And the Winner Is...#18

by Melissa J Morgan

  Maybe this wasn’t the best idea, Nat thought. Then she saw it. The perfect present, over in the corner of the store. A teddy bear in a tuxedo. The bear looked like he was ready to go to the Oscars himself.

  Natalie hurried over and took the stuffed animal off the shelf. Her eyes caught on the bear next to it. It was wearing a green T-shirt, just like the one Logan wore all the time at camp. Maybe I should get it for him, she thought.

  But that was a girlfriend kind of thing. And she wasn’t Logan’s girlfriend anymore.

  Natalie considered buying the bear for herself. She could cuddle it the next time she got a case of the Logan Lonelies. No, too pathetic, she decided. She took the tuxedo-wearing bear up to the register and bought it for her father. She added a Nerds rope for herself. Natalie had gotten addicted to the long, sweet, sticky string with the sour little Nerds candies stuck to it. It was such a weird candy. Who thinks up stuff like that? she wondered as she crossed over to the waiting area in front of her gate.

  She checked her watch as she dropped down into one of the molded plastic chairs. Still forty-five minutes before the plane was supposed to take off. Which meant boarding in probably twenty. She decided to amuse herself by playing a game she’d made up the last time she was sitting in this airport waiting for a flight to LA. The game was called “Where Ya From?” The point was to decide which of the people around her were native New Yorkers, which were native Californians, and which were from some other state.

  Sometimes it was a tough call. Like the guy across from her in the T-shirt that read, Your Favorite Band Sucks. The attitude felt very New York to her. But the perfect fading and the perfect fit of the shirt could be either LA or NYC. The sneaks, though—they were a pair of the limited-edition numbers designed by the Kidrobot crew. They were a little more LA. California born, definitely, Natalie decided.

  “Going home?” Natalie asked the guy. He nodded. One point for me, she thought.

  By the time first-class boarding was announced, Nat had racked up eleven more points. A twenty-something chick from Denver had completely fooled her. Natalie had been sure that the Marc Jacobs coat with the row of military-esque gold buttons paired with the wide-brimmed hat had to be worn by a New Yorker. But nope.

  Natalie stood up and joined the small group of other first-class passengers. Her dad always bought her a first-class ticket as a special treat. Natalie loved it. The seats were super comfy, and just looking at the desserts got her mouth watering.

  But even with the yummy desserts—a hot fudge sundae this time—and a movie that Natalie had been wanting to see, she was eager to get off the plane. She couldn’t wait to see her father.

  The second the bell dinged and the fasten seat belt sign clicked off, Natalie was on her feet. She snatched her carry-on bag from the overhead compartment and managed to be the first one to say good-bye to the row of flight attendants by the door.

  She’d been to LAX so many times that she had no trouble finding the baggage claim area. Her dad should be there somewhere, but she didn’t see him. And Tad Maxwell was hard to miss. He was tall, for one thing. And he usually attracted a crowd of noisy fans.

  Maybe he’s running late, she thought. But her father had a thing about not wanting her hanging out alone in the airport. Natalie did another scan of the area—and spotted a man in a black suit holding a sign that said NATALIE GOODE.

  Her father had sent a driver for her.

  Ouch.

  This has to be an insane time for him, she reminded herself, walking toward the driver. He’s probably giving a zillion interviews a day, plus photo shoots and talk shows.

  “Hi, I’m Natalie,” she told the guy with the sign. He wore his hair short and his sideburns long. And he was really tan, an even golden tan. Spray-on, Natalie decided. It was just too perfect. She pegged him as a guy who drove celebs around, hoping he’d be a celeb himself someday.

  “I’m Bingley,” he told her. “You can call me Bing. Or Lee. Or Bingley.” He grinned, and Natalie had a feeling he used that greeting a lot.

  “Where’s my dad?” she asked. She sounded like a pouty five-year-old, so she forced herself to smile at Bingley.

  “I was just getting to that. Tad’s got a meeting with his agent this afternoon, but he wanted me to tell you that tonight he’ll take you wherever you want for dinner. And until then, I’m at your service.” Bingley gave a little half bow. “Just tell me where you want to go, and we’re on our way.” He handed her an envelope. “I almost forgot. Fun money from your pops.”

