The Platinum Rebound

by T V Hartwell

  “Can you blame him? Those girls get passed around and sampled like hot appetizers on a party platter. He knows a good thing when he sees it. A girl of Amanda’s class and pedigree is a rare find, especially in Tinseltown. I just love Adam and the idea of you two being together,” Alana said, looking at Amanda. “And I love his sense of style too. He’s kind of a fashion icon himself you know. Remember that spread GQ did on him when Hell-bent was nominated for an Oscar? He’s so sizzling hot with his suave, metrosexual style and look. Having you two on the red carpet together will be perfection. I can’t wait!”

  “Wait . . . you’re getting ahead of yourself, Alana. Remember, she has two other designers to visit today,” Camilla sang with satirical flare, evoking polite laughter from everyone in the room except her daughter.

  * * *

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Amanda had an apartment full of people just before she was to be picked up by limo to carry her and Adam to the Golden Globe Awards. After her glam team, a hair and a makeup professional, applied finishing touches, Amanda slipped into the dress she’d chosen to wear feeling a bit anxious, excited, and overwhelmed all at the same time.

  “Oh my God, you look amazing!” Charlie screeched excitedly, holding his hands to his cheeks when Amanda walked out of her bedroom with Lucy in tow behind her.

  “Okay, I admit. I was totally wrong,” Charlie continued. “Wearing Alana Dupree was the perfect choice. I can’t believe Anne Hathaway’s people passed this little doozy up.”

  “Well, they didn’t exactly pass it up,” Lucy clarified. “It’s more that they weren’t ready to make a decision just yet. The Oscars are still a month away. But there was no guarantee she’d wear it. So Mom told Amanda she could have it if she wanted it.”

  “I’m really happy about it,” Amanda said. “When I saw it and then tried it on, I was all over it. I knew it was the one.”

  “Hands-down it was the best choice of everything we’d seen, and we had some pretty amazing options from which to choose,” Rachel, Amanda’s stylist, added.

  “Well, eat your heart out, Anne Hathaway!” Charlie exclaimed just before the doorbell rang.

  “Oh, that must be Adam. Charlie, can you let him in? I guess it’s that time,” Amanda said as she quickly turned to walk back into her bedroom to grab her clutch purse and take one final look at herself in the mirror.

  When Charlie pulled the door open, Adam walked in looking as dapper as James Bond in his fitted Gucci tuxedo. After greeting everyone and exchanging pleasantries, he asked, “So where’s my girl?” At the moment Amanda appeared from her room.

  “There she is,” Lucy said beaming, feeling happy and proud for her friend.

  “Whoa!” Adam yelped as he pretended to balance himself on his feet as if he’d just been sucker-punched.

  Amanda just giggled and smiled at him as he approached her and then held her by the arms to have a look at her close up. “Wow . . . you completely take my breath away.”

  “And you’re looking mighty fine in that tuxedo, mister. Rrrrr . . .” Amanda sounded with a roll of her tongue as she playfully tugged on his bow tie. Shortly thereafter they left hand in hand for their awaiting limo downstairs.

  They made the short drive from Amanda’s condo to the Beverly Hilton Hotel. When the limo pulled into the queue and slowly rolled up to the drop-off point, they readied themselves for the organized pandemonium that awaited them. “I’m so nervous, and I haven’t even been nominated for anything.”

  “Don’t be. This is going to be fun. Just relax and enjoy it. Hey, by the way,” he said as he pulled her chin with his index finger so that she’d face him, “have I told you how beautiful I think you are and that I’m in love with you?”

  Amanda gulped as she fought the urge to tear up. “Yes, you have. Many times,” she said as she placed both her hands to his face and then kissed his lips softly. “I think I’m falling in love with you too.”

  Adam grinned. “You just made my night. That’s even better than hearing, ‘And the Golden Globe goes to . . .’” and then he went in for another kiss, soft and tender.

