Let Them Eat Fruitcake

by Melody Carlson

  “Let me help.” Kendall was going through Lelani’s closet now. She pulled a brightly colored dress out and thrust it at Lelani. “Here. Wear this.”

  “It’s a sundress,” said Lelani. “And it’s freezing out.”

  “Wear a jacket over it.”

  Instead, Lelani put a long-sleeved shirt on beneath it. Then she pulled on some black jeans, some warm socks, and a pair of black Stuart Weitzman boots that she’d gotten on sale at Nordstrom last week. “Will this work?” she asked Kendall.

  “I suppose. But you need a little sparkle.” Kendall dug out some hoop earrings, a beaded necklace, and several bangle bracelets. “That should do it.”

  Lelani made an exasperated face, then reached for her heavy wool coat, her scarf, hat, and gloves.

  “You look like you’re going to the North Pole,” complained Kendall as Lelani turned off her bedroom light.

  “When you’ve lived in Hawaii your whole life, places like Oregon happen to feel like the North Pole.”

  “Whatever.” Kendall grinned as she opened what looked like a new D&G bag, then fished out her keys. “Okay, let’s go.”

  “Where?” Lelani frowned. “And if I remember correctly, my promise was to take you out, Kendall. We were going to do something that you wouldn’t regret the next day. And no hangovers either.”

  “I won’t regret this,” said Kendall as she tugged Lelani into the garage. “Neither will you.”

  “Where are we going?” demanded Lelani.

  “Trust me.” Kendall opened a car door. “This is going to be totally cool.”

  “And you promised me dinner,” Lelani reminded her as she got into the passenger’s seat.

  “Of course, no problem. I’m sure that food is involved.”

  Lelani shook her head as Kendall backed out. “What have I gotten myself into?”

  “Just take a deep breath and chill,” said Kendall as she drove down Bloomberg Place. “Later on, you’ll thank me for this.”

  “And you swear we’re not going clubbing, right?”

  Kendall turned on the CD player and cranked it up loud enough to end the conversation. It was also clear that Kendall was heading for downtown Portland. Finally, Lelani decided she didn’t care. Worst-case scenario, she’d grab a cab and go home. And later she would tell Kendall that she’d kept her part of the promise even if Kendall hadn’t.

  As it turned out, Kendall passed right by the club district and stopped in front of a large hotel. “Come on, girlfriend,” said Kendall. “The fun’s about to begin.” She handed the keys to a parking valet, then linked arms with Lelani and led her into the lobby. Lelani hadn’t been paying attention to which hotel it was, but it was clearly a nice one, with marble floors and oriental carpets, huge vases of fresh flowers, and crystal chandeliers. There was also a restaurant and lounge.

  “Are we eating here?” asked Lelani as she glanced toward the restaurant.

  “This way,” Kendall directed her toward the elevators.

  “Are we getting a room?” asked Lelani.

  “We’re going to a party,” said Kendall as she pushed the number for the top floor.

  “A party?” Lelani frowned.

  “See, I knew you’d act like that,” said Kendall. “That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you.”

  “What kind of a party?” Lelani was imagining a bunch of drunken guys who’d come to the city for some kind of convention. Plumbers, maybe.

  “A wrap party.”

  “A wrap party?” Now Lelani was imagining wrap sandwiches, which actually didn’t sound too bad. Unless it was a party with lots of rappers and loud music—that was not appealing.

  “You know, it’s for the end of a production—for the cast and crew to celebrate.”

  “You mean for a movie?”

  “Duh.”

  “What kind of movie?” This time Lelani was imagining some kind of slimy porn producers trying to lure unsuspecting girls to a room and get them drunk, then take skanky photos.

  “A very good movie.” Kendall smiled proudly. “I met a guy on the camera crew and he invited me to come tonight and said to bring a friend.”

  “A friend?”

  “An attractive friend.”

