I open the door to my room, let out a deep sigh and sit down on my bed. I would have never guessed that listening to young girls audition and then cry when their dreams were dashed could be so exhausting.
After lunch we saw another thirty women, and Dex and Spencer didn’t seem happy with any of them. I could see the expression on Dex’s face change as the day went on. By the time he cut auditions short at four, he was starting to look a little defeated. Even the drive home in his glorious car didn’t seem to cheer him up.
When we got home he said he was going upstairs to decompress a little and he asked me to tell Gina he would be down at six for dinner. She seemed surprised, I guess this wasn’t the usual Dex.
I got off my bed, looked out the window and was greeted by a sight that I knew was coming, but I was still dreading with every fiber of my being—my mom was laying next to the pool, in a bikini no less. Why does she think it’s OK for a woman her age to be wearing a swimsuit like that? It doesn’t even look good….
Ugh. Thinking about actually having to talk to my mom is making me sick. I’m not sure why, it’s impossible for her to ruin my life any more than she already has. I would be fine if I never saw her again after what she put Dad and me through.
This is definitely one of those moments where I wish I could drive and had a car, because I would just leave in order to avoid talking to her. I take a deep breath, knowing that it’s going to happen sooner or later, no matter what I want. I’m eventually going to have to talk to her.
My phone chirps, a welcome distraction from thinking about my mom, so I pull it out of my purse expecting it to be a text from Logan. It’s not, it’s from Spencer.
Hey, Amy, I was wondering if you wanted to go out for a cup of coffee or something in a few minutes. I have a couple of things I want to talk to you about. Spencer.
I’m not even sure what to think. I have no idea how he got my number, because I certainly didn’t give it to him. Normally I would never agree to see him… I don’t want to be in that kind of position. I certainly don’t want to lead him on, but right now I’ll take any excuse to get out of the house if it means avoiding my mom.
Sure. You need to pick me up though.
Am I doing the right thing? Should I have said no? Probably, but it’s too late for that now.
I’ll be there in ten minutes.
I get up and go into the bathroom and brush my teeth. I contemplate changing my outfit, but he’s already seen me today so it might be kind of weird if I changed to go out for coffee. I toss my phone in my purse and head downstairs.
I pop my head into the kitchen, where Gina is busy cooking.
“I’m going out for a bit… with Spencer.”
She turns around and grins at me and nods.
“It’s not like that,” I say.
“Sure, it’s not. Will you be joining your mom and Dex for dinner?”
“Yeah, I can’t imagine I’ll be gone for more than an hour, we’re just going to get a cup of coffee.”
She nods and turns back to her cooking. I get outside just in time for Spencer to pull his black sedan through the gate and hop out.
“You ready?”
I nod as he rushes around the front of the car and opens the front door, waiting for me to get in. I feel my face turning red and I quickly duck into the car. I take a deep breath and calm myself before he climbs back in.
He pulls the car through the gate and turns toward Santa Monica Boulevard.
“So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“Oh… it’s not a big deal. We can just talk about when we get to the coffee shop.”
We’re quiet for the next couple of minutes as he drives. He turns onto Santa Monica Boulevard and parks in front of the coffee shop where I wanted to get a job. Really? Out of all the coffee shops in L.A., he had to bring me here? Well, the girl didn’t recognize me last time, so maybe she won’t this time either.
“You want to get coffee here?” I say.
He turns to me and gives me an inquisitive look.
“Yeah… why?”
“Never mind.”
I shouldn’t have said anything. It doesn’t really matter, the girl is either going to recognize me or she isn’t and I’m not sure why I even care.
We get out of the car, Spencer holds the door of the coffee shop open for me and we go inside. There’s a line, not nearly as long as last time I was here, and we wait our turn. I peek over the shoulder of the guy in front of me and see that it’s the same girl and she seems quite chipper. When it’s our turn I smile at her as I step up to the counter. Her happy expression quickly fades when she recognizes me.
“What do you want?”
“Two lattes and a blueberry muffin,” Spencer says.
She turns her attention to him and she no longer looks irritated with me, instead looking amazed that he’s standing in front of her. I force myself not to laugh. He pays for our coffee and the muffin and we stand to the side while they make them.
A young guy, who clearly doesn’t recognize Spencer sets our drinks and the muffin on the counter.
“Should we have these outside?” Spencer says.
I nod, grab my latte and follow Spencer outside. It’s a little warm outside, but I was starting to feel like we were starting to draw a little too much attention from the staff. We sit down at one of the tables outside and I take a sip of my latte.
“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” I say.
He pulls a piece of the muffin off and pops it in his mouth before pushing it toward me. I would love a piece, but I’m still feeling full from lunch.
“I’m good, thanks.”