  When the limo door swung open and they stepped out onto the massively long red carpet, Carolyn, Adam’s publicist, was there to greet them, as always, and to guide them along the milieu of photographers, reporters, and live TV shows that they would visit with along the way.

  ***

  Meanwhile, back at Amanda’s condo Lucy, Charlie, Rachel, and two other girlfriends who’d been there before Amanda and Adam had left sat in in the living room to watch the red carpet arrivals on live TV.

  “Oh my God, here they come, here they come,” Charlie said excitedly, as the host of the red carpet show announced their arrival and they appeared on camera making their way down the line.

  “And here comes Adam Weinstock down the red carpet, the executive producer of Mr. Henry’s Book Club, which has been nominated for best picture in the drama category, and oh my . . . his lovely girlfriend, Amanda Climent, who looks stunning. That is his girlfriend, right?” the TV host said to his co-host.

  “Yes . . . well, they’ve been saying they’re just friends, but I think everybody thinks they’re back together again. They had broken up a while back, but now look at them. They look like the happy couple. And they look so perfect together, don’t they?”

  “They sure do. And wow, that dress. She’s stunning. Absolutely stunning. I hope we can get them to stop and chat with us when they get closer.”

  As they made their way down the carpet, Adam as usual, had people screaming his name, telling him to look this way and that to be photographed. But as photographers got a better view of Amanda that suddenly changed. “Amanda, Amanda,” they began to yell as she stepped forward toward the crush of photographers from around the world.

  Watching on TV, Charlie screamed and clapped like a super fan while Lucy teared up as they saw their friend take center stage in her dramatic, pinkish red gown with an off-the-shoulder neckline and a cape that wrapped from shoulder to shoulder and flowed down the back. The dress perfectly complemented her slim, toned frame; Amanda looked statuesque and regal, like a young queen. As literally hundreds of cameramen and women trained their lenses on her all at once, lighting her up, the diamonds that framed her blue sapphire teardrop earrings from Harry Winston glittered in the rapid flash of the bulbs.

  The screams for Amanda from the long row of photographers became so deafening as she made her way down the carpet that Adam decided to step a couple feet away from her and let her have the spotlight alone. Amanda posed, placing one hand to her hip, then turning to give them a side view, and then completely around to show the back of the dress with its flowing cape while she turned her head to look back at the photographers.

  “I love how Amanda kept her jewelry to a minimum so as not to take away from the artistry of this stylish dress, which is clearly the main attraction. I can’t wait to ask her who she’s wearing,” said the TV host.

  “Yes, she just appears to be wearing earrings,” the co-host added, “which are drop-dead gorgeous by the way. I just love how she went for a simple look but that’s also classic, elegant, and graceful. It’s very old Hollywood in a way.”

  ***

  Noticing that she was becoming the star attraction when this was supposed to be Adam’s night, Amanda stopped posing, to the chagrin of the photographers who kept yelling for more.

  “You didn’t have to stop,” Adam said, grinning as she rejoined him and grabbed him by the arm.

  “This is your night,” she said.

  “Adam . . . Adam, if we can get you just for a few seconds. We’re live,” the TV host said to get his attention amid the melee of folks gunning to get a word with him. Recognizing the host and the live red carpet show, Carolyn gently pushed Adam in that direction.

  “And here they are, Adam Weinstock and the lovely Amanda Climent,” the TV host said. “You look absolutely stunning,” he said, immediately turning his attention to her and not him. “
We’ve been guessing the whole time you were making your way down the carpet, and we’re dying to know, who are you wearing?”

  “Alana Dupree.”

  “Ha! I guessed it,” the female co-host said, punching the male host in the arm, playfully.

  “Good job,” the host said, all jolly. “How did you know?”

  “Alana has a distinct style. Being a former actress and model I think she integrates old school Hollywood glamour in her designs, don’t you think?” she said, pointing the mic up to Amanda for a reply.

  “Exactly,” Amanda agreed. “I love Alana’s work because she takes such a classic approach to design with timeless glamour and style and then adds a modern touch to make it look more contemporary.”

