by Alexa Land
When we reached the bank, I deposited ten grand in the account I maintained for my parents and put two thousand dollars in my checking account. The rest went into a savings account earmarked for the IRS, because Sylvia had warned me to err on the side of caution when it came to paying my taxes.
As we left the teller window and walked across the lobby on our way to the exit, I grinned a little and muttered, “Easy come, easy go.”
“You’d mentioned before that you were pretty tapped out, so are you sure you want to give that much away? We could go back and change it,” Lorenzo said, as he gestured over his shoulder.
“I’d always wished for the day I could give my parents a windfall like that, and it finally came true. I wouldn’t change that for the world. And I’ll be fine. If I’m careful with my spending, that’ll be more than enough to get by until I’m paid again in a month or so.”
I felt elated as we drove back to the airport, but I knew this was the calm before the storm. I’d probably panic once I got to Mendocino and was plunged into the world of moviemaking. Still though, I was determined to let myself have a few hours to be happy about the contract, which hadn’t left my hands since it was signed.
Lorenzo’s cousin met us in front of the terminal. The two men exchanged back-slapping hugs before handing off the car. Then I had a little time to kill while Lorenzo went through his preflight checks and fueled up, so I wandered to the newsstand and scanned the headlines.
The Trent Chambers scandal hadn’t erupted yet. I was supposed to keep a lid on the fact that I’d replaced him as Alex until the news of his ‘accident’ broke, which was fine by me. Aside from telling my friends and family I’d gotten the part, I really wasn’t eager to make it public. This was already a lot to handle, without adding pushy reporters to the mix.
Soon Lorenzo and I were back in the Cessna. It felt like months had passed since our flight to L.A., but somehow that had just happened the day before. I spent the short flight lost in thought and staring out at the endless expanse of green-blue ocean.
Before long, Catalina came into view. The runway that had been blasted into the top of a mountain looked pretty dicey from this angle, especially since it ended at the edge of a cliff. But there was no reason to worry, because Lorenzo handled the landing the same way he did everything else—with skill and confidence.
We taxied to the plane’s usual spot near the hangar. As soon as he shut off the engine, Lorenzo sent a text. I shot him a look and said, “Tell me Beck isn’t throwing a surprise going-away party and asked you to let him know when I’m arriving.”
He tried to pull off an innocent expression as he muttered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
After a beat, he dropped the act and asked, “How’d you figure it out from a single text?”
“The timing was suspicious. Also, I know Beck, and this is exactly the type of thing he’d do.”
“Technically, it’s to congratulate you on the movie, not a going away party. Don’t tell Beck I said anything. You know how much he loves surprises.”
“I won’t say a word.”
Several friends were waiting outside for me when we reached Seahorse Ranch. Lorenzo said, “Go greet your adoring public. I want to put away the picnic basket, so I’ll see you in a minute.”
He went through the side door of the main building, and as I stepped into the courtyard, everyone cheered and applauded. A bunch of big, cardboard gold stars had been layered over the Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali, and New Year’s decorations, along with a hand-lettered banner which read: Congratulations Will! We all want to be your date to the Oscars.
Beck hugged me and exclaimed, “There he is, the man of the hour! I’m so happy for you, Will.”
“Thank you for throwing me a party.”
He grinned as he let go of me. “I know you hate being the center of attention, which is super weird for an actor. But we all wanted a chance to fawn over you before you take off.”
Vee was the next to grab me in a hug and congratulate me. My cat was right beside him, decked out in her pink rhinestone harness and leash, and I said, “Thanks for looking after my girl last night.”
“It was fun. We had a slumber party and watched The Lion King together.”
“Did you really?” I scooped up the cat and kissed the top of her head.
“Absolutely.”
“You’re awesome, Vee.”
“That’s true.” He smiled at me, and then he asked, “So, when you’re done filming, what are the chances you’ll actually come back here?”
“I haven’t had a chance to think about what I’ll do afterwards.”
