by Lucy Gage
“No, you probably won't. It's never as bad as that anywhere else, really. You can't stumble into LAX just out of bed unless you want unattractive photos to end up in the rags. That's why I only fly middle of the day if I can, because then I never have to worry about it.”
“You don't care that much about unflattering photos, do you?” Em didn't think he was that shallow.
Rob laughed. “No, but Amy does. If I end up on Star looking disheveled, it makes her job that much harder. It can't be that I overslept and didn't have time to make myself pretty before I caught an early flight, it has to be that I was partying hard the night before. It's the same as everything else, Em. They make whatever assumptions they want and unless you plan to spend your life in court fighting them, you just have to live with the stupid stuff and only really worry about the truly detrimental bits. Only way to combat it is to be on the offensive.”
Em sighed. “I'll keep that in mind.” He kissed her softly. “Thanks. I needed that.”
Liam groaned. “I have to see this all the time now. Man, Rob, you couldn't date a girl you didn't want to constantly get naked?”
Rob laughed. “You're just jealous because you haven't gotten laid in a while.”
“Who says?”
“Me. Em has kept you busy the last three weeks and your local booty call in Minneapolis doesn't put up with late nights. Which means you're looking for a booty call as soon as you get here.”
“Shut up.”
Rob laughed harder. “I knew it. Who is it this time? Don't tell me Jenna. She's too busy right now.”
Liam blushed and looked down, frowning. “I know. She already told me.”
Em had to laugh. She had never seen him so flustered. “The house is on the beach, right? Maybe we can find you a hot chick when you sit on the beach with us.”
Rick laughed this time. “Liam knows better than that.”
“Why, because he's on the job?”
“No, because if a girl is approaching Rob on the beach she's not looking at his bodyguard.”
“Well, she better be if his girlfriend is sitting next to him.”
All three men laughed. “Didn't know you were a jealous one, Em,” Liam noted.
“Very. I don't share my man. With anyone.”
“Oh, boy. This is going to be fun.” Rick rolled his eyes.
“What's that supposed to mean?” Em asked, offended.
Rob caressed her face. “He just means that here, you're sharing me with everyone every time we step outside the house. It's unavoidable. But you don't ever have to really share me.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” He kissed her again.
Liam made gagging sounds. “Seriously, guys, I don't know how I'm going to stand it. You two are disgustingly cute.”
“We need to get you laid before you have a meltdown,” Rob joked.
“I'm not that bad.”
Rick scoffed, “You're worse than Rob was after three years!”
“Sorry, Liam. I didn't mean to ruin your sex life,” Em said.
Liam looked contrite. “Aw, Em. It's okay.” He patted her knee. “I didn't mind. Long as you don't always work 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., I'll be fine.”
Em squeezed Liam's hand. “I don't. I swear.”
It was a lovely drive down the Pacific Coast Highway and Em hoped to see more of the area with Rob. It took a while to get there – at least as long as it took for her to drive down to New Hampshire from Portland – but soon enough, they were in Malibu. Rob's house was on the beach and before they even got there, Em heard the surf pounding the shore. She had always loved the ocean and looked forward to being in Rob's arms while the waves lulled her to sleep.
Em wasn't prepared for the house. It was Modern, with lots of windows and clean lines. She didn't know what she expected, but since so many houses in Maine on the beach were constructed in New England architectural styles, she must have been picturing something like that without realizing it. Within a few minutes, the driver pulled away from the house and it was just the four of them.
Like in Minnesota, Rob took out his phone and talked to the house so that he could unlock it and open everything. Em had seen him fiddling with his phone when they first sat in the limo, but she thought he had been checking his schedule. Apparently, he had remotely opened windows so that the house could air before they arrived, because it wasn't stuffy inside.
Walking into the foyer, she saw straight out to a huge window in the back and it took her breath away. She slowly wandered toward the view, like a moth to a flame. When she got to the living room in the back, she gasped. An enormous expanse of windows revealed blue water, coastline and sand about 50 yards from the back of the house. When she stood at the window, she could see an outdoor room below at ground level – a combination living room and kitchen/dining space. She blinked. She'd stepped into a TV show.
