The thought jolted her out of her stupor. She was not attracted to Cobie. She could see her finer points and appreciate what she brought to the table. She even enjoyed being amused by her occasionally. But attraction, the genuine physical reaction that had stirred in her, wasn’t okay, and not just because of her gender. Man or woman, the rules remained the same. Anything beyond a general sort of mutual respect was dangerous. She shook her head. Those feelings weren’t real. She’d merely been taken in momentarily by a good performance from a talented actress.
“What?” Cobie asked. “Not impressed by my athletic prowess?”
“No, I’ll cop to that,” Lila said slowly, “and showing off your speed and strength to the press won’t hurt in your quest for them to see you as an action hero.”
“And what about you?” Cobie extended her hand. “Do I seem action hero-worthy to you?”
Lila shrugged, not at all ready to even consider the question seriously. She needed to reassert herself now, if only for her own benefit, so she stepped onto the ice without accepting any help from Cobie. “I wouldn’t know. I’m not the kind of girl who ever needs saving.”
• • •
Cobie couldn’t stop smiling, not because she was really all that happy, but because she couldn’t figure out how else to stay in character while Lila vacillated between engaged and utterly bored with her. Or at least that’s how she seemed to feel, but maybe she was just trying to keep everyone on their toes. If so, then she was great at her job. For a few moments earlier, Cobie had felt like they were on equal footing. After her little skating stunt, she’d almost sworn she saw genuine appreciation in Lila’s eyes. Then as quickly as the emotion surfaced, it disappeared again. For the last half hour, Lila had been studiously neutral, keeping the conversation light, but now they’d run out of topics that didn’t go any deeper than one would have with a stranger in a check-out line.
Cobie scanned the panoramic view of the Hudson River as they skated by the large windows once again. The water wasn’t completely frozen, but only the hardiest commercial ships seemed brave enough to cut through the chunks of ice floating along the surface. Along either shore, piles of snow had begun to gray, making them nearly the same color as the sky and many of the buildings rising to meet it. She wondered how much longer she’d have to stay here.
“What are you thinking about?” Lila asked.
“The city,” Cobie said, her voice sounding sadder than she’d intended.
“You’re not a fan?”
“It’s fine, as far as cities go.” She tried not to sound melancholy. “I just prefer more open spaces.”
“You were raised in Illinois, right?”
Cobie cocked her head to the side and regarded Lila more closely. “Someone’s done their research.”
“A good businesswoman always does.”
“Well, now I feel like a bad businesswoman,” Cobie said, but her tone had grown lighter with the thought of Lila caring enough to read up on her. It also gave her the freedom to ask questions just a hint more personal than the work topics she’d stuck to so far. “What about you? Where does Lila Wilder hail from?”
“Jennings, Florida. Near the Georgia line.”
“Sounds . . . nice?”
Lila shook her head and frowned, her blue eyes losing some of their usual focus. “It’s not.”
Sensing she’d stepped into something unpleasant, Cobie tried to shift. “When did you move to New York?”
“When I was eighteen. I’d done a two-year stint in Nashville before that, but New York suited me better.”
“You started out as a country singer.”
“It was all I knew at the time,” Lila said casually, “but it wasn’t long until bigger markets came calling. Markets that didn’t restrict me.”
“Yeah, you’re not the type to tolerate restrictions, are you?”
The corners of her mouth turned up.
“I’m surprised you didn’t end up in LA.”
“I’ve got a condo there, but it doesn’t have the same creative energy New York does. Plus, I run a fashion line and fragrance line, I produce my own music, and I’m now a tourism ambassador for the city.”
Cobie blinked a few times, then nodded. “Is that all?”
“Mostly,” Lila said slyly. “No need to brag though.”
“Right, very modest.”
“I get that a lot.” Lila’s smile widened a little before she said, “What about you? When did you move to Gotham?”
“I haven’t,” Cobie said.
Lila stopped skating. “What do you mean? Where do you live?”
“I have a house in the Catskills.”
“A vacation home, but where’s your primary address?”
“The Catskills house is the primary one. My vacation home is in the woods up by Lake Henry.”
“But . . . but . . .” Lila’s face flushed in frustration. “You’re a legit movie star.”
The outburst sent Cobie’s confidence up a few notches. “Thanks for noticing.”
“I thought movie stars had to live in New York or LA.”
“And I thought movie stars could live wherever they damn well pleased.”
Lila finally laughed. “That might be the smartest thing you’ve said since I’ve known you.”
“Thanks, I think, but really movies aren’t what they used to be. They aren’t all shot on sound stages in LA anymore. The last three I worked on were in the Carolinas. One before that was in Toronto and one in St. Louis of all places. My parents loved that.”
“What about publicity junkets?”
“They usually involve a couple weeks in LA, but also time in New York and London. It’s all travel of some kind, but when I get to go home, I want it to feel like home.”
“Home,” Lila repeated almost wistfully. “You make it sound like there are actually times when you aren’t working.”
“That’s because there are. Maybe not as often as I’d like, but I always take at least a month off between films.”
“What do you do?”
