The Fallen Starlet

by Eve Corso

  Finally, Vivianne spoke quietly into the silence. “Your father was there, you know?” she said and wiped the tears from her face with her dinner napkin. “He was standing off to the side while we shot this. It was the last commercial I ever made.”

  Then, as if she had awakened from some dream, she turned to look at Molly. “I was a dish, wasn’t I?” They both smiled.

  “Mom, I’m sorry I didn’t show you this sooner. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t going to bring up any bad memories.”

  “Son, my whole life is a series of memories. But I’m glad you came along when you did. Good heavens, I haven’t thought about that commercial in years.” She made a face. “Most uncomfortable panty hose I ever did wear,” she said as the others laughed. Vivianne joined them in the laughter, too.

  “Can you see any old TV show on that thing?” she asked, pointing to his phone.

  “For the most part. Why, is there something you’d like to watch?”

  “I was in an episode of a show called The Third Wheel in which I played a cigarette girl. Or how about a movie called The Cliff? I played a bank teller in that one.”

  “Tell you what? We can make a list, and I’ll get some wifi in here, and we can put it on the big TV when I get one for you. It’ll be better that way.”

  “Oh, Jackson, can you really do all that?”

  Jack nodded. “Just give me a couple of days.”

  Jack smiled at Molly, forgiving her. It wasn’t her fault. He got up and took his seat back, taking a bite of the steak.

  Molly cleared her throat, hoping it was safe to continue. “Did you get to meet a lot of actors and actresses?”

  Vivianne smiled, loving the attention. “I rubbed elbows with the likes of them alright. Except no one paid me no mind. I was only a mistress after all, and all of Hollywood knew it. I didn’t care. Not then, anyway. It wasn’t until much later I realized they were all right. They were right to disown me. I was out of my mind to think that Phillip would marry me one day.”

  “Mom, it’s not your fault,” Jack said softly.

  “Oh, but it is darling. I had as much to do with it as your father did. But I have your forgiveness now, and well, that’s all this old woman needs.”

  “You have my forgiveness in abundance.”

  “Now, let’s finish this meal. We want to eat it while it’s still hot, don’t we? And Jackson, can you be a doll and pour me one more drink?”

  He nodded, happy to oblige.

  When Jack was gone, Molly was quick to apologize. “I’m so sorry to speak out when I did. I didn’t mean to take you down that trip of memory lane.”

  “Oh, don’t worry so much about me. It’s my life. I have to pay my dues at some point or another. It’s from no fault of yours. Eat up, but not too much,” Vivianne said with a twinkle in her eye. “We don’t want Jackson’s eyes to go a-wanderin’.”

  Molly laughed easily, unperturbed by Vivianne’s comment. She was used to old women like her. In fact, her own mother could be similar. “Tell me about it. He’s a good man. I hope to see more of him when he comes back to Los Angeles.”

  “If he knows what’s good for him, you will,” she said. Their conversation was cut short when Jack returned.

  “So, Mom, tell me, what kind of things do you normally watch on that old box of yours?”

  “You mean my television set?” She feigned taking offense, but she knew he was only teasing her. “Well, I only get one channel. So, whatever they air is what I make do with.”

  “We’re going to fix all that. Now, tell me, what would you like to watch?”

  Vivianne clapped her hands together. “Old Fred Astaire pictures!”

  Jack laughed. “Okay, I think we can do that.”

  After Jack scraped his plate clean, he got up for seconds. He heard his mom make a “tsk, tsk” sound.

  “Hey, I plan on working this off in the next few days,” he said, defending himself.

  “Molly, I hope you like your man with some love handles. I don’t know how this one is going to leave here the same way he came in.”

  Molly laughed. “That would be just fine with me. I have some ideas of my own to get him back into shape.”

  Vivianne threw her napkin onto the table and let out a loud laugh, pointing to Molly. “I like this woman.”

  Molly looked at Jack then at Vivianne. “I meant he was going to help me with my gardening business. What did y’all think I meant?”

  Jack was laughing as he left, shaking his head.

