Cut to the Chase (4 page)

“Oh my God. That’s unbelievable.”

“What’s unbelievable is that you’re about to burn our dinner.”

Chris turned toward the blazing steaks and quickly moved them away from the flames. “And you’re going to interview her?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Is the plan also to charm her into a date?”

Paige laughed. No way would an actress of that caliber be interested in her. Plus, she could never handle someone with such an uncontrollable personality. “Of course not.”

Abel was back at Paige’s feet, whining for another throw. She picked up the ball and tossed it again.

Abel snagged the ball in one bounce and Chris said, “It could happen.”

No, it couldn’t
, she thought. That was like a third-grader thinking she’d marry her teacher. Different worlds. Different galaxies, actually. “I’ll have a hard enough time just interviewing her.”

Chris took a swig of her beer. “Man. That’s incredible. You’re going to hang out with her. She’s, like, the biggest thing in Hollywood. She’s a superstar.”

“You’re making me even more nervous, Chris.”

“Hell. She’s single. At least that’s what the magazines say. And you’re single. Why not?”

“Why, is more like it. She can have anyone she wants. Male or female.”

“But she likes females, Paige. And you’re one.”

“That’s about my only matching prerequisite. I’m not beautiful, rich, or famous.”

“Who says those are the only qualities she’s looking for? And besides, you are beautiful.”

“We’re not going to have this conversation. I am not looking to hook up. I’m writing a book.”

“You’ll win her over with your charms,” Chris said. “Now hand me those plates and let’s eat.”

Paige stood and ruffled the fur on Abel’s head. She wasn’t too sure she could. She’d be meeting Avalon the next day and already her stomach was doing a river dance.

"Cut!” The director called to the crew and they began to set up for the next scene. Avalon made her way to the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street and stepped out of the hot June sun and into the makeup trailer.

Tawnya, her personal hair and makeup woman, was also her best friend. A tall, beautiful black woman, Tawnya wore lots of red and black. Whether she chose formal wear or jeans and a T-shirt, she always looked incredibly stylish. When she had done an outstanding job on Avalon’s first film, Avalon had asked for her on each succeeding film. She trusted her not only with her hair and makeup but also her secrets.

“It’s a bit sticky out there.” She opened a bottle of water just as she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Tawnya said as she blotted the sweat from Avalon’s face.

She turned to see a rather stunning woman step in. Dressed in shapely jeans and a white V-neck T-shirt, the woman looked like an actress, but Avalon didn’t recognize her from the set. Her long brown hair looked to curl naturally as it fell about her shoulders. Avalon could see the beautiful cerulean blue of her eyes even from that distance. She had a big, wide smile that made Avalon’s stomach flutter.

“I’m Paige Cornish,” she said, holding out a business card. Her pleasant, almost deferential manner had a refreshing appeal. “I’m here to interview you.”

“The writer.” She took the card. At first, she’d balked at Billy’s request for this interview. Sure, it was part of her job, but the constant barrage of the same questions and the same requests for poses had become tedious and mind-numbing. Paige, however, seemed to lack the typical assertive approach of a reporter or writer. Avalon could always sense the ulterior motives of an interviewer by the way the air around them smelled of anxious career-climbing and scoop-grabbing. Their mouths usually crooked up in covetousness, as if they were going to suck the soul right out of her and pawn it for a buck or two.

Paige’s face didn’t show any of that. Her eyes were bright, not with greed but with thoughtfulness. She seemed void of the nastiness of entertainment reporting.

This might be more enjoyable than Avalon had imagined.

Paige stepped over and offered her hand. She took it. “So you’re going to follow me around and write about…what?”

Paige opened the satchel she was carrying and handed her a rather large book. “Here’s a copy of my last one. It’ll give you an idea of what I do.”

“
The End
, a study of movie endings.” She flipped through the coffee-table-size tome, immediately impressed with the photographs. Some were in color and others in black and white, but they all looked remarkable in their composition. Avalon didn’t know a lot about photography, but she’d picked up enough working with cinematographers.