  “Great,” Natalie said. She was glad to hear that she’d gotten the pout out of her voice. “I just have a couple bags.” She turned toward the baggage carousel. “That one, the black with pink. And the one that looks just like it, but smaller.”

  “Diane von Furstenberg. Nice,” Bingley commented as he grabbed her suitcases. “So, where to?” he asked as he led the way to the exit.

  Where did she want to spend the next few hours? Alone.

  Wait. Not necessarily alone! “Give me one sec,” Natalie said. She pulled out her cell and called Tori.

  “Talk to me,” Tori said when she picked up.

  “Hey, it’s Nat. I just hit the airport. I thought I’d be doing something with my dad this afternoon, but he has meetings and stuff.”

  “All I’m doing is painting my nails with that water-based stuff you can peel off. It’s kind of cool,” Tori answered. Her mother was beauty editor at a magazine. Tori always had a ton of beauty products—lots of times before they were even on the shelf. “You know what I’m thinking?” Tori continued.

  “What?” Natalie asked.

  “I’m thinking I need to smell some tar today,” Tori answered.

  “Yay! That’s perfect. It’s exactly what I want to do on my first day in LA,” Natalie said. “My dad arranged for a driver. We’ll pick you up. Here, tell him where you live.”

  She handed the phone to Bingley. “I’d like to go to the La Brea Tar Pits. But with a stop on the way to pick up a friend. She’s going to give you her address.”

  “Cool,” Bingley answered. “Got it,” he said into the cell a moment later.

  An hour and fifteen minutes later—LA traffic was hideous—Natalie and Tori were staring at a pool of smelly black tar. It looked like it was boiling, but the bubbles were caused by methane gas being released. The methane gas also caused the smell.

  “Brea means ‘tar’ in Spanish. And la means ‘the.’ So when you say the La Brea Tar Pits, you’re actually saying the the tar tar pits,” Tori said.

  Natalie laughed. “I think they should sell T-shirts with that on them in the gift shop,” she answered.

  “Ooooh, gift shop,” Tori said.

  “Let’s hit it,” Natalie said. They turned and followed the path to the main building. “It’s so bizarre that this tar is oozing out of the ground on the same block as stores and offices and everything,” she commented.

  “I know. It seems like the pits should be in the middle of Griffith Park at least,” Tori answered. She paused to pat one of the giant sloth statues.

  “Is it just me, or do giant sloths look kind of like giant prairie dogs?” Natalie asked. “Especially that one that’s sitting on its back legs.”

  “I’m an LA girl. What do I know about prairie dogs?” Tori asked.

  “You do go to school and everything, right?” Natalie teased. “Or is it true that you LA girls spend every moment shopping and lying around poolside.”

  “Watch it. You’re half LA girl yourself,” Tori said, “even though you aren’t blond.” She gave her long blond hair a dramatic flip.

  Nat remembered how it had kind of bothered her not to be the only Hollywood-connected girl anymore when Tori had arrived at Camp Lakeview. She really hadn’t liked Tori at first. But it had turned out to be really fun having a friend who knew LA even better than Natalie did herself.

  “Let’s spend the guilt money my dad had the driver give me,” Natalie suggested as they walked into the cool
, dim museum. She pulled the envelope out of her purse and opened it. “Here. Twenty-five for you. Twenty-five for me.”

  “My parents gave me cash, too,” Tori protested.

  “Save it. My dad would want to treat you since I’m here on vacay,” Natalie answered. “Besides, I used some of my own money to buy him a present. This adorable teddy bear wearing a tux.”

  “Like he’s ready to go to the Academy Awards,” Tori said, immediately getting the connection.

  “Uh-huh. I almost bought myself a bear at the same time. There was this one that so reminded me of Logan,” Natalie admitted. She led the way into the gift shop.

  “The breakup really was hard for you, wasn’t it?” Tori asked.

  “Yeah. I miss him. Even though we couldn’t see each other in person, we used to IM all the time. And we talked on the phone every couple days,” Natalie explained. She paused in front of one of the glass cases that circled the center of the store, but her mind was on Logan, not the jewelry and pottery on display.

