Page 32 of Sandbar Summer (Summer Cottage #3)

Chapter Twenty-One

Goldie

She’d said hasty goodbyes… all over the phone. It was easier that way. She’d dropped into the lives of her old friends out of nowhere, and now, she’d dropped back out.

Goldie tried not to feel like she’d abandoned them. In truth, she didn’t know what her obligation to her friends really was. Did she owe them more? All she could manage were swift, non-dramatic conversations. She was cutting ties that were merely temporary to begin with.

She had made Irish Hills better, she hoped, while she was there.

And there was Joe, in the hotel she owned, still working on the projects they’d agreed on. She didn’t say goodbye to him. They’d just left it all open.

Or maybe it was closed. He went back to his work, and she went back to hers. He didn’t try to stop her. She was grateful for that. Clingy was not attractive.

She wondered what Joe would think of her Trousdale house.

It was pristine, not a dust bunny to be found. And certainly not a raccoon. But Myrna, her sweet, spoiled doggie was there. That’s all she needed. Her puppy, her mansion, and the power to bend studio heads to her will. So little to ask for.

Goldie had been home two days. But she felt off, like she wasn’t quite herself.

She took phone calls. She read industry news.

She even indulged in reading about the demise of Trevor Sunday’s career.

The story of his incompetence on set wasn’t news to her, but it was interesting to see that she wasn’t the only one who noticed.

She also had a friend she didn’t expect.

The makeup artist who had witnessed Trevor ask Goldie to film the degrading scene, where Greased Lightning was supposed to fall on top of her, had shared that story.

Victor Superhero Universe fans were outraged that Trevor Scott would try to make Steely Ann look like a clown, and her fellow actresses were praising her for refusing to do it.

But the victory over Victor would have been sweeter, if shared with her friends.

She could almost hear J.J. demanding a high five.

She had started to feel more at home in the back bedroom of the Two Lakes Grove than she did in the primary suite of her mansion, which was large enough to land a helicopter in.

Maybe because it was quiet. Too quiet. And empty. Her house, in the late summer in L.A., managed to be cold. And Myrna loved her, but the dog had boundaries, and got grumpy with too much fussing.

Tally had arranged for a new driver and security, as Goldie had instructed. Tally had also turned in her resignation.

“I loved working for you, but I didn’t know how long you’d be gone. So, I floated my name out there.”

“It’s okay, I understand. I didn’t know either.”

“But I don’t start the tour until next month. I’ll do everything I can to make sure you’re all set.”

“I appreciate it, and it will be a blast.”

Tally was young. Going on tour with a rock band would be fun. She’d been hired as an assistant to the tour manager. It sounded like pure hell to Goldie, but then Goldie was not young, and now, as she closed in on fifty, she realized she was positively ancient.

Except, when she was back home, in Irish Hills, she didn’t feel so ancient.

Home? Her mind had switched home from her mansion in California to her beat-up hotel in Michigan. That wasn’t home. What in the world?

As she paced, her standard method of dealing with things, she realized what control of her career could really mean. She realized what she wanted before she went to Irish Hills wasn’t the same as what she wanted now.

She had new demands. And if Hedda was right, she could get exactly what she wanted.

Goldie had prepped all morning for the lunch with her new prospective agent.

Goldie wore a designer dress, a short bodycon number in mango.

She paired it with nude, sky high Louboutins.

She’d look fierce in photos, and she knew there would be photos.

She counted on it. She looked down at the fancy shoes and laughed.

A memory of Joe raising his eyebrow at her wardrobe popped in her head.

Goldie had Tally accompany her to the restaurant for the meeting. But only for appearances. Tally was there to make Goldie look like she had an entourage. Tally was her people. This was a role she was playing, of the movie star.

Tally had already tipped off the paparazzi, at Goldie’s request, that she was going to be lunching with a power player.

She even encouraged Tally to collect the bounty that was offered for Goldie Hayes sightings.

If people were going to snitch to the press where she was, it might as well be on her own terms.

Her new driver pulled up to the entrance of The Ivy.

He assisted Goldie, and then Tally scurried around the car from the other door to make it look like they were in a huge hurry.

She also parted the way for Goldie, as if she couldn’t get through without a team of people.