“But your career is taking off, so you’ll probably move back to L.A., or even New York, now that you’re a successful actor.”
“I’m not successful. It’s only one movie, and there’s no guarantee it’ll lead to others.”
“It will,” he said. “I’ve always known you’re a great actor. Now everyone else is going to know it, too, and the parts will start pouring in. Just watch.”
Lorenzo joined us a moment later, accompanied by Ren and his boyfriend Colt, who were handing out glasses of champagne. Beck climbed up onto the edge of the fountain and lifted a glass as he called, “Let’s all raise a toast to our dear friend Will!” He turned to me and said, “We’re going to miss you, but we’re so happy your dreams are coming true.”
Over the next few minutes, that same sentiment was repeated in ten different ways by every friend I’d made at Seahorse Ranch. Then Vee and Gabriel brought out a huge sheet cake that said Knock ‘em dead, Will, next to a little cartoon of some kind. I studied the cake and asked, “What does the golden dildo with eyes represent?”
Vee chuckled and told me, “That was supposed to be an Oscar statue, because Beck claimed he could draw one. Apparently his talents lie elsewhere.” He looked for Beck’s husband and called, “Right, Leonidas?” The man just grinned at him, and then he put his arm around Beck’s shoulders and kissed his forehead.
A few minutes later, Beck joined my cat and me on a lounge chair. He’d brought a slice of cake and two forks, and he said, “I figured you wouldn’t want a whole piece, but if I’m wrong, there’s plenty more.”
“This is perfect.” I ate a bite of the chocolate cake, and then I gestured across the courtyard and asked, “When did that happen?” Two of our friends were snuggled up in a corner. Petite, dark-haired Ezra was sitting on the lap of a big blond named Isaac, and they were kissing tenderly. We all knew they were best friends, but up until then, I hadn’t even been sure Ezra was gay.
“New Year’s Eve, apparently,” Beck said, before licking some vanilla frosting off his fork. “Ezra told Isaac he loved him, and Isaac admitted he’d felt the same way for a long time. Now they’re a couple and are moving in together.”
“Just like that?”
“Yup. Just like that.”
I murmured, “They make it seem so easy.”
“I guess it can be, for some people.” Beck glanced at Lorenzo, who was chatting with Ren over by the fountain, and asked, “Did you and Lorie have a romantic night last night?”
“We actually regressed back into just-friends mode. After I talked to you, he got up from his nap and we spent the evening watching movies and playing video games. Then we slept in the same bed, but nothing happened.”
“Why do you think you both pulled back like that?”
I shrugged and said, “Maybe subconsciously we both thought it’d be easier, since I’m leaving.”
“Yeah, but you’re not going away forever.”
“Everyone’s acting like I am, though. They’re all saying goodbye like they’re never going to see me again.”
He thought about that before saying, “Maybe they assume you’ll go on to bigger and better things now that your career is taking off. I hope you come back here when filming wraps, but I can see why relocating to L.A. would make sense.”
“I honestly have no idea what’s going to happen once I finish the movie, or where I’ll end up. But I want you to know these past few months meant everything to me, Beck. This time last year, my world consisted of you, my agent, my parents, and a cat. Now I feel like I have a whole family here, and—”
When a lump in my throat cut me off, Beck set aside the plate and grabbed me in a hug. “You do. No matter where you end up, we’ll always be your family. Nothing can change that.” It felt like it was already changing, but I nodded and tried to smile.
A little while later, I got a text from the assistant Sylvia had hired, whose name was Phoenix. We messaged back and forth a few times because he was planning to do some shopping for me when he reached Northern California, and he told me he’d pick me up at the airport later that night.
My phone was almost dead, so I got to my feet and scooped up the cat as I told Beck, “I’ll be back soon. I need to plug this in and call my parents, because they haven’t heard the news yet.”
Lorenzo caught up to me on the way to my room and asked, “Do you need help packing?”
