Page 56 of The Best Man: Unfinished Business

Chapter Thirty-three

Jordan

When Jordan crossed through the doors of Little Beach House Malibu wearing dark designer shades and that three-comma lip, she felt satisfied that she’d left absolutely nothing to chance.

With the sounds of the ocean’s gentle roar in the background and the ambient low-volume Euro synth music playing, the space felt chic and like the right place to set up her very glamorous future.

She strode past the bar and through the patio with the same degree of possession and comfort as if this place was also her own beachfront cottage.

She tried to ignore the fact that just next door, a few steps down the beach, was Nobu.

Weeks prior, it had been the scene of a table of sidecars and Sables leading to an epic night with…

No, push that thought away, stay focused, Jordan.

The reaction of the surrounding patrons was all the mirror she needed—the swiveling heads, the briefly stalled conversations, the looks on the faces of much more famous people trying to figure out how they knew her.

She even overheard the star of this week’s box-office topper literally say, “Who is that?” in a terrible attempt at a discreet whisper.

But that’s what Jordan wanted, to shut the room down.

When she decided to be undeniable, she was exactly that.

It didn’t take long until she saw Evelyn seated at the back corner table, looking at the menu she held in her hand, waiting patiently, just as Jordan had planned it.

She’d told the hostess to make her guest comfortable, seated at her usual table facing the ocean.

Jordan was going to make an entrance. She walked in long strides, her dress flowing around her, looking like luxury, all the way until she reached the empty seat waiting for her.

Evelyn looked up as Jordan approached and did her own double take, her own perfectly set copper face registering shock.

She gathered herself and stood up to greet Jordan, reaching her arms out to give her a warm, but nearly reverent hug.

Jordan leaned in and then pulled back, letting the flow of the silk fabric draping her body slink its way down to proper position.

And there was a reason for the heels after all, as she wanted the height to give her the proper aura.

She didn’t at all mind if it came across as imposing, in fact, she preferred it.

After the long-armed hugs and air-kisses, Jordan took the seat with her back to the view of the water.

“Evelyn, sorry to get in the way of your view,” Jordan said with a smile.

“I think the best view, here, honestly, is of you, ” Evelyn said as Jordan casually set her bag down next to her. “Jordan, you look amazing.”

“So do you, Ev. You look great.” Jordan decided to take time for pleasantries. Things were already off to the perfect beginning.

“Well, you know, I’m doing my best. Something about working on East Coast time in Los Angeles takes its toll, you know?”

“I know it well. Reminds me of my many trips for the network. I can’t say I’m sorry to have given that up.”

“Yeah, you had the right idea. I could get used to this.” Evelyn relaxed back into her chair and picked up the menu again.

“Get whatever you want,” Jordan offered. “It’s on me of course. I just appreciate you taking the meeting on such short notice.”

Evelyn looked up and smiled. “It was great timing. I had a trip to LA on the calendar and an open lunch slot. I’m glad we could make it work. And of course, anything for Jordan Armstrong, the woman who mentored me through the wild terrain of the executive ranks.”

Jordan couldn’t hide the smile that stretched across her face.

She had, in fact, mentored Evelyn and so many others.

It was rewarding to be able to give back, especially with everything she went through to make it to the top, tough decisions and all.

“It has been a long time…” she said, releasing a breath of air and memory, all at once.

This meeting, this moment was the culmination of everything she’d learned and taught.

About television and show business, and everything that could be done better.

In fact, she was literally about to burst from all the ideas bubbling up inside her about how to make the show a success.

There was no need to wait for the food to come, Jordan was ready to kick it off right now. “So, the notes you gave, on the pitch…”

Evelyn raised an eyebrow and then shifted in her seat. “Yeah, I’m sorry, Jordan, that was—”

Jordan cut her off. Apologies weren’t necessary.

Evelyn had given her everything she needed.

“That meeting was perfect. ” Jordan gave her megawatt smile.

“In fact, it was the perfect feedback to unlock the future of this show’s success.

I got it— I’m it.” Jordan paused for dramatic effect, having delivered the great “Ta-da!” straight and direct.

“I’m sorry, what?” Evelyn looked confused.

“I’m it. I’m the host. I get it,” Jordan corrected.

