Authors: Gina Hummer
“Well, Olivia, we know you just completed ‘
Black Knight, Dark Knight
,’ which comes out next year, but we just got word today that you’re going to star in the new romantic comedy being directed by Lowell Henderson, which is quite a departure from the horror and action flicks you’re known for. Why the change?”
“Because I’m funny!” (Both women chuckled as if Olivia had just told the most hilarious joke in the world). “No, seriously; I’ve always wanted to do comedy and work with Lowell, so this is the best of both worlds. And you know, I want to do all types of roles, not just be known for one thing.”
“Now, we know you and David King had tried to work things out, didn’t last, and that he’s moved on. What about you? Who are you getting romantic with these days, Olivia?”
Olivia smiled and winked. “Oh, Sherry, I don’t kiss and tell, but hey, if I ever do decide to tell, I’ve got you on speed dial!” (Both women laughed again as if Olivia was the wittiest female to ever walk the earth.)
The scene cut back to an anchor in the studio.
“And in addition to all her work on the silver screen, that Olivia Hudson has just signed a multi-million dollar, multi-year deal to be the face of Chelsea Cosmetics. Congratulations to her. Up next, we’ll give you an inside view of George Clooney’s fabulous Italian villa.”
Charlotte clicked off the TV. She wondered if Olivia was Irish, because she sure had their luck. Charlotte got off the couch, restless. She paced each room of her house, twisting her engagement ring around her finger. It seemed like she and David had overcome so much in such a short amount of time. She knew David loved and adored her; she felt the same way about him. But love wasn’t always enough. Charlotte meandered into her bedroom, and her eye fell upon the small black gift box David had given her for her birthday. Charlotte swallowed and picked it up with trembling fingers. The tiny piece of paper was still wedged inside, the folds fuzzy with wear. She opened it and smiled.
“I love you,” she whispered. Charlotte refolded it and used the hem of David’s shirt to swab a tear. She ambled to the bathroom and turned on the shower.
Maybe love was enough.
#
“Who is it?”
“It’s Charlotte.”
Silence.
“Just a second.”
Charlotte looked around and fingered the frayed strap of her black straw purse. The door swung open and there stood Olivia, blonde hair streaming down her shoulders in careless waves, brown eyes wide with curiosity, the aroma of gardenias wafting around her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked in that smoky voice that didn’t quite jibe with her Barbie Doll looks.
“Can I come in?”
Olivia gestured for Charlotte to enter, and she shut the door. Charlotte saw several suitcases scattered around the room in various states of packing or unpacking---- she wasn’t sure which.
“I’d ask you if you want something to drink, but David said no booze.” Charlotte flinched and Olivia shrugged. “Bad joke. Have a seat.”
Charlotte perched on the one corner of the room that was clear, the plush champagne-colored chair near the window. Olivia picked up a bottle of water from the nightstand and shoved a suitcase aside before sitting down. Charlotte cleared her throat as Olivia stared at her, slurping her water.
“You’re probably wondering why I’m here.”
“I think that’s fairly obvious. You want to talk about David.”
Charlotte forced a smile, wondering if this had been a good idea after all. “Right. Um. Well. You know that we’re engaged.”
“Right.”
“And, I, well, I’m just trying to understand what the deal is with you two,” Charlotte blurted out.
Olivia looked at Charlotte for a few moments before she flipped a chunk of glorious blonde tresses over her shoulder. “Okay. David and I met. We hit it off, and we dug each other.”
“And?”
Olivia swished some water around her mouth before she swallowed. “The truth is, I was head-over- heels in love with David. Stupid in love. And he didn’t feel the same way. But I didn’t want to accept that. And yeah, I did some crazy stuff. You gonna tell me you’ve never tried to get a guy back even after he said he didn’t want you?”
Charlotte looked up at the ceiling and chuckled, a long-forgotten memory struggling to the surface.
“There was this one guy, in college. He was in my philosophy 101 class. He smelled like suntan lotion and cherry lip balm. Anyway, we were paired up as part of the same study group, and we spent hours discussing philosophy. I was enthralled by his arguments for free will versus determination. One thing led to another and we slept together. Only, he wasn’t all that interested and I did some pretty stupid things to try to get his attention back on me.” Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “So, yeah, I guess I can understand that you did some wild things to get David back.”
