by Gigi Blume
“The whole world is smitten with Emma,” replied Stella.
She had a bounce to her step as she led us through the crowd in the lobby where the reception had already started. Robust applause erupted from the patrons as a flute of champagne was thrust into her hand almost as soon as she emerged. She smiled diplomatically and raised her glass in a sweeping motion, nodding at familiar faces and the generous donors that kept The Gardiner Theatre relevant in the ever-changing Los Angeles theatre scene.
“Individually, I love you all with affection unspeakable.”
A wave of laughter hummed in the room as many of them recognized the line from the show.
“And collectively?” someone shouted from amongst the crowd.
“Collectively…” she said with some thought. “Well, collectively, I know you’re just here for the free food.”
She raised her bubbly to initiate the toast. The sound of clinking glasses and the murmur of resumed conversation released her from their attention, and she ticked her head for us to follow her away from the patrons. She emptied the contents of her glass in a nearby plant as she guided me and Jaxson into a small storage room near the box office.
“Can’t stand that rubbish. Come along. I have snifters in here.” She had a bounce in her step. If I knew my aunt, she was celebrating a small victory that had nothing to do with Preview Night of Pirates of Penzance. Since she was a hopeless matchmaker, I had a feeling her mood had everything to do with the kiss the whole audience witnessed on stage.
“So, we want to talk to you about Beth Bennet,” I said, watching her reach inside a box on the shelf for the glassware.
She unwrapped three snifters and polished them with the tissue paper. “I admit to nothing.”
“Jax is interested in her,” I said.
She abruptly stopped what she was doing and scowled at me.
“Well, she’s taken.” Then, turning her attention to Jaxson, pointed a manicured finger and said, “I have other plans for you, Mr Knightly.”
Jaxson swiftly caught her hand and kissed it, smiling at Stella playfully. I felt an unfounded tinge of jealousy. He never kissed my hand like that. He only placated me with a peck on the top of my head. “I wouldn’t dream of crossing you, Dame Stella.” He winked for good measure. “It’s purely professional.”
No woman, not even my formidable aunt, was immune to his come-hither eyes and dazzling smile. She tried to hide it but softened a little under his gaze, pouring the spirits into her snifter.
We explained what happened with Jennifer Fairfax, how Pinky was freaking out about it unnecessarily, and how we thought Beth might be a good fit. Stella couldn’t be happier with the idea and left me and Jaxson to find Beth. When she shut the door behind her, I was hyper-aware to Jaxson’s presence, crammed alone with him in the small room. It didn’t seem to bother him, though; even though he could have kept to the opposite corner, he found more delight in encroaching on my personal space. He stepped into my sphere, the toes of his designer shoes tapping against mine, and he lightly rested his hand on my waist. He was so incredibly close, the fabric of his shirt collar brushed against my chin as he snaked his other arm behind me. His breath was warm and sent a delicious tingle along the shell of my ear. I turned my head toward him just enough to see the playful mirth on his face as he watched my reaction. Our noses were almost touching. What did he think he was doing? He leaned in another inch, causing me to take another step backward into the shelf behind me.
“Are you going to just stand there?” he said huskily.
“What?”
“You’re in the way.” He gestured to the shelf I was leaning on, and I realized the hand not on my waist was trying to reach something behind me. I turned and saw a case of bottled water. He was ripping into the plastic wrapping.
“Oh,” I said, stepping to the side a little flustered. “Are you thirsty?”
A grin tugged at his lips, and he twisted the cap off the bottle without losing his gaze on me. “This is for you.”
Awww. How sweet. He held the water out for me, but before I could accept it, he took a quick drink then placed it in my waiting hand. If anyone else had done that, it would have greatly vexed me. But somehow, little gestures like sharing a spring water with Jaxson felt perfectly natural. It didn’t bother me to drink out of the rim of a bottle where his lips had been. I was rather partial to his lips.
“I’ve always known your aunt is a little eccentric, but why does she have us locked in a supply closet?”
