Limelight (Hollywood Stardust)

by Kim Carmichael

  As they watched, her trembling returned. Roxy’s lines about being alone when all she wanted to do was return to California and see Hollywood Stardust filled the room.

  The first Roxy had the lines down and the look. Whoever the young actress was, she obviously studied Erin down to certain mannerisms like the way she held her hands, widened her eyes. Almost too perfect. Too Roxy.

  Erin, the original, stared at the screen with only what could be described as a look of confusion with her brow furrowed, nose wrinkled, mouth half opened as if she needed to say something but the words left her.

  In truth, neither of them would ever find a suitable Roxy. The role was hers, she owned it, and he was in love with the woman who played her. He was closer to Roxy than Charles who, for over half his life, Drew tried to distance himself from at all costs.

  The scene ended and the second Roxy started. This actress wasn’t a carbon copy of Erin, but rather had more of Erin’s nuance. Where the first one seemed to want to just duplicate what Erin brought to the table, this one took Roxy and added a bit of her own inflection and an innocence he felt the character always possessed. Hell, who else would drive across country with three guys she just met in school?

  The tape ended and everyone in the room turned to the first actress to grace the role.

  Where she could pick everyone else’s character in less than a second, she returned to simply staring at the screen, tears glistening in her eyes.

  She glanced around to everyone in the screening room, but her gaze settled on him. “I can’t do this. How do I choose?”

  Reclaiming his girl and his life also meant knowing when he had to protect them. “Sometimes you have to say goodbye to something to open the way to the future.”

  She pressed her palm to his cheek. “We finally have our future.”

  “We do, and we waited a long time for it.”

  “The second one is the one who will take my place.” A tear fell as she bid farewell to the role she fought to get away from and fought to take back.

  “I agree, but no one will do you justice.” With his thumb, he brushed her tear away.

  She shrugged, but touched her necklace and smiled.

  “How about we get out of here?” He took her hand and stood.

  Without a question, she followed him, holding up two fingers to Logan as they made their way out.

  Before exiting, he looked back to the screening room. The movie ended at the Hollywood Stardust theatre. In reality, it was nothing but a façade. As he led her out and away from the movie and all the drama, his goal was to take her to something real.

  HOLLYWOOD STARBURST

  EXT. INDIANAPOLIS, IN – ROXY’S FRONT YARD, EARLY EVENING.

  Roxy is sitting outside on the porch steps watching her younger siblings play. William drives up and gets out of the car.

  ROXY straightens up.

  WILLIAM high fives the smaller kids and goes to Roxy.

  WILLIAM

  Hey.

  ROXY pats the step next to her.

  WILLIAM sits down and groans.

  ROXY turns to him

  ROXY

  What’s the matter?

  WILLIAM

  When Steven and I came home I promised I wouldn’t come here. When Charles dropped off the Lincoln at Steven’s house, I promised I wouldn’t come here. When I saw you and your parents at school I promised I wouldn’t come here.

  ROXY

  But you’re here.

  ROXY touches his cheek.

  WILLIAM

  Give me a reason to stay.

  ROXY stares into his eyes.

  WILLIAM leans in to kiss her.

  ROXY backs up and puts her fingers to his lips.

  ROXY

  Is that what you really want?

  WILLIAM moves her hand away

  WILLIAM

  It’s what I’ve wanted since I met you, and I want it now. Give me something to go on.

  ROXY closes her eyes and kisses him.

  WILLIAM wraps his arms around her and tries to deepen the kiss.

  ROXY pushes William back.

  ROXY

  William.

  WILLIAM

  Come on Roxy, you know it’s supposed to be you and me.

  ROXY

  I want it to be.

  WILLIAM

  But that’s not all you want.

  ROXY shrugs.

  ROXY

  I need to clean up some loose ends.

  WILLIAM stands.

  WILLIAM

  Then get to it or you’re going to lose it all.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “MISS HOLLAND, MR. SOUTHERN is waiting for you.” A frazzled woman jumped up from behind her desk.

  “I have no doubt.” Done up in full Hollywood regalia, including the slicked back hair, red lips and sunglasses, Erin headed straight for the door of her agent’s office. The fact she and Rick didn’t yet have a contract was but a mere formality. Her contract was safely nestled away in her tote bag in the form of hours of footage of her and Drew on the road.

  The woman practically tripped running ahead of her to open the door.

  Rather than playing the waiting game like last time, Rick sat behind his desk playing the role of the nonchalant businessman. He needed to take a better acting class. The fact he shot up from his chair the second she entered told her what she already knew.

  “You look radiant. The trip did you well.” With his hand outstretched and a huge smile, Rick approached.

