Chapter Eight

Drew travels to California and attends an award show with Aurora. Stacy causes more trouble for Drew and Aurora.

Chapter Eight

Drew was standing in Aurora’s immense master bathroom when he heard a knock at the door.  He opened it, and there she was.  Her hair was curled and sprayed.  Her face was  made up as well, but she was wearing jeans and a button-down shirt.

“Drew, I’m so sorry.  I didn’t mean to leave you here alone all day, but I had appointments.  Come out so I can see you.”

Drew walked out into Aurora’s bedroom feeling slightly embarrassed.  

“Wow, you look amazing.”  

“Thanks,” he said.  “You know, I was thinking about how we never got to go to any of the West Penn formals together.  I haven’t worn a tux since then, and it just got me thinking.  I secretly hoped Mary Beth would get the sick or have a big exam or something so I  could go with you.”

“Me, too.  I mean, I wanted to go with you too.  I hated seeing you there with someone else.  I even sat in the lavatory during one set of slow songs, just so I wouldn’t have to watch you dance with another girl.  Did you ever think, we were so young, things never would have worked out?  That maybe it was meant to happen this way, now?”

“I don’t know.  I never thought of it that way.  But maybe you’re right.”  He pulled her towards him and wrapped her into his arms.  He leaned down for a kiss, which she returned.  He started unbuttoning her shirt when her cell phone began ringing again.  He pulled back and let out a sigh, but she merely took the phone, tossed it on the floor, and pulled him in for another kiss.

“We could skip the awards, you know,”  she murmured when they were done.  

“That might be fun.  Wait a minute, you’re not cheating me out of my first walk down the red carpet.  Don’t we have to go soon?  You’re not wearing that, are you?”

“You sound like the stylist I fired.  But no, I’m not wearing this.  Why don’t you go downstairs and I’ll come down when I’m ready.”

Drew wandered downstairs and got a better look at Aurora’s house.  He liked it.  It was in Santa Monica, close to the beach.  It wasn’t outlandishly big and all the furniture was comfortable and tasteful.  

Drew realized Sassafras was standing at his feet, wagging her tail.  He reached down and petted her, and she let out a little bark, then ran into the kitchen.  He followed her, and saw that she was standing by the sliding glass door, looking outside.

“Is someone out there?  What are you barking at?”  He looked at the shaggy little dog as if he expected her to answer him.

“She just wants out,” Aurora called down the stairs.  “Can you just open the door and let her into out?  We’re fenced in so she doesn’t need to be tied up or anything.”

“Sure thing,” Drew called back.  He went out onto the deck with Sassafras, who bounded into the yard and began sniffing around.  He walked the length of the deck.  It led to a small yard, which was surrounded by a rock garden.  Beyond the rock garden was a swimming pool.  

Sassafras scampered back to the deck and wagged her tail, looking expectantly into the sliding glass door.  Drew slid the door open and followed the dog back into the house.  He was standing in Aurora’s entrance hall when she appeared and came gliding down the steps.

First he saw her feet, encased in delicate gold shoes with narrow heels.  Then a hint of leg, with wine colored fabric swirling around her.  Her gown was off-the-shoulder with a nipped in waist and full skirt.  Drew opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out and he just stood there for a moment, mouth agape.

“What’s the matter?  Cat got your tongue?”  Aurora smiled down at him from the third step.  Her lips formed into a smirk that showed a hint of dazzling white teeth.

“You just took my breath away.”  He took her hands in his and propelled her down to the bottom of the stairs.  He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a slow, sensual kiss.  Suddenly, the whole idea of going to the awards show was no longer appealing to him.  He imagined cameras flashing and people demanding her attention all evening, and felt a surge of impatience.  He wanted to be alone with her, the way they had been at Evergreen Lodge.  

It suddenly dawned on him that being with Aurora meant sharing her with the world.  In the past few weeks, she had become real to him.  She was no longer a cute co-ed he admired from afar or a sexy woman on a two-dimensional screen.  She was a person, one who people thought they knew.  One who other’s incomes and lives depended on.  They all wanted to be near her.  He had been close with her, intimately, but at times he like he was merely looking at her, from a distance.

A buzzer sounded.

“Car’s here.”  Aurora broke the kiss and looked at Drew.  “You do look handsome tonight.”  She took his hand and led him out of the house, checking her security system before they left.

“What kind of car is that?”  Drew asked, looking at the small yellow car with strangely shaped doors.

“It’s an electric hybrid car,” she told him.  “I guess I didn’t tell you.  I hired this instead of a limo.”

“Ah, going green,” Drew said.

“I do what I can.”