He poured himself a snifter of rum and took a sip with a sour expression.
“Ooof. That’s something else.”
“Maybe she’s embarrassed of us and doesn’t want to show us to her friends,” I offered.
“Or she has a mind to auction us off to the highest bidder like on the Pirate ride at Disneyland,” he said, attempting another sip. He winced. “Nope. Still not good.”
“Hmmm. I’d be more apt to believe she intends to use us for her own amusement.”
“Shall we prepare a dance number?”
“Have you seen my shoes?” I said, lifting the hem of my gown to show off my stilettos. “We’d both end up on the floor.”
He wagged his brows and took a large gulp, draining the contents of his glass. “I think that’s the idea, knowing your aunt.”
For some reason, the idea of my aunt finding me and Jax on the floor of the supply closet struck me silly, and I exploded in peals of laughter. Complete unmitigated and uncontrollable giggling.
It didn’t take much for Jaxson to join in. Moments like these endeared me to him so much. Here we were, dressed to the nines with a bottle of cheap rum and a year’s supply of printer paper, and we couldn’t have had a better time on holiday in the Maldives. We had fun just being together. We were so caught up in our merriment, we hardly noticed when Stella returned. She lifted one regal brow and glared at us like two misbehaving teenagers.
Beth followed Stella through the door, but to my surprise, she was accompanied by Will Darcy. Their hands seemed glued to one another’s, and the ridiculous expression on Will’s face confirmed what I suspected. That was no stage kiss I’d witnessed. This was a full-fledged showmance. I shot a quick glance at Stella who gave me a proud nod. Oh, she would gloat about this forever.
I threw my arms around my new friend with hearty congratulations. “You, mate, are brilliant. Why didn’t you tell me she was brilliant?” I looked to Stella for an answer, but she just grinned and held out her glass to Jaxson for a refill.
“I did.”
Jaxson offered his congratulations to Beth and even extended his kindness to Will. Sure, Will did a great job. Even I had to admit that, although I didn’t think his ego needed any more stroking. Jax, however, couldn’t resist. It was one of the reasons he was dubbed the nicest man in Hollywood.
But something caught me unawares. Will smiled. He smiled. Which was something coming from a man appropriately dubbed the grumpiest man in Hollywood. Maybe Beth was good for him. I glanced at Stella who gave me a smug grin and wagged her brows.
Jammy dodger.
Jaxson filled Beth in on the details of his movie musical and handed her his business card describing the small part he needed covered. I loved listening to Jax talk about his passion project. A bubble of enthusiasm erupted around my heart.
“It’s a small part, but she has a power ballad,” said Jax.
“Think Another Suitcase in Another Hall,” I added. “A minor role with an iconic song.”
Beth’s jaw hung down. “This is a musical?”
“Isn’t this exciting?” I could hardly contain my excitement. “The world would be a better place if only there were more movie musicals.”
“Just doing my civic duty,” said Jaxson with a wink.
Oh, my heart!
Beth spiritedly thanked Jax and agreed to call. Will reacted with a tight squeeze to her hand, which he hadn’t let go of since they arrived. This was big for him. I suppose miracles did happen fr
om time to time. Of course, Stella would be impossible to stand. I’d have to find myself a new conquest and soon. I was still quite proud of myself for finding a boyfriend for Annie, my makeup artist. It was a lot of work, but I managed to set her up with Randall, a chap who designed the sets for the studio. When I paraded my success in front of my aunt, she declared she had something even better in the works. I had to admit, this was a mighty colossal feat. Who could have guessed? Now, I was determined to beat Stella at this unspoken matchmaking competition we’d stepped into.
Stella’s voice shook me from my reverie.
“All right, now that’s settled. Beth and William must go. We’ve taken up enough of their time.”
She shoved the two lovers out the door like a silly old wizard sending her unlikely heroes on a quest. As she was pushing them out by way of poking on their shoulders, Jaxson leaned in to whisper in my ear, “Do you think those two are keen on being one of your aunt’s many amusements?”
