Erin fought the need to walk away. No one begged for her, sought her out, made sure she was all right. Somehow, she ended up D-listed in her own group. In a need to reclaim her spotlight, she stomped into the middle of the lovefest, put her hands on her hips and faced Logan.
"Are you ready for our one on one, Miss Holland?" Logan's tone took on authority laced with sarcasm for good measure.
"I don't need my private time, Mr. Alexander." She channeled a heroine she once played, a small town waitress who finally learned to take control of her life. To this day she could still balance a tray of water glasses in one hand and wipe down a table with the other. "We all know people would talk if I didn't make my appearance, so I'll be in your little film."
"Thank you." Logan bowed to her. "I promised my future wife she would have all four of us as a wedding present."
"Well, just remember I can't be returned, and I won't be put on any registry." She held her head high.
"Thank you. It wouldn't have been the same without you." Ivy leaned in and hugged her. "You know, in my thesis I wrote why Roxy is such an important female character and how you personified the role. No one will ever be you, but I think having your energy in the movie will make all the difference."
Erin pulled back and took a moment to assess the other female. With this one, she couldn't throw a temper tantrum and get the role switched to a guy. Ivy would be here to stay and she wondered if maybe the woman's understanding of the movie could make her valuable in the end.
Erin could have a girlfriend, she just never found the right match. "I’d like to read your thesis."
"You would?" Ivy's face glowed brighter than her diamond with a smile.
"Yes, I would and I think we should go to lunch." Women lunched. It was a verb and a completely appropriate activity for two females.
"Lunch?" Ivy let out a giddy laugh and turned to Logan.
Logan tilted his head. "Well, considering that would probably make for some sort of media frenzy, why don't I make you two ladies a gourmet lunch at the bar and it will give Drew and I a chance to catch up on manly things."
Well, it was more than obvious Logan needed to brush up on his acting skills. Like Drew with the dog, apparently she wasn't fit to take Logan's fiancée out for a salad. She also refused to be the odd couple with Drew who wouldn't so much as kiss her.
"We’ll have to set up a time. Excuse me, but I'm going to go change." She spun on her heel and headed toward the stairs, making the exact exit she wanted.
Alone in Drew's guest room she shimmied out of her dress and heels, found a pair of yoga pants and a shirt and waited until she heard some doors close, hopefully indicating Logan’s departure.
Ready to take her walk alone, she bolted down the stairs only to find Beaker sitting at the front door with his leash in his mouth. Wagging his tail, he trotted over to her.
With Drew nowhere to be found, and not caring anymore, she took Beaker's offering, fastened the leash to the dog's collar, adjusted her sunglasses, and left the house.
She allowed Beaker to lead her down the street and took in her surroundings. Pasadena was a beautiful city, part vintage and part modern. Drew's home was nestled in one of the nicer residential areas with larger lots and kept up to perfection. Majestic trees lined the streets, creating peaceful, cool shade, ideal for a walk in the late afternoon.
Lately her life had been a swirl of activity. Not only had she finished a couple of projects and been trying to book new work, but the festivities leading up to the Hollywood Stardust anniversary filled her time.
If anyone would have told her last week at this time she would have walked away from her agent and her relationship without even glancing back and she would be staying at Drew's place, she would have called that person a bold-faced liar.
She always knew eventually she and Drew would be reunited. In fact, she might even say she waited for it. She’d put so many things on hold in hopes he would return to her.
The moment had come and gone without the fanfare and explosion she thought would come of their reunion.
She looked up to the rays of sunlight sneaking in through the tree branches. How come nothing in life ever lived up to the dream?
Drew’s appearance was straight out of any romance story. They should have spent the night in each other’s arms, kissing and exploring each other until the world faded to black, the perfect Hollywood ending.
Instead of coming in at the happily ever after, she found herself right in the middle of the movie and she wasn't sure what genre they were in anymore.
Beaker turned yet another corner, and she stopped. Caught up in thoughts of Drew, her job situation, or lack thereof, her non-existent housing situation, she sort of lost track of their location. She turned, glancing up at the signs. They weren't on Drew's street anymore and she’d walked out of the house without as much as a cell phone or a homing pigeon.
The dog gave the leash a tug.
"You know how to get home, right?" Though Beaker might not know it, he was part of Hollywood history and therefore should respond to questions like any other well-trained working animal.
Beaker continued forward and with no choice, she followed. They made their way up and down a few more residential streets. The homes became more spread out, the sun lowered in the sky and her legs started protesting. Her canine companion made one more turn and suddenly they were facing a vacant land full of bushes and trees and dark tunnel with some graffiti.
"Whoa." Again they stopped. With the leash coiled in her hand, she glanced around. She knew this place. In every horror movie, this was where the heroine was grabbed from behind and her throat slashed with a knife. At least she knew what genre she’d gotten herself into.