One once told her that the subject matter, meaning the actors, weren’t always the most important thing. He looked at each scene as an arrangement of light and dark and of colors and shapes.

Paige understood what he was saying. Her use of bold, broad elements and strong lines was exactly what made her images so powerful.

Avalon flipped through the candid images and prepared setups, and the subjects, most of whom Avalon knew, seemed so real and alive they appeared to jump off the page.

The motor-home door opened and the second assistant director stepped in. “
Entertainment Tonight
is here, Avalon. They said they have an interview with you.”

She read the text that accompanied a shot of a costar she’d worked with, captivated by the way Paige had described the scene and analyzed the significance of its simple directness.

“Avalon?”

She held her hand up as she finished reading the text.

Looking at Paige she said, “This is really good.”

Helen came in and stood behind the second assistant director. “Avalon, Charles Herrera called again about the clothing line he’s designing. He wants to have dinner with you.”

“And this is your second book?”

Paige nodded. “It is. The one I’m working on now is called
Cut to the Chase
.”

“Action scenes.”

“Yes.”

The second assistant director and Helen said simultaneously, “Avalon?”

She sighed before turning away from Paige. “Tell
Entertainment Tonight
that I’ll get to them when I can. And schedule Charles for sometime next month. Or later.” As they left, she said to Paige, “Well, I’m a newbie at this action genre, but I’ll do my best.”

Avalon turned back to face the mirror and Tawnya began to touch up her mascara. “Avalon’s already got the whole crew on their toes.”

“I’m sorry.” Avalon held out her hand, palm up. “This is Tawnya.”

“Nice to meet you,” Paige said. “Would it be possible to interview you as well?”

Tawnya laughed. “You do know how dangerous that is, don’t you?”

Avalon could see from the reflection in the mirror that Paige’s raised eyebrows revealed that she didn’t.

“You mean because you’re my personal hair and makeup person,” Avalon said, “or because you’re my best friend?”

“Either.” Tawnya picked up some blush and began to apply it under Avalon’s cheeks. “I don’t get paid to do hair and makeup. I get paid to shut up.”

“That’s not true.” She slapped Tawnya’s arm before turning to Paige. “She can say anything she wants. My life is an open book. For your book.”

Tawnya rolled her eyes. “Witty.”

“Am I done, Tawnya? I’ve got an interview to do.” She looked at Paige and was suddenly taken with the prettiest wide-mouthed smile she’d ever seen. If there was a picture to go with the term
winning smile
, it was Paige’s.

*

Paige walked with Avalon to the set of
The Last Stand
, which, today, was located at the corner of Sunset and Vine. She was used to being on movie sets and, having interviewed a fair number of celebrities, had learned much about how they were organized. But this time, she felt so nervous she was afraid she’d trip or bump into someone as they walked. The first time she’d seen Avalon in a movie theater, she’d been hooked by her striking beauty. She was probably five foot nine, not extremely tall for an actress, but so perfectly shaped, she could have chosen a career in athletics. She seemed naturally strong, with legs and arms that were noticeably well formed. And on more than one occasion, Paige had shamelessly stared at her ass on the big screen, wondering how perfection like that was possible. What made her even more attractive to Paige was that her roles usually depicted her as smart, straightforward, and capable, with a propensity toward clever wisecracks and adorable repartee.

Off camera, she was known to be rowdy and not inclined to follow rules. She seemed to have nothing but fun, and Hollywood made sure to cover practically every moment. It seemed that almost every night, TV shows would regale her with Avalon’s antics at Hollywood bars, Melrose clothing stores, or movie premieres. But what Paige knew about her was only what she’d seen and read. Was she really as boisterous as they reported, as well as slightly out of control? Nothing written ever mentioned any specific diva moments, but with her level of celebrity status, wasn’t that part of the expected behavior?

As they walked, Paige scrutinized Avalon. She wore a tailored gray pantsuit and a black blouse, looking like the stylish but expert detective she was portraying. As she watched her walk with the confidence of a lioness in the midst of her pride, a lot of great adjectives circulated through her head and Paige mentally wrote text for her book: self-assured, poised, fearless, jaunty, cocky. But who was Avalon, the person?