  Okay, this was making Lelani concerned, and they were almost at the top floor. “Seriously, Kendall, what do you know about this movie or these people?” But before Kendall could answer, the elevator doors opened, dumping them into a small foyer with several other people who seemed to be waiting for something.

  Lelani felt slightly relieved to see that these people looked fairly normal. But still, she reminded herself, she was with Kendall, and who knew what kind of trouble that girl could get into? Lelani noticed a brass sign on the wall. “Presidential Suite?” she whispered to Kendall.

  “Yeah.” Kendall nodded. “Pretty swanky, huh?”

  “Can I help you?” asked a guy who acted more like a security guard than a host, although he wasn’t wearing a uniform.

  Kendall’s brow creased as if she was trying to remember something. “Oh, yeah,” she cupped her hand around her mouth and lowered her voice. “Yosemite Sam sent me.”

  The man nodded. “Right this way, ladies.” Then he opened the double doors, placing himself like a barricade to the others in the hallway, as if he wasn’t going to let them inside. Lelani caught an envious glance from a pretty girl about their age.

  “Seriously,” she whispered to Kendall. “What is this?”

  “I told you. It’s a wrap party.” Kendall led the way into a large but crowded room. The music was loud, but at least it felt warm in there.

  “For a movie?” continued Lelani skeptically. “But we’re not in Los Angeles.”

  A middle-aged blond guy who wore his pale blue shirt untucked asked, “Do you think LA is the only place to make films?”

  “Excuse me?” asked Lelani.

  “Haven’t you heard that many excellent films are being made here in the Northwest?” he continued. “Right here in downtown Portland, for that matter.”

  Lelani stood a bit straighter now. “I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met.”

  He smiled and held out his hand. “I’m Aaron Stone.”

  Lelani blinked. “The Aaron Stone?”

  He laughed. “The only one that I know of.”

  Kendall gave her a sharp elbow then stepped forward. “Mr. Stone,” she said smoothly. “I’m Kendall Weis and this is my friend Lelani Porter. One of your crew invited us to the wrap party, I hope that’s okay.”

  He nodded at Kendall but seemed to be keeping his eyes on Lelani. “It’s always a pleasure to have some new faces around. Perhaps you hadn’t heard, Lelani, but we just finished shooting Never Mind.”

  “Never Mind?” said Lelani with interest. “I loved that book.”

  “Hopefully you’ll love the movie, too.”

  “And that was filmed right here in Portland?”

  “For the most part.”

  She shook her head as she unbuttoned her heavy coat. “I had no idea that people made films up here.”

  “She’s from Hawaii,” said Kendall apologetically. “We’re still trying to bring her up to speed.”

  Lelani gave Kendall a look.

  “What part of Hawaii?” he asked with raised brows.

  “Maui.” She went on to explain which part of the island, and he said that he knew just where it was. He and his wife visited Maui on a regular basis and were even considering buying property there.

  “That’s why she’s so bundled up.” Kendall was still trying to insert herself into the conversation. “She says Oregon feels like the North Pole.”

  He laughed. “I’m with you there, Lelani. I’m an LA boy, and this cold, wet weather makes me happy to wrap. Anyway, once
you get acclimated, feel free to toss your coats in there.” He nodded toward a door. “And you girls make yourselves at home. There are food and drinks over there and—”

  “Hey, Aaron buddy.” A guy was waving from the other side of the crowded suite. “You gotta hear this.”

  “Enjoy,” said Aaron.

  “Wow,” said Lelani as they went into the adjacent room and dropped their coats on the bed. “I am glad I came.”

  “What did I tell you?” said Kendall proudly.

  Lelani nodded. “Very cool.”

  But it wasn’t long before the “cool” factor wore thin. While it had been interesting to have a brief conversation with a famous director, the rest of Lelani’s encounters felt more like pickups. Besides that, Kendall was drinking too much. Plus, the food was not all that great.

  “So you’re really not an actress?” a guy named Barney asked her for what had to have been the fourth time.