  “Yes, it was amazing.” She glanced down at his hand. No doubt he wanted her. Well, the man was going to have to work now. Her social media was off the rails, the product line she was an integral part of was selling before it was created, and the movie she made famous was in the headlines. Drew loved her. Everything else was gravy. She passed him and took her seat.

  “So, I see we’re dispensing with the niceties.” He sat across the desk from her. “I take it we’re getting right down to business.”

  “I have to get to Drew’s lab. I have a job, you know.” Now that she reclaimed her position of power, she leaned back in the chair and bided her time.

  “Actually, I do know.” He lifted some bound papers.

  A contract. The coveted document people in her position craved. She tried not to focus on the prize.

  “But before I lay all my cards on the table, I’ll tell you that I have someone who wants to produce your show and has the money to back it. Before you and I make it official and I make a nice chunk of change for saving your career, before all of that, I want to make sure you have the goods.”

  “I gave you plenty of previews.” Though she forced her voice to remain even, she wanted to lunge for that contract and make sure the dollar signs were there. Once she could provide for herself again, she and Drew could be together without any more doubts. Yes, she still needed to tell him about the show, but with the movie and the product line, he would see this would all be positive.

  However, before she told her love, she needed to show her agent the goods. She slid her tablet out. Since they returned from their trip the previous week, life had been a whirlwind and she’d only had enough time to string her video clips together without really watching them. However, she wouldn’t leave this man with any raw footage until she was sure of the deal. “I believe this is what you want to see.” She scooted her chair closer to the desk, held up her little portable screen and hit play.

  Suddenly, she and Drew were in the car headed for Nevada talking about liposomes. It was the first leg of their trip, and they were both still so unsure about everything. Hell, even Bambi was with them.

  It seemed forever ago.

  That was the last night she ever snuck into his room.

  Rick nodded.

  She skipped ahead to her in the orchard eating the pear.

  “That’s perfect.” Rick laughed.

  The video cut to the meeting with Allan where she won the contract manufacturing deal and her chest tightened a
t two things. First, at hearing herself from the vantage point of a spectator, more accurately, Drew. That night he accused her of not taking him seriously, and as she went off on her unplanned dissertation on how to use his products as skin care, she maybe understood why he felt that way. The whole presentation smacked of an act.

  Second, was the fact that she was showing Rick Southern a confidential business meeting with Drew’s clients.

  Her heart seized, but she managed to slide her finger along the bottom bar and fast-forwarded over the rest of the meeting.

  “I was really enjoying that. You were brilliant.” Rick rocked his chair back. “Let’s see some more.”

  The further they got into the footage, the larger the lump in her chest grew and her eyes misted over. Somehow, she not only filmed a road trip, she filmed them discovering each other, falling in love.

  She shook her head at that one meeting they at had Holistic Health, blushed at the images of their little hidden Bed and Breakfast in Grand Junction, and smiled at the footage she’d captured of Drew in front of all those college students lecturing about polyphenols when they only wanted to ask about Hollywood Stardust.

  The last little segment was of them as they headed back into California. They had stopped and had a little picnic in the car. She set up the camera on the dash mount and sat next to him. The sunset made the interior of the car glow and Drew put his arm around her.

  “Ready to go home, Miss Holland?”

  She shook her head. “Maybe our life was meant to be on the road.”

  “I think our life was meant to start now, no matter where it is.” Drew leaned in and kissed her.

  “Say it again.” She whispered into his open mouth.

  “I love you, Erin.”

  She smiled and the light hit her face in just the right way, or maybe she was just glowing. “I love you too, Drew.”

  The film ended, freezing on her and Drew in a kiss.

  “Well, one can tell you grew up in Hollywood.” Rick clapped.

  The tear welling in her eye finally fell.

  “You did excellent, completely perfect, and you shall be rewarded for your work.”

  Before she faced Rick, she wiped the sign of her emotion away and cleared her throat. “Let’s see the deal.”

  “Not so fast. There’s one small glitch.” Rick rocked his chair back and forth and tented his fingers.

  Her teeth ground together. Right now she wished Drew was here to deal with all the legal nonsense. “There is one request.”

  “Well, there’s mine and the money’s.” He leaned forward. “It would be better for everyone involved if we could get Drew to sign on the dotted line as well.”

  Her cheeks heated, but she froze. “What?” Though she swore she heard what Rick said, she needed to make sure.

  “We want Drew. Trust me it will make it better.”

  “I wanted an agent. What kind of deal is this?” She clutched the arm of the chair.

  “This, my dear, is how deals are done now.” As if he were telling her any other mundane fact, his tone came out casual.

  “I want to go back to making movies. What? Are they going to require Drew there as well?” Actually, that wouldn’t be such a bad thing, but still.

  “You came to me asking for help. Here it is.” He swiped his hand over his desk. “What deals do you have now?”

