Chapter Nineteen
Maryland, Four Months Later
The past four months had been terrible. I'd come home to Maryland after the disastrous sex and cried my eyes out on Kat's shoulder. I'd drank all the wine in my cabinet and demolished all the ice cream in my freezer. After two weeks of moping, I'd decided to put my big girl pants on and began writing again.
I'd agonized over the ending to the Pirate Duke series for a month. Then it finally hit me- the most obvious conclusion of all. Everyone gets a happy ending. Rafe and Emmeline set sail together with their son Caspian when he's old enough, living out their lives on the high seas. This way Rafe gets the sea, Emmeline gets Rafe, and Caspian gets to be a pirate.
It certainly hadn't been easy to get over Tyler when he wouldn't stop calling me. He'd finally stopped calling after three weeks of me ignoring his calls, to both my relief and my dismay. I assumed he'd just moved on to any one of the bevy of women he had stashed in his cell phone. They'd certainly seemed accommodating enough to help him forget all about me.
It was especially hard when I went to the supermarket and saw Tyler and Vanessa splashed all over the gossip rags. They'd been declared America's new It Couple. Part of me was vindicated because I'd been right all along. The justification didn't make the devastated part of me feel any better, though. So I ran. I ran a lot. It was a vicious cycle of feel bad, run, eat, endorphins on high, feel bad again, then repeat the process. Fortunately, all the running I was doing was offsetting the eating, and I was in the best shape of my life.
I had unashamedly, in a moment of drunken weakness, rented a few romantic comedies and had a Tyler Sutton movie marathon while moping. I might've wiped away a tear or two. I didn't tell anyone, not even Kat, about this rather pathetic night, and it shall never be spoken of again.
I'd been staying at my parents' house since I got back because I was in the process of buying a home and didn't want to rent an apartment in the interim. My new house was great- white picket fence in a great neighborhood, four bedrooms- one of which I could turn into an office on the first floor, a fireplace, and a claw foot tub. I couldn't wait to move in and start making it a home.
I was currently sitting on my parents' back patio, though, legs up on the chair across from me, book in my lap and face upturned to the October sun. I'd taken a break from writing after I'd finished the last Pirate Duke book to catch up on my to-be-read list and relax a little. So far, I'd gotten through twenty-six books and was about to finish my twenty-seventh, so I was doing pretty well.
"Sweetheart?"
I looked up at my mom, who was holding a cup of coffee out to me. I accepted it with a nod of thanks and took a sip.
"How's your book?" She nodded at the book currently face-up in my lap.
"Wonderful. I'm almost done."
Mom nodded, sitting back to enjoy the unseasonably warm day with me. "Oh, I almost forgot. You have a message from someone called Dayna. She wants you to call her back immediately. You left your cell phone in the kitchen. I wasn't snooping."
I took my cell phone from her outstretched hand. "Thanks."
Mom looked at me for a long moment, observing. "My little girl," she said, standing up and kissing me on the forehead.
"I'm a twenty-eight-year-old homeowner," I protested.
"Still my baby girl," she said. "Call your friend back."
She walked back into the house, and I shook my head as I dialed Dayna's number.
"Hello, stranger," she replied.
I smiled. "Hey there. You rang?"
"Yeah. I'm surprised you're returning my calls, considering you ghosted all of us a week before shooting was done. Doug was about to blow a gasket that last week and made my life hell." I rolled my eyes at Dayna's unabashed guilt trip. Had she been talking to my mother?
"I'm sorry. I had to leave though. I got permission from Doug," I said.
"I know. I'm just giving you shit. And I'm going to leverage that guilt to get you to go to the premiere this weekend. I met a guy and want to take him as my date, but Lauren wants to go too," Dayna said.
"Oh," I said, failing to see the issue.
"That's where you come in. We only get one plus one. Take Lauren as yours, and I'll take the guy," Dayna waited while I hesitated, ready to say no. "Are you going to break a little girl's heart and say no?" I could practically see Dayna's pout over the phone.