The driver opened the door and Drew and Aurora seated themselves in the back.  Drew folded his legs into the small area as best he could.  There was no TV or champagne, but he was next to Aurora.  He held her hand as the car left Aurora’s property and swept them through her neighborhood and then onto the highway.  He could see palm trees outlined in smog on the horizon.  

“Is the weather like this all the time?” he asked her.  

“By that do you mean sunny and warm?  Yes, pretty much.  We don’t have cold, rainy days much.  And of course no snow.”

“Do you miss the snow?”

“Sometimes.  I miss the mountains the most.  Our mountains, not the ones here.  When ever I go back to Pennsylvania, I take a long look around me at all the mountains.  And then I feel at home.”

“What about New York City?  Do you like it better than L.A.?”

“I do.  It has an energy to it.  You can go outside any hour or day or night and there are people everywhere, going places, doing things, living their lives.  L.A. is mostly all about the industry.  People in New York have all kinds of different jobs and interests.  When I go to a party, even one thrown by a Hollywood person, there are often artists, musicians, and writers there.  And the writers write all kinds of things, not just screenplays.  They write stage plays, novels, poetry…it’s really great.  I’ve met so many great people living there.  When I lived there, I knew my neighbors.  Here, you get in your car and drive right by your neighbors and get on a highway.  It can be very isolating.  People don’t walk down the street and talk to one another, or chat on a subway.”

“If you loved New York so much, why did you leave?”  

She shrugged.  “Same reason as everyone else in acting, I guess.  There are acting jobs in New York, but there’s this idea that to make it really big you have to go to Hollywood.  I could’ve stayed on Broadway, I guess.  But my agent encouraged me to get into movies or at least prime time television.  Don’t get me wrong.  There are some great things about California.  People are fairly laid back.  The weather’s a plus.  You have beaches close by, and it’s warm enough to go in the water almost all year round.” 

They were pulling up into a line of cars.  Drew watched as media people with cameras descended upon  the celebrities getting out of cars.  They edged up and then it was their turn.  Drew gave Aurora’s hand a nervous squeeze and stepped out of the car.  He turned to help Aurora out of the car when a heavily made-up blonde woman shoved a microphone in his face.

“Are you Andrew Macpherson?  I’d like to speak with you about…”

He ignored her and took Aurora’s hand and helped her out of the car.  The blonde woman was beaming.  

“I’m Marcia Brooks and I’m here live at the Golden Globes where actress Aurora Mendez has just arrived.  Who is your date?  Is this your secret husband?" 

Drew was looking at the reporter with a terrified expression while she rattled on, smiling and a camera caught her every word.  She moved the microphone towards Drew and the camera pointed towards him.  Aurora stepped in front of the microphone, blocking the camera from Drew.

“Excuse me, but Mr. Macpherson is not in the public eye and not used to speaking in front of camera.  I’ll be handling all the questions.” Aurora smiled to the camera and explained the situation with their marriage, in the past and currently.  She added that she and Drew were currently involved but not living as a married couple as they intended to become reacquainted before making any serious decisions regarding the status of their marriage.  When she was finished, Marcia Brooks beamed and summarized everything Aurora had just said.  They were about to move on when Marcia said she had one last question to pose to them.

“What was your reaction to Mr. Macpherson’s former fiancé doing a tell-all for Celebrity Eye?”  

“We have no comment on that at this time,” Aurora said smoothly.  She dismissed Marcia Brooks by turning her back and Drew followed suit.

“Thank you,” he said.  “That was brutal, but you handled it beautifully.  I don’t know how you do it all the time.”

“It’s never easy, but you do get used to it.”  

They met up with Cassie, and Aurora’s publicist, Kirk Flint, was there as well.  He was thrilled with the way Aurora had handled Marcia Brooks and said so.

“Is this all your people?” Drew whispered.  “Or will there be more?”

“My agent is here but he had bigger clients to kiss up to.  Damn, she's here."

“Who is?"

“The stylist.  Trixie.  That woman with the curly reddish hair.”  Drew turned in the direction Aurora indicated and saw a woman with light red hair fawning over a woman nominated for an award that evening.  Trixie checked the woman’s hair and make-up and then the nominee turned to a fashion maven who was standing nearby with the requisite microphone and camera jockey.  Trixie’s job was done for the moment, and she spotted Aurora and started in her direction.

“Don’t look now but I think your former stylist is coming this way,” Drew warned.

“Hello, Ms. Mendez.  I see you managed to find a dress for the show without my help.”  Trixie gave Aurora a smile faker than a two dollar pearl necklace.  “What designer did you decide to go with?”

“It's Valentino."