A jolt of reality zipped through her. She was actually
hanging out
with Avalon Randolph. Would she get to see the other side of the actress, the part of her life that was truly her and not what every public camera captured? Would she be shy and reserved, the antithesis of most of her on-screen characters? Would she be an obsessive-compulsive hairball, creating a maelstrom of anxiety and tension for those around her? What was she like to just sit and talk to? Who did she admire? What did she think of Hollywood as a business? Paige had so many questions she hoped Avalon would answer.

There seemed to be no question, however, of her sexual preference. She was an out lesbian and her past girlfriends were well documented in magazines and on entertainment shows. Her last was Jessica Wiley, another famous celebrity who commanded almost as much per movie as some research had revealed that Avalon was supposedly getting for her first action film.

It was fairly hot out and the sun bore down on them as they walked down Vine. Avalon sauntered along, but there was a paradoxical purposefulness in the way she did. The combination was an alluring trick, like she was convincing you that she was relaxed but was ready, in a heartbeat, to react with speed and precision.

As soon as they neared the crew and cameras, they ducked under a large shade cover. Avalon’s director’s chair was there, along with a number of others. Avalon motioned for her to sit next to her. “So, tell me, how does this work?”

She sat down, placing the satchel in her lap. “It’s a longer process than usual. I photograph the action scenes you’re in and we talk in between. Or, if it’s easier for you, we can arrange one longer interview session instead.”

“Let’s just see how it goes.”

“That’s fine.”

“I liked the book you showed me. It’s really unique.”

“Thank you.”

“I hope I can give you some good shots.”

“I’m sure you will,” Paige said. “When’s your next action scene?”

“This afternoon. It’s a small one, a short fight, but you might like it.”

“Great. I’ll be taking pictures before and during the camera work. After, too.” Paige cringed and hoped that the sudden upturn of the corner of her mouth was the only telltale sign. It was obvious that taking pictures afterward was included in what she’d be doing. Sheesh!

Avalon smoothed over a section of her pants leg but Paige hadn’t noticed a wrinkle.

“Do I get to see the photographs?”

“Sure,” Paige said. “All of them, if you like.”

“So, how do you like working on and around movie sets?”

“It’s better than taking high school yearbook pictures.”

Avalon laughed out loud, which surprised Paige. Of course, she’d chosen that answer to be witty, but Avalon’s reaction had seemed so genuine and cordial that it flustered her for a moment.

“Did you used to do that?”

“Actually, I did. It was a way to make money to finish college.”

“I bet you saw a lot.”

Paige shrugged. “A lot of pranksters and goofballs. It seems that a lot of kids would rather not be memorialized for their studies but for their shenanigans.”

“Sounds like an assembly-line nightmare.”

“Yes, but it paid the bills.”

“And now your books pay the bills?”

“They’re starting to. I also sell photos to websites and things like that. But, yes, I was able to walk away from yearbook hell.”

“We all pay our dues, don’t we?”

“How did you?”

“Ah! The typical way. Waiting on tables, mostly.”

“Really?”

“You never want to be too good at waiting tables because the tips can get pretty good. And then you start to rely on that rather than going out on casting calls. It’s hard enough to get rejection after rejection, but when you think about the tips you could be making, it’s even harder.”

Avalon was about to say something else when two men rushed up to her. It was obviously the director and assistant director because they began to discuss the upcoming shot.

“The stunt director needs you to see him. He has your knee pads,” the director said.

“So, I need to change into my other pants.”

He nodded at Avalon. “Yes. I think those would show the outline of the pads underneath. Wardrobe is aware of that and they’re coming out with the other pair.”

Paige still felt nervous and tried to shake the mood off by grabbing the camera from her satchel and concentrating on the settings. Were her hands shaking slightly because Avalon was so attractive in person? Or was it because she was lesbian? Maybe it was just the heat today.