"No." I sighed. "I'll come. But I need to steer clear of a certain...someone."
Dayna whooped. "It'll be easy for you to avoid him. I'll let Lauren know. You should come a day early so we can all go dress shopping together."
"Fine." I paused. "Were you really going to ditch Lauren to take a guy you just met to the movie premiere?"
"Hell no. I just said that so you'd agree to come. You've already agreed now, and no take-backsies." Dayna hung up before I could reply.
Into the belly of the beast, I went yet again.
∞∞∞
I stood on Dayna's doorstep, suitcase in hand, and rang the doorbell. There was a commotion inside, and Lauren opened the door alongside a pretty redheaded preteen.
"Brixley, this is Olivia, Dayna's writer friend," Lauren said, pulling me into the doorway eagerly.
"Cool." Brixley's tone of voice did not indicate that she thought that was cool at all. She looked at me briefly with disinterest, then went back to texting. Lauren looked at me brightly and shrugged, then followed Brixley into the living room.
"Hey there, good-looking," Dayna said, coming from the kitchen in a loose-fitting tee shirt and yoga pants. "You ready for dress shopping?"
"As I'll ever be." I placed my suitcase in the doorway between the hall and the living room, stretching out and looking longingly at the couch. Plane rides were never comfortable, and I always wanted to take a nap afterward.
"Brixley, go home!" Dayna shouted. "Lauren, we're leaving in ten minutes!"
"You're sending a twelve-year-old home alone?" I asked in surprise.
"She's thirteen. She'll be fine." Dayna deadpanned. "Kidding. She'll call herself a Lyft to get home. I'll make sure she gets in it."
"Oh." I let out the relieved sigh I hadn't known I was holding in. "Thank goodness."
Dayna gave me an odd look. "Has being away for a few months addled your brain? GIRLS! ANSWER ME!"
"Okay, geez, Mom," Lauren said, appearing in the hallway with Brixley right behind her.
"That's not the insult you think it is, Lo," Dayna said affectionately.
"My Lyft is here," Brixley announced. We all watched as she got into the car and it drove away, then left right after her. We arrived at a fancy dress shop that had absurdly unwarranted prices, and Dayna assured me that we could bill it to the production company.
The Parisian shop owner, Mireille, assessed us from top to bottom with her finger on her lips, contemplating. She pointed at me first. "For you, I zeenk leetle black dress. Will emphasize hips and breasts." She pointed at Dayna now. "For you, evening gown. You are dramatic, zis I can see. Embrace it. And you, leetle girl," she said, looking at Lauren. "I have something extraordinary for you."
Mireille disappeared into the stock room and reappeared holding three distinct dresses. Mine was an above-the-knee black cocktail dress, a floor-length sparkling deep blue gown for Dayna, and a gauzy, shimmery pale pink taffeta gown for Lauren, who squealed when she saw it.
My dress had to be taken in at the waist, and Dayna's had to be hemmed, but Lauren's dress fit her like a magic glove. Its top half glittered with sequins, snug against Lauren's body, and the flowy taffeta bottom half made Lauren look like a fairy princess. I almost had a heart attack when I saw the price for it, but the price was worth it for the boost of a young girl's self-esteem.
We paid extra to have our dresses tailored that day so they'd be ready in time for the premiere, and as we waited, we went shoe shopping. I wanted to wear flats, but Dayna poo-pooed this idea.
"You want to be comfortable your first time on the red carpet?" Dayna asked disbelievingly.
"Yes?"
"No," she said. "You want to be fabulous."
"Now you sound like Mireille," I told her.
"Mireille knows what she's talking about. That's why we just gave her thousands of dollars for three dresses," Dayna retorted, handing me a pair of strappy heels that looked significantly more impossible to walk in than the flats I'd just been wearing. "These will emphasize those kick-ass runner's legs of yours."
Her flattery worked on me. I tried them on and was pleasantly surprised by how light and comfortable they were to walk in. No wobbling! "These are great," I demurred.
