Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 65643 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 328(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 219(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65643 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 328(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 219(@300wpm)
I looked back at his filmography and saw that Julian’s company had produced a few of Andrew’s films. There were even a couple of pictures of them together at premieres. I called Julian on a hunch.
“Is Andrew Quinn going to the premiere?” I asked when he picked up.
“Hello, Garrett. It’s great to hear from you. What can I do for you, buddy?” Julian asked, ostentatiously polite.
I tapped my fingers on the desk impatiently. “You can tell me if Andrew Quinn is going to the premiere of Noemi’s movie. The alien one you haven’t shut up about.”
There was a long pause. Finally, Julian said, “Which movie is that?” He was paying me back for being a dick about it the other night.
I sighed, irritated, and looked it up. “Is Andrew Quinn going to the Fires Below Us premiere?”
“How would I fucking know?” Julian asked, starting to laugh. “You think I have the headcount?”
I dug a knuckle into my eye socket. “For fucks sake, Julian, I think you could figure it out! Ask your EA!”
Still laughing, Julian hung up on me. I didn’t take it personally. A few minutes later, his EA called me back.
“Julian said you had some questions about who was attending Fires Below Us?” Julian’s EA asked by way of greeting. Finally, someone who knew how to get to the point.
“That’s right. Andrew Quinn specifically.”
“Yes, he is.”
“Great, does he have a plus one?”
“Not currently.”
“Add one for him, would you? I have it on good authority he is bringing Destiny Pollock.”
A long pause while Julian’s EA considered it. “I’d rather this come directly through his team,” he said finally. “I don’t want an empty seat situation.”
“There won’t be an empty seat,” I swore. “Either Destiny Pollock will be in that seat, or I’ll be in that seat.”
Really there was only one option. It would be Destiny sitting to Andrew’s left, pretending not to hear the buzz around them. The hum of interest. Soaking in the bittersweet sentimentality of the Magical Melody kids all grown up and on what looked like a date.
And I’d be there just long enough to make sure it happened.
Julian called me back later to make sure I’d gotten what I needed. Then he kept me on the line to crow about how I was coming to the premiere after all.
“I’m coming for the press line,” I told him. “As soon as the lights go off, I’m out of there.”
“Suit yourself, but the opening sequence is the best thing since The Dark Knight Rises. You thought Bane dismantling a plane was hot shit? Wait until you see what we’ve got in the can.”
I had no clue what he was talking about. “Sounds like fire, buddy. Hate to miss it.”
“Oh, go fuck yourself,” Julian said, detecting the facetious note in my voice. “You don’t deserve my movie. Why are you even coming to the carpet?”
“Andrew Quinn is dating a client of mine. Destiny Pollock.”
Julian waited. He knew I was a hands-on crisis manager. If I was trying to keep a client clean in advance of a big movie coming out, I would stick to their ass like glue. I’d take drinks out of their hands and put them in Ubers and pay off people to wipe their photo roll. The studios usually hired me for those jobs, and they paid five times what I charged. But even with those jobs, I didn’t usually go on their dates.
“I just want to see how it plays,” I said evasively. “Destiny has a lot going on with her career.”
“That’s not what I hear,” Julian said. “I hear her ask has dropped into the toilet since this yacht girl shit hit the fan. Not that she was booking roles left and right since Magical Melody ended.”
It was a hard, factual assessment from an industry professional. It was good information to have since I needed to know what Destiny and I were up against. But for some reason, it felt personal. I thought about the picture of her leaning against the gray wall, telling the journalist that she was holding out for something with substance.
I decided right then that was going to get that for her, somehow, some way. And everyone who was talking shit about her now was going to have to eat it when I did.
Including Julian.
8
DESTINY
I was surprised when Andrew made reservations for us at April’s Place, a trendy new restaurant in Studio City. It wasn’t the number one place to get your picture taken, but it wasn’t exactly a discreet VIP-only rooftop either. I dressed carefully in a white minidress and chunky heels, knowing for sure that whatever I wore would be posted on the gossip sites. As an afterthought, I dug through my jewelry box until I found the bracelet that Michael gave Magical Melody in the last season. I slipped it on my wrist and grinned at how tacky it was. The gold was rubbing off, but the music note charm was still a lurid hot pink.