by Magan Vernon
I raised an eyebrow. “Did you directly lift that from a book quote.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Yeah. Working on a cover right now where that’s in the blurb.”
“It’s better than you yelling at me, so I’ll take it.”
***
If I never had to dry hump another actress in a nurse costume while a bunch of cameras pointed in my face, I would die a happy man.
Guess a lot changed when you went from teen heartthrob to Zaddy.
“Hey, where did you go last night?” Eve asked as I filled my coffee cup for about the millionth time.
I raised an eyebrow. She definitely saw the news and had to know I was seen leaving the club with Cheyenne. And if she didn’t, she was better of an actress than I gave her credit for, looking at me completely stone-faced as she waited for my answer.
“I think we both know the answer to that,” I muttered, taking a large gulp of my lukewarm coffee. Who the hell was on craft services that this shit wasn’t refreshed? Okay, so it was four in the afternoon, but a man needed his coffee.
She smirked, then glanced over her shoulder as if a cast or crew member would be listening intently to our conversation and she didn’t want them near us. She leaned in, her hand resting on the table beside her. “You know, probably not the best idea to be hanging out with the boss’s daughter. Unless this is some publicity stunt, because I heard a rumor that your upcoming episodes have the ratings going insane.”
“Really?” I asked, trying to tamper down the bubble of excitement from her words.
What the hell did I care about the ratings? Yet I couldn’t deny that I’d been waiting sixteen years to see if anything more would come of my acting career.
I thought it was over.
I was still ready to go back to Texas, but there was still that inkling, the nagging pull that did have me wondering what would happen if I stayed in L.A.
Nothing good, probably.
The actress stood straighter, adjusting her ponytail. “Check for yourself, Len. And I’ll see you at our next shoot. Who knows, maybe Ms. de la Peña will make you a regular and we can enjoy some more of these moments in the waiting room.”
A seductive smile crossed her lips as her fingers glided down my arm. But I wasn’t about to fall for a young girl’s advances, especially since just yesterday she acted like she couldn’t stand the sight of me.
Guess what’s what happened when someone else’s star rose, you wanted to see how far you could get by riding someone else’s coattails.
“I have a girlfriend,” I said, with as much gumption as I could and not sound like a dick.
It was the first time I’d ever given the name to Rachel, and each word had my heart beating a little faster.
The actress blinked. “Um, it’s not…Ms. De la Peña’s daughter, is it? Because you seem like a good guy and all, but dude, she’s way jailbait.”
I smiled, shaking my head at the ridiculousness of her statement. “No. It’s not Cheyenne. Her mom and I are just old friends. Nothing going on there.”
Understatement of the year.
“Well, if your girlfriend isn’t here then…” She leaned in close, her lips vibrating against my ear. “You know where my trailer is.”
She smiled as she pulled back, walking away, so her ass swayed.
If it were a different time, I might have actually taken her offer. But I was not the same man anymore. Though, if she was right about the reception of me coming back on the show…
Despite the fact that Trish was on set for most of the takes, I didn’t usually talk to her. Even after the epic fuckup that happened last night. I figured it was about time we had a little chat.
She sat poised in her chair behind a large camera while two other men in TrishTown hats flanked her side, watching the screen intently.
“Hey, Trish, you got a minute?” I asked, slowly approaching her little circle.
The two men glanced in my direction but didn’t move until Trish’s head shot up. “Len, for you? Of course?”
Her voice rose slightly with a lighter tone, like a telemarketer. The two men scurried away as soon she said the words, leaving me to take the seat next to her.
“Do they know that’s your nice Trish voice?” I asked, smiling to keep the mood light.
She smirked. “Oh, they’ve heard angry Trish, believe me.”
“So have I.”
She rolled her eyes. “If you’re not here to flatter me, what do you want, Len?”
I licked my lips, trying to figure out the right words. “The other actors are talking about this part of mine being more than just a few episodes. I know I can’t trust on-set rumors, but after what happened with Cheyenne last night, I just wanted to know where we stood.”
She raised her eyebrows. “I didn’t think you wanted this to be anything more than a guest spot?”
My heart thudded heart as I scrubbed the back of my neck. “I didn’t say that. I just want to know if I’m going back to Texas in a week. I need to, you know, make plans.”
“Len, I’m not denying that you have a presence in front of the camera that I’d love to keep around the set. And I remember the young guy who was eager to be in front of an audience. But you’re not the same kid you were fifteen years ago, and as much as I’d love to keep you on, that’s ultimately you and your agent’s choice.”
I raised an eyebrow, my head trying to keep up with the thudding in my chest. “Are you just saying that because my little media frenzy is pushing ratings?”
She put her hand on mine, her long nails tracing the lines of my knuckles. It wasn’t something lusty like the actress had tried. But something maternal. Like the connection we once had when we were on set all of those years ago.
Until one night fucked that all up, that is.
