2
We climb out of my car and step onto the sidewalk.
“Where are we going?” Rose asks.
“I’m not hungry… and I assume you’re not either… so I thought we could do with a little retail celebration.”
I point at the store in front of us. Rose raises and eyebrow and nods slowly.
“Yeah… I don’t mind if that’s what you want to do, but I can’t really afford to buy any clothes right now.”
She didn’t give me the impression she was totally broke, I assumed she had some money left over from when she got paid for her role in Found Hope, but I was already planning to treat her today.
“I was going to buy you something, especially after everything you’ve been though.”
“You really don’t have to,” Rose says.
“I know I don’t have to, but I want to.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Now… let’s go spend some money.”
Rose smiles and nods as we walk toward the door of Gramercy. I’ve never been in here before, but Spencer has talked about it as being one of the high-end stores in L.A. where all the celebrities love to shop. It becomes obvious the moment we step inside—the store is full of one of a kind dresses and tops… and most of them are outrageous looking enough that I doubt the average person would dare to wear them outside their house.
We stop after a few steps and just absorb some of the craziness that is the epitome of this store. A smile forms on my face as I look around. The clothes are definitely unique looking, but some of them are beautiful.
“Welcome to Gramercy… can I help you find something?”
I wrinkle my nose at the skeptical tone of the lady walking toward us. She looks like a typical California girl… platinum blonde hair, a fake tan that makes her look like an orange and clothes that cling to her to body.
“We’re just looking,” I say.
She frowns and nods.
“Sure… let me know if you need anything. Our sale rack is over by that window.”
I glance toward where she’s pointing and see the small rack positioned by the window… I guess to draw people in. I turn back around, but she’s already walking toward the back of the store.
“Well,” Rose said, “that was… strange.”
“Yeah… I think she was suggesting that we weren’t here to buy anything… that or we couldn’t afford it.”
“Hmm… that’s weird.”
I shrug and walk toward a rack of dresses.
“It’s not that surprising, honestly,” I say. “People here tend to be… skeptical… of others. When I first got here, I was looking for a job… and went into a clothing store not far from here. The girls working there didn’t even give me the time of day and certainly weren’t going to tell their manager I was looking for a job.”
“Wow, that’s rude.”
“Yeah, it’s not something I really ever experienced growing up in a small town. I went back to the store, well… Spencer took me. The girls were desperate for his attention and couldn’t have cared less that I was standing right there.”
“But you’re an actress.”
“Whatever,” I say, “I don’t need people to treat me differently because of what I do for work.”
“That makes sense.”
I move to another rack once I don’t see anything that jumps out at me. I’m not looking to buy anything for myself, I’ve got enough clothes… and I don’t want to accumulate a bunch of stuff while staying with Dex—it would just be more stuff to move back when Spencer comes home. I guess I could head back to our house before then, since he won’t be back for a few months, but I don’t like the idea of my mom knowing where I am. She could always guess I’m staying with Dex… I just think she’s less likely to show up there because of everything that happened between them.
“You see anything you like?” I ask.
“Eh… not yet.”
“Me either.”
“You know,” Rose says, “you really don’t have to buy me anything… especially after how that girl treated us.”
I shrug and move to the next rack.
“Whatever… that’s her problem. I’m not going to let it bother me.”
Rose nods in agreement and walks over to a display along the wall. I take a blouse off the rack in front of me, check the price and then put it back. It’s kind of cute, but not five hundred-dollars cute. Rose picks up a dress, holds it up and turns toward me.
“What do you think?”
It’s a paisley pattern in black and white, short sleeves and it ends right around her knees. It’s strikes me as very conservative compared to most everything else in the store… and yet it looks exactly like something Rose would wear.
“I like it.”
The smile on her face fades in the blink of an eye as she looks at the tag. I walk over and take it out of her hand as she tries to hang it back up.
“Do you want it?” I ask.
“No.”
“I thought it looked cute.”
“It’s… yeah… I mean, I like it… but it’s too much.”
I look down at the price. Nine hundred. A year ago I couldn’t even comprehend the idea that a dress could cost that much, but I feel like it would be a nice gift for Rose—it’ll start her stay in L.A. on high point, especially since she just nailed her audition.
I smile and walk toward the register at the back of the store. Rose tails behind me, stuttering as she tries to figure out a way to protest my impending purchase.
The girl behind the counter looks up from her phone as we approach, but doesn’t even try to pretend that she was texting while on the clock.
“Yes?” she asks.
“I’d like to buy this.”
I put the dress down on the counter and pull out my card as she stands there, a look of shock on her face. She opens her mouth to say something, but I drop the card Spencer gave me on the counter and her eyes grow wide. Of course… she recognizes the black metallic card and now she has no problem helping us. She rings up the dress, puts it in a bag and runs my card without uttering a single word. I sign the receipt and we walk toward the door.
We both start laughing as we reach the sidewalk.
“Did you see her face?” I ask.
“So funny… it was like she saw a ghost.”
I shake my head and smile as we walk toward the car. I’m not sure why, but I definitely enjoyed seeing that look of shock on her face. I don’t care about being rich or famous… it’s nice, but I really just want people to treat me like I deserve… and sometimes that’s too much to ask of people like that girl. She will remember me if I go in there again, even though I see no reason to give my business to a store that allows employees to treat customers like that.
“Dex wanted to have dinner at six… is that okay with you?” I ask, as we get back in my car.