  “No, I’m not.” Lelani glanced across the suite to see if she could spot Kendall. But the room was packed now and, to Lelani’s surprise, it was getting hot.

  “And you’re not looking to become an actress?” asked Barney.

  “No.”

  He grinned, and she knew that Barney, like Kendall, had overimbibed. “That’s too bad, because I’m pretty sure the cameras would love you.” He squared his fingers into a box and squinted at her. Judging by his goofy expression, she wouldn’t be surprised if he was seeing two of her.

  “Excuse me,” she said as she spotted Kendall. Then she pushed her way through the crowd and grabbed Kendall by the elbow. “Let’s go,” she said.

  “No way,” said Kendall.

  “Way,” insisted Lelani. “And you’ve had too much to drink. I’m driving.”

  “You can drive if you want, but I’m not going.” Kendall smiled at the attractive man standing next to her. “Do you know who this is?” she asked Lelani.

  Lelani peered at the dark-haired man, then shook her head.

  Kendall linked arms with the guy and grinned like she had just been awarded a grand prize, or maybe an Oscar. “This, my friend, is Matthew Harmon.”

  The name sounded vaguely familiar, and Lelani knew he had something to do with Hollywood, but she couldn’t really place him. “Hi, Matthew,” she said politely. “I’m Lelani Porter.”

  He nodded. “Have I seen you in anything?”

  “She’s not an actor, silly.” Kendall playfully punched Matthew in the shoulder.

  “Too bad,” said Matthew.

  “Thanks,” said Lelani. “And nice to meet you, but I really need to go.”

  Now Kendall put her hands on her hips and frowned. “Go ahead and leave, Lelani. Take my car if you want. I’ll catch a ride later.”

  “Fine,” said Lelani. She pasted a smile on her face but walked away from Kendall with clenched fists. Why had she ever trusted that girl in the first place?

  “Leaving so soon?” asked a sound technician Lelani had spoken to earlier. He had actually seemed like a nice guy, and he told her how he missed his wife and even showed her photos of his preschool-aged kids. Still, most of the guys she’d talked to here made her feel she was on shaky ground—like they figured she was crashing their party for one thing only: to hook up with a celebrity. And nothing was further from the truth. Sure, it had been nice meeting some famous people, but now she just wanted to go home.

  She made her way to the bedroom, located Kendall’s D&G bag, and dug out her car keys as well as the valet parking stub. If nothing else, Lelani figured she was preventing Kendall from driving under the influence tonight. And Lelani had fulfilled her promise as well. If she thought there was any way to get Kendall away from this party without creating a huge scene, which would only make Kendall dig her heels in more deeply, Lelani would have tried. As it was, she knew it would be a losing battle. A battle she didn’t have the strength to fight.

  Lelani picked up her coat and bag and heard her cell phone ringing. As usual, she checked the caller ID. Her biggest fear was always that it would be from home in Maui, that her mother would be calling with some kind of bad news. She didn’t know why she always thought like this, but she did. Fortunately it was Gil.

  “Hey, Gil,” she said eagerly. “What’s up?”

  “I finally got out of the kitchen,” he told her.

  “They had you working in the kitchen?”

  “Actually, I offered.” He chuckled. “So what’ve you been up to tonight?”

  “You’re not going to believe this,” she began. Then, sitting there in the bedroom, she quickly replayed parts of her evening, including speaking with Aaron Stone.

  “That sounds interesting.” But even as he said this, she could sense a question in his tone.

  “Interesting, yeah, but I’m leaving now.”

  “Oh?”

  “Naturally, Kendall doesn’t want to go home. But I’m taking her car. She’s in no shape to be driving anyway.”

  “And you’re just leaving her there?”

  “She said she can get a ride.”

  “I suppose.”

  “What else can I do?” she asked with uncertainty.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Seriously, Gil. Do you think I should stick around? I mean people are really partying hardy now, and it’s starting to feel a little like a meat market, if you know what I mean.”

  “No, of course I’m not saying you should stay there,” he said. “But I guess I’m wondering why you went with Kendall in the first place.”

