The LA lifestyle rushed back to me in that instant. It would be easy to fall back into the casual sex and nonstop parties. I was a little worried I might slip back into that mode if I were surrounded by Zak and his friends.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I asked.
“I’m sure Brook and I’ll be good. The real question is whether she has you domesticated or not,” Halle teased.
Ignoring the barb, I got dressed. It sounded like I was going to an LA party tonight. God help me!
◊◊◊
The hotel had a pretty good breakfast buffet. I found Mom and Dad eating with Cindy, Dean Lloyd, Professor Donaldson, Professor Katz, and a few of Cindy’s classmates. Mom had been in touch with Cindy about the planned renovations on my new house. The team was here this weekend to assess what was possible.
“Oh, my God! It’s Halle James,” one of the students said.
I sometimes forgot what a star she was. If being the daughter of Rita James wasn’t enough, she’d been in Star Academy, The Secret Circle, and was now filming Love Letters. The press loved her, and she was now a regular on all the TV gossip shows. With Rita’s permission, Frank had done his magic and was beginning to make her a household name. I could see her becoming our generation’s Drew Barrymore if she got a few more leading roles under her belt.
Whatever conversation my parents were having with the Ohio State contingent was soon forgotten. I decided to get in line for the buffet and left Halle to fend for herself. Brook and I found a table and began to eat while Halle dealt with her fans.
“Do you miss her?” Brook asked.
“Yeah, I do, but luckily, I have you to make me forget,” I said, winking at her.
“Nice one,” she said. “Halle and I keep in touch. She misses you something fierce.”
Every guy knows that when talking to your current girlfriend, you don’t want to make it obvious that you still have the hots for an ex. In fact, the best approach was to make sure you didn’t show even a hint of desire if you wished to survive the conversation with all your body parts intact. But damn, Halle looked good.
She and I had taken things slow and gotten to know each other before we took it to the next level. I had to be honest with myself: seeing her dredged up some feelings I thought I’d put behind me. I couldn’t honestly say that I wouldn’t have picked her over Brook if she’d stayed in Lincoln.
Now that I’d been dating Brook, I knew that I’d made the right choice. Brook had worked her way into my heart, and I felt like we were both all-in on this. There was no way I wanted to jeopardize what we had just because I liked Halle.
“She’s a great girl and a good friend,” I said neutrally.
“You ever think you might want to be with her?”
I raised one eyebrow because we had just ventured into dangerous waters. Apparently, Brook felt a little insecure with Halle James across the room.
“I’m a guy,” I deflected. “The truth is that Halle will always hold a special place in my heart. I’ll admit I’ve even thought about what it would be like to be with her again. But it’s always you that I come back to. I would never give you up for anyone else. I love you, Brook Davis.”
Even though I was sure how she felt about me, I was surprised to see a tear form and Brook give me a tight smile.
“I love you too.”
Halle finally broke free and got herself something to eat.
“I’d forgotten you bought a house here. Your mom says they’re going to remodel it with Cindy’s help,” Halle said.
“It’s in the Serra Retreat gated community in Malibu, across the highway from the one that Zak’s house is in,” I shared.
“That must have cost an arm and a leg. I’ve been looking for something of my own, and I’ve looked in there. You must be making a lot more money than I am,” she teased.
“I bought it from Craig Wild’s estate. The place looks like a showplace from a 1960s sitcom. It needs a lot of updating,” I admitted.
“You and Cindy were friends,” Halle stated.
“Yes, yes, we were.”
“You should invite her to the party tonight. Actually, Zak said you could invite whoever you wanted.”
That got me thinking about everyone I knew in LA, and I decided to send out text invitations. I got busy while Halle and Brook talked about Halle’s new movie. I was half-listening when I heard Halle say something that made me concerned.
“… and then Zander groped me on set.”
“Wait, what happened?” I asked, fully engaged now.
“My costar, Zander Lewis, cornered me in my trailer and tried to force himself on me. Ever since then, the chemistry on set has been terrible. As you would guess, there are a bunch of scenes where we have to act like we’re in love. I can’t get what he did out of my head, and it’s affecting my performance,” Halle shared.
“Has Zander tried anything else?” I asked.
“Yeah. He’s a lot like Zak, but not in a good way.”
“What do you mean?” Brook asked.
“Zak is an unapologetic skirt-chaser, but he’s harmless. Zander is the embodiment of the worst stereotypical Hollywood type. Just because he’s a movie star, he expects that women should fall at his feet. If they don’t, well, let’s just say he can be persuasive. Zander’s a favorite of several of the big executives. I know for a fact that he derailed one girl’s career. She hasn’t worked since she turned him down,” Halle admitted.
“You’re not considering …” Brook started.
“No. I am Rita James’s daughter. If I weren’t, I would probably have to, though.”
“Jesus,” I swore.
“The problem is that if you say anything, they all circle the wagons and freeze you out. It’s not like a regular job where you can just quit and work somewhere else. If I get a reputation for complaining about sexual misconduct, I might never work again.”
“Have you talked to your mom?” I asked.
“No. Mom’s preparing for a role, and I don’t want to distract her with this.”
“You need leverage and support,” I said. “Are you at least videoing everything?”
“No. I told Fritz I didn’t want my life captured 24/7. I guess I need to,” Halle admitted.
“Fritz is a good start. He and his team have to be told that you’re in danger. He hates stuff like this and will do whatever it takes to keep you from having to worry about this guy. Why don’t you talk to Kent, Frank, and Saul? Between the three of them, they should be able to give you advice,” I suggested.
Kent was her manager; Frank, her publicist; and Saul, her agent. They all had a vested interest in making this work out. Plus, they understood the darker side of the business and how to navigate it.
“I was just going to suggest that you kick his ass for me,” Halle said.
That would have been my solution too, but I’d learned a thing or two over the last year.
“That is an option, and I’d be more than happy to do it for you,” I said in all seriousness.
“Too bad Cassidy isn’t with us,” Brook said.
“That’s true. Not too many guys want to admit it when a girl kicks their butt,” I said.
“Let me think about it. I also wanted to warn you that Zander will be at the party tonight,” Halle said.
I said a little prayer that he would do something in front of me, then resumed sending out text messages.
◊◊◊
USC knew what they were doing. My old teammate, Bill Callaway, was our chaperone, and everyone was happy to see him.
“Nice. I see you got us invites to a Hollywood party,” Bill said.
“Malibu, actually,” I corrected.
“What’s that all about, anyway?” Wolf asked.
“Zak was one of the actors in The Secret Circle with Halle and me. I guess he ran into Halle, and she told him I was in town this weekend. If I know Zak, he’s throwing the party to attract women.”
“Why do you say that?” Brook asked.