“Oh.  Well, I helped Candy Wicker choose her gown for tonight.  She’s nominated, you know.  She had a number of major designers just dying to have her wear one of their creations.”

“Candy looks lovely.  You did a great job.  I can see why you’re in such demand as a stylist,” Aurora told her.

Trixie looked confused by the compliment for a moment but regained her composure.  She smiled at Drew and turned back to Aurora.  “Well, I should be getting back to Candy.”  She walked off.

“What a fake.  And that gown she picked out isn’t as pretty as yours,” Drew said when she was out of earshot.  Aurora suspected he was just being protective of her, but she had to agree with him about Candy's gown.  It was a  blinding shade of tomato red and covered in weird feathery things. Drew thought she looked like Snuffleupagus.  

Drew thought his cheeks would burst from the constant smiling.  He stood by Aurora’s side as they inched along the red carpet with her at a snail’s pace.  Every few feet they had to stop to pose for pictures, talk to some news person about their relationship or some network representative about Aurora’s gown and jewelry.

“Is this your first time?”  Cassie addressed Drew.

“For this type of thing?  Sure is.  I don’t think I’ve worn a tux since college.  Do you have to go to these things a lot?”

Cassie nodded.  “They’re all the same.  Entertainment lawyers usually go either to support their clients, in many cases, keep them out of trouble.”

“Who are some of your other clients?”

Cassie mentioned Quinn O'Leary, who had been in and out of rehab, and a movie actor who had been arrested and in the news.  She also mentioned a sit-com actress and a soap star.

“What made you get into entertainment law?  Did you grow up in L.A.?”

“No, I’m from Ohio.  Being caught in a snow storm in your town was a lot of fun for me.  It was like when school got cancelled when I was a kid.  I don’t get many breaks.  Some of my clients call me day and night.  They need bailed out of trouble or they just need someone to talk to.  People dream of fame, but you know, when it comes, many find that they can’t handle it.  It’s a total shock.  I’m the one they call.”

“I am definitely beginning to see that this life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.  Aurora handles herself well, but I can imagine it would get to some people.”

“She’s really an ideal client.  She needs me to do my job, but she doesn’t expect me to be her psychiatrist or mother.”

“You two do seem to be friends, though.”

“That’s true.  I would consider her to be a friend as well as client.  She’s a really special person.  Can I tell you something?  This is a rough business.  It can test even the strongest of relationships.  But Aurora is worth it.  Don’t let her go.”

*****

“This is the last award,” Aurora whispered.  Drew had started to think they would never end.  Seeing celebrities was interesting, but clapping endlessly for people he didn’t know and listening to people make speeches about more people he didn’t know wasn’t the most exciting way to spend an evening.  The only interesting part had been when Aurora presented an award.  She had been nominated the previous year and lost, and this year she had been the presenter for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy.  He wondered how many of these Aurora had to attend in a year.  They also had to attend parties afterward.  He was exhausted from his flight and barely made it through the awards without falling asleep.  All he really wanted to do was take Aurora home, take off the layers of make-up, fancy jewelry, clothes, and shoes, and be with the woman he’d been with in Evergreen Gap.

After the show was over, people began making a beeline for the doors.  He grasped Aurora’s hand tight so that he wouldn’t lose her in the crowd.  When they got outside they had to wait for the car to be brought around.  Cassie and Kirk didn’t have passes to the same parties as he and Aurora, so they were saying their good-byes.

“Remember what I said,” Cassie told him, patting his arm.  

“I will.  You never did tell me how you got into this business.”

A look passed briefly on Cassie’s face, but then she smiled.  “That’s a long story.  I’ll tell you another time.  I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again.”

*****

Aurora stood in front of her bathroom mirror, scrubbing layers of make-up off her face.  After making brief appearances at post-awards show parties, her feet were killing her, her back hurt, and her throat was dry.  She felt bad that Drew had come all this way to see her and he had been swept up in a whirlwind of activity so that they had barely spent a moment alone together.  He had taken the following day off, but he couldn’t stay any longer and was flying back to Pennsylvania the day after the show.  It was already almost three o’clock in the morning.  Aurora patted her face dry with a hand towel and went to her bed.  Drew was already there, and she could tell by the even rise and fall of his chest that he was fast asleep.  She untied the belt of her lavender satin robe and let it drop to the floor.  She climbed into the bed and edged herself near Drew.  She ran her fingers through his black hair and kissed his shoulder.  She wrapped one arm around him and settled in close.  She loved the way he looked sleeping in her bed.  She liked the feel of him next to her.  She knew having him this close all the time was going to take some sacrifices.  But her instinct told her that, unlike her romances in the past few years, this was the real and Drew was going to be worth any sacrifice she had to make.