“Len, you know I’d love to give you the chance to stay here…that Cheyenne has been begging me for it,” she whispered the last part before clearing her throat. “So, if you wanted to spend more time in L.A. shooting, I’d arrange for your character to have a bigger role. Part-time here in L.A. and part-time back home in Dallas so your youngest could keep her life there.”
My breath caught in my throat as every hair on my body stood on end.
Was this what I wanted?
Ever since the first time I got on stage, all I wanted to do was act.
Then after the show ended and I went down the rabbit hole, I wanted to hide.
But now that I could have the show, part-time in L.A., part-time back home. Juniper would spend more time with her mom and my parents, which wouldn’t be a bad thing. I could still fly home when she needed me.
But what about Rachel? We’d have video chats, and I could even fly her out here. If we were to that point in our relationship.
My heart continued to pound against my ribcage as I thought of the different options.
“I’ll have to think about it.”
Trish nodded. “Well, you think about it and maybe do me a little favor?”
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. “Yes?”
“Can you maybe have dinner with Cheyenne tonight? I think she’s craving some time with you and I’ll be here late. I’ll give you the door code, so you can just get into the building. No punching reporters this time.”
I let out a deep breath I didn’t know I was holding in. “Yeah. I could do that.”
Maybe talking to her would help me to figure out what my next move should be.
Or just make things ten times more complicated.
Chapter 14
As soon as I got out of the car in front of Trish’s building in downtown L.A., my cell phone went off.
Pulling it out of my pocket, I looked down at the familiar phone number of my lawyer. One I’d seen way more times than I cared to admit to in the last few days.
“Hey, Brent,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm, even though inside I was screaming, wondering what the hell I was going to get a verbal reprimand about now.
&nbs
p; “Well, don’t sound so excited to hear from me,” he said with a laugh.
When I didn’t respond, he let out a crackling breath. “I was thinking maybe it’s time you look for another agent to help with these negotiations if offers keep coming up on my desk.”
I looked around, as if someone could hear our convo, my heart thumping in my ears.
“What are you talking about? Has Trish already sent you a new contract or something?”
He laughed. “Not just Trish. I’m getting calls and emails from Disney to Dark Films. Don’t ask about the second one because I already said ‘no’ to you staring in Big Zaddy.”
“I’m afraid to ask what that’s about,” I muttered.
“Well, it was from a porn company, so your guess is probably exactly what it is.”
“Glad you turned it down for me then,” I said flatly, but inside I was anything but.
Years ago, wasn’t this what I always wanted? Multiple offers? To stay in the business? Good thing I didn’t know that all I needed was a scandal sixteen years ago to stay in the spotlight.
He cleared his throat. “But seriously, Len. There are a lot of offers here. Ones I know you would have died for the last time we worked together in L.A. You may say you’re out of the biz, but with this recent trending, I’d advise you to capitalize on it and reach out to Steph or another agent ASAP.”
I cringed, thinking about begging my way back to Stephanie. The one who never put my money in investments like both my parents had asked. Which is why I took the job I had now, so other kid actors wouldn’t have to deal with financial troubles.
But I was in a good place, financially, and at one point I thought personally.
Now everything I thought I knew was turned upside down.
Did I want to go back to the limelight and acting? Spend half my time in L.A. with Cheyenne and the other half with Juniper in Dallas? And what about Rachel? She was still pissed at me, so maybe she’d never forgive me. Maybe all roads had been leading back to California. Or maybe this was the spiral I didn’t need to go back to old habits.
But, what if…it was a new beginning?
My thoughts ping-ponged in my head until, finally, I let out a deep breath. “I’ll call you about this tomorrow, okay?”
He sighed. “All right. Just as soon as you can, okay?”
“All right, man. Talk soon.”
With that, I hung up and slid my phone into my pocket. In one hand, I held a takeout bag from the only place I could find that had brisket this side of the valley. The smell alone had my stomach rumbling, though I knew it wasn’t anything close to Texas.
The thought of home and my dad smoking a brisket on the back patio flooded a new sense of memories to the forefront of my mind. Could I just leave all of that behind?
I had this contract with Trish, and I could go back to Dallas right after the shooting was done. Go back to brisket. To a normal dad life. Though, after all of this, nothing was going to be normal again.
Between a day of work and funneling calls from Brent and whoever else was trying to get in touch with me, I was starving.
Thoughts of Dallas could wait.
Cheyenne was waiting for me, and maybe spending some time with her would give me some clarity. After punching in the key code for the back door, I hit another set of codes to take a private elevator to the penthouse. The doors opened right into the sprawling living room with floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out into the setting sun over the hills in the distance.
Cheyenne sat on a white sectional in the sunken living room, some kind of reality show on the large flat screen in front of her.
She turned it off as soon as she saw me, hopping up and padding across the gleaming porcelain tile.
“Hey, Mom said you were coming, but I wasn’t sure you actually would, and oh em gee, is that meat I smell? Brisket?” She spoke a mile a minute, her hands moving so fast that the arms over her oversized USC sweatshirt swirled like a fuzzy blur.
