Luke had a pissy girlfriend.
“Who’s speaking, please?” I wasn’t sure if it was the same woman who’d answered it the first time.
“It’s Elizabeth Miller,” I said. Then couldn’t restrain myself. “His girlfriend.”
“Okay. Hold on.” When I could have been the head of the studio, she’d been nicer to me.
When I’d dialed Luke’s number, I’d been in a loving frame of mind. I’d just caught sight of a little sandstone elephant he’d bought me on our vacation in India last year and remembered how much I loved him. When Prague and his codependent housekeeper and his huge job weren’t getting in the way. I’d snatched the moment when Scott’s office door had been shut for long enough to assume that he was napping and
Amber had been in a staff meeting taking minutes. But any minute now I knew she’d be back and overhear every sweet nothing I shared with my boyfriend.
Finally Luke came to the phone. “Hello.” “It’s me,” I said, melting on impact.
“Honey.” He sounded surprisingly mellow considering he was clearly surrounded by aggressive harpies. “Hold on a minute, I’m taking this outside.” There was more rustling and lots of people in the background. “Where are you?” I asked, trying not to sound too curious or neurotic. “Oh, we’re at someone’s place. Just all having supper. Some of the
crew, y’know.”
“I miss you,” I said. “The cat misses you. Mrs. Mendes misses you.
We all miss you.”
“Darlin’,” he said in his irresistible Southern drawl, “I miss you, too. I don’t know how I’m getting through the days without you. Why don’t you come out?”
“I’ve told you. I can’t. I have to work,” I explained gently. For the four-teenth time.
“Oh yeah, sorry, I know better than to mess with an independent woman.” He laughed.
I wrapped the phone cord around my wrist longingly. “So what have you been doing?” I almost licked the phone. I never knew how much I missed him until he was on the other end of the line.
“Oh, great news, actually, you know that my deal was up for renewal at the studio?”
“Yup,” I said, though I only knew because I’d read it a few days ago in Variety; we hadn’t actually managed to have a real conversation since he’d gone back.
“Well, I got all that I wanted and so much more.” He sounded like an excited child, not a jaded powerbroker. Which was another reason why I loved him, I remembered. “I got all these people working for me and the deal’s more money than I could have dreamed of. But you know what’s best of all?” he prompted.
“No, I don’t, sweetheart.”
“I get a golf cart.” I could practically hear him grinning. “A golf cart?” I repeated.
“Yup.” He waited in silence for me to share his excitement. “In what sense?” I asked cautiously.
“I get a golf cart with Lloyd Pictures on it, and I can drive it around the lot. It’s part of my deal.”
“Wow, that’s really amazing.” I smiled. Only my boyfriend would find the golf cart to drive around the lot in the best part of what was inevitably a multimillion-dollar deal with a major motion picture studio. But I guess it was the boy equivalent of getting a free lipstick in a goody bag after a party. It didn’t matter that you could afford to buy hundreds of lipsticks with the money you’d spent on the party ticket and that the color didn’t suit you. It was free!
“I’ll come pick you up from your car next time you visit me at the of-fice,” he promised.
“I can’t wait,” I said.
“So, honey, how about you?” he asked.
“Me? Well, I’ve been busy being me, y’know?” I said, not knowing whether to begin with my new role as executive producer on Jason’s movie or to broach the subject of me going to Thailand, which didn’t seem to be going away. Especially since Scott had made me spend the entire morning finding a special sort of turtle wax for the “Gully” as he called Emerald’s Gullwing
“Who’s speaking, please?” I wasn’t sure if it was the same woman who’d answered it the first time.
“It’s Elizabeth Miller,” I said. Then couldn’t restrain myself. “His girlfriend.”
“Okay. Hold on.” When I could have been the head of the studio, she’d been nicer to me.
When I’d dialed Luke’s number, I’d been in a loving frame of mind. I’d just caught sight of a little sandstone elephant he’d bought me on our vacation in India last year and remembered how much I loved him. When Prague and his codependent housekeeper and his huge job weren’t getting in the way. I’d snatched the moment when Scott’s office door had been shut for long enough to assume that he was napping and
Amber had been in a staff meeting taking minutes. But any minute now I knew she’d be back and overhear every sweet nothing I shared with my boyfriend.
Finally Luke came to the phone. “Hello.” “It’s me,” I said, melting on impact.
“Honey.” He sounded surprisingly mellow considering he was clearly surrounded by aggressive harpies. “Hold on a minute, I’m taking this outside.” There was more rustling and lots of people in the background. “Where are you?” I asked, trying not to sound too curious or neurotic. “Oh, we’re at someone’s place. Just all having supper. Some of the
crew, y’know.”
“I miss you,” I said. “The cat misses you. Mrs. Mendes misses you.
We all miss you.”
“Darlin’,” he said in his irresistible Southern drawl, “I miss you, too. I don’t know how I’m getting through the days without you. Why don’t you come out?”
“I’ve told you. I can’t. I have to work,” I explained gently. For the four-teenth time.
“Oh yeah, sorry, I know better than to mess with an independent woman.” He laughed.
I wrapped the phone cord around my wrist longingly. “So what have you been doing?” I almost licked the phone. I never knew how much I missed him until he was on the other end of the line.
“Oh, great news, actually, you know that my deal was up for renewal at the studio?”
“Yup,” I said, though I only knew because I’d read it a few days ago in Variety; we hadn’t actually managed to have a real conversation since he’d gone back.
“Well, I got all that I wanted and so much more.” He sounded like an excited child, not a jaded powerbroker. Which was another reason why I loved him, I remembered. “I got all these people working for me and the deal’s more money than I could have dreamed of. But you know what’s best of all?” he prompted.
“No, I don’t, sweetheart.”
“I get a golf cart.” I could practically hear him grinning. “A golf cart?” I repeated.
“Yup.” He waited in silence for me to share his excitement. “In what sense?” I asked cautiously.
“I get a golf cart with Lloyd Pictures on it, and I can drive it around the lot. It’s part of my deal.”
“Wow, that’s really amazing.” I smiled. Only my boyfriend would find the golf cart to drive around the lot in the best part of what was inevitably a multimillion-dollar deal with a major motion picture studio. But I guess it was the boy equivalent of getting a free lipstick in a goody bag after a party. It didn’t matter that you could afford to buy hundreds of lipsticks with the money you’d spent on the party ticket and that the color didn’t suit you. It was free!
“I’ll come pick you up from your car next time you visit me at the of-fice,” he promised.
“I can’t wait,” I said.
“So, honey, how about you?” he asked.
“Me? Well, I’ve been busy being me, y’know?” I said, not knowing whether to begin with my new role as executive producer on Jason’s movie or to broach the subject of me going to Thailand, which didn’t seem to be going away. Especially since Scott had made me spend the entire morning finding a special sort of turtle wax for the “Gully” as he called Emerald’s Gullwing