Back to Salem

by Alex Marcoux

  She pulled her long brown hair away from her face revealing her high cheekbones and seductive brown eyes. It had been a long time since she had paid any attention to herself.

  Chapter 11

  On Thursday afternoon, Jessie shopped Rodeo Drive of Beverly Hills searching for the perfect dress, the one that was a cross between professional and seductive. In the absence of the former, she settled for seductive. That Friday afternoon, she spent at the hair salon. After a massage and manicure, she had her hair styled. Jessie couldn’t remember the last time she had pampered herself, and decided she needed to do it more often.

  It was five minutes after eight when Jessie arrived at Monique’s.

  The maître d’ greeted her. “Good evening, do you have reservations?”

  “The Taylor Andrews and Kurk Warner party.”

  “Of course. The rest of your party has been seated. Come this way.”

  Monique’s was the hottest restaurant in town. Jessie had never been there and had decided earlier that day she was going to enjoy it.

  As the host escorted her to the table, she noticed that people were watching her. It’s amazing the looks you get when you give your flannel shirt and Levi’s a night off. Jessie smiled at her own humor.

  Everyone at the table did a double take when she arrived. They all stood to greet her.

  Mark went to her and took her hands. “You look wonderful,” he said. Then he gently kissed her cheek.

  “You do look pretty amazing,” Travis confirmed.

  As Taylor approached Jessie, she studied the hairstyle change. “Very flattering. Lovely dress, also.” She offered Jessie her hand. “I’m so pleased you could make it.” Taylor gently pulled Jessie toward the table. “Jessie, this is Kurk Warner. Kurk…Jessie Mercer.”

  Kurk smiled as he took her hand. “I love it, brains and beauty. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I love your work.” His dark brown eyes flirted. “Have you done any acting or modeling?”

  Jessie shook her head, “No. Thank you…I think.” Kurk was shorter in real life, but he was just as attractive as he was in the movies.

  “Travis, get this lady in the movies.”

  “Then who’s going to write my Oscar-winning screenplays? No, I think Jessie is better at writing,” Travis said as they took their seats. Jessie was surprised when Taylor took the seat next to her and Mark sat on her other side.

  Cocktails were served and Taylor brought up the subject. “Mark you promised to tell, how do you and Jessie know each other?”

  Mark looked at Jessie. “Should I tell them or do you want to?”

  “After you,” Jessie passed.

  “Well…to make a long story short—Jessie and I knew each other in college, at Penn State. We lived together for three years.”

  “You lived together…as roommates or lovers?” Taylor asked.

  “We were lovers. Jessie was the first woman who broke my heart.” Mark smiled at Jessie, showing his good nature.

  “When was the last time you saw each other?” Travis asked.

  “I think a couple months after we broke up.” Jessie looked at Mark for confirmation.

  “That’s correct,” Mark said.

  “What are the chances of the two of you meeting up again, here in California?” Kurk asked.

  “Jessie once told me that if we were meant to be together, we’d find each other again. Does this count, Jessie?”

  Travis saved Jessie. “So, did you know then that you would become a successful writer, Jessie?”

  “I knew I would write.” Jessie turned back to Mark. “What happened to you, Mark? Last thing I heard—you went to Yale Medical School. How did you end up in the music business?”

  “Things change, I guess. I switched to law, which eventually got me in the business.” Mark’s phone beeped and he glanced at it. “Would you excuse me? I need to make a call.”

  Travis and Kurk started discussing trends in the industry, leaving Taylor and Jessie to talk. “So Jessie, tell me, where did we meet before?”

  Jessie smiled. “I take it you haven’t figured it out.”

  Taylor shook her head. “I know we’ve met. You are so familiar…but I can’t place it.”

  “I’m not surprised, it was a long time ago.”

  “Before I was Taylor?”

  Jessie was caught off guard by her question. “What do you mean?”

  “Before I went into music my first name was—”

  “Darlene,” Jessie said, recalling the material she had learned a couple years earlier.

  “That’s right.”