“I hike. I catch up with friends. I have my little sister come visit. I read books. I go to the grocery store and cook my own meals.”
“And people let you do that?”
“At home they do. I’ve never been a big enough deal for the press to follow me two hours into the wilderness, and honestly, the town I’m closest to is full of old Woodstock refugees who have probably never seen my movies,” Cobie said with pleasure at the look of astonishment on Lila’s face. “The ones who have didn’t watch closely enough to recognize me in sweatpants and no make-up. Occasionally, one of their visiting grandchildren spot me, but the most they ever do is shyly mumble hello.”
“It sounds like something out of an old-time movie.”
Cobie laughed. “I never thought of it like that, but it kind of is. I escape the movie business by going to live in the type of place they try to portray in my movies. Ironic. Everything in my life that people believe is real is fake, but everything people don’t believe I can have is real.”
Lila frowned. “Right. Which reminds me, we’d better get on with the evening.”
Cobie looked around. “I thought that’s what we were doing. Date two in full swing.”
“No. We’ve gone around enough times for the press to get bored with us.”
“And we’d never want to bore those intrusive fuckers, would we?”
“Wow, language,” Lila scolded with laughter in her voice.
“Sorry. I’m just not a fan of them.”
“They’re means to an end, but I actually happen to agree with you. The press is fickle and intrusive in ways that don’t always allow me to control the message. I’d rather cut out the middlemen when possible and go straight to the people.”
“How do we do that?”
Lila took her hand and pulled her off the ice. “Just watch.”
They took off their skates, and with a nod to Malik, Lila led them over to a booth in the corner of th
e concession stand. The press clearly couldn’t follow them inside, which seemed counterintuitive if they were about to put on a show like Lila seemed to suggest. She supposed the two nervous-looking teens working behind the counter might surreptitiously be filming them with cell phones, but that seemed like a gamble for someone as in control as Lila.
They had barely sat down when Malik arrived with a tray of cheese fries and two Cokes.
“I love you,” Cobie blurted out when he set the fries in front of her.
He broke character long enough to laugh lightly. “You’re welcome, Ms. Galloway.”
She clasped her hand atop his, noting how tiny and pale it looked by comparison. “Please, call me Cobie.”
He paused, his eyes flicking to Lila’s, but she gave his giant hand as much of a squeeze as she could, drawing his attention back to her. “Please. It would mean a lot to me, even if only when it’s just us, okay?”
He nodded, his eyes softer. “Okay, Cobie, only out of earshot of the press.”
“Thank you.” She released him and watched him walk away a few yards as the hard set returned to his jaw and shoulders. When she turned back to Lila, she couldn’t read the expression on her face. Interest? Curiosity? Skepticism? She shifted a little bit under the intense gaze before finally admitting, “I don’t like being waited on.”
Lila opened her mouth as if she might say something, then pursed her full, pouty lips and set about rearranging their food. Cobie relaxed a little and snagged a fry, but Lila swatted at her hand.
“Hold on. It’s not time to eat yet.”
“You want to say grace?” Cobie asked.
“You can if you want, but keep it on the inside. I’m staging.” She slid the fries to the corner of the tray and moved the straw from one Coke to the other. “Now slide around next to me.”
“Ms. Wilder, are you getting forward with me?” Cobie asked, but she complied, slipping into the Formica-coated bench next to her date.
“Hold this,” Lila commanded in full business mode as she lifted the paper Coca-Cola cup with two straws. “Label out.”
The phrase immediately contextualized the scene for Cobie. They were shooting an ad, either for Coke or for themselves or most likely both. She’d been here enough times with product placement that her character came easy. She snuggled closer to Lila, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Lila pulled out her phone and held it at arm’s length while taking one of the straws in her million-dollar mouth. Cobie followed suit and pulled a steady stream of soda up into the straw while locking her eyes dreamily on Lila’s. She’d used the look hundreds of times in hundreds of takes over the years. It had never been overly challenging for her, but somehow with Lila it came easier than ever.
She never wavered, never blinked as the camera clicked in a rapid burst of photos. Staring into those beautiful eyes didn’t take much in the way of coaching or character development. They were certainly nicer than most of the men’s— clearer, softer, brighter, not to mention focused on her own instead of working through to the next step, or worse: zoning in on her chest. Even though Lila was also running the shot, she gave back every ounce of energy Cobie put forth between them and somehow managed to stay completely present in the moment right until it ended.
She slowly lowered the camera before leaning back deliberately. Cobie watched her throat constrict slightly as she swallowed, then her lips parted, the tip of her tongue sweeping the last hint of sweetness away. When she blinked, the subtle disconnect snapped the cord of connection that had held them captive.
“Nice work,” Lila said as she glanced down at her phone. “I do enjoy how well you take direction.”
“I’ve had practice,” Cobie mumbled, still not certain any of her previous roles had fully prepared her to play opposite Lila, but any experience was better than none.
“Golden,” Lila mumbled as she swiped her finger across the screen. “Several of these are flawless.”
