10

“Sorry that it’s not a fancier… or comfier… place,” I say, as I sit down on the other end of the couch in my trailer.

Blair Shen, the writer for Ence magazine, smiles as she sits down on the other end of the couch. She takes a notepad and a pen out of her bag. I watch as she opens the notebook and scribbles a line to make sure ink is flowing freely from the pen. If I had to guess, I’d say Blair is probably in her early twenties… which is cool because I didn’t think someone so young would get to go out and interview people for the magazine. I guess it makes sense, though, given what I would guess is the average age of their readers.

“So, how does this work?” I ask.

“I have a few questions… just to get us going… and then we can talk about whatever you want. Is that OK?”

“Yeah… that’s fine… whatever you think. I… I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“Just stop me if you have any questions.”

“OK,” I say, nodding and smiling.

“Are you ready to begin?”

I nod my head, take a drink from my water bottle and settle back onto the couch. Brian arranged everything, once I texted him my schedule, and he was able to get her to come after I finished shooting today. It’s not ideal, really, but they were anxious to get the story rolling. I only have one day off this coming week, so I agreed to do the photo shoot then.

“Is there anything you don’t want to talk about? Anything that’s off limits?”

“No… I don’t think so.”

I try to think of anything that might be, but nothing comes to mind.

“OK… good. I’ll just start with questions… and just try to answer them as naturally as possible.”

“Sure.”

Blair smiles, glances down at her notebook and then looks up at me.

“Tell me about growing up in Greenville.”

“What about it?”

“Did you like it?”

I frown at the question as I think about how to answer it. It seems like such a long time ago, even though it hasn’t been quite a year.

“Yeah, I did.”

“Tell me about it.”

“What do you want to know?” I ask.

“Anything… I just want you to tell me about it.”

I nod slowly as I think about Greenville and anything to do with the small town that might interest the readers of Ence. Nothing comes to mind right away… not a great way to start such an important interview.

“Did you have a boyfriend?” she asks, breaking the silence.

“Yeah… I did.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“What happened?”

I glance down at the floor and tap my foot. I’m not all that comfortable talking about Mitch and everything that happened, but I guess that’s the whole point of the article—to give people a story they might not have heard before. Here goes nothing.

“We were planning to go to college together, but I didn’t get in.”

“How come?”

“Well, I wasn’t sure at the time, but it turned out to be a mistake by the administration. I was supposed to get in, but I got a rejection letter.”

“That’s crappy.”

“It was gut-wrenching at the time. I decided to go anyway. I figured I could get a job and save up some money while being with my boyfriend. It turns out he had other ideas about where our relationship was heading.”

“He cheated on you?”

I nod as I look up from the floor. Blair is briskly writing down everything I’m saying.

“Then what happened?”

I take a deep breath and launch into the story of my life and how I ended up as an actress in Hollywood.

---

I walk through the front door and head toward the kitchen. The interview took almost three hours and it’s nearly nine. The last thing I ate was half a sandwich at lunch and my stomach was grumbling in protest the entire car ride home.

Gina’s car wasn’t out front, but I’m sure I’ll be able to find something in the fridge to at least snack on. As I walk over and pull the door open, I hear footsteps approaching the kitchen. I turn around and smile as Dex walks in.

“Hey,” I say.

“How are you?”

“Exhausted. You?”

He smiles and nods.

“Sounds about right. You’re home late. Long night on set?”

“No… I was doing an interview for Ence. I thought it was going to be quick, like an hour, but it took forever.”

Dex sits down at the table and sets his phone on it.

“Are they doing a piece on you?”

“Yeah. Brian arranged for them to do an article and they’re giving me the cover… so I still have to do a photo shoot for that.”

“Nice. How was the interview?”

“Fine… I guess. It was very… personal. I thought she’d ask more about the films I’ve done, but she kept wanting to know all about what led me to this place in my life.”

“Really?”

“Yeah… so… whatever. I guess she knows best what the readers want, so I just went along with it.”

“Did she ask about your mom?”

“She did, but I just said ‘She’s getting treatment right now and I hope that she’ll be well enough to go home soon’.”

“Good.”

I take a slice of leftover pizza out of the fridge and turn around.

“Do you want anything?”

“No, I ate already, thanks.”

I put the pizza on a paper towel and sit down across from Dex. I’m not the biggest fan of cold pizza, but I don’t feel like waiting to warm it up in the microwave… I just want to eat now.

“How have you been?” I ask, once I finish chewing a massive bite.

“Pretty good, I’ve been spending as much time with Brenda as possible. I’ve gone there a couple of times in the last few weeks.”

“How is everything going between the two of you?”

Dex smiles and takes a deep breath.

“Really amazing. It’s been so… lovely. She’s a great woman.”

I smile and nod in agreement. I’ve always loved Brenda and I’m so glad that they have each other. They are amazing human beings and deserved to meet a partner they could share their life with. Thinking about their relationship ever ending is sad, so I hope that it continues for many years to come—and I have complete faith that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

“She is. Brenda is an awesome lady… and a great mother-in-law.

She’s the kind of person that I wish my mother was, but I’m just glad to have her as a part of my life since the wedding.