“Probably, but I’m going to do that later. Right now, I’m on my way to call my parents. You should join me, because it’s usually pretty entertaining. I bought them an iPhone two Christmases ago, and I’m the only person who ever Facetimes them, so they go nuts with all the filters and stickers.”
“Sure, if you don’t think I’ll be intruding.”
“You definitely won’t be.”
When we got to my room, I turned the cat loose, finally put down the envelope with the contract, and plugged in my phone with the charger on my nightstand. Then Lorenzo and I sat side-by-side on my bed while I placed a video call to my parents. My mom answered on the second ring with, “Hey, Willie! How are you, sunshine?”
“I’m doing great. How are you and Dad?”
“Oh, you know us. Same as ever.”
“Is he around? I have some news for both of you.”
“Sure,” she said. “Hang on and let me get him.”
While she went in search of her husband, Lorenzo grinned and whispered, “Willie.”
“They used to call me Billy. When I tried to get them to call me Will in my late teens, that happened.”
“You know, you look exactly like your mom.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” My mom was beautiful, no doubt about it. Her dark, curly hair was shot through with gray, and there were laugh lines in the corners of her blue eyes, but aside from that, she still looked just like she did in her wedding picture.
My dad appeared on the screen and brought up a filter that gave them both cartoonish unicorn heads. Then he chuckled and said, “Hey there, Willie. How do we look?”
“Perfect. I want you both to meet my friend Lorenzo.”
“Just a friend?” My dad’s unicorn wiggled its eyebrows.
I ignored that and said, “I can’t talk long, because my friends are throwing me a party and I need to get back to it. I just wanted to let you know I landed a part in a movie, and I start filming on Monday in Northern California.”
Both my parents whooped with delight, and my mom said, “We’re so proud of you, Willie! What’s the part?”
“Remember that book I loved called Alex and After? I’m playing Alex.”
She exclaimed, “That’s huge!”
“It is.”
The unicorns disappeared, and my dad looked like he might cry as he said, “We’re so happy for you, kiddo.”
I tried to keep my voice steady as I said, “I’m going to try my best to make you proud.”
“You already do that every day, sweetie,” my mom said.
“Just so you know, I signed the contract today, and I was given the first installment of my salary. I made a deposit into your account, but maybe give it a day for the check to clear.”
“Thank you, Willie. That was very sweet of you,” she said. “Are you sure you don’t need that money for yourself, though?”
I shook my head and told her, “I have everything I need.”
My dad said, “I know you’ll be busy with that movie, but when do you think you might be able to come for a visit, kiddo? We miss you.”
“In a few weeks, hopefully. I’d better get back to the party, but I’ll talk to both of you soon. I love you.”
We said our goodbyes, and after we disconnected, I ran the back of my finger over my damp lower lashes and murmured, “Man, I’m so emotional lately.”
“For good reason.” Lorenzo leaned against me and said, “Your parents are adorable, by the way, and they really don’t seem old enough to have a kid who’s almost thirty.”
“They were high school sweethearts and got married right after graduation. Then they had me at nineteen. In a lot of ways, it seems like they stayed frozen at that age, which is why I’ve always felt the need to take care of them.”
“They’re lucky to have you.”
“We’re lucky to have each other. I might have grown up dirt poor, but I always knew I was loved. That’s everything, really.”
Lorenzo watched me for a few moments, and then he touched my cheek and murmured, “I’m going to miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too.”
“Do you want me to fly you to the mainland tonight, so you can catch your flight?”
“No thanks. I’ll just take the ferry and a Lyft.”
“You sure?” When I nodded, he said, “I should have offered to fly you to Mendocino, although a jet will get you there much faster.”
“It would have been a long round-trip for you, and fuel’s expensive.”
“I would have been glad to do it.” He picked up my hand and asked, “Do you think you’ll come back here between filming in Mendocino and San Francisco?”