He’d wrapped his arm around me to draw me close, his warm breath tickling my cheek. The action caught me off guard, and I crashed into his strong chest, laughing at myself for tripping over my own feet.
“Shoes, remember?”
“I remember,” he said with a knowing smirk. “Floor.”
It didn’t help that I was hopelessly cack-handed. I should have been banned from high heels and long gowns. But Jaxson was there to catch me, both literally and figuratively. Ever reliable and loyal Jaxson. Like a golden retriever.
Stella shut the door and pumped her fists repeatedly in a sort of geriatric victory dance.
“Okay, Stella. Challenge accepted.”
“Whatever do you mean?”
I pointed to the door. “That. The Darcybeth. I suppose you claim victory for that match.”
She straightened her posture and raised her chin. “Indeed, I do.”
She was gloating. I knew this woman and if there was one thing she liked, it was a friendly competition for making the most unlikely matches. I would have chalked Will Darcy up to a hopeless cause—a scrooge-like grump of a man figuratively shooing women off his lawn with a cane. He was the old man in UP slamming his door on visitors (in a hot action star sort of vibe). But Stella found her way in and brought a pretty little brunette to soften his heart.
“All right, then.” I strode right up to her, which was only two small steps, making the gesture a tad less dramatic than it played out in my mind. But I was taller than her and used that to my advantage. “I’ll take your Will Darcy,” I said, raising a brow. “And raise you one Jaxson Knightly.”
“Whaaat?!” Jaxson cried. “Leave me out of this.”
Stella peered back at me as though Jaxson wasn’t in the room. “I don’t accept. The day you find the perfect woman for Mr Knightly will be the end of your matchmaking forever.”
“Do I have a say in this?” Jaxson exclaimed. He was so cute when he tried to intervene with me and my aunt.
“You don’t have to be so dramatic, Stella,” I said.
“Yes, she does.”
I turned to look at Jax. My darling friend Jax. And I realized I was just too caught up in the challenge to think straight. Imagine me finding a match for Jaxson. HA! Laughable. Jaxson and I made an unspoken pact a long time ago. Single pringles never to mingle.
“I’m just kidding,” I said, patting his chest. “I know you’ll never get married. You’re too much like me.”
“Shall we make it interesting?” chirped Stella. “Let’s see if you can find a nut as hard to crack as Will Darcy.”
“A tenner to the winner?” I said, reaching for my handbag. “I think I have a Hamilton in here somewhere.”
“Are you two mad?” cried Jax. “A person’s love life is not a game.”
We snapped our heads to him in unison, regarding the serious frown on his features and burst into peals of uproarious laughter. We laughed and laughed, every so often attempting to stop but then one of us cracked up all over again. Poor Jax. He’d never understand us.
“We’ll place our wagers in here,” said Stella after the giggling wavered, pulling a dusty jar from a shelf. “Every setback, you add money to the jar. Every victory, I’ll add to the pot.”
I could practically hear Jaxson’s eyes roll behind my back. I decided I’d buy him a nice present with my winnings and tossed the first ten-dollar bill in the vase.
“Game on.”
3
Dog People
Jaxson
The Field of Hearts script and piles of sheet music fanned across my bed. I yawned, pushing myself to get through the edits before sleep overtook me. There was so much work. But then why did I answer the phone when it buzzed on my nightstand? Oh, yes. Because it was Emma calling.
“Morris Tomlinson and Elton Wardlow.” Emma’s voice reached my ear in a haze. “I’ll make it a two-fer,” she continued cheerfully.
I pulled the phone away from my ear to check the time. “It’s one in the morning.”
“Don’t tell me you’re asleep already,” she said. “We just got off the phone.”
I sighed, knowing she had very little concept of time when she had her mind set on something.
“That was three hours ago.”
“Oh.” No doubt she was shrugging. “Do you want me to let you go?”
Never.
“Of course not,” I replied. “What do you need?”
“Morris Tomlinson and Elton Wardlow.”
“What for?”
“They’re the most eligible bachelors in showbiz, and I’m going to find them soul mates.”
