Page 26 of His Girl Hollywood
She did smile then, one of those toothy grins he remembered from when they were kids that lit up her whole face. He’d never realized how beautiful it was. Not until he’d been denied it. She chuckled. “I did.”
“Just…just like that? But before, you—”
“On those occasions, youtoldme he would be coming. And when I told you no, you acted like a petulant child who’d had hisfavorite toy taken away. Today, you asked.”
He was speechless. He’d come in here ready for a fight. Jumbled from their kiss, frustrated by his inability to deliver what she needed on set, still churned up by his nightmare, he’d been prepared to have an argument. Especially because she’d seemed dead set against Eddie stepping foot on the studio lot. “But I thought you—”
“I ask one thing and one thing only from my cast and crew—that they respect me.” She reached for the jumbled papers on her desk and began straightening their edges, lifting the pile to tap them into a neat stack. “I don’t have an issue with you having a partner at your side who you feel makes you better. If this week is any indication, you could clearly use the help. I only request that I have the final word on any decisions. As the director. It seemed like you didn’t care what I wanted or that I am in charge. And make no mistake, Iamin charge.”
There was a bit of a warble in her voice, the suggestion that maybe she didn’t entirely believe what she was saying. That some part of her was still trying to convince herself. But damn if he didn’t find the entire thing ridiculously attractive. He liked this Lena, this assertive woman who wasn’t afraid to take up space. But his heart surged at the recognition of the nervous little girl underneath, the dreamer who didn’t know if she’d ever get to make those hopes a reality. Besides that utterly unexpected kiss, it was the first crack he’d seen in her no-nonsense demeanor. The first sign that she remembered the way things used to be when they were two kids with big dreams.
“I would never suggest you weren’t,” he murmured.
“Not on purpose.”
He flinched. “What does that mean?”
She sighed and reached for the script pages again, running her finger along their rough edges. “Never mind. Pretend I didn’t saythat.”
But he couldn’t let this go. Ever since he’d got here, she’d been holding him at arm’s length. He needed to get to the bottom of it. Or else it would just sit there, this unnamed thing festering between them. He couldn’t work like that. Eleanor had been the queen of passive aggression, and it had made for a terrible working relationship. He wouldn’t do that again. This was supposed to be a fresh start in Hollywood.
“No, honestly, Arlene, tell me. If I’ve disrespected you or done something wrong, I need to know.”
“It’s nothing.” She pulled the script closer to her and plucked a pen from its stand on the desk. “I really need to review these pages.” She bent her head and started underlining something. So, he stood, put his hand over the pages, and stilled her hand.
“It’s clearly not nothing. Tell me.”
She looked up at him and he nearly gasped. At this angle, she was stunning. Her lips glistened, their natural pinkness flushed where she’d bitten them. Her green eyes sparkled, concealing a million things, and the copper strands in her hair glinted in the harsh overhead office lighting. It would be so easy to lean over and kiss her. To thread his fingers through the morass of her hair, mussing it even further than the disheveled tangle that was evidence of her hard day’s work. But he was dead certain that if they were to ever be friends again, that was completely off-limits.
She broke the spell in an instant. “The other night you barreled in here and acted like you owned the place.” He started to protest and she held up her hand. “You asked, so let me finish. I didn’t like the way you assumed Eddie could just show up without my permission. That you were talking to the studio about choreographing a dance. That when I asked you to follow the choreographer the studio assigned, you couldn’t execute a single step withoutmucking it up. I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but this is my picture, Don, not yours.”
“I didn’t know. I just assumed I was supposed to talk to the studio about things like that. This is my first picture. I’m learning as I go. Lena, I’m sorry, I never would’ve done that on purpose. I want this to beourpicture. Like old times.” He hoped she could hear the nostalgia in his voice, the yearning to recapture the friendship they’d had. Things had been so simple between them once.
She looked so pained. He could’ve sworn there were tears glistening in her eyes, but she blinked and they were gone. Replaced by the saddest smile he’d ever seen. “This isn’t our parents’ backyard. I’m not following you around anymore.”
She could’ve kissed him again and it would’ve surprised him less. “Lena, you never followed me around. We were partners.”
She shook her head and bit her lip again. “I thought we were, but we weren’t.”
He was speechless. How could she say that? They’d been inseparable.
“This can’t be like old times.” She’d recovered a note of steel in her voice. “Don’t you see that? Lena Morgan and Don Lazzarini belong to the past. And that’s where they’ll stay. Now you’re Don Lamont and I’m Arlene Morgan, and this ismypicture. My dream coming true. You got yours already, Don. Help me get mine. Then, you can go back to New York and Eleanor Lester and forget all about us.”
“What if that’s not what I want?” Never mind that he couldn’t go back. That he wouldn’t. That he was going to free himself with the money he made from this picture or die trying. He’d had enough of rapacious bullies and the stranglehold they’d had on his life. First his father, then Frankie. He was done with New York.
“What you want, besides the success of this picture, is none ofmy business.” She bit her bottom lip again, so hard he worried she might draw blood. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Lamont.”
That was that then. This conversation was over. He could try again, but what was the use? She’d made it clear there was nothing more to discuss. So, he nodded and turned to go to the door, twisting the brass doorknob in his hand and noticing that the door stuck a little.
Jesus Christ, they really had given her the worst office on the lot, hadn’t they? No wonder she was so determined to prove herself, despite having nothing to prove. Screw whoever couldn’t see that. He stopped. He wanted to turn around and face her, to tell her she was incredible and that he’d been a stupid kid, that his arrogance had landed him in more trouble than she could imagine. But he couldn’t do it. “We’ll make this a hit, Lena. I swear. I need it too. But it’s your picture, you’re right.”
He paused, but she said nothing and he slipped through the door, gently pulling it closed behind him. Just as it snicked in the latch, he heard her call out, “I look forward to meeting Mr. Rosso.”
Chapter 11
On Monday, Arlene walked onto her set and found everyone in a bit of a frenzy. Rita Carter was already there and in costume, the same burgundy swing dress with a wide white collar she’d worn last week.
“Morning, Rita,” Arlene called out, pulling off the round sunglasses she’d worn across the lot.