  “Yes. It was before you were Taylor Andrews.” I’m not lying.

  “Where?”

  Jessie saw a curiosity in Taylor’s eyes which reminded her of Rebecca. She recalled the moment she met Rebecca and smiled. “It was at a costume party, many, many years ago.”

  “Really? What were you dressed as?”

  “A priest.”

  “A priest?”

  “Yes.”

  Taylor appeared to be searching her memories. “What was I dressed as?”

  Jessie thought back to that moment. She smiled at how appropriate the costume was. “A witch. You were a witch.”

  “Yes. I’ve been a witch many times. But I still don’t remember you.”

  Mark returned, and the waiter took dinner orders. After Kurk gave the waiter his order, Taylor gently poked him. “Don’t forget to tell him.”

  Kurk turned back to the waiter. “No nuts or peanut oil. I’m allergic.”

  “I’ll inform the chef,” the waiter said.

  “I didn’t know you were allergic to nuts,” Travis said. “How severe is it?”

  “Not bad. I’m used to it. I’ve been allergic all of my life.”

  “Not bad? He’ll go into anaphylactic shock if he has a sliver of a peanut,” Taylor said.

  “I would think that dining out is difficult. Not knowing how they prepare their food,” Jessie said.

  “Most restaurants are sensitive to the allergy and accommodating,” Kurk said.

  “And others are terrible,” Taylor reminded him. “Remember Barbados Grill? He went into shock right there at the table.”

  “Do you carry epinephrine?” Mark asked.

  Kurk pulled an EpiPen from his jacket. “Don’t leave home without it.”

  “They’ve saved his life, on more than one occasion,” Taylor added. “I carry one also.”

  Dinner was delightful all around; the food and service were exquisite. Over after-dinner drinks Travis brought up Deceptions. “Did the carrier drop off the screenplay?”

  “Yes. I received it yesterday,” answered Taylor.

  “Review the beach scene…I believe it’s on page 66. That’s what we ask everyone to read for the roles of Dillon and Nicole.”

  “Will do,” Taylor said.

  “I’m not sure if you’ve heard. We have Jennifer Kendrick for the role of Nicole,” Travis said.

  “Congratulations,” Kurk said. Jennifer Kendrick had been the hottest actress for the last five years, with winning two Oscars. “That must have cost you a pretty penny.”

  “She’s not cheap,” Travis smiled. “Taylor, she’s agreed to read with you on Monday.”

  “Great, I’m looking forward to meeting her,” Taylor said. Then she turned to Jessie. “Will you be there on Monday?”

  “Where are you meeting?”

  “At my house,” Travis said. “We’re using the beach for the reading. Two o’clock. You will be there, right Jessie?”

  Jessie hesitated.

  “I would really appreciate the support, Jessie,” Taylor said.

  Jessie looked into Taylor’s eyes. “Sure. I’ll be there.”

  It was ten minutes after two when Jessie arrived that Monday. Travis’s property was located just outside of Malibu. From inside the house, Jessie saw the cameras set up in the rear of the property on the private beach. Travis, Mark, Taylor and a camera guy were talking.

  Jessie made her
way through the back door and down the stairs to the beach.

  Mark was the first to greet her, then the others followed. Everyone was there except Jennifer Kendrick, who eventually showed up about forty minutes late.

  Travis took Taylor and Jennifer away from the small group to set the scene for the actresses. Jessie listened to Travis.

  “Taylor, you’re playing Dillon, a successful singer, a superstar at the peak of your career. Your husband was murdered six months ago and you’re still mourning his loss. You’re also aware that Nicole,” Travis pointed to Jennifer, “is the prime murder suspect. Your little secret is—you’ve fallen in love with her.

  “Jennifer, you’re playing Nicole. You’ve been a business associate of Dillon’s for a couple of years. You’re a lesbian and out. You fell in love with Dillon some time ago but you’ve always hidden your feelings from her because she’s straight. Now…you’re the prime murder suspect and if the truth were known that you are in love with her, the police would have a motive…and a motive is the only thing missing in the evidence against you.