  For no explainable reason, his insinuation really irked Lelani. But she didn’t say anything. Still, what did he think of her?

  “Sorry,” he said quickly. “That came out all wrong.”

  “No …” Someone else was coming into the bedroom. She stood and picked up her scarf and things. “But I better go.”

  “Where are you, anyway?”

  “To be honest, I don’t know,” she admitted as she left the suite. “Some swanky downtown hotel.”

  “Hey, I’m still downtown too. Want to meet for coffee?”

  “Sure. Let me go down to the lobby and figure out where I am, and I’ll call you back, okay?”

  “Great!”

  She shut her phone and rode down the elevator with a couple who never even looked at her because they were busy locking lips. She was tempted to tell them to get a room but knew that sounded juvenile. Still.

  She fixed her focus on her phone as she slowly punched in Gil’s number, getting ready to call him back when she figured out where she was. She had mixed feelings regarding his statement about why she’d gone out with Kendall tonight. On one hand, she couldn’t agree more. She’d known it was risky. But on the other hand, it was unsettling to realize that Gil seemed to be getting more and more attached to her—and protective. And yet she really liked him, and she liked spending time with him.

  What worried her most was that his feelings for her might be stronger than hers toward him. Like things were moving too fast. And yet she didn’t want to lose him either. But at the same time she didn’t want to lead him on or, even worse, use him. Gil was too nice of a guy for that—and he was the brother of one of her roommates. Lelani knew she needed to be careful.

  Four

  Kendall Weis

  “Where did your friend go?” asked Aaron Stone.

  Kendall ran a perfectly manicured fingernail over the edge of her martini glass as she thought about this. “Oh, you mean Lelani?”

  “Yes, the lovely Lelani from Maui.” Aaron smiled as if he thought this was clever. “Has she ever done any acting?”

  Kendall frowned. “No.”

  “I asked her the same thing,” said Matthew Harmon with a bit too much interest.

  “That girl has the most
classic features,” said Aaron. “You know who she looks like?”

  Matthew nodded eagerly. “Rita Hayworth.”

  Aaron considered this. “Maybe a little, but I was thinking of the great Hedy Lamarr.”

  “Didn’t she do some nude scenes?” asked Kendall, trying to keep a toehold in the conversation. After all, she had taken some filmography classes during her short stint at college, and she’d been trying to put it to use tonight.

  “In Europe,” said Aaron, “before her career was launched over here.”

  “Oh, yeah,” said Kendall, nodding as if she knew all about this.

  “Do you think she has any interest?” persisted Aaron.

  “Who?” Kendall opened her eyes wide as if she’d forgotten who they were speaking of.

  “Your friend from Maui,” said Matthew.

  “The lovely Lelani,” said Aaron.

  “Oh, I don’t think so.” Kendall shook her head dramatically, tilting her chin at what she felt was a photogenic angle and wishing that these two would notice her and forget about silly Lelani.

  “Why not?” asked Matthew. “I thought all girls dreamed of opportunities like this.”

  “Not Lelani,” said Kendall quickly. “She’s not like that at all.”

  “What does she do?” asked Aaron.

  Kendall considered this. To admit that Lelani worked at the Nordstrom cosmetic counter might somehow suggest that she would be interested. Like makeup and actresses—didn’t that just go together? “Well, she was in med school,” said Kendall. “And although she’s taking a break, I think she’s very serious about going back to it.”

  “So she’s not just beautiful, she’s smart.” Aaron smiled with way too much interest. And Kendall wished they’d change the subject.

  “Yes. But she isn’t into things like acting or popular culture. I mean, she thinks I’m shallow,” said Kendall. “Lelani is a very serious girl. She wants to be a doctor and that’s it.”

  “Too bad.” Aaron shook his head, then wandered off.

  Kendall nodded to Matthew. “It really is too bad,” she said to him. “I think Lelani would be beautiful on the big screen. Her features are flawless.”