  “And you have a personal connection to her, don’t you?” the co-host asked, seeming to know her stuff.

  “Right,” Amanda said with a broad smile yet looking somewhat surprised. “Wow, you’ve done your homework. Yes, indeed, I worked for her for three years after college. Plus, she’s known me since I was like twelve years old, so the ties run pretty deep.”

  “How cool. Okay, ladies,” the host said, “I know you two could go on for days talking fashion, but Adam is over here patiently waiting to get in on the conversation.”

  “What? Who? Me? Not at all. Go right ahead. Don’t let me interrupt,” Adam joked, being a good sport about all the attention his lady was receiving.

  “So, Adam, this is your second nomination for best picture, having received both a Golden Globe and Oscar nomination for Hell-bent back in 2008. What do you think your chances are this time around?”

  “I don’t know. Your guess is as good as mine. I didn’t even expect this nomination to be perfectly honest. It’s a pretty competitive field this year. I’m just going with the flow, man, and enjoying the ride with my lady here,” he said as he wrapped his arm around Amanda’s waist and pulled her into the shot with him.

  “So you’re not going to give us a prediction?”

  “I’m just happy to be here and to have been nominated, really. Besides, I feel like I’ve already won the prize, and she’s standing right here next to me,” he said as Amanda blushed and looked down bashfully.

  “Awww . . . that’s so sweet,” the co-host said. “So does that mean you two are officially an item?”

  Adam and Amanda looked at each other and grinned.

  “Well, are you two officially back together or what? Is this breaking news, right here, right now, live on the red carpet?” she asked and then pushed her mic up to Adam.

  After pausing and grinning for a few seconds, he finally said, “What do you think?”

  “So is that a yes?” the co-host persisted, at which point Adam leaned in to give Amanda a kiss.

  “How’s that for an answer?” he said and then began to step away at Carolyn’s prodding, taking Amanda by the hand. “Oh, looks like we’re being whisked away. See you, guys.”

  “Bye,” Amanda said simply with a warm smile.

  “Good luck, Adam,” the host said. “Good seeing you, as always.”

  “Well, what do you think?” the co-host said looking into the camera and talking directly to the viewing audience. “I think they’re a couple,” she said with comic intonation and facial expression and then the camera broke to best actor nominee Colin Firth who had just arrived on the red carpet.

  After they’d made it into the ballroom and mingled a bit among the high wattage, A-list crowd, they eventually took their seats at the one of the two tables designated for Adam and his co-producers, the director, and the film’s lead and supporting actors. The room buzzed loudly with excitement and anticipation as people chatted, oohed and aahed at designer gowns, and quietly stared as discreetly as possible at actors they admired but might not have personally met before. Then right on schedule, Ricky Gervais, the show’s host, appeared onstage to kick things off and the live telecast commenced.

  * * *

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  “Hey, Jake!” Julie yelled from inside her house.

  “What?” Jake yelled back, lounging on the hammock in the backyard with a book in hand. Although wary of having Julie perceived as his girlfriend, they had started to spend increasingly more time together, acting more like a couple and doing more than simply hooking up after work.

  “Your ex Amanda is at the Golden Globes. She’s walking down the red carpet.”

  “She’s what?” he said not fully comprehending what Julie meant.

  “The Golden Globe Awards are on TV, and she’s there . . . on the red carpet, right now. Come see,” Julie yelled.

  Jake hopped out of the hammock, holding his place in the book with his index finger between the pages, and hurriedly walked into the house. He stopped next to Julie and stared at the screen.

  “She looks gorgeous. I love her dress,” Julie said as Jake watched in silence, taken aback at the spectacle of it all. Her posing in that stunning dress, the fancy earrings, the flashing bulbs of photographers, the red carpet, the commentary by the live TV hosts about her, all the commotion, and then, that guy. Adam appeared in the TV frame once Amanda stopped posing and walked toward him; she held him by the arm as they continued to walk in front of the throng of screaming fans and spectators in the background.