I sighed deep and long, pinching the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger.
“My dear, Morris Tomlinson married his high school sweetheart years ago. Didn’t you google this?”
“Why do I need google when I have you?” she asked. The endearing thing was that she wasn’t trying to be funny or even lazy. She honestly preferred to talk to me rather than go on the internet. I couldn’t begrudge her for that. I kinda liked it.
“Does this have something to do with that asinine challenge with Stella?”
She remained quiet.
“Emma? Are you there?”
“Do you know why the philanthropic work I do is so important?” she asked.
It was too early in the morning for my brain to follow her—how shall I put it—singular way of thinking. Philanthropic? Really?
“Enlighten me.”
“People are lonely.”
“I don’t think Elton Wardlow is lonely,” I said.
It was her turn to sigh. I was a reluctant student to her odd philosophy class and right now, I was in danger of failing. She presented the lecture before me as she had done before. With slow syllables.
“A single man in possession of a good fortune—”
“Should buy more flashy cars?”
“No.”
“Doesn’t have to watch chick flicks?”
“I’m serious.”
“I know,” I said. “You’re a philanthropist.”
“And you’re not helping.”
At this point, I was never getting to sleep. I sat upright, fluffing my pillows against my headboard. This could take awhile.
“What were we talking about before we hung up earlier?”
She thought for a second. “Puppies.”
That’s right. Dog breeds. We were filling a hypothetical house with hypothetical dogs. She said she’d like yorkies. I teased she was quintessentially English.
“Can’t we go back to that conversation?” I pleaded. “I vote for Siberian huskies.”
I loved our late-night phone conversations. Sometimes we’d talk until we fell asleep, and I’d wake up with drool on my phone. We’d usually talk about nothing significant. Food, music, which celebrities we’d cast in the most outrageous fan fiction movies. We’d have a chin wag until all hours of the morning. Sometimes, we’d play online video games, and I’d let her beat me at Fortnite.
“I wonder w
hat kind of dog Elton likes,” she said.
“If I had to guess, I’d say Chihuahua.”
“I could find him a Chihuahua. This is L.A. There are lots of Chihuahuas.”
“Emma…”
“They’re like Starbucks. There’s a Chihuahua on every corner.”
“Emma…”
“Bouji Chihuahuas, glam Chihuahuas, all sorts.”
“How do you know he’s not a cat person?”
“Don’t be daft,” she scoffed. “Everyone loves dogs.”
“Maybe you should let him pick out his own… dog.”
She laughed—that light bubbly giggle that was almost an aria. It filled me with such joy to hear, knowing it was accompanied by an unguarded smile.
“I wish you were here,” she said on a sigh.
This woman. She shouldn’t say things like that.
“I’m just a phone call away,” I replied, trying desperately to tame the heat prickling through me. How easily I could jump in my car—I’d be at her house before I even realized the insanity of the idea.
“I’m beginning to regret that last pot of tea,” she said.
“Are you out of herbal?”
“I don’t know.”
I made a mental note to check her pantry tomorrow. Her housekeeper Rosario was good at keeping it well stocked, but the woman had no concept of decaffeinated drinks. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought she owned the house. She was also a junk food enabler.
“Shall I read to you?” I asked in a whisper.
“Jane Eyre?”
I smiled at her eagerness. “We’ll pick up where we left off.”
“Okay.”
“Turn out your lights while I get the book.”
I could hear the shuffle of her movements. I pictured her padding around her bedroom checking the alarm, shutting off the lights in her dressing area and the balcony off her master suite—locking the French doors. I didn’t like the thought of her alone in that enormous house. But she insisted she never felt lonely. Our nightly phone calls probably had something to do with that.
I retrieved the book from my nightstand and opted for a clip-on light for reading. It was Emma’s book. Book mail was one of her online shopping weaknesses. She loved collecting them and how they looked on her shelves. She had every good intention to read them all but never found the time. I’d take them home so I could read to her while we spoke on the phone.