  They had one more round of drinks before it was time to call it a night.

  After cleaning up, Jack hugged and kissed his mom on the cheek. “Get some rest. Enjoy those lights. I’ll swing by tomorrow.”

  Vivianne took one more look at her son while Molly was using the bathroom before they left. “Look, I’m not going anywhere. Why don’t you take the girl out tomorrow, see some sights a few towns over? I’ll be fine. We’ll meet up when she’s gone and talk about your big plans for the rest of the house.”

  Jack looked into her eyes. “You sure? Molly and I will have all the time in the world when I get back to Los Angeles.”

  “Son, life is short, and I’ve already lived my life. Go on now, live yours. We’ll see each other the day after tomorrow, you hear? Lord knows, I need a short break from all of this.”

  “Mom, if it’s too much, I don’t have to move in.”

  “No, darling, I didn’t mean that. Just give me a day. Go enjoy your woman. I have your number if I need for anything.”

  When they left, Molly apologized to Jack one more time on their way back to the hotel.

  “Hey, no. It’s okay. The night turned out well and I’m glad you were there.” He smiled as he put an arm around her. “Listen, I need to make some phone calls when we get inside. Why don’t you pour us a glass of wine? I won’t be too long. It’s still early in California and I want to make this call before it gets any later.”

  Molly nodded and they made their way back, hand-in-hand, enjoying the cool night air around them. When they got to the motel, Molly made her way into the room, while Jack paced the parking lot as he waited for his daughter to answer the phone, hoping it didn’t go to voicemail.

  It didn’t.

  “Hey, Dad, I was beginning to worry. It’s not like you to not check in every hour on the hour.”

  “Oh, come on. I’m not that bad.”

  Amber ignored her father. “What is going on over there? I want all the details.”

  “Well, there’s a lot to talk about. I’m making progress with my biological mother, so there’s that.”

  “Dad, that’s great. But wait, there’s more?”

  “A little more. Hey, do you remember Lilly and Walter’s landscape designer?”

  “You mean that hot woman you drooled over every morning?”

  Jack let out an embarrassed laugh. “Drooled. What are you talking about? I was cool around her.”

  “Dad, I was almost late to school once because you were talking to her for so long.”

  “Okay, once. Anyway, what do you think about her?”

  “Did you finally hire her to do our lawn? Because, Dad, I’m telling you, our neighbor’s lawn is so picturesque. I like the rocks you added to our lawn, but it’s not enough.”

  “I’m not talking about the lawn. I just want to know what you think of her.”

  “She seems nice.”

  “I mean, how do you like her for me?”

  Amber squealed in delight on the other end. “Oh, that kind of opinion! Dad, are you kidding me? Are you actually going to try and hit her up?”

  “I might,” he said, wanting to say as little as possible. He’d tell her more, later. “I just want to know if you like her.”

  “Well, yeah, Dad. She’s cool. But I don’t know if she’d go for a guy like you.”

  Jack laughed. “What do you mean?”

  “You have no game. Look, Dad, you’re like a shy little mouse, and she’s like, I don’t know, sh
e’s like a cool cat.”

  “You don’t think I can win her over?” he asked, though he already had a feeling he was about to in a matter of moments.

  “Well, it’s worth a shot. You could be in luck. She might be into boring guys.”

  “Okay, well, thanks for your input, I think,” he laughed. Jack knew it was important to be honest with his daughter, and he always expected her to be honest with him. But this was a big step for him, and he wanted to make sure he knew what it was before he told his daughter more.

  “So, did you find out more about your dad?” Amber asked on the other line.

  “A little more. It sounds weird to refer to a stranger as Dad, though.”

  “Okay, listen, I have to get back to studying, but I love you. Keep me posted.”

  “Yeah, hit those books. Love you.”

  Jack ended the phone call and let himself inside of the motel room. He was surprised to see candles lit. Soft music came in through her phone somewhere on the bed.

  “Where’d the candles come from?” he asked.

  “You’re not the only one with a few tricks up your sleeve.”