  “I’m making it my mission to keep your brain off Logan while you’re here. You’re thinking about him right now, I can tell,” Tori said. “We need…” She glanced around the shop. “Postcards!” she exclaimed. “We’re going to buy postcards for every girl we know at camp. Then we’re going to go over to the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and flirt with the counter guys. Well, you’ll flirt. I’ll just look while simultaneously keeping in mind that I already have my very own hottie of a boyfriend. Plus, Adam Brody goes there practically every day for a latte, according to LAglitz. So we can flirt with him, too.”

  “Good idea!” Natalie exclaimed. They hurried over to the tall rack of postcards. “I think Alyssa would like any of the ones with the sculptures on them. She’s such an art girl.”

  “And Priya and Jenna would probably want to see the actual bones,” Tori added.

  “I’m going to buy one for my dad, too,” Natalie decided. “To show him all the fun he missed out on.”

  By the time they’d written all their postcards—and done some flirting with the counter guys and giggled at Adam Brody as he bought a latte—it was time to head home. Natalie couldn’t wait to tell her dad about all the fun she’d had with Tori. She was out of the car almost before Bingley pulled to a stop in her father’s driveway. “Thanks!” she called over her shoulder.

  She didn’t bother rooting around in her purse to find her key. She just pounded on the door with both hands. “Dad, I’m back!” she cried. “Get out here!”

  There was no answer. No sound of feet rushing toward the door.

  Maybe he’s out by the pool. Or working out in the gym with his music cranked up, Natalie thought. She dug out her key and opened the door. The huge house was silent. It felt empty.

  She hurried into the kitchen. She and her father always left notes for each other stuck to the fridge with Monopoly magnets. When she was little, they had played Monopoly every time they saw each other.

  Natalie spotted an index card under one of the magnets. She pulled it down and read the message in her father’s neat, all caps printing. SU SCHEDULED A PHOTO SHOOT FOR TONITE. SORRY! RAIN CHECK? TONS OF FOOD IN FRIDGE. OR ORDER SOMETHING. MENUS ON TABLE.

  Natalie let out a sigh that felt like it had started at the tips of her toenails. Then she pulled the teddy bear out of its bag. “I guess it’s just you and me tonight, huh?”

  chapter

  THREE

  Natalie opened her eyes at five A.M. the next morning. She never woke up that early. She figured it was because her body was still on NYC time. It was already eight there.

  Plus, she was really excited to see her dad. He was probably still asleep. But he wouldn’t want to be if he knew she was up. She leaped out of bed and tromped over to the bathroom that adjoined her room, trying to make as much noise as possible. To give her dad a hint. She loudly shut the door behind her. To give her dad another hint. He was a pretty heavy sleeper. He snored and everything.

  Natalie washed her face, brushed her teeth, then put on her new brand-new La Brea Tar Pits T-shirt and her favorite jeans, the pair that she’d cut to capri length. Then she headed for the kitchen. Before she’d taken three steps, her dad had her in a big hug. He swung her off the ground, spun her in a circle, and then set her back on her feet. “Natalie-boo! I’m so happy you’re here.”

  “Me too,” Natalie said.

  “Did you remember to call your mom last night to let her know you arrived okay?” he asked as they walked to the kitchen together.

  “If I didn’t, she’d already be pounding on your door,” Natalie joked.

  “True,” her dad answered.

  “Hey, did you see the present I got you?” Natalie pointed to the stuffed bear she’d left sitting in her dad’s usual chair at the kitchen table.

  “I saw it, but I didn’t know it was for me.” He picked up the bear and looked it over.

  “It’s a happy-Oscar-nomination gift,” Natalie explained.

  “Thanks, sweetie,” he said.

  “I’m so proud of you. An Oscar nomination. That’s huge! And you already won the People’s Choice Award,” Natalie reminded him.

  “The Oscar is kinda huge, isn’t it?” Her dad ran his fingers through his hair. “You know, I’ve been really lucky. I got that part in Big Bad City right out of drama school. It took off, and I’ve been working ever since. But pretty much the same kinds of parts.”

  “I know. Dark Music is the first movie you didn’t need a stuntman for,” Natalie answered.