“Actually, I was thinking that’d be a good time to visit my parents. I feel bad that I couldn’t afford to go home at Christmas.”
He nodded. “You should do that.”
“I won’t be busy every minute of the next four weeks,” I said. “Maybe we can figure out a time for you to come up.”
“You’ll probably need the weekends to learn your lines.”
“Even so, I’d love to see you.”
Lorenzo got to his feet and tried to look cheerful as he said, “We’ll play it by ear. Come on, let’s go back to the party. Beck said he was ordering sushi, which might mean you actually eat something.”
Shortly after sunset, Lorenzo and I stood on the dock of the ferry that connected Catalina Island and the mainland. I’d managed to limit my luggage to one big, rolling suitcase, a messenger bag, and a garment bag, and my cat was hunched in her pink carrier, glaring at me.
“I want you to call me when you reach your destination,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how late it is.”
“I should call you in the morning. I think I’ll arrive in Mendocino around three a.m.”
“Three is fine.”
“No, it isn’t,” I said. “You’ll be asleep.”
“Actually, I’ll be up waiting for your call.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll call you at an ungodly hour.”
He smiled at me and said, “Thank you.” We stood there for a few moments as a breeze blew in off the harbor and pushed my hair into my eyes. He reached up and brushed it back for me, and when the ferry’s horn sounded, he said, “You should go.”
“You’re right.” There was so much I wanted to say, but instead I grabbed him in an embrace and held on tight. It was tough to make myself let go again, but finally I took a step back and said, “I’ll talk to you in a few hours.”
I slung the messenger and garment bags over my shoulder, picked up the pet carrier, and started wheeling my suitcase down the dock. After a minute, Lorenzo called my name. I turned to look at him, and he ran to catch up with me.
He took my face between his hands and kissed me. It was laced with longing. Then he started to say something, but he hesitated. Finally, he said, “Safe travels.” I nodded, and as I continued dow
n the dock, I wondered what he’d really wanted to say.
Chapter 6
Phoenix Jaymes wasn’t what I’d expected. His texts had been so professional and efficient that I’d pictured someone with glasses, a bowtie, and a clipboard. Instead, he turned out to be a friendly guy of about thirty with shaggy brown hair, a short beard that seemed unplanned, and a warm smile. He was dressed in jeans, a flannel shirt, and cowboy boots, which he’d accessorized with some funky bracelets and rings. When he opened the back of his dark blue Ford Bronco to load my luggage, I wasn’t surprised to see a guitar case. It was the perfect finishing touch to the whole indie rocker vibe he had going on.
My cat was on her leash, and as I picked her up and climbed into the SUV, I said, “Thanks for coming to get me.”
“No problem.” Phoenix got behind the wheel and plugged his phone into a charger before pulling away from the terminal.
The Bronco didn’t look like a rental, so I asked, “Did you drive here from L.A.?”
“I did, and it was pretty fun. I hadn’t done a road trip in ages.” He glanced at the cat, who’d settled in on my lap, and asked, “Does she know she’s not a dog?”
“Yes, but she doesn’t know she’s not a person.”
He grinned at that. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell her.” I glanced at his profile, and when I did it again a few seconds later, he said, “Go ahead and ask.”
“Okay. Why do you look so familiar?”
“Because my twin brother Dallas is a famous country singer.”
I thought about that and said, “That must suck. What do you do when random people come up and hassle you for an autograph, thinking you’re him?”
“I usually try to convince them they’ve got the wrong guy. But sometimes it’s easier to just go ahead and sign his name, then pose for some damn photos.”
“That sounds like a pain in the ass.”
“Yup.”
“So, how long have you been doing the personal assistant thing?”
“Ten years. It started after my brother got his first record deal. Because he’s a total disaster and needed help with pretty much everything, I went to work for him. He drove me insane though, so eventually I quit and moved to L.A. to pursue my music career. That obviously went great, and I ended up falling back on what I knew.”
