5 scheming

Dave Jensen, noticed by Jenny Jane, had been frequenting Hollywood Star for three consecutive days. Every afternoon at two o'clock sharp, he'd arrive to order a coffee, make several phone calls, and occasionally peruse some documents before disappearing into the building opposite Hollywood Star.

In his mid-thirties with a receding hairline and a bit overweight, Dave dressed casually in a jacket and different styles of flannel pants, appearing like one of the many down-on-their-luck agents prevalent in Hollywood—too broke to afford a decent suit. Jessica, another head waitress at Hollywood Star, held an unfavorable impression of him due to his awkward attempt at flirting with her, which she promptly and unceremoniously rebuffed.

During their break time, Jenny and Jessica discussed him once. Jessica smoked outside in an alleyway, offering Jenny a cigarette, which she toyed with but didn't light.

Jessica speculated through a puff of smoke, eyeing the six-story building across the street, "He must be one of those small-time agents trying to land roles for his actors." There was envy mixed with jealousy in her voice as she noted, "There's been quite a lot of action going on over there lately; lots of hopefuls coming and going."

In Los Angeles, the entertainment industry is a major economic pillar, and a floor in the office building opposite Hollywood Star was rented by a TV production department under Time Warner. During certain times of the year, the area bustled with activity, and Hollywood Star would also experience a surge in business during these periods.

These specific times usually corresponded with the pre-production stage of new TV series, typically occurring between May and June, when fall season pilots were being prepared. After script outlines passed executive scrutiny, the production teams would start assembling casts, looking beyond the main stars to fill numerous supporting roles. The location of Hollywood Star was conveniently close to Hollywood proper while maintaining relatively low rent, making it an affordable choice for casting offices.

Jenny remarked that it was about the audition period and pocketed the cigarette without lighting it, asking Jessica if she planned to give it a try.

Jessica stayed at Hollywood Star because of its proximity to Time Warner's auditions, viewing it as her stepping stone to success. However, after a year working there, all she managed was sleeping with a few security guards from the opposite building, never successfully connecting with any casting department heads. Without such connections, she couldn't get into the selection pool of casting directors and was repeatedly turned away by security guards whenever she tried to crash auditions. Having wasted a year, she recently shifted her focus, applying for modeling gigs and contacting a modeling agent.

Jenny brought up a sore subject, causing Jessica's face to darken. "If you're not smoking it, give it back."

"My shift is starting soon," Jenny explained – though Jenny Jane sometimes smoked, Chen Zhen did not.

Jessica ignored her explanation, demanding the cigarette back. Jenny shrugged, returning it, and said, "I need to get back inside. Hey Jess?"

Jessica raised an eyebrow, still looking frosty.

"I know you have an audition next week. Good luck!" Jenny offered, raising a fist. Jessica's expression softened, and they bumped fists.

"You too, sis."

With a smile, Jenny walked back into the restaurant. About five minutes later, she saw Dave enter and promptly took over serving him from Jessica. "Hey."

Dave seemed to be searching for Jessica, responding distractedly, "Hey."

Jenny handed him the menu, and Dave idly flipped through the pages multiple times. Unperturbed, Jenny lingered near him long enough to discern the text on the file folder peeking out of his briefcase—though upside-down and only partially exposed, Jenny (or rather, Chen Zhen) possessed a remarkable talent for reading reversed text.

This skill was honed due to her ex-husband; she had trained herself to read sideways glances, achieving a level where she could subtly read text clearly without drawing attention.

Now, realizing that Jessica had missed the mark, Jenny deciphered the English words again: 'May 13th Audition Schedule, Office #1, Vampire Slayer Ba…'

Without needing to finish, she knew this referred to WB Network's hit TV series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' conducting auditions for a new season. Given filming schedules, Buffy would likely begin shooting in July after preliminary casting for regular roles in May, followed by script adjustments, and then reconvene with lead actors in July for direct filming.

Given that he carried such documents and visited daily, Dave couldn't merely be a run-of-the-mill actor's agent; he was most likely a casting director for the Buffy crew or even higher up, potentially involved in writing or producing the show. Establishing such a connection could easily secure a guest role on the show, if not more.

Despite her reservations about breaking into acting through such means, Jenny recognized the opportunity's value given her ambitious yet challenging goal to conquer Hollywood. For someone in her position as a waitress, leveraging any resource was crucial, whether to find a path to a movie role or simply ask for an introduction to an industry insider who could help her find a reputable agent.

Instead of fawning over Dave, Jenny chatted with him casually, something typical in restaurants where servers often engage customers in conversation to improve tips.

For the first three days, Dave was served by Jessica. On the fourth day, Jenny just greeted him, and by the fifth day, they started talking about the weather. By the sixth day, they discussed Dave's pet dog, and on the seventh, they talked about Jenny's upcoming audition.

By the eighth day, Dave was accustomed to Jenny's service. They joked about her fictional audition, with Jenny telling him it fell through because they found "the perfect bimbo" for the part.

"Oh!" Dave responded sympathetically.

Jenny grinned resiliently, "Tell me I'd make a great bimbo."

Dave laughed, "Darling, you're way more than just a bimbo—"

Jenny playfully put her hands on her hips, and Dave surrendered, "Okay, okay, you'd make a great bimbo girl."

She dropped her arms, laughing together with Dave. That day, he left her a 30% tip.

On the ninth day, Jenny asked if Dave would be working there regularly, to which he revealed that he lived in New York and was only there temporarily, planning to leave next Wednesday.

However, he still hadn't disclosed his profession.

With six days until next Wednesday, Jenny Jane remained unfazed, not yet desperate enough to cling onto every opportunity that came her way.

Calculating the timing, on the tenth day, she informed Johnny of her intentions and took a day off using her accumulated two weeks of vacation.

On the eleventh day, arriving half an hour earlier than usual, Dave looked visibly anxious until he spotted Jenny and smiled.

"Hey," Jenny greeted him with her customary smile, "The usual?"

Dave blurted out, "Yesterday, Jessica served me."

His tone hinted at accusation, as if flirting with Jessica wasn't part of his initial agenda.

"Well, I had the day off yesterday," Jenny chuckled, "Hope you weren't mistreated."

Dave made a non-committal gesture, and Jenny smiled, returning to the bar to fetch not just coffee but also a pancake for him.

"This one's on the house, as compensation for yesterday," she winked at Dave. "Let me know if you need anything."

At checkout, Dave still left a 30% tip, appearing nervous but bravely maintaining eye contact with Jenny. "You said I could call you for anything."

"Yes," Jenny replied.

"But I don't have your number," Dave stammered, quickly adding, "How can I call you without your number?"

Every day, Jenny had subtly thrown the double entendre at Dave, setting up a metaphorical staircase for him to climb down, yet he still stumbled nervously now that he was descending it.

Dave's innocent charm amused Jenny so much that she genuinely grew fond of him. "Should I say, 'I'm so glad you finally asked,' or should I say, 'Oh my gosh, I never expected it at all'?" She reached for a pen but paused mid-air, pretending to ponder.

Dave stammered, "Definitely the former, oh please, it has to be the former!"

"You really don't need to be this nervous," Jenny giggled, jotting down her phone number on the back of the receipt. "For anything—"

She gestured the number six, winking at her ear.

Carrying the coffee cup and pancake plate, she began walking back to her station, noticing that Dave kept watching her until she disappeared behind the counter.

"Is he asking you out?" Johnny inquired nosily. "Tell me you turned him down – look at him, he's a failure; he doesn't deserve you."

Jenny merely smiled without answering.

That very evening, Dave called to ask her out to dinner.