Drew blinked his eyes open to unfamiliar shapes and shadows.  He attempted to roll over and felt and warm body next to him.  He realized it was Aurora and that he was at her house.  A feeling of contentment washed over him.  He rolled over and pulled her body closer, encasing it in his own.  He could see daylight streaming in the window and lifted his head to look for a clock.  It was only 8:00 A.M.  Good.  He didn’t need to catch a flight until 2:00 that afternoon.   

Aurora cleared her throat.  “You’re awake,” she murmured.  

“I guess I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.”

“That always happens to me when I fly here from the East Coast.   I wouldn’t blame you if you slept half the day away.”

“I only have a little bit of time left with you, and I’m wide awake right now.”

“Oh.”  Aurora wiggled a little closer to him and could feel that he was, indeed, awake.  She rolled over so that she was facing him.  He ran his hands up and down the length of her body.  Aurora wrapped one leg around his waist and pulled him in closer.  He brushed the nape of her neck with his lips, then worked his way slowly down her stomach.

Aurora moaned and writhed beneath him.  Bracing herself with one arm, she shifted her weight, pushing him flat on his back.  She lowered herself over him and met his gray-green eyes with her dark ones.  She noticed lines in his face that wouldn’t have existed when they had been in college.  The passage of time hit her poignantly.  They’d been apart so many years, and tomorrow he’d be gone and she’d be in this bed alone.  A sense of urgency hit her, and she lowered herself over him and reared up, enjoying the ecstatic look on his face.  

They rocked back and forth together, breath quickening and pulses racing.  Aurora felt waves of pleasure wash over her, until they culminated in one final burst.  They continued to move together for a few moments until she felt Drew reach the pinnacle as well.

Aurora settled in next to him again, and for a time they just lie there, feeling the heat of one another’s skin and the rhythm of one another’s breath. 

*****

“This is the hard part,” Drew said.  He stood next to Aurora’s car near the curb at the airport.  Aurora stood there in sunglasses and a ponytail.  He pulled his carry-on bag up onto the curb and turned to her.  He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight.  He didn’t want to let go.  Once he did, it meant walking through the doors and leaving her behind.  Then he’d have to get on a plane and let it carry him away from her.  He wanted to say how much he’d miss her or how they’d see one another soon, but his voice caught in his throat.  

Aurora felt tears well up in her eyes and blinked.  She wanted to promise she would see him soon, but she just didn’t know.  She leaned her head against his chest, resting her head under his chin.  Drew broke the embrace and cupped her chin in his hand.  He tilted her head up and brushed his lips across hers.  She parted her lips and met his mouth with her own.  Drew felt desire and longing well up in him, from the flutter in his stomach to the heat building down below.  

“If we keep doing this, it’s going to be a very uncomfortable flight for me,” he said when they pulled apart.

Aurora looked down at her feet.  “This is so hard.  I keep thinking about how you must have felt when I never came back from the hotel.  And then when you got back to Evergreen Gap and I was gone.  You waited for me and I never called, never came home.  I’m so sorry I did that to you.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”  Drew kissed the top of her head and held her to him.  “This is hard too, but I know I’ll see you again so it’s okay this time.”

“I’m going to read some scripts.  If I don’t find any TV shows that film in New York, I’ll see about pitching a whole new show to a network.   Or I'll do a musical.  I’d like to go East with you now, but the sooner I can get this squared away, the sooner I’ll be closer to you all the time.”

They hugged one last time and Drew finally went into the glass doors.  Aurora watched him speak to a ticket agent and then got in her car and drove away.  She noticed the palm trees lining the way and wished she could see the tree-covered mountains that Drew would himself be seeing in a few hours.

*****

“So, how was it?”  Kathleen Macpherson bustled around her kitchen, looking for the coffee creamer.  

“It wasn’t as exciting as they make it look on TV,” Drew told her.  He told his mother about the Golden Globes and she finally sat down to join him at the kitchen table.  He pushed a box toward her.

“This is from Aurora.  She got one of those gift packs for presenting an award.  She thought maybe you could use some of the things she got.”

Kathleen got scissors out of a drawer and but open the box.  She pulled out the softest pair of slippers she’d ever touched.  There was also a set of scented candles and all kinds of lotions, creams, and soaps.  “I’m going to have to send her a little thank-you.  This is just lovely.  It was so nice of her to think of me.”

“You should have seen the loot.  There must have been ten thousand dollars worth of stuff in there.”

“Still, it was kind of her to think of me.  I like her, Drew.  She has a good heart.”

