. But if it isn't too much, if you
ever could... I'd love to get an autograph from Eric James?"

  "I'm sure we can arrange something," Hailey said smiling. Satisfied the girl skipped back to her vehicle.

  Hailey climbed back up to her bedroom. "Eric, something came in the mail for you at the hotel you stayed at. The envelope is a mess."

  Hailey sat in front of the computer and was pleased to see Eric was still there. He looked confused for a moment until Hailey held the return address up to the camera. "Does this look familiar?"

  "You can just toss that in the trash. Or better yet-just burn it without opening it." Eric sounded nervous. Hailey was about to drop the envelope on the bed when she saw her name through a small tear in the back.

  "My name?" Hailey asked as she furrowed her eyebrows and dropped the envelope into her lap. She pulled at the top flap.

  "Hailey, listen to me. Don't open it, please." Eric sounded desperate, but it was too late; the contents of the envelope had already spilled in front of her.

  "What the hell is this? Is this a background check?" Hailey asked almost laughing, then her lips dropped as she came across a police report, photographs of her from high school and random events in her life. The newspaper clippings from Paul's death. "Eric, what is this? Why was this being sent to you?"

  "I asked for it before I met you, Hailey." From the corner of her eye, Hailey could see Eric larger on screen, as if he were trying to crawl into her room.

  "You read all this stuff about me? This is everything-my whole life." Hailey felt betrayed. "I had other people looking for me, searching for me, and compiling crap about me. And you were spying on me too?"

  "I never even got it, see? It just showed up-so I haven't even looked at what's inside."

  Hailey finally looked at the screen. Eric's eyes shined back at her through the laptop, as if he was really there in her house. As if the whole world was in HD. "That makes it better? Because you haven't seen the contents?"

  "Eric, we're ready for you," a male's voice said from off camera.

  "In just a second," Eric said, looking over his shoulder.

  "We don't have a second man. Come on," the voice said and Eric looked back into Hailey's eyes.