“Maybe you and I are more alike than we realize.”
“Except you like to manipulate people.”
Olivia cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at Charlotte. “Well, you just cut right to the chase, don’t you? I admit at first I wanted to get him back. Then I wanted to torture him for not wanting me. Then I needed his help. And he’s just so fucking upstanding that of course he wanted to do what he could to help me. He’s a giver, if you haven’t noticed.”
“You needed his help with the drugs.”
“Yeah. The drugs. Look---- it’s the same sad story we’ve all heard about a million times. My mom was loony tunes and my dad split when I was eight, except that he wasn’t my biological dad, and my mom has no idea who the winner is on that one though she had no less than six boys running the race. I never had anyone to take care of me. I left home when I was fifteen to live with my alkie aunt. It was only when some photographer caught me trying to steal some cheese and bread at a 7-11 when I was sixteen did I get a break. He turned out to be some big-time guy. He took a few pictures, sent them to a few agencies. Boom. I’m a model. And it went on from there. He’s also the same asshole who introduced me to coke.”
“And you got hooked.”
“Yep, I got hooked. And I meet David, and he’s kind and caring and amazing. Absolutely amazing. And damn, it hurt like hell that he didn’t love me. That he didn’t want to take care of me. When was it gonna be my turn?”
Charlotte nodded, suddenly beginning to understand the motivation behind Olivia’s antics. She was still a scared and lonely little girl who just wanted to be loved.
“I tried and tried to get him back, to make him understand how much I needed him. And then I found out from a paparazzo that he was living with you and, yeah, I wanted to push his buttons by saying I wanted to stay with you. And…I did try and get him into bed the night he checked me in here.”
Charlotte’s heart stopped. “You did?”
“If he could have punched me, I think he would have. He told me he was crazy in love with you. God. He wouldn’t shut up talking about you.” Olivia’s voice quivered. “He talked about you the way I always wanted him to talk about me.”
Charlotte unconsciously fingered her engagement ring. “You still love him.”
“You know, I’ll probably always love David but, I guess I have to move on. He didn’t give me much of a choice. He doesn’t want me.” Olivia looked down and shook her head. “He never did. Not really.”
“What made you finally realize that?”
“Honestly? Seeing the two of you at your house. He looked at you like you had hung the moon. Like I said, he talks about you in a way that…” Olivia’s voice trailed off as she waved her fingers in the air like she was sprinkling fairy dust.
“Are you done with the drugs?”
Olivia chuckled. “Yep. Have to be. Too much at stake.”
Charlotte nodded. “You’ll find someone who’ll love you the way you deserve to be loved. We all deserve that,” she said finally.
Olivia sniffed and laughed as she tried to catch a tear before it dropped from her eyelid. “Well, maybe I’ll find him in New York. That’s where I’m headed. Ira’s decided all is forgiven and is gonna let me stay in his Park Avenue apartment. He’s also threatening to find me a good shrink, but we’ll see. Anyway, my new movie’s filming there. And I’ll be starting my new ad campaign. I’m the new face of Chelsea Cosmetics, in case you hadn’t heard.”
“I heard.”
“They’ve got all kinds of kick-ass things they’re gonna do for my campaign. You know I’ll get to do shoots in Paris, Rome, and London?” She laughed. “Not bad for trailer-park trash from Miami.”
“Not bad at all.”
Olivia stood. “I hate to kick you out, but I’ve got a lot to do. I’m catching the red eye to New York tomorrow night, and I have loose ends to tie up before then.”
Charlotte followed suit and slung her purse over her shoulder. “I’ll let you get to it. I can show myself out.”
Charlotte made her way toward the door when Olivia called out to her.
“Yeah?”
“David’s a good guy, and he really loves you. Like I said, I can tell that you make him happy.”
Charlotte mulled this over and smiled. “He makes me happy.”
Olivia nodded, and the two women looked at each other for a moment.
“Good luck, Olivia. With everything. I really mean that.”
“You know, somehow I think you do.”
“Take care, Olivia.” Charlotte stepped in to the hallway and heard the door shut. She pulled out her BlackBerry as she waited for the elevator. She dashed off a quick text to David, and it didn’t ding in response until she reached the lobby. She smiled at his reply, and as she joined the hustle and bustle of Sunset Boulevard, Charlotte felt like Charlotte again.