  “In this scene, Nicole visits Dillon’s beach home. Nicole has been calling Dillon for weeks but Dillon won’t return her call. Nicole needs Dillon to sign some papers, so she shows up unannounced.” Travis turned to the cameras. “Ladies, we’ll be filming. Just relax, Taylor, and have some fun.”

  Taylor and Jennifer took their places and the women started reading the lines. Even Jessie recognized that their performance was marginal. It appeared as if both women were just going through the motions. Jessie was surprised that Travis did not cut the scene, rather, he let the woman play it out until it climaxed when Taylor made an unconvincing pass at Jennifer.

  “Okay ladies, that wasn’t bad for the first try. Let’s take it from the beginning again, this time ladies, more feeling.”

  Their performance was repeated with no improvement. Travis gave Taylor some pointers, but still no progress. Jessie was amazed at how patient Travis was. In any other reading, Jessie knew Travis would have stopped the audition. It wasn’t just Taylor’s performance; Jennifer Kendrick, a seasoned professional, was struggling with her role also.

  The group had been at it about an hour when Travis stopped abruptly. “I think we need a break.” He pointed at the deck on his house. “Appetizers and refreshments on the deck. Let’s take a half hour break and try to loosen up a little.”

  Loosen up? Let’s just put this group out of our misery and stop for the day. Jessie turned away from the house and walked past Travis. “I’m going for a walk,” she called to him over her shoulder. She couldn’t figure it out. If she hadn’t known better, she’d think that Taylor was sleeping with Travis. It seemed clear that Taylor wasn’t ready for the role. Why is he being so patient?

  “Can I join you?” Taylor called to Jessie.

  Jessie turned to see Taylor approaching. “Sure.”

  They walked in silence for a bit before Taylor finally spoke. “Travis is being such a sweetheart. I know I’m blowing it. I don’t know what’s wrong.” She sighed in frustration.

  Jessie remained silent, truly not knowing what to say.

  “You don’t want me to get this part, do you?”

  Jessie was surprised at the comment. “Why do you say that?”

  “Just a feeling.”

  Jessie wasn’t sure how she felt about Taylor getting the role and the possibility of working with her. “It’s not that I don’t want you to get the part. Up until last week, I thought we had another actress locked up for the role.” Jessie recognized disappointment in Taylor’s eyes. “You really want this role, don’t you?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. It just feels right for me. Do you know what I mean?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Have you ever felt that you absolutely need to do something, but you’re not sure why? It feels like your destiny or fate?”

  Jessie finally smiled. “Well then, would you like some insight from the author’s perspective?”

  “I’d love it, Jessie.”

  Jessie headed away from the water and sat on the warm sand. Taylor followed and sat beside her. “Travis picked this scene for auditions because…excuse the expression but it separates the men from the boys. It’s probably the most difficult scene in the entire screenplay for a straight woman. But you’re not the only one who’s struggling.”

  “Jennifer has already been casted though. What can I do to improve?”

  “This is a very intimate scene, not sexual but intimate. What you and Jennifer are lacking is chemistry. It’s very difficult to work a scene like this without the chemistry.”

  “But it’s not impossible?”

  “No. The first thing you need is to intimately know your character. Dillon is smart, beautiful, funny but very lonely. While she misses her husband, she’s struggling with her feelings for Nicole. If it’s difficult for you or Jennifer to understand being attracted to another woman, then it’s going to be difficult playing the part. This is where you need to get creative. Look into Jennifer’s eyes. Then pretend.”

  “Pretend?”

  “Yes. Pretend she is whoever you need her to be to get through the scene. If you need her to be Kurk, pretend. You’ve got to be able to look her in the eye and imagine she’s someone else. Imagine how you would act if it were Kurk there instead of Jennifer. Otherwise, you’re just going to go through the motions.”

  “Which is what I’m doing.”

  “Which is what both of you are doing.”