“You don’t mind me tagging along?”
“No… of course not. Dex said he’d like to meet you, too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Dex is… well… he’s amazing. He took me in when I really had nowhere to go. At first I didn’t like him… I thought he ruined my parent’s marriage, but then… then I found out the truth.”
I wince as my thoughts drift back to my mom. I’m still a little weirded out by her showing up at the house and going crazy. I never thought my own mother would be capable of really making me afraid… it’s so crazy.
“That’s nice.”
“Yeah,” I say, as I start the car and pull into a gap in the traffic.
There was a little hesitation in her voice when she spoke, almost as if she was surprised that Dex would want to meet her. I think people, even Rose, have this vision of him as this larger than life director who walks on clouds and can perform miracles. Dex is amazing, but people don’t know the real him… which is a shame. He’s such a kind and sweet man. It’s kind of sad that he never had kids because he would’ve been a great dad. I feel like I’m filling that void in his life, especially after having him there for my wedding… and it’s been something that’s great for both of us.
“I was thinking about just going back to the house and taking it easy… I’m still feeling worn out from the last couple of days on set,” I say.
“Sounds good.”
“You don’t mind?”
“No… of course not.”
“If you need to go anywhere, you can always take my car… or walk. I walked down to the main road a couple of times when I first moved in… it’s not that bad.”
“Okay… thanks.”
I smile at Rose and nod as I turn my eyes back to the road. It’s wonderful having her here… I was starting to feel kind of lonely without anyone else to talk to. Gina and Dex are great, but it’s nice to be around a girl my age… especially since I’m so busy that I don’t get to even talk to Jess as often as I’d like. I’m sure it’ll be different when Spencer is back, but that’s still going to be a while.
We walk back in the house. Gina is in the living room cleaning, so I stop to talk to her as Rose heads upstairs.
“Just wanted to let you know we’re back.”
“Did you need something to eat?”
“No,” I say, smiling and shaking my head. “We’re good… thanks.”
“Okay… let me know if you want some lunch.”
“I will, thanks.”
I head upstairs and stop in front of Rose’s door, which is slightly ajar.
“Rose?”
“You can come in.”
I push the door open and walk into the room. Rose is sitting on the bed with her script in hand. I’ve gotta give it to her… her audition went well, nothing is guaranteed in this town, but she’s still willing to continue learning the lines in case they give her the part. It’s wonderful to see that kind of work ethic in someone else… it’s the polar opposite of someone like Jarvis Green and it makes me wish I was working on another film with Rose. I hope we get that chance again one of these days.
“Gina said to let her know if you get hungry and she’ll make something.”
“Ugh… I’m still so stuffed from breakfast.”
“I know… so am I, but she’s always eager to feed me when I’m here... hence the swimming.”
Rose smiles and nods.
“Anyway,” I say, “I think I’m gonna go look over my script down by the pool if you want to join me or whatever.”
“Thanks, but I think I might take a nap in a few minutes.”
“Sounds good. I’ll come check on you later.”
“Okay.”
I turn and walk toward the door.
“Amy?”
I stop and turn around.
“Thanks again for buying me the dress… you really didn’t have to.”
“You’re welcome.”
I smile and close the door. She seems like such a nice person… it’s so easy for me to want to help her make it here in Hollywood. I had Spencer and Dex to support me and I’m more than happy to be there for her as she makes the same journey I made just a few months ago. She did have the chance to be in Found Hope, but that was different—it was a small role and she was living in the city where she grew up. Now… she’s on the other side of the country and I’m the only person she knows. Adding the pressure of trying to star in a movie on top of that and it becomes a daunting task for someone our age.
I get my script out of my room, change into my swimsuit, grab my sunglasses and head down to the pool. It’s not that warm yet, but I really don’t feel like sitting in my room for the next few hours.
My thoughts drift to my mom as I walk downstairs and head out to the pool. I’m still mad at her for lying about having cancer… I don’t think I’ll ever forgiver her for that… but I can’t help thinking about her. Life hasn’t been easy for her over the last year, even though most of that comes down to the choices she made. She’s still my mom, after all of that… and I feel like someday I’ll forgive her. Maybe then we can have a relationship. I tried to help her, I really did. It’s one of those cases where no matter how you want to help someone, they are the only they can change their own life.
I sit down on one of the chairs next to the pool, put my feet up and flip to the scene we’re shooting tomorrow. I’ve already got all of my lines, along with most of Jarvis’s, memorized… but I feel like I have to be extra prepared so I can carry the dead weight that Jarvis is. I do have a feeling, though, that our little confrontation will make things easier going forward.
I read through the first scene we’re supposed to shoot tomorrow and I set my script down on my lap. It’s going to be an… interesting scene to shoot. It relies heavily on dialogue with Jarvis, so I hope he’s up to the challenge.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath as the sun warms my skin. I’m frustrated by having to work with unprofessional co-stars in my last two films… but I have a feeling it’s something that comes with the job. Working with Spencer made everything so easy. I suppose I could be cast in another film with someone that’s as passionate as he is, but I can’t hold my breath—I realize that I’m very fortunate to be in the position I am and that I should be eternally thankful for everything I get to do.
After a few minutes of just sitting there, I open my eyes again and pick up the script. So long as I do my best, and try to motivate Jarvis to try harder, there’s no reason we won’t be able to make a film that Harriet is proud to put her name on… and that’s what really matters.