“People think it’s so glamorous, the way she lives.  But she has to deal with so much.  All the people she had to talk to before the awards show.  Cameras in her face all the time.  She handles it so well.”

“She’s been doing it for a long time.  I just hope you aren’t too disillusioned by her lifestyle.  It can be hard to have a relationship with someone in that business.  Being married to someone like Stacy would be easier, but I want you to be happy and follow your heart.  Just know it might be hard.  You have some challenges ahead of you.” 

Drew was on his parents’ front porch when he spotted three cars belonging to various members of the media.  There they were again: cameras and nosey reporters.  He wondered what they wanted now.  His car was in the driveway and they were careful not to get on his parents’ property.  He could get in his car and drive to his own home, but they would just follow him there.  He walked to the edge of the driveway and three camera jockeys and three reporters rushed over to him.

“Mr. Macpherson, do you have any comment on your ex-girlfriend’s story?”

“How do you feel about her telling her story to Celebrity Eye?”

“Do you plan to give your side of the story?”

“Here’s my card.  I’d like to give you an exclusive interview.”  One woman handed him a card from a Pittsburgh news station.

So, Stacy had sold her side of the story to the highest bidder.  He wasn’t exactly surprised, but he was angry.  He’d rather have her sue him for expenses related to the wedding they would never have than have her air their dirty laundry in public.  He imagined she didn’t paint a very nice picture of him, either.  

“I have no comment at this time,” he told the reporters.  Drew walked to his car and drove off.  Sitting on the edge of Drew’s property were quadruple that many reporters, including ones from print media, news magazines, tabloids, and even one online venue.  He groaned and drove a few blocks away.  

Sitting in his car, he picked up his cell phone and called Aurora, whose personal numbers were now programmed into the phone.   

“Hey, it’s Drew.”

“I know your voice.  I have good news.”

“I could use some.”

“I heard Stacy did a story for Celebrity Eye.  Is that what you’re upset about?  Have you read it?”

“No, but I just left my parents’ house and there were a few reporters there and there’s a whole bunch staked out at my place.  They were asking me about it.  I haven’t seen it or read it.  I don’t know what to say.”

“I’m sorry about all this.  First thing you should do is get a copy and see what it says.  I don’t normally advocate reading those rags, but you want to know what she said about you so you can respond.”

“Hey, it isn’t your fault.  You didn’t trash me to the media; Stacy did.”

“It is my fault.  At least partly.  If you weren’t involved with me, no one would care one way or another about your personal life.”

“I want to be with you.  Crazy media and all.  I choose you.  I choose this craziness.  So, what am I supposed to say?  And to whom?”

“Is there any journalist you trust?  Maybe set up an interview with that person, if you can.”

“And the rest will leave me alone?  You’re sure?”

“They aren’t going to want to pester you if there’s nothing left to tell.”

“So what is the good news, anyway?”

“My agent finally came through with some TV scripts.  I’m reading them over right now.”

“Great!  Keep me posted on that.”

“And you keep me posted on your paparazzi problems.”

Drew and Aurora hung up and he drove back to his house.  He parked in the driveway and the media descended upon him as soon as he got out of the car.

“I have no comment at this time.”  He held a hand up and turned away from them.  He opened his front door and looked over the business card the reporter from Pittsburgh had given him.  

He had several messages from reporters, no doubt given his private cell number by Stacy. There was also an urgent message from his contact person at his current work project.  He deleted the messages and dialed the number.  He had a bad feeling about it.  As it turned out, he was right.

“I’m really sorry, Mr. Macpherson.  You’ve been doing a terrific job, but we’ve been flooded with calls and even had members of the media show up here.  It’s disrupting our lives, so we’re going to have to find someone else to finish the job.”

“I understand.  I thank you for giving me a chance at the job and I apologize for all the inconvenience this has caused you.”  

Drew hung up and sat down at his kitchen table to make a list of reporters with whom he could potentially set up an interview.  The way things had been going, he didn’t trust very many of them.  

*****

The title of the story in Celebrity Eye read The Other Woman Speaks!  Nothing in the article surprised Drew.  Nicole talked about her engagement with Drew and said he had reunited with Aurora after meeting her for divorce proceedings.  “It was obvious,” she said in a quote, “that as soon as he realized he had a chance with her, and her money, that I was going to be dumped like yesterday’s trash.”

Drew threw the paper down in disgust.  Having Aurora back in his life had turned it into a circus.  His ex-girlfriend was bashing him in a supermarket tabloid, he’d lost a job and had no others lined up and his mortgage payment was due, and Aurora was 3,000 miles away while he was hiding from paparazzi.  He was starting to think he was crazy for ever getting himself into this mess in the first place.