Dayna nodded knowingly and chose a pair of tall stilettos for herself and pair of wedges for Lauren. We headed back to pick up our dresses, which were already done being tailored and ready for us.
Purchases in hand, we went back to Dayna's apartment for a night of snacks, wine, and girl talk. We spread cucumber masks on our faces and talked about nothing and everything until we fell asleep on the living room floor. When we woke up, it was time to head to the salon. It was Saturday, and we had a movie premiere to attend.
∞∞∞
A lot of things in Hollywood aren't what I'd imagined they'd be like, but the red carpet was not one of those things. It was every bit as glamorous and glitzy as I thought it'd be, bulbs flashing and a palpable buzz of excitement. It was absolutely one of the coolest experiences of my life.
I made my way down the red carpet with Lauren at my side and Dayna following close behind. We had to stick close to Doug since Dayna was still working this event, and Doug tended to be needy in high-pressure occasions like these. Photographers clicked away when I walked past them, surprising me. Why would anyone be interested in the writer of the screenplay? It's not like anyone would recognize me anyway.
The moment I'd been dreading since my plane's wheels had touched tarmac was finally here. I spied Tyler out of the corner of my eye, getting out of a limo and adjusting the jacket of his tuxedo. He reached back into the car, and a slim hand reached out to enclose over his. Tyler helped Vanessa out of the car and shut the door after her.
I can't lie and say it didn't burn me to my core to see them arrive together, even though I'd been expecting it. Tyler caught my eye and his mouth set in a hard line, something he quickly fixed as he turned away to face the cameras. Vanessa held on to his arm tightly, beaming and coyly deflecting questions about her and Tyler's relationship.
I tried my best to ignore this spectacle and hurried down the carpet, anxious now to get inside the theater and find my seat. Lauren, who was soaking up all the attention, pouted mightily, as only a twelve-year-old girl could. We found our seats and placed our purses down, and I instructed Lauren to stay put while I went to the ladies' room.
The ladies' bathroom in the ancient theater was more of a lounge than a regular old bathroom, complete with a sitting room and a powder room in addition to the toilets. I used the mirror in the powder room to adjust my makeup, which was running a little from the heat of the photographers' flashing bulbs.
I was reapplying my lipstick when Vanessa appeared in the mirror next to me, patting her perfect hair. She glanced at me coldly and sneered.
I was taken aback by her unfamiliar disdain. She was usually haughty, sure, but never outright nasty. If anything, she should be glad I did what I did. I cleared the path for her and Tyler to be together. I greeted her. "Hey, Vanessa. You look gorgeous."
"I know," she said shortly.
I narrowed my eyes. Why was Vanessa being so rude to me? She had always been haughty, sure, but we'd always gotten along pretty well. Could Vanessa be jealous of me and Tyler's past? Maybe she was just being possessive. "Is something wrong?" I ventured.
She stared at me for a long minute as if she couldn't believe I was asking. "You hurt him, you know."
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"Tyler. All your back and forth bullshit really messed him up. He's only just getting over it. Stay away from him tonight. He may be too polite to say it, but I'm not. I'll be damned if I let you hurt him any more than you already have," she snarled. She checked her teeth in the mirror and pasted on a movie star grin. "Enjoy the movie."
"I hurt him?" I asked incredulously. "You've got it backward."
"You're wrong," Vanessa said, then sashayed out of the powder room, leaving me to stare at my reflection forlornly.
I went back to my seat, where Lauren was looking around curiously, wondering where I'd been. I nodded at her and sat, patiently waiting for the cast and director to go up on stage and do a short question and answer session to introduce the movie. I'd known this was going to happen because I'd declined to be a part of it. I had far too much stage fright to go in front of an audience like that, and besides, there wasn't a chance in hell I wouldn't trip over my shoes and fall flat on my face.
Tyler stood front and center on the stage, graciously accepting the applause from the crowd- and taking the lascivious comments from some of the bolder women in stride. There were a few basic questions asked about what it was like to work together, what the preparations for different roles were, whether or not there'd be a sequel. Then everyone took their seats, and the movie began.