Rob came up behind her and wound his arms around her waist. “You like?” he asked.
She turned to look at him, the astonishment surely on her face. “I don't think like is the appropriate word. Who wouldn't like? This is gorgeous, Rob.”
He smiled. “I'm glad you like it. It was a hole when I bought it because some third-rate rock star had lived here and trashed the place regularly. Between getting it smart ready and fixing all the problems, it was a long process to get it to where it is now. But it was worth it. The view alone was worth the price tag.”
“Which was?” Em grimaced, unsure she wanted to know, but she was curious.
“I think I paid 8.5 and put around 3.5 into it?”
“That's million. This house cost you $12 Million.”
“Something like that. Believe it or not, that's a decent price. I could probably sell it for at least$16 Million. Maybe more, since it's a smart house.”
“And how big is this house, exactly?”
“Making sure I really got my money's worth?” he teased.
“Just wondering what $12 Million actually gets you. You know, since I'm completely ignorant about this sort of thing.”
“The house has 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, a laundry and an office. There are three master suites and two of the bedrooms have a shared bath. The half bath is downstairs, near the deck. There are two kitchens, two living rooms and two dining rooms. One set is up here, the other is down at the deck level. You can walk straight out that path to the beach. There's no pool, though.”
“Oh, because not having a pool is a big deal when you live on the ocean.”
“You'd be surprised. People in L.A. love their pools. Mitch lives next door, remember? His house has a pool. If I want to swim in chlorine instead of salt water, I just go to his house.”
“He doesn't care?”
“Nope. He isn't there half the time anyway, but I programmed his house for him, so he lets me go over there whenever I want. Provided he isn't entertaining a lady friend. Most of the time, my house is more than enough for me. And I've hardly been here myself the past three years.”
Emily's eyes glazed over and she had to shake her head. That was insane.
“A little overwhelmed?” Rob asked.
“Just having a hard time imagining owning a $12 Million house and hardly being in it. Let alone also owning a housing development for only your family. Little bizarre, really.”
Rob hugged her. “If I were in your shoes, I'd feel the same way. This has all been gradual for me, every bit of it. I had a lot of time to get used to the escalation of everything from the publicity to the real estate prices. I'm sure it's a lot when it's thrust upon you in such a short time.”
Emily sighed. “I'm sorry. This brings the whole thing into focus and it feels surreal again. I had gotten used to our life in Minnesota. You know, aside from the press stuff, for the most part, your life there is semi-normal. Or at least typical for a rich person. I had a few friends from summer camp whose parents had money, so it wasn't that different from their lives growing up. And we always had the house on the lake, so that felt familiar t
o me. But this...”
“Yeah, even my family had a hard time with it at first. Most of them still sit in awe when they come to visit. Rick is probably most used to it because he's traveled with me so much.”
“What about Liam? You said Liam had a thing with Jenna. I thought he stayed in Minnesota most of the time?”
“Not always. He was here with me a lot right after the Lola stuff because we had double security for a little while. Usually, unless I'm out at night, my guard gets a break in the evenings, but then we had someone on 24/7. That's when he met Jenna. They've had an on/off thing since then.”
Em sighed again. “It's all going to take some getting used to...”
“I know,” Rob said, kissing her. “You still in this?”
“Full speed ahead, Captain.”
He smiled. “Good. Let me show you the house. Our bedroom is the biggest and it has a sitting room and the bath that separates it from the rest of the house.”
“So what you're saying is that I can still be loud and it won't bother Rick and Liam?” she teased.
“Loud as you want.” Rob winked. Em smiled, and he gave her the tour before they set out to make lunch, which they ate down on the deck.
Later that night, Rick and Liam drank beer and played cards upstairs while she and Rob sat on the beach and listened to the waves in the dark. Rob had his arms and legs around her and Em leaned into him, her eyes closed.