  She stood up and handed him a glass of red wine. Instead of taking a sip, he set it down. Without breaking his gaze from her, he took off his sports jacket. He could feel the weight of Molly’s gaze on him and it was turning him on. He threw the sports jacket on the back of a chair in the room and started to unbutton his dress shirt.

  Molly leaned back against the counter, totally relaxed as she watched him.

  Jack had finished unbuttoning his dress shirt, hoping she’d take it off of him in a few moments. He walked over to her and placed two hands on her waist. He leaned in close to her, close enough that he could smell her hair, the perfume on her collarbone. Molly set down her wine glass as Jack nuzzled her neck, breathing her in. Finally, his eyes locked on her lips.

  Molly gazed into Jack’s bright blue eyes, as they honed in on her. She placed her hands on his neck and closed the distance between them as she kissed him. Their kiss was electrifying, much different than the playful kiss earlier in the yard. This was something more. He was hungry for her, she could tell. Molly placed her hands along his back, finding her way underneath his clothes. The warmth she found there only made her want more. She took off his dress shirt and let it fall to the floor, leaving him in his V-neck white undershirt.

  They walked backwards to the bed. Molly got on top of him as they continued to kiss; the only sounds were of the two of them breathing in between their kissing and the sounds of music coming from her phone.

  Jack’s hands roamed under Molly’s dress. Her legs felt incredible. He wanted more but knew he shouldn’t. He also knew he couldn’t stop himself.

  Molly broke from kissing him, the candles in the room giving off a warm vibe. Molly straddled Jack as she took off her dress and threw it on the floor. She was wearing a black bra and panty set.

  Jack let out a low whistle. “My God, Molly. You’re beautiful.” He leaned up towards her, getting on his knees, and took her in his arms, kissing her passionately. Her body against his felt so good. Molly reached for his under shirt and took if off. She tossed it absentmindedly when suddenly, they were interrupted. The sound of Jack’s wine glass getting knocked over stopped them both. She had accidently hit the wine glass when she had casually thrown his T-shirt to the side.

  “Oh, no. Jack, I’m so sorry,” Molly, still in her underwear, said as she ran to get a towel to clean up the wine that had spilled all over the carpet.

  “Hey, no, it’s okay,” he said, using his T-shirt to soak up what he could.

  “Jack, your shirt is ruined,” she said as she handed him a towel.

  “I have a ton of these back home. It’s okay.”

  Jack, shirtless, cleaned up most of the mess, while Molly wiped down his empty glass and poured him some more wine. When the carpet was mostly dry, he sat back against the bed and traded in the wet shirt and towels for a fresh glass of wine. Molly took the wet laundry to the bathroom to rinse and hang them.

  When she returned, she slipped on an oversized T-shirt of her own and sat down next to Jack on the floor with her glass of wine.

  “I guess it’s just not in the cards tonight,” she said with a laugh.

  “I wanted to,” Jack replied, looking into her eyes, a smile forming on his lips. “But it’s probably better we don’t.”

  “I know, we said we would wait.”

  He nodded, agreeing with her and taking her hand in his.

  “It won’t be too long before you’re back out in Los Angeles, anyway.”

  Jack leaned in and gave Molly a kiss on the mouth. It was short enough for him to close his eyes, but he pulled away before it got too far this time.

  “That was nice,” Molly whispered.

  Jack took a deep breath. “I’ll definitely be looking forward to coming back to Los Angeles, I’ll tell you that much.”

  Molly changed her seating position and sat so that she could see Jack better.

  “Yeah, we’ll figure it out. Dating around your work schedule and mine.” Molly looked at Jack, an idea forming in her head. “Wait, you’re in the movie business.”

  Jack chuckled, confused. “Yeah?”

  “Jack, couldn’t you give your mom a small part in one of your movies or something?”

  Jack shook his head. “I’m not exactly in casting.”

  “You produce movies, though?”

  “That’s right.”

  “So, you have friends who can. Or, what if you presented her story to someone. Her life would make a great documentary.”

  “You really think she’d want to be exploited like that, though?”