A scrum of paparazzi surged forward as she tried to enter the restaurant.

“What do you think of Trevor getting the ax?”

“Did you have a good vacation?”

“What’s your reaction to Drake’s engagement to River Ann?”

“Are you going to sue the VSU for defamation?”

She smiled pleasantly but kept walking. The real story they would get is the view of her meeting with Hedda.

Hedda was up and coming. And this meeting would cement the idea that Hedda was the agent to have, not Scott Ozock.

That was the point of the pictures. She wanted the power to be firmly in her hands, and Hedda’s.

Goldie knew if she wasn’t with Ozock, Hedda was the best and only other way to go. Anything else would look like a failure. A boutique agency was a step-down. She knew her value. And now, with the tide turned on Trevor, she could capitalize on it.

Hedda was beautifully dressed. Her enviable curves filled out a white pencil skirt. She’d cinched it with a wide patent leather belt and topped it with a gorgeous black silk blouse. Hedda also looked intimidating, which was what Goldie wanted in an agent.

Hedda greeted Goldie as though they were best friends. The two women sat at a table by the window. This was not an accident.

Hedda got right to the point. Goldie liked that, too.

“Okay, so, you’re obviously aware we have the power. You’re actually the first person I’ve ever seen put the Victor Superhero Universe machine over a barrel like this.”

“One of the questions out there was about me suing. Do you know what that’s about?”

“Well, they let Trevor defame you. The company didn’t stop him from lying to the press about why they were actually having problems with the movie. They should have been defending you when he ran his mouth off and cost you work and reputation.”

“Ah, you know, in all this time, I didn’t even think about that.”

“Well, they also don’t know that. I may have floated the story that you were looking to hire Arie Shore.”

Arie Shore was a shark of a different stripe. He was an attorney you did not want to deal with, but the best kind if he was on your side.

“Oooh, now that’s good. That’s very good.”

“What do you want to make this happen? I want to announce that you’re coming over to my agency ASAP. I want to bring you on officially.”

“I want to know you’re in line with what I see next for myself.”

“Oh, you’re going to be able to lead the Victor Superhero Universe. You’ll be bigger than General Patriot. The back-end deals I’ve got in mind, and a cut of the merchandising, it’s life-changing money.”

General Patriot was the leader of the VSU pantheon. Steely Ann, more powerful than General Patriot? That was hilarious. That could be interesting. Goldie had a mission with this meeting, and usurping superheroes wasn’t it.

“I have all the money I need.”

“Yeah, but you know this town. Money isn’t money. It’s power.”

“True, and that’s all great.” Goldie knew in Hollywood; lucrative deals were important. They made people think you were in charge. Demanding compensation was commanding respect.

“I can get you the first look at whatever script you’re interested in. We can go lifestyle brand, book deal, whatever speaks to you.”

She’d been thinking a lot about what she wanted. What did she really need from Hollywood at this stage of her life?

Goldie had been fighting to stay on top of a pile.

She’d climbed up here and then had to keep fighting to stay. And a lot of the time, certainly since Mitchell Ozock died, she’d been losing the fight. She’d also been fighting alone. Her team was all people she paid. She didn’t have a true support network, a real team.

She loved her career. She loved what she’d accomplished. But being in Irish Hills, with her friends, with people who actually cared about her, who, instead of capitalizing on her fame, protected her, opened her eyes.

Libby had reached out to Goldie because she wanted something from her. In the end, Goldie had gotten something from Libby, Hope, and J.J., something she needed and didn’t even know it.

Goldie wanted a different path for the next part of her life. The last two days back in L.A., she felt like a stranger in a strange land. Like a visitor in her old life.

Goldie had thought about it. And she decided what she wanted next. And once she did, it was easy. Things would fall into place the way they were supposed to.

“I’m going to make some changes in my life. I would love it if you were the right person for this new path I’m going to be on. I’m going to tell you and also let you know that it’s not negotiable. If this works for you, great. If it doesn’t, then it’s not supposed to.”

“Very Zen of you,”

“Not sure if it’s Zen or just middle age, but I’m going to pull a Jeff Daniels here.”

“What? He’s not in the Victor Superhero Universe. Do you want to get him to star in your next project?”