He shrugs, pulls the muffin back and takes another piece off of it.
“I wanted to talk to you about today,” Spencer says.
“What about it?”
He takes a sip of his latte before he answers.
“I feel like Dex was a little discouraged. You would know better than me, since you rode in the car with him on the way home. Did you get that sense from him, or am I crazy?”
He’s right, but I’m not sure how Dex would feel about me sharing that with Spencer. I guess it’s alright….
“Yeah, I think he did seem a little off on the drive home.”
“Huh… I mean I know it wasn’t an easy day, he’s gotta be stressed. I hope that he’s OK.”
I find myself feeling a little sorry for Dex, which is such a strange feeling, and it’s not the first time. If I told myself six months ago that I would be living in the house of a major Hollywood director, working for him and that I felt sorry for him, I would have never believed it.
“Yeah.”
We both drink our lattes and Spencer finishes off the muffin before we say anything else.
“Thanks for the coffee.”
“Did you like it?”
“Yeah, it was good. I’m not a big coffee drinker, but I liked that.”
He smiles and nods. I notice that he glances over his shoulder for the second time in the last couple of minutes.
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah… I think there’s some paparazzi over there.”
I crane my neck and look. Sure enough, there are three guys standing just down the street with cameras, taking pictures. Crazy. I never thought that I would live to see paparazzi in real life… and if I did, they wouldn’t be taking pictures of me or someone I knew.
“Do you want to get out of here?” Spencer says.
“Sure.”
He cracks a smile and we get up from the table. When he said that, I assumed he meant we were going to get back in his car and head back to the house, but we start walking down the sidewalk.
“So, did you think any of the girls today could come close to what Dex is looking for?” I say.
“Not really.”
“Really?”
I felt the same way, but I figured maybe he saw something different. He is a famous actor after all and I’m a nobody.
“There were a couple that were borderline, and if anyone beside Dex was the director they would have probably been ready to use one of them, but he’s not going to compromise his vision by choosing the wrong actress.”
That makes sense. I could tell by Dex’s conversation with Erin that he was going to make sure he made the film that he wanted to make.
“What’s he going to do?”
Spencer is quiet for the next few minutes as we walk.
“I’m not sure. I have this feeling in my gut that we’ll find the right girl for the job.”
It’s good that he’s so optimistic… I just hope that Dex is feeling the same way about it.
“Let’s go in here,” Spencer says, taking my hand in his and pulling me into a store.
Before I realize it, we are standing in the boutique where I dropped off my resume… and lo and behold, the same two girls are working today. They notice us and their eyes grow wide when they realize who we are. I can see their eyes flick from me, realizing who I am, and then back to Spencer.
“Is there something we can help you find?” the girl on the left says, as she moves from behind the counter and approaches us.
Their suddenly friendliness now that I’m here with Spencer is irritating. It’s amazing to me how much they made fun of me when I came in alone and now they look like they will do anything for us… well for Spencer at least.
“We’re just looking.”
“Certainly… just let us know if there’s anything that we can help you with.”
I raise my eyebrow at the emphasis on the ‘anything’ and I turn to Spencer who doesn’t seem fazed by it. I wonder if this is the sort of treatment he gets on a regular basis.
“Thanks.”
Spencer turns toward one of the clothing racks and starts to browse the shirts hanging from it. I stand next to him and look, starting at the other end.
“What was that about?” he says, leaning closer to me.
“What do you mean?”
“They gave you a strange look, like they knew you or something. Have you been here before?”
I’m surprised that he noticed that in the seconds that they had their eyes on me.
“Yeah… I actually came here to apply for a job.”
He pulls a shirt off the rack, looks it up and down and then puts it back.
“Huh, well… I’m glad they didn’t hire you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Because, I think you’re going to do great as Dex’s assistant, the pay’s much better, I’m sure, and the movie business is a blast.”
He’s right about the pay and it’s probably a blast if you’re Spencer. I’m sure he makes a lot of money and has access to anything he could ever want… which is nothing like being an assistant.
Spencer, done looking at the rack, turns and points at the front window. I look and see the same paparazzi that were taking pictures of him at the coffee shop.
“They sure like you,” I say.
“I think they like making money.”
He walks over to a display of bikinis against the back wall. I glance at the girls, who are watching our every move from behind the counter, and walk over to Spencer.
“Do you need a new bikini?” I say, being a little bit of a smart ass since he’s looking at a display that only has women’s swimwear.
“No, but you do.”
His voice is flat and he sounds completely serious. I try to swallow, but my throat is so dry that I almost choke. He has instantly removed the last sliver of doubt from my mind about whether or not he noticed that my bra was see-through when I got out of the pool. I feel my face getting hot and I look away from him.
“Here, try this on.”