  “Is she dating him now?” Julie said, turning to look at Jake who appeared stunned.

  “I don’t know,” he said with a dejected shrug of the shoulders.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” Jake shot back tersely as he kept his eyes glued to the TV screen.

  Jake couldn’t peel himself away from the TV and eventually sat down to continue watching. He listened intently to Amanda when she spoke to the TV show hosts.

  “Oh, I didn’t know she’d worked in New York for Alana Dupree after college. How cool,” Julie said.

  “You seem so surprised.”

  “Well, I just thought she’d never worked.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “I don’t know . . . I mean, she really doesn’t have to. I just assumed—”

  “Well, don’t assume,” he said, cutting her off brusquely.

  Julie looked at Jake for a moment to register his irritation. “You don’t have to get snippy. I didn’t know. I’d never heard her talk about having a career the couple of times I met her.”

  “Yes, she has a career and her own business. She’s launching a handbag line this year. Don’t assume that just because someone has a lot of money that they sit around all day not doing anything.”

  “I didn’t say she didn’t do anything,” Julie protested, but Jake waved her off dismissively.

  “Shish, shish,” he uttered as Adam began to speak to the TV hosts. When Adam kissed Amanda as his response to the question about whether they were officially a couple again, Jake turned red and muttered expletives under his breath.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Julie said, growing annoyed with Jake’s demeanor.

  “Nothing’s wrong,” he shot back with equal testiness in his tone.

  “What, are you jealous?”

  Jake just shook his head and rolled his eyes, not offering a direct response to the question.

  “Why would you be jealous? Aren’t you the one who broke up with her?”

  “There’s a lot that you don’t know. Okay?” Jake said as he got up to head back outside after seeing Adam and Amanda end the interview and walk off-camera, hand in hand like lovebirds.

  For the next three hours, Jake and Julie didn’t speak to each other as she continued to watch the awards show while he read his book and doodled around on his laptop, taking breaks in between to peek in on the show and to grab something eat and drink from the kitchen.

  “I’m going to head home,” he eventually said after walking back into the living room, setting his backpack and laptop case on the floor.

  Julie heard him, but didn’t react as she kept her eyes focused on the TV where the last award of the evening was about to be announ
ced, best picture in the drama category.

  Seeing her more interested in the program than him, Jake too turned to look at the screen as the names of the nominated films were read off. When Mr. Henry’s Book Club was announced, the camera broke to a shot of Adam with Amanda by his side, looking radiant but anxious as she reached over to place her hand on top of his resting on the table.

  “Yes!” Jake sneered between clenched teeth and pumped a fist when The Social Network won.

  Julie looked up at him with a furrowed brow. “I didn’t realize you were such a big fan of that movie.”

  “Actually, I haven’t even seen it.”

  “Oh, so you’re just happy that Mr. Henry’s Book Club lost because you hate Amanda’s new boyfriend . . . is that it?” she said sarcastically.

  “Yeah, exactly,” Jake said straight up, as he reached down to pick up his stuff. “I’m heading out.”

  “Why are you running away?”

  “Running away? Running away from what?”

  “You’ve been acting distant all day and then you see Amanda with Adam Weinstock on TV and you’re enraged and don’t want to talk about it.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about.”

  “Why won’t you talk to me?”

  “About what?”

  “About us . . . about how you’re feeling. Where’s this relationship going, anyways?” Julie said emotionally with tears beginning to form in her eyes.

  “Julie . . . calm down. Everything’s fine. Everything between us is going fine. I don’t understand why you’re getting so upset.”

  “Why are you so upset when you see Amanda on TV with another guy? I mean, are you still in love with her? Do you still want to be with her?”

  Jake sighed deeply and shook his head before saying, “Why does it matter? Seriously, why does it even matter to you what I think or feel?”

  “Why does it matter?” Julie asked, dumbfounded. “I’m not getting any younger, Jake, if you haven’t noticed. It fucking matters because I need to know how you feel about me, about us . . . about what direction you see this relationship going in. You owe me at least that.”