Evelyn still looked as if she didn’t understand what Jordan was referring to. She looked…shocked.

“I…can’t say I know what we’re talking about here, J. Did we give some kind of note that—”

“You said—and I remember this clearly—you said, ‘why should we care?’ And that you needed someone you could sell as a host. That was a perfect point because you were right. The show was lacking specific perspective. It needed a host with an authentic connection to the subject matter. A story. Who could speak to the topics with authenticity and vulnerability—”

“Jordan?” The tone in Evelyn’s voice stopped Jordan cold in her tracks.

“What?”

“Jordan.” Evelyn took a deep breath. “I’ve known you for what, twenty years? And, truth be told, I don’t even know your middle name other than ‘motherfucking,’ which, by the way, is epic in its own right.”

“And you’re saying that to say what, Ev?”

“Just that, you’re not exactly the poster child for vulnerability.”

“Well, I haven’t been, but…that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t be, or that I couldn’t be. I’m willing to bring all of myself to this show.”

Evelyn leaned forward. “Okay, so you’re telling me that you’re willing now, to open the curtains on your entire life?

Become a social media fixture? Open yourself to public opinion?

Every embarrassing moment, every failure, every upset, every insecurity up for examination?

Your love life, your dating history, your family drama, your choice to have children or not have children.

Whether or not you’re married. All of that…

and more, by the way, you’re willing to share with the entire rest of the world? Right now?”

Jordan took a deep sigh without meaning to.

She was ready for all of this, even some slight bit of skepticism from Evelyn.

But in preparing the perfect pitch, she hadn’t so much expected a confrontation with the reality of what the show would actually mean for her.

She was going to tell her story. Be her story.

But she was ready to win, as she always did, and as she would today.

“Look, I get what you’re saying. I spent decades running defense for all of my talent, trying to keep them off the pages of tabloids, and protecting what bit of privacy they could hold on to.

Believe me, I understand the sacrifice. But that’s the least of our concerns here.

There’s no one better than me to shepherd this idea through the development process, to helm a production, to make sure that we chart, to delight the advertisers and keep viewers coming back day after day.

This show is my story. I’m the one who made it to the other side to talk about it.

This is what it looks like, Evelyn. I am what it looks like.

” Jordan felt some cool air hit her back.

Fuck, she was sweating. She never sweat, and certainly not in Gucci.

She studied Evelyn’s face. By now, Evelyn had leaned back in her seat, settled her elbows on the armrests, and made a thinking steeple with her fingers that covered her lips.

It seemed like an eternity passed like that before Evelyn dropped her arms, leaned forward again, and finally opened her mouth to speak.

“Jordan, let me just ask you this— If you were me… when, I should say. When you were me, would you have made you the host of a show? With no recent platform, no social media presence, no audience? Would you buy that show?”

Evelyn’s words hit Jordan as a bullet would, right to her chest, pushing her backward with the impact of succinct, clear truth.

Jordan swallowed hard, and the taste of bile crept up in her throat.

She felt nauseous, and woozy. She remembered how she’d been in a flash, the standards she held.

The brash callousness required to make the decisions they made daily about talent, especially in front of the camera.

Fuck. “Why would anyone care? Why should we care?” The words from her meeting in New York began to swirl in her mind, blocking out oxygen.

She felt like she could barely breathe, let alone sit there another minute.

She needed to get out of there, right away.

“Jordan, are you…okay?” Evelyn said, looking concerned. “Listen, I have a meeting with Garcelle’s agent while I’m here. Why don’tI—”

Jordan looked around frantically, breathing in to keep the tears welling in the corners of her eyes from dropping down. Already, Evelyn was a blur of earth tones in front of her. She scooted her chair back in a loud screech against the floor and grabbed her bag, dropping her napkin on the seat.

“You know what, thank you,” she said, fully standing now and turned toward the door. “I’ve…got…a…thing. I’ve gotta go. I mean…I’ll talk to you later.”

“Jordan…don’t—” Evelyn’s words barely hit Jordan’s ears as she swept past the bar and pushed her shades onto her face to catch the water trailing down her cheeks. But the real tears didn’t start until she made it into the driver’s seat of her car and shut the door. Then she began to sob.