CHAPTER 13
Charlotte speared a juicy crumble of sausage with her fork and blew on it to cool it down. She waited a few more seconds before biting off a corner. She groaned with pleasure before she put the rest of it into her mouth. She looked at the clock. Just a few more minutes. She rummaged around in the junk drawer of the kitchen until she came up with a book of matches, which she used to light the two white tapered candles on her dining room table. She did a quick check around the kitchen. The stuffed manicotti that was cooling on the stove had come out beautifully, as spicy and pungent as the one that David had made it for her at the lake. The red wine was breathing, and the chocolate-covered strawberries were perfectly chilled and arranged on a plain white plate in the refrigerator.
Charlotte wrung her hands and went into the bedroom, nervous now about whether this would work. She quickly splashed some cold water on her face and ran a bit of pressed powder across her nose and a touch of mascara across her lashes. She finished with a smear of lip gloss and a swift rake of the brush through her curls. Charlotte changed into a little black dress that had been one of her Toronto purchases and spritzed herself with Chanel No. 5. The scent always made her smile; it had been her mother’s signature scent and on special occasions was Charlotte’s as well.
Charlotte heard the doorbell ring and placed her hand to her chest. She took a few deep breaths before she shoved her feet into the sandals she’d worn on the red carpet in New York. She smoothed down the front of her dress, made her way to the front door, and opened it.
David smiled and Charlotte had to grip the doorknob to keep herself upright. He wore a simple blue linen button-down shirt and black pants. He held a bouquet of yellow calla lilies--- Charlotte’s favorite, bursting with color and fragrance.
“Why did you ring the doorbell?”
“I thought I’d treat this like a real date and act like a gentleman for a change.”
“Cute.”
David stepped inside and circled Charlotte. “My, my, my. Don’t you look scrumptious.”
Charlotte blushed. “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.”
“I’m humbled to be in the presence of such sexiness.”
Charlotte took the flowers and went in search of a vase. “I could say the same thing, you know.”
“I won’t stop you.”
Charlotte giggled and filled a tall, clear vase with water before she unwrapped the flowers and placed them inside. “Can I get you some wine?”
“I’ll get it.” David sniffed. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that smelled suspiciously like stuffed manicotti.”
“Guilty. I hope I did it justice.”
“Well, we’ll see if you picked up any tips.”
David handed Charlotte a glass of wine and invited her to toast. “Here’s to a lovely dinner.”
Charlotte clinked glasses with his. “Cheers.” They both sipped, and Charlotte set her glass down on the table while she grabbed the plate of bruschetta from the counter.
“Right down to the last detail, huh?” David said as he took one.
“Oh, I may throw a surprise or two in there just to keep you on your toes.”
“Ah, so the shoe’s on the other foot now, huh?”
Charlotte bit on piece of bread. “It’s good to change things up once in a while.”
“Indeed.”
As Charlotte dished up the salad and then the manicotti, they made easy, breezy small talk. William was in love with this month’s conquest, and Karen latest book had just hit the New York Times bestseller list. Charlotte even wiped away a smudge of tomato sauce from the corner of David’s mouth, trying not to laugh at the image of the international movie star with sauce all over his face.
“I was thrilled to get your text last night. I will never delete it.”
Charlotte cut a bite of pasta with her fork. “Oh, come on. All I said was ‘the pleasure of your company is requested for dinner tomorrow night at Chez Taylor’. You had the better line.”
“What, ‘I’ll be there or be square’? I thought it was a bit corny.”
“It made me smile.”
“My target hit the mark.”
Charlotte chewed a bit and swallowed. “I went to see Olivia last night.”
David choked on his wine, and Charlotte waited for him to regain his composure. “Come again?”
“I felt like she and I needed to talk, woman to woman.”
“Was it a girl fight? You get down in the mud?”
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but no, there was no hair-pulling, no mudslinging. Just two adult women talking about you.”
David took another sip of wine. “So? How’d it go?”
Charlotte folded her hands underneath her chin. “I get that she’s spent most of her life feeling lost and alone. She somehow saw you as her savior, the man who would put all the pieces together and make her feel whole. She admitted she wanted to manipulate and torture you.”