Hearts' Desires (31 page)

             
“She’
s the ex-lawyer of my ex-wife! So I don
’
t think I run into that kind of trouble again!
”
He whispered to Vance and laughed heartfelt. His new love greeted him with a kiss and apologized for being late because of work.

             
Vance was happy for his old friend. It looked as if he f
i
nally had pulled a winning card! Unlike his former conquests,
this woman seemed to have brains and decency and no need to use a man for a living! Jake deserved some luck of his own!

             
“
I
’
ll
have to tell you how we fell in love!
”
Jake announced and received a smirk from his fiancée.
“
We clashed during the house affair, you know, the vacation home in Malibu! And I --
”
Loud chi
l
dren
’
s voices interrupted him. He turned around and discovered Nora Mendez and her family. Of course, they had left their youn
g
est child with a nanny at home. However, their two girls, ten and eight years old, chased each other through the lobby, not at all caring about their pretty party dresses.

             
Vance watched the little whirlwinds with amusement. Soon, Alison and he would have one, too. He was already very excited at the thought. Would it be a boy or a girl? They didn’t know yet, but Alison had a doctor’s appointment next week. So much would have to be done! Fortunately, the house was big enough and had a wo
n
derful garden. He had already checked in with his agent and not
i
fied him, that he would not be available for projects that would keep him away from home for extended periods of time…

             
Vance put his arm around Alison’s shoulders, and from the way she looked up to him he assumed that she had been preocc
u
pied with similar thoughts. He would’ve loved to give her a very long kiss this very moment, but commotion from outside d
e
manded the attention of them all. Multiple camera flashes and yelling reporters informed them that someone eye catching had arrived. Either producer
Yerikov’s
Chinese wife who designed all her robes herself, or--

             
“Wow,
it’s
Lauren! She knows how to handle those pap
a
razzi, look at that!”

             
Jake was absolutely right. The young woman smiled, waved and gave the press the opportunity to take phot
o
graphs from every angle, without letting her postures look a
r
tificial. The one or the other who failed to keep the distance
she wanted them to keep, Lauren shooed away with a harsh glance. Not so unlike from Alison, everyone thought.

             
The greeting round finished, Lauren joined the little group around Vance and shared her own good news. „I‘m glad I could make it. I would‘ve hated to miss tonight‘s premiere. I‘ve been cast for this huge movie about the Huguenots and I’m flying to France tomorrow!”

             
“Ah… then you‘re going to play with Robert
Harker
!”

             
“Yes I will. I already met him last week in a briefing,” she answered. “And really…” She lowered her voice, “he’s an a
s
shole!”

             
Vance had no doubt that Lauren Bastian would show
Harker
his limits very soon, a thought he found very amusing. While she told them about her new project, Thabo arrived, looking elegant and charming in his black suit. When he and Lauren embraced, Jake raised his eyebrows and his lips formed the hint of a whistle.

             
“Do we just witness Hollywood‘s next dream couple?” he whispered in Vance‘s direction and got a broad smile back.

Shortly after, the entrance sequence of “Heart‘s Desires” u
n
folded on the silver screen. The title faded in over the heads of three kis
s
ing couples. At least for some of the film crew, Hollywood had su
c
ceeded in fulfilling dreams and creating new perspectives.