  “It’s not exploiting. Come on, you saw her today. She lit up. What if she wants a second chance?”

  “So, she likes people talking about her work; she likes being in the limelight. That’s true.”

  “But she was robbed of that opportunity. Jack, what if you could be the one to give it to her again? You said you wanted to do something for her. What if this was that thing?”

  “There’s too much we don’t know here. I don’t know anything about my dad yet. I don’t know. But I’ll mull it over.”

  “Look, I don’t know a thing about filmmaking. But I know you can film it low-budget. Rent out a studio over here, furnish it and film there. No one will know the difference. She won’t even have to go far. Or film at her place, for crying out loud.”

  “Look, it’s an interesting idea, and I mean it, I’ll think about it. I don’t know yet if she’s too fragile or not.”

  “I know,” Molly replied and looked down into her hands. She finally looked up at him again. “I just think it’s something she might really like.”

  Jack reached out for Molly and took her hand in his. “Hey, I know. And thanks for looking out. I appreciate it. All of it. Thank you.” He kissed her hand.

  “It’s getting late. Let’s try and sleep some. Yeah?”

  Jack agreed, and stood up with Molly. After brushing their teeth, they both climbed into bed. Molly immediately inched closer to Jack and threw an arm around his waist.

  “It’s been really nice getting to know you this way,” she whispered.

  “Mmm, I agree. Earlier, you said we’re not fully us here, but it’s something different for me. Back home, I think I was lost for a long time. I’m so wrapped up in my work and when she was home, I was wrapped up in Amber. I think this was a good wake-up call and I’m glad you’re here to see me trying to find myself again. When I return to Los Angeles, I hope to be the man you deserve.”

  Molly absentmindedly stroked his hand. “You already are. But I know what you mean. Me? I’m so vulnerable after I see my family, so I get it.” She giggled. “I don’t usually throw myself at men quite the same way I threw myself at you, Jack.”

  He nuzzled into her ear. “I was kind of hoping that was just for me.”

  “When I was working on Lilly and Walter’s yard, I loved those mor
nings when I got to see you. You were always kind of different.”

  “Different how?”

  “You weren’t trying to put on this air, you know? You kind of owned your goofiness.”

  “Oh, so I’m goofy now?” he asked, laughing.

  Molly laughed with him “You know what I mean. You’re loveable and kind.”

  “I think I was loveable just for you. I don’t think anyone else would describe me that way.”

  Molly turned to Jack. “And how would they describe you?”

  “Well, my daughter would say I’m a nerd.”

  Molly laughed. “I can see that. Your daughter is very bright, you know?”

  Jack laughed. “Yeah, I must have done something right.”

  Molly turned to Jack in the darkness, her voice quiet as she spoke. “So, what’s our plan for tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow is just ours. Looks like one of our six dates just got moved up. I thought maybe we could do a road trip.”

  “And where exactly are we going?” she asked with a curious smile.

  Jack laughed. “Just leave it to me. I’ll have it all figured out by the morning.”

  Chapter Twelve

  The next morning, Jack researched places to visit while Molly showered. She came out, fully dressed, in a pair of jeans and a yellow blouse. Jack put away his phone and smiled, having picked the perfect location for them to visit.

  “We’re need to pick up a few things before we head out.”

  Molly grabbed a light hoodie, while Jack grabbed the two wine glasses he had borrowed from his mom, the cheese and crackers, a bottle opener for the wine, and a phone charger.

  They threw their belongings in the car and casually walked to the mercantile, where thankfully, the owners also served fresh coffee.

  Jack picked up a loaf of bread, deli meat, two bottles of wine, a fancy jar of raspberry jam, and a table cloth, which they would use in lieu of a picnic blanket.

  In addition, Molly picked out potato chips, some candy, a couple of bottles of water, napkins, and granola bars for breakfast.

  As they got ready to pay, another customer came in. The customer reminded Jack of a younger version of his own mother. The woman couldn’t be older than fifty. She glided in, holding several art canvases. She was dressed in a black bohemian dress that went all the way to the floor, and her hair was tied up in an emerald colored scarf.