“If I sit here in your arms, I can pretend that the rest of it doesn't exist.”
“Sometimes, that's the only way I can feel normal. It's too easy to get wrapped up in the drama of it all. I hold on to the little things that anyone can do, that make me like everyone else. This? Us? That feels more real than anything else ever has.”
Em turned to look at him. In the moonlight, she could see tears pooled in his eyes. She kissed him. “Let's try to hold on to that, then. Whenever it gets to be too much, we can hold on to each other.”
Rob smiled, a tear rolling down his cheek. “Yeah. That sounds like a plan.” They sat on the beach for a while, holding tight to one another.
The next several days were spent in L.A. for fittings, interviews and meetings, for both her and Rob. He had show rehearsals and a million production meetings for various projects. So much for time alone on an L.A. vacation. Now she knew what he meant when he said that if he had flown her out for the show that he'd have hardly seen her. At least she could see him and sleep next to him every night.
On Thursday morning, Tommy sang about Jenny at the crack of dawn. Jenna hadn't been calling as early and waking them because they were in the same time zone and she knew it was unlikely that Rob would be out and about before anyone else in California. As such, this was a very unusual call. Em woke first, and she nudged Rob.
“Rob, it's Jenna.”
Rob grumbled, “This better be important.” He fumbled for his phone and sighed, “What is it, Jen?”
After a few seconds, Em felt Rob trying to extract himself from her so he could sit up, so she moved. He got out of bed and was pacing. “You're kidding? Yes, I know you wouldn't have called at this hour if you were just teasing me. No, it's completely unexpected. Okay, I'll call Amy and we'll send you an official statement. Yes, I'll call her right now. Well, if you don't get off the phone, I can't call. Yes. As soon as humanly possible, I promise. Bye.”
Em looked at Rob like he had two heads. It must be big. She went to ask him and he held up his finger for her to wait. “Amy? Can you get Raoul to take the kids to school? Because I just got nominated for an Oscar for Shattered Glass.”
Em's eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped. Rob smiled at her.
“No, if I had the slightest inkling I'd have warned you and Jenna. Because Jenna watched the nominations and she just called. Yes. Right, so you need to send her something to post online. I have no idea. Well, then make it more generic. Do you want me to call her back and ask? Honestly, it's probably better to just stick to my own reaction. Shock. Of course I'm honored! Who isn't honored? No, there were just so many good supporting performances out there this year that I didn't expect it. Yes, I'm very proud of the performance and of the movie. Sure, um, thanks to the studio and to Sam. Ellis. Right. Okay. Thanks, Amy. No, I'll call them. Love you too. Bye.”
Emily just stared at Rob. “Holy crap!” She laughed.
“No kidding. Wow. I'm still a little in shock.”
“Why didn't you expect it?”
“Because the last time I was nominated in the same category, I was nominated for a Globe, too. It's not always the case, but the Globes are usually a good predictor of Oscar nominations and even wins. If the a Globe winner doesn't take the Oscar, it's usually the SAG winner and often the same person wins all three. With so many great performances this year, when I didn't get a Globe or a SAG nod I just assumed the Oscars were out. Otherwise, I'd have been up watching the nomination ceremony. Damn. It's not unprecedented but it's unusual.”
“I'm so proud of you.” Em got up from the bed and hugged him. She pulled back and said, “Holy crap!” again.
Rob laughed. “It's a pretty big deal. Especially in light of the fact that I didn't get nominated for the other awards. I might have extra interviews to do at the Globes.” He made a face that said he was sorry.
“I'm sure I'll be fine. Call your parents!”
“Yeah, I've got a bunch of calls to make, actually.”
“I'll get in the shower and then start breakfast. See you down there?” He kissed her and nodded, heading out of the room and presumably to the office to make calls.
Malibu, California, two weeks after New Year's...
When the day finally arrived for the Globes, Emily was a ball of nerves. “Stop fidgeting. You're going to make me nervous.” She was on the sitting room chaise, unable to sit still.