I laughed, handing her the takeout bag. “Yeah. Took me a while to find a place, but I thought you’d appreciate it.”
For the first time all day, I genuinely smiled as I followed her into the large, stainless steel kitchen. She perched on a bar stool at the breakfast bar, setting the bag in front of her before diving in and taking out the different containers of food.
“Plates? Silverware?” I asked as I rounded the lime bean-shaped counter. I searched the array of different drawers and sparkling farmhouse style sink. One I wondered if it was ever actually used.
Cheyenne took a large chunk of meat out of one of the containers then pointed her free hand behind me. “Plates in the cabinet above the dishwasher and forks and such in the drawer near the fridge.”
She took a big bite of food, chewing quickly. “Sorry, I’m starving. Had a niçoise salad at school for lunch and was waiting for you before I ate again.”
“You were waiting for me? Really?” I asked, setting two plates in front of the chairs at the breakfast bar, along with silverware, before rounding the corner and taking the empty seat.
She nodded, swallowing another bite. “Well, Mom said she’d asked you, and I wasn’t sure you’d come, but…” Her cheeks flushed. “Don’t tell her I got super excited, okay?”
The little redness flashing across the single dimple of her cheek had me smiling. Then a new, chilling feeling washed over me. That was the same feeling I had when Juniper was excited to see me.
The other daughter I’d be leaving if I took a job in Hollywood.
Then another thought crossed me as I served up some brisket on both our plates, followed by French fries. “So, do you like your school here?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I guess I like it well enough. A lot of rich kids, though, who feel the need to compete with who their parents are. Like, really, I don’t care that your godfather is so and so’s lawyer and you drive a Porsche. You know? It just doesn’t feel real. Like it did when I was in Texas…”
Her words trailed.
“You were only there for a day,” I said softly.
“Yeah, but I wish it was longer,” she whispered.
“Cheyenne,” I said, clearing my throat and trying to ignore the prickling sensation on my neck.
“I know, I know. Mom already told me that I’m not going there and that your time here is just temporary. Especially after the shit at the club. So, I shouldn’t get my hopes up for anything, I know. It’s just…” She sighed. “I don’t know. I guess I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have a dad and now that I’ve spent time with you, I don’t know…”
I instinctively put my hand on hers, my mind buzzing as electricity ran through me. “What if I stayed around here a little longer?”
What the hell was I saying?
Her eyes widened as she pulled her hand back. “You can’t do that.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think you get to decide that.”
She shook her head, her long dark hair swishing around her shoulders. “I know that. I mean… Even after I got mad at you, and say that I like spending time with you, we both know that you in L.A. would be completely different. Who the hell knows if Mom would even let us keep talking?”
“I’m sure we could arrange something.”
She set her fork down, blinking slowly. For being only fifteen, she had more maturity than anyone I’d ever met at that age, including myself. “Mom’s a really good mom. You may not think so with how busy she is, but she does care about me. And it took me a while to realize everything she did, by keeping you from me, wasn’t just for herself.”
I tried to keep my face neutral, but found my fists clenching tightly at my side, trying not to let anything bubble to the surface.
Cheyenne swallowed hard. “After Carmen went to sleep, Mom and I stayed up and talked about everything L.A. About how many young actors she’s seen fall to addiction, including you…”
My knuckles whitened as I tried to control my breathing. That wasn’t Trish’s pla
ce to tell Cheyenne about me. “That was a long time ago. Like I said, I was in a bad place when I signed your rights away.”
“And now you’re in a really good place. You have a life in Texas. A daughter. A girlfriend. Why would you give that all up now?” she asked, honestly, her eyes wide as she stared at me.
Little did she know how messed up things had gotten before I left. What I did to Rachel.
“I wouldn’t be giving it up,” I said, trying to soften my words, but they came out more of a growl.
“Do you want to be the guy who punches reporters, keeping secrets, and only seeing his kid half the time, or do you want to go back to being the devoted dad in Texas?” She blinked slowly. “To me, that answer is obvious.”
“You don’t get to make that decision, Cheyenne. And we’re not going to talk about it any further, okay?”
“Whatever you say,” she muttered, leaving the two of us in silence in what I hoped would be a dinner to help me figure things out.
Instead, as I left that night, my head was even more fucked up than before.
When I got back to my hotel room, I glanced at the clock as I poured myself a hefty glass of whiskey from the mini bar, my hands shaking the entire time.
When was the last time I drank straight whiskey?
It burned going down like a painful memory. One I stupidly wanted more of, so I poured another glass.
The time on the clock said it was Juniper’s bedtime, which also meant Ariana was in bed and I might be able to get a hold of Rachel.
My chest tightened, the brown liquid burning in my lungs as I downed the drink then poured another.
It wasn’t Cheyenne’s decision or her mother’s if I took some jobs in L.A. But what would I tell Rachel? The girl who was still probably still mad at me, for good reason.
I owed her an explanation, right? I mean, she was half the reason she was here. Hell, I’d even give her some more credit for her photos and really catapult her business. Win-win for both of us, right?
