Chapter 2

Afterward, he would remember noticing the grips wheeling in the potted palms when he stormed onto the soundstage. Not that it would have made a difference in his trajectory. But just maybe, if he hadn’t been quite as incensed at how myopic the studio could be, or infuriated that he was going to have to share any kind of screen time with a no-talent wannabe like Jack Wells, he would have seen the giant fronds passing by out of the corner of his eye.

His shin caught the rim of the bucket of sand in which the palm sat, sending Paul careening sideways. The grip dropped the dolly in alarm, but when the tree teetered from the impact of its base hitting the floor, the burly man chose to save it rather than the unfortunate actor now sprawled along the edge of a beach set.

Slow clapping drew his furious gaze back to Jesson. “Want my advice, Paul? Keep that particular move to yourself.”

Paul pushed himself to a seated position, refusing to rub his shin, even though it throbbed. In an effort to protect his pride, he wrapped himself in another layer of anger. “Are you going to stand there clapping like a monkey or are you going to help me up?”

With a bemused smile, Jesson set aside his notepad and stood. “Should I not consider helping you get choreography credit on this new project then?” he asked, holding his hand out.

Paul took his hand and allowed Jesson to pull him to his feet. “Maybe you should consider trying very hard if you want me to help you make Jack Wells look good.”

His chuckle didn’t exactly fill Paul with confidence. “See you Monday.”

The chuckle followed him out of the sound stage. He squinted against the bright sun, wishing he had remembered his shades before storming out of his house. It would be best to go home, put ice on his leg, and find something to distract him from his current plight. He marched over to the parking lot, but swerved at the last second to head toward the small building that housed the assistants and their staff. He still had one ally on the lot. And he wasn’t going to go home until he had exhausted every avenue and bitched to every friendly ear that would listen.

He didn’t bother to knock once he reached Martin’s door. He never did. He flung it open with all the force of his anger. “Have you talked to Jesson at all today?”

As one of Paul’s oldest friends in Hollywood, Martin Pryce didn’t even get flustered at the startling entrance. He marked the page of the script he’d been reading and tossed it onto his desk, then stood and crossed to the pot of tea he always had ready, no matter when Paul showed up. “I’m assuming they told you about Jack Wells.”

“Yeah, theytold me. How long have you known about it?”

“Just since yesterday.” His long, slim fingers expertly handled the cups of steaming tea, putting the one lump of sugar in Paul’s that he always took. “They asked if I’d like to be the bearer of the good news.” He was obviously fighting a smile as he held out Paul’s tea. “Considering how I thought you were going to react, I declined.”

“You should have told me as soon as you found out. Look at how my chickenshit agent decided to tell me.” He thrust his palm out, remembering too late that he had dropped the telegram at Jesson’s feet. Martin smiled and pressed the handle of the cup into Paul’s fingers. “Thanks. And Jesson is just a moron. It’s amazing that guy still has a job.”

Martin waved Paul toward the couch, picking up his own tea before joining him. “Lilah and I had plans last night. If I’d told you, you would’ve trapped me for hours doing just this, Lilah would have locked me out of the house for standing her up, and nobody would have had a good night. This way was better.”

“No, it really wasn’t. We’ve got to stop this from happening, Marty. Jesson doesn’t get it, but I know you do.”

Marty ducked his head and sipped his tea. His glasses did little to hide the sudden wariness in his eyes. “Did Jesson not tell you this was Schary’s idea?”

“Yes, but Schary isn’t completely irrational. You could talk to him. He likes you. He’s even invited you to lunch a few times.”

“Yes…except I don’t think he’s necessarily wrong in this case.”

Paul’s mouth literally fell open. “You’re kidding me. Please tell me you’re kidding.”

“I could. I’d be lying, though.”

“Come on, Marty. Jack isn’t the type of guy you want to act with. You’ve seen his movies. He’s selfish with his costars. He overacts everything. He’s young. He’s inexperienced. I don’t want to work with him.”

Setting aside his tea, Martin shifted on the couch to face Paul, bending his knee so it rested between them. “I’m going to say something here, and I already know you’re not going to like it, but I’m going to say it this one time and get it out there, because you’re my best friend and you need to hear it, understand?” He didn’t wait for a response. “You reallyneed to get over this Jack Wells problem you have. It’s okay to feel threatened by him, but honestly, you have nothing to worry about.”

“Threatened? Threatened?Why would I be threatened by somebody like Jack? If he’s what Hollywood really wants—some shallow, no-talented, pretty boy hack—then maybe that’s my sign that I should retire.”

“There’s more than enough room for both of you. There always has been. And yet, you’ve harbored these issues with him ever since you dragged me to go see his first movie.”

“Because he shouldn’t be inmovies. Christ, why am I the only one who gets this? And now I have to put up with him every day for weeks. Maybe even months. Then there’s the publicity. I don’t know, Marty, maybe you should just shoot me now.”

“I’m not going to shoot you. Schary would shoot me then.”

“How am I supposed to get through this, Marty?”

“One day at a time. Honestly, I don’t think it’s going to be as bad as you think. I’ve met Jack. He’s a very charming, personable young man.” He paused. “When he wants to be.”

“Oh, great, that’s just what I need to deal with. A no-talent, pretty boy hack who acts like a brat. Lovely. That’s lovely.” Paul straightened. “You’ve got to work on this shoot. I won’t get through it otherwise.”

“Jesson already has—” Martin stopped when Paul opened his mouth to argue again. “I’ll see what I can do. I can’t make any promises, though.”

“Get Lilah involved if you have to. There’s isn’t a man alive who can deny her anything.”

“Yes,” Martin said dryly. “Because prostituting my wife’s charms always works so well for me.” He shook his head. “You know, there isn’t a single person involved in this project that believes you and Jack aren’t going to be gold together.” Paul winced at his casual repeat of Jesson’s words, though Martin didn’t notice. “He’s not nearly as talentless as you seem to think. I think you’re going to be quite surprised once you work with him, one on one.”

“I think the biggest surprise this experience will hold for me is that Jack is capable of actual speech,” Paul muttered.