"Erin!"
On automatic, she spun in the direction where Drew's voice broke through the silence. "Over here!" she called.
As if also answering, Beaker barked. He had pretty good timing.
From around a bend, Drew appeared and jogged toward them. "I was starting to get worried." He bent down and gave Beaker a scratch behind his ear. "You got an extra walk didn't you?"
"I didn't lose him or hurt him." She unfurled Beaker's leash from her arm and handed the dog over to his rightful owner. "I never would."
"I know you wouldn't." Rather than taking the leash, he motioned forward.
"Well, since you felt the need to check up on us, I beg to differ." Not wanting to admit she had no idea where she was, she let Drew guide her away.
"I actually wanted to join you." He put his hands in his pockets and slowed his steps. "I thought I would answer your question."
"Which one?" She kept her focus on the dog.
"About my sudden reappearance."
She stopped and waited.
"I want my life back." He stood in front of her and stared into her face. "I want it back. I don't want to hide anymore. I want what I missed."
"What does all that involve?" She pulled the dog closer to her.
"That’s the problem." Drew inched closer.
"What's the problem?" Her breath quickened.
He put one hand on her waist. "I don't know what it all entails."
She wouldn't be kept at bay while he figured out what he wanted to do. She also had her own set of timelines and troubles. "Well, when you figure it all out, you know where to find me." A glance up at the street sign let her know she found the right road. With a smile, she walked forward exactly like the heroine in that one movie who left her love before the film faded to black.
HOLLYWOOD STARBURST
FADE IN:
INT. INDIANAPOLIS, IN – STEVEN’S HOUSE GARAGE LATE AFTERNOON
STEVEN hunches over the hood of his BMW, working on the engine. He holds his hand out.
CHARLES absentmindedly hands Steven a wrench, but continues to read.
OLDER model non-descript car drives up and stops in front of Steven’s house. WILLIAM gets out of the car.
CHARLES puts his book down.
CH
ARLES
Hey, look who’s here.
STEVEN glances over his shoulder and returns to his car.
WILLIAM approaches, lifts his chin to Charles.
CHARLES returns the gesture.
WILLIAM shoves his hands in his pockets and waits while shifting weight from one foot to the other.
STEVEN holds his hand out again.
CHARLES lifts a socket wrench.
WILLIAM grabs tool away from Charles and slaps it in Steven’s hand.
STEVEN
You’re wrong.
CHARLES shakes head
WILLIAM
It’s right.
STEVEN
The tool is right, it’s you who is wrong.
WILLIAM
What am I wrong about?
STEVEN pushes away from the car, throws tool off to one side and spins toward William.
STEVEN
When I drove away, I left her with you. She belongs with you and you ditched her.
WILLIAM
Why does she belong with me?
STEVEN
You‘re the right choice. I’m just going to sleep with her and drive away. Oh, yeah I did already.
STEVEN bends down, picks up his tool and returns to the car.
WILLIAM
(Lowers voice.)
I didn’t sleep with her.
STEVEN doesn’t turn around, but he stops what he’s doing.
WILLIAM
Not that I didn’t try. She said she wanted to, but couldn’t.
STEVEN
Well, I thank you for this moment of true confessions, but why don’t you tell me why you’re here?
WILLIAM
Cause you’re the only one who gets it.
STEVEN turns back around.
STEVEN
(Sarcastic)
If you were so in love with her, why don’t you know where she is?
WILLIAM
Because I am so in love with her.
STEVEN
I’m the wrong person to be talking to.
WILLIAM
I don’t agree.
STEVEN
You need to find her.
WILLIAM
We need to find her.
CHARLES steps forward.
CHARLES
I’ve already found her.
WILLIAM and STEVEN both spin around to face Charles and lean in as if to attack.
CHARLES holds up his hand.
CHARLES
Think before you act, you only get one more shot at this.
WILLIAM and STEVEN look at each other. WILLIAM holds his hand out for a shake, STEVEN pauses and puts his hand in William’s.
Chapter Seven
DREW PARKED IN HIS SPOT at Fluent Word Nutraceuticals and looked in his rear view mirror. Under Logan's guidance, he had purchased the building and it proved to be a wise investment. In fact, he owned everything from the property to each piece of equipment, giving him the opportunity to be an extremely nimble company. They were able to compete with larger labs because of his lack of overhead.
He exhaled and got out of his SUV. Two days ago he left work as Isaac Abrams, Ph.D., today he would enter as Drew Fulton, ex-star of Hollywood Stardust. There was no telling how his handpicked crew would take his deception.
Once he opened the door to the building, he got his answer.
The soundtrack to Hollywood Stardust blared through the space and oversized prints from the movie, including close-ups of him in character, hung on almost every available space.
Everyone from the front office staff to the production crew gathered around and applauded.