  Every part of her wanted to jump up and yell she was the Marketing Director for one of the best boutique laboratories in the world, but it wasn’t officially her title. Where did Erin Holland the movie star go? She didn’t know how to be anyone else.

  “In truth, I’m surprised Drew didn’t come with you today. The two of you put on quite a little performance. Seems to me he would be on board all the way.” Rick tilted his head. “Wait, does he not know? Was that whole thing actually real?”

  As if she’d been slapped, she flinched and pressed her back into the seat.

  “Well, my suggestion is to go find this man who loves you and get him to sign. If all goes well, he can buy some more vitamins.” He tossed a stack of papers at her. “One set is for you, the other for your man. Use your manipulation techniques, he’ll be powerless.”

  With a bad metallic taste forming in her mouth, she swiped up the documents. She didn’t know or understand this Hollywood, but she knew no other life. Somehow, someway, she had to get Drew to agree to this. She heard him say part of him wanted his life back, but in truth, the man first said no to even having a bit part in Hollywood Starburst and didn’t even want to go to the casting. If only she could convince him, they could have everything, the lab and their film career. In time, he would see this was the best on all counts.

  She headed toward the exit.

  Rick ran ahead and opened the door for her. “I expect to see you both tomorrow. Never leave money on the table.”

  Without a word she left. It was one thing to have a part in a movie, another thing to do a reality show, but she could make Drew see this was the answer. He would do it for her.

  HOLLYWOOD STARBURST

  INT. INDIANAPOLIS, IN – STEVEN’S HOUSE. DAY.

  Steven is reclining on the sofa, books around him, music on.

  At a knock on the door, Steven tosses his book aside, gets up and opens the door to Roxy.

  STEVEN leans against the doorjamb.

  STEVEN

  I don’t remember needing another delivery from you.

  ROXY puts her hands on her hips.

  STEVEN

  Okay, I get it. Somehow you’re mad at me for the sins you committed. Interesting role you have cast yourself in.

  ROXY raises her chin.

  STEVEN steps back and opens the door.

  ROXY keeps her eyes on him as she walks inside.

  STEVEN closes the door.

  STEVEN

  Would you like a snack, a drink, perhaps you want one of our cars to drive away?

  ROXY walks right to Steven and kisses him.

  STEVEN takes over the kiss, bends her back and then just as suddenly pushes her away.

  ROXY puts her hands over her eyes.

  STEVEN

  What, you’re not getting what you wanted? You’re the one who came here.

  STEVEN backs up and goes and resumes his seat on the couch.

  ROXY lowers her hand and glares at Steven.

  ROXY

  I got what I wanted.

  STEVEN

  And what was that, princess? Enlighten me.

  ROXY

  I’m cleaning up loose ends.

  STEVEN

  If that’s what I am, sugar, turn around and walk out the door now.

  ROXY presses her lips together, but doesn’t move.

  STEVEN sits up

  STEVEN

  Are you sure you got what you came for?

  ROXY stomps across the room, goes to Steven on the couch, straddles him and kisses him once more.

  STEVEN pulls her in, tangling his hands in her hair.

  ROXY makes a noise and pulls away. Breathless, she stands up.

  STEVEN leans his head back on the couch and runs his hand through his hair.

  STEVEN

  So, is this how we’re going to play it?

  ROXY backs up to the door and puts her hand on the knob.

  STEVEN

  So, I guess you figured it out?

  ROXY

  Actually, I have more loose ends than ever.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  BEFORE ENTERING THE DOORS of Fluent Word Laboratory, Erin ran her fingers over the letters on the tinted glass door and stopped. “Wait.” She studied the letters and shook her head. Part of Drew always wanted to be found. The name of his laboratory was an anagram of his real name. Too bad she wasn’t looking here.

  A newfound conviction engulfed her, and her mind went over the case for them to do the reality show together once more. She hoisted her tote bag up on her shoulder and swung the door open.

  “Miss Holland.” Jennifer giggled and jumpe
d up. “Isaac is waiting for you in the lab.”

  “Oh, well, I have a meeting with Drew, Isaac will have to wait.” Erin gave the woman a wink and charged forward.

  On her way through the building she now knew by heart, she waved at the shipping people and smiled at James, the production manager.

  “Are you going to pick me some glowing products?” James gave her a thumbs-up.

  “That’s the plan.” In truth, the thought of choosing the first product in the Hollywood Glow line outshined the reality show, contracts and especially telling Drew about the whole thing.

  “Good, then I’ll get ready to go, and I’ll have a product on my desk in the morning.” James gave her a salute.

  As she continued toward the back of the building, she realized there was one major lab player not accounted for in the form of one little doe who she last saw leaving a business hotel in Nevada.

  With the normal business day coming to a close, Erin could only hope the deer went home or got stuck in a piece of machinery, or just went somewhere far away and played around with her chemicals.