After much prayer and having her arm twisted by Minerva, Jewel set out with Craig to set fire to the industry. Just as Mai predicted, the unveiling of Jewel’s first piece at the Indie Film Festival was a phenomenal success, which only upped the ante for the festivals to follow. Jewel and Craig were bombarded by journalists and photographers, all wanting to know every detail of their lives and their collaboration and to capture every moment.
Just as he’d promised, Craig was with Jewel every step of the way. It had been a while since she’d been under the glare of the spotlight, but with Craig by her side she glided instead of stumbled, and before long it was second nature again.
The biggest coup was the early premieres at targeted theaters. At the end the audiences actually stood for a good five minutes, shouting, applauding and stomping their approval. Upon their exit from the theater, the lobby was lined with Jewel’s art, which served as the nightcap of the evening and reinforced the audience’s theater experience.
The reviews were stellar, one after the other touting the brilliance of the film and the creative genius of the art. The pairing of the two had set the marketing world on its ear. Things only got better when Craig was nominated for a Golden Globe for best picture and best director. And he was informed that Milan Chase received a nomination for best actress.
Jewel leaped up into his arms and squealed with delight the minute he put the phone down.
“Oh, my God. This is so wonderful! Congratulations, baby.” She kissed him long and hard. “You deserve this.” She caressed his face. “So proud of you.”
“We did this. Me and you. Don’t ever think otherwise,” he said, looking deep into her eyes. “It was your home that set the tone. That meant everything. And your renderings bring it all together. We did this.”
She grinned. “If you say so, Mr. Golden Globe nominee.”
“I want you there.”
“Where?”
“At the Globes.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.” He cupped her face in his hand. “Every step of the way...together, me and you.”
He hadn’t spoken to Milan since they’d completed the final edits months earlier, he thought as he held Jewel close. She’d called and left messages on his cell phone, but he’d never called back. Now with her getting the nomination, they would be thrown back in each other’s paths. Not a journey he was looking forward to taking.
* * *
“You can’t turn down these interviews, man,” Anthony admonished. “It’s going to hurt your chances and the chances for the film. We open nationwide in a week. You have a major nomination along with your lead actress. People want to see you together.”
Craig rocked his jaw and slowly paced the floor of his hotel suite.
“At least do one. Entertainment Tonight. They’re fair and fun. It’ll be easy. Besides, you’ve been able to keep your distance from Milan so far. You’ve been in the same cities on the same tours.”
“Yeah, but the focus has never just been on me and her. It’s not a good look, Tony. There’s no telling what Milan may say or do.”
“Look, everything is taped. If she does something crazy, we get it cut out before it airs.”
He turned to his longtime friend. “All right, tell them I’ll do it. But I swear, if this thing goes to hell, I’m blaming you.”
“Duly noted.”
* * *
When Craig and Anthony arrived at the studio, they were swept into the green room, prepped and offered food and drink to bide their time.
“You have about a half hour before they get started. I’m going to check on a few things and I’ll be back.”
“Cool.” He settled on the couch and plucked a grape from the bunch.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come on in.”
The door eased open, and Milan stepped into his line of sight. He sat up on the couch. “Milan, what are you doing here?”
She stepped fully into the room and shut the door behind her. “I thought we should talk first.”
“Really? About what?”
“About all the mess that has gone down between us.” She sighed and folded her hands in front of her. “When we were together, whether you believe it or not, I really cared for you. Really. I knew I wasn’t a big star or a famous model, I was just me. I used to pinch myself to be sure that I wasn’t dreaming. Me, Milan Chase from Newark, New Jersey, in a relationship with you.” She chuckled without humor. “I didn’t think you would stay,” she said. “I figured it was only a matter of time.”
“You didn’t have to lie to me, Milan.”
She lowered her head. “I know. I know that now. But I thought if I told you that I was pregnant that you would stay with me.”
“There never was a baby, Milan! You lied. I did care about you. I could have...maybe cared more. But what you did—” he shook his head “—was unforgivable. To lie and say that you lost it. To pretend to be devastated.” He rubbed his face with his hands then looked up at her. “If I hadn’t seen the text message from your partner in crime, Delys, I may have never known.”
“I’ve said I’m sorry. It won’t change what I did. I accept that, but what I came here to say was thank you.”
“For what?”
“For giving me this chance, after all the shit I put you through. I know that you could have picked hundreds of other actors for the part, but you chose me.” Her voice wobbled.
“Because regardless of what you think, you are a helluva good actress. I saw that in you. I knew you could do this, and now you’ve proven to the world that you can. All you have to do now is have the same belief in yourself that I have in you. This is only the beginning, Milan. You have an amazing future ahead of you. But lies and backstabbing—” he shook his head “—will take you down.”
She sniffed and smiled while trying not to cry. “They’re going to have to redo my makeup.”
He got up and crossed the room to stand in front of her. “You’re a star. Go get the star treatment.”
She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.” She walked out and straight into Anthony.
A look of panic crossed Anthony’s face when he saw her wiping her eyes. “Everything cool?”
“Very,” she said and hurried past him.
Anthony came in and shut the door. “What was that about?” he asked, hooking his thumb over his shoulder.
“Finally settling some old business. It’s all good.” He clapped Anthony on the back. “Let’s get this done. I need to go home to my woman.”