"And the award for the best hide your identity goes to none other than our very own lord and master, Isaac Abrams." James, his operations manager, stepped forward with makeshift trophy made from a 20th anniversary DVD case, a beaker, and some containers of vitamins they taped together.
"Now is the time that we would like you to make a speech." His lead chemist, Bambi, approached, handed him a bouquet of flowers and put a toy crown on top of his head.
All the employees started chanting “speech.”
He held up his hand, nodded and waited for the fanfare to die down. "All right, all right. As you have heard, in a former life I was Drew Fulton, star of the silver screen."
They clapped again.
"Aren't you still Drew Fulton?" James called out.
"In this building I am still Isaac Abrams, understood?" He glanced around.
His employees nodded.
"What about the sequel?" someone asked.
"Well, in a small bit of luck, I am much too old to play Charles in the sequel." He paused before letting out the next part. Once the words left his mouth, it would be real. "However Drew Fulton will be making a cameo appearance in the film."
His statement was met with laughter, cheers and more clapping, but now he needed to let the rest of his news out. “In a couple of hours, Erin Holland will be coming here.” It felt strange to leave her in his home by herself, but he did manage to give her a key. Actually, he put it on her key ring for her. Nothing like giving her mixed messages.
The crew let out a series of gasps and mumbles. After their walk, Erin decided that she needed to see the lab since she would be working with him.
“She’s going to be endorsing a new line of products I have been working on called Hollywood Glow, so I just wanted to let you know.” More like give them a warning. He glanced over at Bambi, the poor woman had her brow furrowed and was staring off into space. No doubt she was wondering where her project notes were, and he would have to lie yet again and tell her he had them. Once one lie started, they piled up.
“I don’t have that on the schedule.” James shook his head. “We never even had a production meeting on it. What products are you looking to do? What package? What’s the lead time? Do you want this to come out with the sequel? What are you talking about?”
Damn qualified staff. He used one of the oldest tricks in the book and decided not to answer the question. “While I would like to stand here all day and talk about my sordid movie star past, I have some work to get done. Please send Erin straight back to my office when she arrives.” He waved to them and rushed to his office to create the notes for an entire product line.
Once inside his inner sanctum, he rushed to his desk, turned on his computer. He barely got a chance to sit down and pop a few vitamins in his mouth before someone knocked on his door. “If you’re Bambi come in.”
The door opened and in came his chemist. Tall, blonde and willowy, the woman should have been in movies herself. Too bad for him he liked them short, built and bitchy.
He motioned for her to come over. “I need help.” Good thing for him, she was one of the smartest people in the business. He knew this for a fact, he trained her himself.
“Isaac.” She put her hand over her mouth and shook her head.
“I’m still Isaac.” After working with her for five years, he could read her mind. Unfortunately, for her and her shy sensibilities, he didn’t have time to waste. “Just let it out, I can feel the questions.”
As if she were terrified anyone would hear her, she took her seat next to his desk and leaned over. “I have seen that movie more than once, and I would have never guessed.”
“I wanted it that way.” With an idea forming in his mind, he typed a few key words into the computer.
“I don’t have any notes for a Hollywood Glow project.”
“It’s a project I’ve been working on privately.” He stared at the computer screen. “I’m thinking of ampoules. Erin would like ampoules, maybe gold ones. Maybe a dropper bottle? Maybe she wants to choose.” When Bambi didn’t respond, he faced her.
“Well, now I’m here. Let me get a few details down so I can help.” With a pen at the ready, she opened her notebook. “How long have you been working on this?”
The answer varied depending on how he looked at it. If he took into consideration the time he’d been working on Erin, th
e answer would be going on over twenty years. If he only counted the time since his mind lit up with the actual Hollywood Glow concept, then the answer would be less than 72 hours. So, the answer was somewhere between twenty years and less than three days. More than once he tried to take his business relationship with Bambi to the next level, but it never worked, and he was the reason. Or maybe the woman he was trying to create an entire line for was the reason. “It’s been gelling for a while.”
“Is this contract manufacturing or is this a line we’re going to sell?”
At last a question he could answer. “This will be part of our line.” Contract manufacturing was when an account had a custom formulation run for them. The investment on the account’s part was large and the price high. Those deals were few and far between.
“We’re adding this line to our physician offering, spa line, or what?” She tapped her pen on the paper.
Erin would want the products to go retail, something he hadn’t cracked yet. He took another vitamin, a new chewable he had been working on. The acid tang of citrus took over his mouth and he nodded. Now in order to keep Erin around him he would be investing in an entire line and marketing with a celebrity spokesperson. “I’m still exploring that.”
“A celebrity would denote retail, right?” Bambi fired another question at him. “Isn’t it customary that when we hire anyone to endorse the products that we show them the finished products since she’s not contracting us to make them?”
Limelight (Hollywood Stardust) Page 7