  Thirty minutes later, the shooting resumed. The improvement in Taylor’s performance was obvious. Jessie watched Taylor carefully. She noticed when Taylor tried to make eye contact with Jennifer, then the subtle diversion of her eyes. From then on, she wouldn’t look Jennifer directly in the eye.

  The quick tip clearly worked for Taylor, although Jennifer was still struggling. Travis started riding Jennifer on the second take and by the end of the third, her patience was noticeably thinning.

  While Jessie was disappointed in Jennifer’s performance, she would have never normally verbalized her feelings while it was Travis’s watch. Can you imagine her surprise when all of sudden those words of disapproval escaped from her mouth. “No! No! No!” she shouted. In that moment she realized it was her outside voice speaking and all eyes were on her, including Travis’s.

  “I apologize. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “Clearly you did,” Jennifer said. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

  Jessie looked at Travis who surprisingly nodded and said, “After you.”

  “Okay.” Jessie approached the actresses. “Jennifer, you’re just not playing Nicole the way I envisioned her.”

  “You’re going to have to do better than that. Give me some direction.”

  “Nicole is assertive and aggressive when she needs to be, but not with Dillon. She adores Dillon. When you’re talking to Dillon, don’t flaunt your body at her. Nicole’s shy with her. She’s scared to death just being near her…that her feelings for her will be exposed. She’s afraid of losing her friend. You’ve got the lines Jennifer, but your whole body language is giving the wrong message.”

  “Show me what you mean.”

  “What?”

  “Show me what I’m doing wrong. I’m better at mimicking action, than expressing words.”

  “But I’m not an actress,” Jessie turned toward Travis looking for some support. But she got none.

  “I think it’s a good idea,” Travis said.

  “Good idea?”

  Travis gestured for Jessie to join him and they sauntered away from the group.

  “I’m sorry I opened my mouth, Travis. It’ll never happen again. I promise.”

  “If you didn’t say something, I would have and it wouldn’t have been that nice.” He rubbed his neatly trimmed goatee considering their next step. “Just do it. It can’t hurt.” Travis gestured for the cameraman to film.

&nb
sp; “Why are you filming?” Jessie asked.

  “If you don’t suck, Jennifer can study it.” He started walking toward the group, “Otherwise it may make good blooper material!”

  Jessie stood in her tracks.

  He turned toward her, “Jessie, we need to do something here. This isn’t working. We need Jennifer on board, or she’ll take this film down. I promise you…if her performance sucks, I will personally burn the film.”

  Minutes later, Jessie was awkwardly standing before the cameras waiting for her cue. She couldn’t believe the turn of events and was disappointed she opened her mouth.

  “Don’t worry,” Jessie’s little voice said. “Relax.”

  Jessie knew the story intimately. With eyes closed she recalled the scene in her head as she had written it, mustering up the character’s emotions. The story was an extension of her. I can do this! Then it was her cue…

  She hurried along the beach, and yelled out, “Dillon?” Taylor ignored Jessie’s plea and continued walking briskly. She jogged to catch up with Taylor. “Dillon!” Jessie came within a couple feet of her. “Dillon, wait!”

  Taylor turned, first catching a glimpse of the camera eye, and then turning toward Jessie. “Nicole?” Taylor looked directly into Jessie’s eyes. “What are you doing here?”

  Jessie breathing heavy from chasing her, “Why haven’t you returned my calls?”

  “I’ve been busy.”

  “I called five times!”

  Taylor continued to maintain good eye contact with Jessie. “What do you need?”

  “A signature.” Jessie held up an imaginary attaché case.

  “Is it that important you had to come out here?”

  Jessie hesitated then shook her head. “No. It’s not. But our friendship is.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Why haven’t you called? And don’t tell me you’re too busy. Have I done something wrong?”

  Taylor was silent, now avoiding eye contact.

  “Not you too,” Jessie whispered.

  Taylor turned and abruptly walked away from Jessie.

  Jessie continued after her, maintaining the same pace about a half step behind her, a camera and sound person on either of them. “You know me better than that. I can’t believe they got to you.”