Cobie peeked over her shoulder at the phone to see a perfectly shot frame of them sipping from the same drink while staring longingly at one another. If she hadn’t been there, she wouldn’t believe for a second that they weren’t totally engrossed in each other. Then again, they were. Those seconds spent staring at her had been every bit as compelling as the photo suggested, only seeing the picture being cropped and filtered reminded her they shouldn’t have been.
Lila didn’t seem to mind though. She appeared genuinely pleased with their work. “You’re a good dance partner.”
“Yeah, well, you may know more songs than I do, but I like to think I can at least carry a tune.”
Lila arched an eyebrow and regarded her for a moment with an unsettling mix of curiosity and challenge before turning back to her artwork. “And now I tag you. And then add our hashtag, which will be Cola.”
“Are you trying to get us an endorsement deal with Coke?”
Lila tapped on her phone a few times before looking up and saying, “Now that you mention it, I’ll run it by Mimi, but no. Cola is our celebrity couple name.”
Cobie frowned. “Our celebrity name?”
“Yes. Cobie blended with Lila is Cola. It’ll be trending worldwide in half an hour.”
“Sounds like a big deal. Are we sure it’s the right fit for us?” She grinned a little. “Maybe you should take top billing since you’re running the show. What about Libie? Also works because this whole thing is a lie. Get it? Subtext.”
She rolled her eyes but smiled slightly. “Clever, but now I remember why I’m in charge. Cola is sweet and fun, with a dark, sexy undercurrent, just like us.”
Cobie shrugged as if she wasn’t impressed, but it was a pretty smart call, and she certainly wouldn’t have thought of it on her own. Lila had a mind for marketing, and while Cobie still wasn’t thrilled with the reality of being a commodity, she might as well be a desirable one.
She glanced up and saw Lila watching her, her blue eyes intent and her body so very close. Cobie’s arm still rested casually around her shoulder, and they brushed against one another from hip to knee. Heat radiated off Lila so acutely she wondered why she hadn’t noticed before. Then again, maybe the heat wasn’t coming off the woman next to her as much as building inside of her. As the intimacy of the pose became too much to bear, she tried nonchalantly to extract herself. She leaned back enough to bring her arm forward, but when she did, her fingers stroked across soft blonde hair. Was there any part of this woman that wasn’t perfect?
She tamped down the thought and tried to scoot farther away, but Lila stopped her with a hand on her knee. Giving a little squeeze, she smiled and said, “No you don’t. The scene’s not over.”
Cobie’s eyes widened. “No?”
Lila gave a subtle nod to the teens behind the concession counter. Cobie stole a surreptitious glance their way to see both of them had their phones out, doing an inept job of hiding the fact they were shooting either photos or videos. “They’ll be the coolest kids at school on Monday.”
“No doubt.” Lila snagged a cheese fry and held it inches from her lips, giving them time to get the shot, but Cobie, either from sheer hunger or the desire to hold her own, leaned forward and bit the fry right out of Lila’s hand.
Lila turned her head with fake incredulity. “You ate my fry!”
“I did.”
“We’ve been around each other, what, three times now?”
“Yes. Four if you count me stepping on your foot.”
“Do you want to count that?”
“Not really.”
“Still, three times is enough for you to hazard a guess as to how I feel about people taking my things.”
Lila was clearly trying to intimidate, but three times was also enough for Cobie to begin seeing little cracks in her armor. From this close, she could also see the little twitches of her smile and the flecks of green blurring into the blue of her eyes. Cobie couldn’t contain her grin.
“What?” Lila asked.
“Nothing. I just thought maybe y
ou’re right. I’ve been around you long enough to learn a few things.”
“And?”
“If I’m supposed to up my bad-girl cred here, I’d think stealing your fries would be the least of your worries.”
Lila pursed her lips but didn’t have a quick comeback.
Cobie picked up another fry and held it out to Lila like a cheese-coated peace offering. “Besides, sharing’s sexy, and the cameras are still rolling.”
Lila snorted softly. “Maybe you can be taught.”
With that she took the fry out of Cobie’s hand and chewed slowly.
“There, now we’re even,” Cobie said.
“Are we?” Lila asked as if she didn’t quite agree.
“We’ve both had our moments, balance restored.”
Lila smirked. “Then why does only one of us have cheese on her face?”
Cobie sighed heavily, but with Lila looking at her as if she were the most adorable puppy in the world, she had a hard time feeling truly embarrassed. “It’s me, isn’t it?”
Lila could barely contain her laugher now as she nodded. “Want me to get it?”
“No.” Cobie said sarcastically. “I want to own it. I’m a pop culture icon now. It’ll be a fashion statement for all the young girls who’ve always dreamed of cheese lipstick. I’m going to wear it all night.”
“You’re not.”
“Try to stop me.”
Lila caught Cobie’s face in her hands and kissed her soundly, sweetly, completely, and too quickly. As she pulled away, all the air left Cobie’s lungs in a rush, and she realized with sudden certainty that they were in no way on equal footing after all.
• • •
“They did it again,” Mimi said without looking up as Stan walked into her office. Today, she wore a cream pantsuit à la Hillary Clinton. Fitting, imposing, clean, and competent, the aspect he favored most was the pair of black moon-shaped reading glasses perched low on her nose.
In Development Page 9