“I'm sorry, Rob. I don't mean to be such a freak about it.” He pulled her to a stand.
He kissed her lips gently, then firmer. “Do I need to take you to bed?”
“I'll never object to you taking me to bed. Especially since we didn't have much time for that this past week. Sorry.”
“It has to happen sometime, right? Otherwise, if it doesn't, that means...”
“Yes. Let's not jinx things by talking about that right now. It might ruin the mood and I really need you to take off my clothes and make love to me.”
“I don't know, it's always really great when you're distracted a little...”
“Not that kind of distracted. You don't want to be thinking about what you could be accidentally doing when you're having sex. Jenna calling incessantly I can handle. Thinking about...okay, I'm going to stop talking about it. Just kiss me, please.”
“You're the boss.” He kissed her, tongues sparred and danced. He slowly removed her clothes, which wasn't a great feat given that she wore one of the barely-there bikinis he bought her – this one aqua – under a coverup. “God, you're sexy in that thing. I don't know if I want you to wear it on the beach where other guys can admire your body.”
“Too late. I did see a couple of guys watching me...”
He pulled the strings on her teeny-tiny suit as he kissed her neck. “Who? Was it the guys in the yellow house with the porch? They have girls over all the time. You don't want them.”
“I don't want them anyway,” she said, sighing as Rob pulled his shirt over his head. Ah, her private exotic dance show. “I've got you. Why would I need or want anyone else. Ever?”
He groaned. She was naked and he was quite obviously ready for her. “You don't want anyone but me?”
“You've ruined me for other men. You're stuck with me.”
“I prefer to think of it as fortunate you let me still keep your company.”
“However you want to label it, just take me to bed and show me how much you missed me this week.”
“What makes you think I missed you?” he teased, taking off his pants.
She pushed him against the wall, pressing her naked body into his and he
gasped. “That,” she said, smiling, and he scooped her into his arms, carrying her to the bedroom.
A couple hours later, Christopher arrived at the house with his L.A. minions to dress them for the ceremony. Unlike in Minneapolis, this time a makeup artist and a hair stylist also came. Em had to laugh when the makeup artist had Rob sit in her chair first. Her name was Reggie and she was an odd contradiction if Em ever saw one. Her clothes said thrift store, her blue hair said circus, but her makeup said red carpet. Apparently, she wore her trade on her face every day.
When Rob sat down, Em chuckled and he said, “What's so funny?”
“I wouldn't have guessed you wear makeup, sexy man.”
“Everyone on camera wears makeup, Em. The lights wash you out and make you look ill if you don't. Even if I was just walking the carpet, I'd have to wear some. But since I'm going to be on stage, I need more. I'll probably be wearing more makeup than you will.”
Reggie spoke up. “No doubt. She's got flawless skin. You, on the other hand, stopped using the cleanser I gave you.”
Rob looked sheepish. “I ran out.”
“Call me next time, dunce. Or tell Christopher. He can get one of the minions to pick some up at the supply store on their regular run. In fact, you hold on.” She gestured to one of the minions. “You! Go find Christopher and get a list of all Rob's products, then get him a month's supply.” She looked at Rob then. “No more excuses. I want to see a better complexion by Sundance, you hear me?”
Emily laughed as the manicurist repainted her nails. “I like her. She doesn't take crap from you and she treats you like a regular person. I think we'll be fast friends, Reggie.”
“You make my job easy. You must have a regular routine, right?” Reggie noted as she cleaned Rob's face and began applying foundation.
Rob laughed. “I thought she was low maintenance until I watched her with her daily face routine.”
Em scowled at him. “Obviously it pays off. I won't need as much makeup as my boyfriend does.”
“Don't let him fool you. His routine is supposed to be pretty extensive, too. He's just not doing it lately because he's out of product. No more excuses, Deacon. You're just lucky you didn't have to wear much makeup the last few weeks or your pores would be screaming.”