I tried not to let what Vanessa had said affect me, but it did. I considered it throughout the movie. It was hard not to when Tyler's face was splashed onto the big screen in front of me. What had Vanessa meant when she'd said I was wrong? I couldn't be wrong. I'd seen the evidence on his cell phone. Clearly, she was just defending her man. I focused on watching the movie, which was an experience in and of itself.
From the second the studio logo appeared on screen, I was blown away. I'd been there for shooting, obviously, but seeing everything all put together was an occurrence that defined my career for me.
The very last scene of the movie featured Rafe and Emmeline sailing away on the Fair Maiden, blouses and hair blowing in the wind.
"Where are we going, milord?" Emmeline asked, looking up at Rafe adoringly.
"On an adventure, my love." Rafe looked out at the horizon, chest bared in a wide stance with his hands on his hips while he looked out from the crow's nest.
The music swelled, and the credits rolled. I waited for the names to start scrolling up on the screen, eagerly awaiting the crowd's reaction. Would they like it? Would they find it too sappy? As soon as Tyler Sutton's name adorned the screen, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause, and my heart burst with pride. They'd loved it. Of course, they could just be pretending because the cast was here, but it seemed unlikely given the enthusiastic faces of everyone around me.
"How's it feel?" Dayna asked, leaning over Lauren.
"How's what feel?"
"Knowing your whole life is about to change." She winked at me and stood up to find Doug.
I hadn't considered that. I mean, the money had been life-changing on its own. The notoriety was going to suck. Good thing Tyler and I had never gone public with our affair, except for that ill-advised day at the Santa Monica Pier.
Speaking of Tyler, I figured I should probably address him at some point to congratulate him on the movie. I didn't have to address any of the other stuff-I don't think I was ready to. I was ready to try to be friends again, or at least be polite. Lauren was busy talking with Doug and Dayna, so I made my way to the front row, where Tyler was giving out autographs and answering questions from fans. I was willing to let bygones be bygones and to give up all the anger and hurt I had surrounding Tyler.
He eyed my approach warily, continuing to sign autographs, but did not attempt to acknowledge me. Vanessa, who was standing at his side, gave me such a fierce look that I considered changing course and walking the other way. I squared my shoulders, though, and held out a hand.
"You guys were great. Seeing the characters up on screen made me tear up, truly," I said, somehow keeping my voice from wobbling. Vanessa shook my hand first, her touch dainty and quick. Tyler took my hand and dropped it as if he'd rather be doing anything but touching me.
"Thanks," he muttered. His million-dollar smile turned back on when he turned to another autograph seeker.
"You're welcome," I said. I stood there awkwardly for a half a minute too long, shifting from foot to foot, before I decided to throw in the towel. "I'm just going to go now."
"You do that," Vanessa said in a low, icy voice.
I nodded and walked away with my head held as high as I could. I promised myself not to look back to see if Tyler and Vanessa were laughing at me.
I was stopped by Doug while I was on my way outside to find a taxi. "Olivia! Cookie loved the movie," he said. "Outstanding job that we did. Will you be joining us at the after party?" He slung an arm over my shoulder, leading me towards the exit.
"That's probably not a great idea," I said. "I'm not exactly in a mood to party."
"You owe it to me. Remember how I let you off the hook for the last week of shooting?"
Doug leveled me with a stare.
"I do remember that. I was going through a personal crisis," I said.
"Are you going through a personal crisis right now?"
"My whole life is a personal crisis."
The exasperation in my voice made Doug chuckle. "So come have a vodka cranberry at the after party and forget about how shitty your life is. It's being held at my house. You ever been in a mansion before? My house makes Versace's house look like a shack."
I sighed, checking my watch. "All right. I'll come for one drink."
"Maybe two."
"Doug!"
"All right, all right. Go with Dayna. She knows the way." With that, Doug flitted off to socialize and schmooze some more.
Looks like I was going to a party.