“I’m glad,” Dex says, smiling as he quickly checks his phone.

I finish my slice of pizza and wipe my hands on my paper towel. I could totally eat more, plus there was another slice still in the fridge, but it’s already late and I should behave.

“Anything else exciting going on?”

“Not really… just the photo shoot for Ence.”

“That should be fun.”

“Yeah, I mean, I’m not really sure what to expect… but I think it’s going to be good. I’ve never done anything like that before… a serious photo shoot.”

“You’ll do amazing, I’m sure of it.”

I smile at Dex and nod. I hope he’s right. The idea of my photograph being on the cover of such a popular magazine is a little daunting, but I guess it’s not any scarier than millions of people watching me on a giant movie screen. It still somehow feels different.

“Thanks, I really appreciate it.”

He just smiles in return.

“So,” Dex says, “how are things with Rose?”

“I’m not sure what to say. Ever since that party… and her disappearance… she’s been really distant and she won’t talk about what happened.”

“That’s strange. I wonder if something bad happened….”

“Yeah… that thought crossed my mind, but I can’t help her if she doesn’t want to talk about it. I’m not really sure what to do.”

“Hmm… well… I guess it’s one of those things where you can’t help a person until they are ready for it.”

I nod and look down at the table. He’s probably right, but I still feel somewhat responsible since I was the one who pushed her to follow her dreams and become an actress—she would have never been in L.A. and she wouldn’t have been at that party.

“Anyway,” Dex says, “try not to worry… you’re a good friend and that’s what matters.”

“Thanks.”

“I should get to bed… I’ve got an early day tomorrow and then I’m going away this weekend.”

“To see Brenda?”

“Yes and no. I’ve gotta scout some locations in Arizona, so she’s going to meet me there.”

“Nice.”

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”

We stand up from the table and walk toward the stairs.

“Give Brenda my best,” I say.

“I will. She’s been asking when we’re going to see you and Spencer, but I told her it might be awhile because of his shooting schedule.”

“Unfortunately, yeah. I’d love for the four of us to get together, even for a couple of days, but I’m not sure when we can make it happen.”

“I get it,” Dex says, “and I’ll tell her that. She’s still his mother, so I don’t blame her.”

We both smile as we reach the top of the stairs.

“Goodnight.”

“Sleep good,” Dex says.

He walks down the hall and I look to see if Rose’s door is closed. It’s open, which is a surprise. I decide to check and see if she’s awake, but when I walk over there’s no light coming from her room. I glance inside. Her bed is still made. Weird. I shake my head as I walk down the hall to my room. I don’t care if she wants to go off and make a life for herself, that’s totally understandable, I just wish she would talk to me and tell me what’s going on with her.

I pick up my phone and climb under the covers, after brushing my teeth and washing my face. To my surprise, there’s a text from Spencer. I didn’t expect to hear back from him after we talked this morning. What a lovely surprise.

Hey, just getting ready to head to the set in a little while and wanted to check in and see how you’re doing and find out how your interview for Ence went.

I write a response and hit send.

I’m surprised to hear from again, twice in one day! (not that I’m complaining). Everything is going well here. The interview was good, but really long. I just got home a little while ago and had a quick bite while talking to Dex. He’s seeing your mom this weekend and she wants to know when she’s going to see us. I told Dex I wasn’t sure. That’s kind of it.

I roll my neck in slow circles in an attempt to work some of the kinks out of it. This movie has taken a toll on me physically, especially compared to the previous two I worked on, so I’m looking forward to a break. My phone chimes and I look down to read the message from Spencer.

I’m glad that your interview went well. Lol about my mom. I’m not surprised at all that she’s asking Dex that. She knows my shooting schedule, but I’ll text her with a ‘gentle reminder’ about it. I honestly have no idea when we’ll be able to visit, although it would be nice for the four of us to get together. I forgot to ask you earlier, but do you have any plans on going back to our house soon? I have something that needs to be delivered there, but I would need you to be there to sign for it.

I frown as I think about what he could have possibly ordered that couldn’t wait until he was home… and that I’d have to sign for. I write a text back and hit send.

Yeah, that’s what I told Dex. I don’t mind going over to the house to sign for something. I’m pretty busy this coming week, though. When is it supposed to be delivered and what is it?

I reach over and turn off my lamp, close my eyes and take a deep breath as I wait for him to text me back. It only takes a few seconds. I open my eyes and read the message from him.

Well, I know you’re busy, so just maybe pick a night when you can be there and I’ll have them deliver it then. I can’t very well tell you what it is because that would ruin the surprise.

I smile and shake my head. He’s something else. Spencer is on the other side of the world, in the middle of the most important shoot of his entire life… and he still found time to send me something. I’m already curious about what it could possibly be. I write out a text and hit send.

I guess Friday night would be best. I’ve got the photo shoot on Saturday, but that’s kind of it (we are shooting again on Sunday). I can probably be at the house around six or so, on the safe side. Let me know if that works.

I close my eyes, again, as I wait for him to text back. I can feel myself starting to fall asleep and I do my best to fight it… but it’s no use.