  “It’s like, for the first time, people around town are looking at me and seeing a real actor, somebody who really did go to drama school, not just an action movie guy,” her dad said. He leaned close to Natalie. “Confession?” he whispered in her ear. “I know it’s supposed to be an honor just to be nominated and everything, but I really want to win.”

  “You’re going to!” Natalie exclaimed. “You were awesome in Dark Music. All my friends thought so. They’re all rooting for you.”

  Her father laughed. “Then it’s a lock.” He grabbed a bottle of pomegranate-blueberry juice out of the fridge. “Want a glass? It’s loaded with antioxidants,” he told her.

  “Sure.” Natalie grabbed a seat at the table. “And a muffin, please. You did get my favorite lemon poppy seed ones from Trader Joe’s, right? And when I say you, I mean Ms. Davis.” Ms. Davis was her dad’s housekeeper. He had a crew of people. Su, his publicist. Heath, his agent. Mary, his personal trainer. Lee, his personal assistant. Sunny, his lawyer. And Allis, his lawyer.

  “Of course. Ms. Davis knows all the things you like. The whole kitchen is stocked,” her father answered. He set the juice and a muffin down in front of her.

  “You’re just having juice?” she asked as he sat down. Her dad usually had a big bowl of Cocoa Puffs every morning, the only junk food he allowed himself. Semi-junk food. It was vitamin enriched, as he liked to remind her.

  “I have a photo shoot for Vanity Fair in an hour. They want a picture of all the Best Actor nominees together. I might end up standing next to Mickey Frazier. I don’t want to be bloated. Have you seen that guy with his shirt off?” he joked. Half joked.

  “Oh.” Natalie had thought she’d have her dad to herself today. “I think I’ll get in some pool time. Then you can take me to the movies at the Cinerama Dome. You know I can’t come to LA without doing the Dome.”

  “I can’t today, Nat. I have to tape my segment of the Barbara Walters special. Not that I wouldn’t rather hang with you than Babs,” her father said. “I knew when I invited you out for the week that I’d have a lot of obligations. But I really didn’t realize how many. I’m sorry.”

  Natalie forced a smile. She knew what a huge deal it was for her dad to have been nominated for an Oscar, and she wasn’t going to do anything to spoil it for him. “No worries,” she said. “Tori—you know, my Camp Lakeview friend—and I have tons of plans. She’s on spring break, too. We had an awesome time at the tar pits yesterday. Maybe we’ll hi
t Pink’s for lunch. It turns out that she’s a Pink’s freak just like me.”

  “That’s great! Bingley will take you two wherever you want to go. Have him drive you to Pink’s if you want. Just keep the hot dog consumption under control. No more than ten, agreed?”

  Natalie giggled. “Agreed.”

  “Hey, and how about inviting Tori to go to the Oscars with us? I have one extra ticket. Josie was going to use it, but she’s on location in Santa Fe for the next month,” her father offered.

  “Really? Really, really, really?” Natalie could hardly believe it.

  “Really,” her dad answered.

  “Tori’s going to die!” Natalie exclaimed. “I’m going to have to give her CPR so she’ll be able to go with us.”

  Tori shook her head at her boyfriend, Michael.

  “What? I got all perfects!” he said, pointing to his Dance Dance Revolution score on the big plasma screen.

  “But you dance like a zombie,” Tori told him. She stood up and did a little imitation of Michael playing DDR, her feet barely lifting off the floor, arms flopping limply at her sides.

  “Really? I look that hot?” Michael joked.

  Tori laughed. Michael was always making her laugh. “Yeah, you make a completely hot zombie,” she told him. Seriously, he was so cute with his long emo bangs and his golden brown eyes.

  He started to shuffle toward her, making weird grunting sounds, his eyes rolled up in his head. Tori backed away slowly. “Got to say, your hotness level is going down.” He grabbed her.

  “Brains. Need brains,” he grunted as he pretended he was about to take a bite out of her head.

  “Way down!” Tori warned him. The sound of a meowing kitten came faintly from her bedroom. “That’s my cell,” she said. She gave Michael a gentle push. “Be right back.”

  She hurried into her room and grabbed her cell. The kitty sound meant she had a text message. She brought it up.