Spencer pulls a bikini set off a rack and extends it to me.
“I’m good, I don’t need a swimsuit.”
He grabs my hand and puts the hanger in it.
“Yes, you do. Now go try it on.”
I turn and walk toward the back corner of the store to the dressing room. I glance at the girls as I walk by, but their attention is consumed by Spencer. So crazy. I can’t imagine what it’s like to have people look at you like that.
I get in the changing room and take a deep breath as I look at myself in the mirror. Am I really doing this? I should be back home right now, getting ready to have dinner with Dex and my mom, but I would rather hang out with Spencer.
I try on the bikini and spin around in the mirror. It fits perfectly… I have no idea how Spencer could have known what size I wear. It’s black, with white polka dots and the soft fabric feels amazing against my skin. I glance at the price tag and I shriek.
“Is everything OK in there?” Spencer says.
“Yes… I’m fine.”
I look down at the price tag again, making sure that I wasn’t seeing things. How can a bikini cost ninety-seven dollars?
“Are you going to come out and let me see it?”
“No.”
I quickly change out of it and put it back on the hanger.
“Was I supposed to leave it in the dressing room?”
“Did it fit?” he says.
“Yes… but I’m not going to buy it.”
“I know, I am.”
“What?”
“I’m buying it, for you.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
He takes the bikini from my hands and sets it down on the counter and comes back with a gray dress and a pair of black pumps.
“Try these on.”
“I can’t let you buy me anything.”
“You can, and you will. Now go try this on.”
I reluctantly take the dress and the pumps and go back into the dressing room. I can tell that he’s not going to take no for an answer. I’m hesitant about letting him buy me anything… I don’t want him to get the wrong impression.
I put the dress on and look at myself in the mirror. It’s really nice, much nicer than anything I own. The dress is a sleeveless, knee-length and has a belt around the waist. The top is fitted and the bottom is flared. It fits perfectly. I don’t want to take it off. I pick up the shoes, which are also my size, and lean my hand against the wall as I put them on.
“How does it fit?”
“Perfectly.”
I don’t dare look at the price tag.
“Come out so I can see.”
I hesitate… I don’t know why, but a part of me doesn’t want to let Spencer see me like this. I open the door and walk out into the store. The girls turn and look at me, the same surprised look is on their faces as when we came in.
“It looks fantastic,” Spencer says.
He’s right… it does. I hope that someday I’ll be able to actually afford to own clothes like these. I turn and start walking back to the dressing room.
When I come out, wearing my clothes, which suddenly feel very… ordinary, Spencer is at the counter talking to the women. He turns and flashes me a smile.
“Where’s the dress?”
“I left it in the dressing room. Isn’t that where I’m supposed to leave it?”
He nods to one of the girls and she hurries off and comes back with the dress and the shoes and sets them on the counter next to the bikini. I also notice a gray shoulder bag that matches the dress, on the counter.
“I….”
Spencer turns to me and smiles.
“Please, just let me buy this as a thank you for what you’re doing for Dex.”
I fail to see how my working for Dex, as his assistant, makes me deserving of such a reward… but I’m starting to get the impression that trying to talk some sense into Spencer is a losing battle and I might as well just let him buy me the clothes. I have a feeling this might come back to haunt me, but I’m not sure what I can do other than to flat out reject his offer and I don’t think that would help my situation with Dex now that he’s been gracious enough to give me a job.
“Alright.”
His face lights up and he pulls his wallet out of his back pocket and puts a credit card on the counter. One of the girls rings everything up and puts it all in a large bag.
“Your total is seven hundred and forty-six dollars and twelve cents.”
“Wonderful. What a bargain,” Spencer says.
Holy crap. Seven hundred dollars?!? I can’t even wrap my mind around buying that much stuff for that kind of money.
“Spencer?” I say.
He holds up his hand as the girl runs his card and hands it back to him along with the slip to sign. He signs it and hands me the bag as he puts his card back in his wallet. I still feel like I’m in a little bit of shock as we walk out of the door.
I look around when we get outside and the paparazzi seem to be gone. We head back in the direction of the car and I feel a sense of relief pass through me… I don’t think I could take him spending a single penny more on me.
“That was very kind of you, Spencer, you didn’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I wanted you to have something nice to wear to work… for tomorrow.”
“What’s tomorrow?”
He turns to me and winks while flashing me a huge smile.
“What? Is something happening tomorrow that I don’t know about?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he says.
I don’t like the sound of that. I have a feeling that he’s going to do a wonderful job of doing something stupid that will embarrass the crap out of me and I’m not looking forward to it. The problem is that he’s just bribed me and I can’t do a thing about stopping him. Fantastic.
I guess tomorrow is going to be a rather interesting day.