Lucky Star: A Hollywood Love Story (16 page)

“I was going to wait to make the announcement later this week, but Aerin has forced my hand.” He looked around the room, capturing his audience’s attention while Aerin squirmed in her chair. “I don’t think anyone in this room is brave enough to deny how valuable Sarah has been to me since I stole her from my wife.” He grinned, this time nothing wry or rueful in the gesture. He and I both knew when his wife Shanna was feeling particularly overwhelmed by her various foundations, she openly cursed the day he’d convinced her to let me come work for him instead. “Every task I give her, Sarah does with aplomb, even when it’s not
technically
part of her job description.” He shot a look at Aerin that dared her to countermand that statement. “In fact, I couldn’t do my job nearly as well if it weren’t for her. So, effective immediately, I’m promoting her to Associate Producer.”

He sat back with a satisfied smirk as silent shock passed through the room. Then, covering for my colleague’s stunned surprise, calls of congratulations echoed in the conference room. 

I should have been happy to have been promoted, but I couldn’t find it within myself to muster the emotion. Perhaps if the announcement had come in a few weeks after I’d done something noteworthy, deserving of the recognition, I would have been, but I couldn’t help being suspicious of Broderick’s intent. Was this my payment for having talked Cameron into the distasteful PR bargain? If I accepted it, was I complicit in the bribe?

I was good at my job, yes, but Associate Producer good? I didn’t know. Then again, I didn’t actually know what the job entailed since no one at Gramalkin actually had that title. Not to undermine the value I brought to the team, but if Aerin could crow about my lack of PR qualifications, others in the company could just as easily say I wasn’t qualified to do this job either. Since Broderick was part owner of the studio no one would question him publicly, and as the majority share holder, he could pretty much do what he wanted anyhow, but this was a bold maneuver, even for him.

I looked to Cameron and wanted so badly to be able to say all of this to him. I tried to communicate with my eyes how confusing the announcement was, but he wouldn’t meet my eyes. Instead, he stared down at the paper in his hands as he rotated it end over end in an endless circle, a mean, cynical downward tilt of his lips telling me he was angry. At first I wondered why he’d be angry and then I understood, all too well. Instead of
wondering
whether this promotion was my payment, he assumed that not only had I accepted the bribe, but that I’d done so willingly. Our relationship in exchange for our careers. My heart sank to my stomach and then both plunged somewhere around my ankles. Ever since Broderick had pulled me into this farce, I’d tried to do right by Cameron but now my boss had inadvertently made me look like scheming bitch. How Cameron could think I’d be party to something like that was a mystery. He knew how I felt about him; how this situation hurt me as much as it hurt him. How he could think me so mercenary broke my heart.

Then another thought popped into my head. Was Broderick
trying
to make Cameron hate me? Did he think if he put enough pressure on us that Cameron would break it off and then we wouldn’t have to hide our relationship because there wouldn’t be one to keep secret after all?

While all of these thoughts were spinning in my head, people were patting me on the back, shaking my hand, and generally acting happy for me. Jillian, to my surprise, broke out in a huge grin. I wanted to hate her but I couldn’t make myself feel anything toward her other than resigned acceptance.

Once the congratulations died down, Broderick assured everyone he’d announce my new role on the team in our regularly-scheduled Friday meeting. When he turned the floor back over to Aerin, my gut clenched. I thought I’d prepared myself for this moment but my fortitude had been shaken by Broderick’s announcement and Cameron’s reaction. Now I was back to feeling like I was going to vomit. I wanted to be anywhere but here.

“Thank you Broderick,” Aerin said, nodding his direction. She tried to sound sweet failed, her voice belying her true feelings. “As I was saying before we got sidetracked with Sarah’s news, we have a plan in place to ratchet up interest in both our stars here.” Her voice warmed. She really got off on working with celebrities.

“There’s no denying Cameron and Jillian are two of the most gorgeous people you’ll ever meet, which bodes incredibly well for us. What also bodes well is they don’t have any past scandals or skeletons in their closet that we have to work around. Not that that would have been a problem, mind you. We’ve got the best team in town.” When she paused, it was clear she’d expected someone in the room to agree with the statement. When no one said a word, she coughed into her hand and continued.

“Anyway, it’s really exciting for someone in my profession to be able to take two people and craft their narratives from the beginning.”

Julie touched Cameron’s arm and he looked up to see Aerin staring at him. Holding his gaze for a few moments, she smiled, and then turned to Jillian and did the same. Her focus on his co-star, Cameron slouched low in his seat in an attempt to make himself invisible but at six-foot-five, the very notion was laughable.

“As the stars of this movie, you two are in for a wild ride. People are going to want to know everything about you: who you are, your likes and dislikes, who you’re with.”

As Aerin continued, I tried to keep my face devoid of any strong emotion. Jillian made eye contact with me and smiled.
Of course she’s smiling
, I thought.
She’s completely on board with this plan.
 

“Which brings me to my next point,” Aerin said, pulling me back to her monologue. “We’ve all talked it over and the best thing we can do before jumping into production is to have our two stars seen together publicly. Frequently. The more this happens, the easier fans will accept you them both as Xander St. John and Arabella Wilson.”

Ah, so that was her gambit. Every one here knew the movie was going to be a hit but Aerin was trying to make it seem like Cameron and Jillian might not be able to carry the weight of it on their shoulders given their relative obscurity.

“There was a lot of speculation leading up to Broderick’s unveiling and many fans had their hearts set on a different actor and actress. Of course, they could never know what we know about you – just how good you’re going to be – but we want them to get comfortable seeing you together. We want them to understand how crazy good you are together.” She paused for a second and then announced, dramatically, “Both on screen and off.”

I had to stifle a gasp. What the fuck?! Was she trying to convince people that Cameron and Jillian already knew one another? That their being cast together wasn’t a mistake? That they actually
were
in love?! And how come she hadn’t mentioned the other option Broderick had laid out? It had been my least favorite of the two which was why I’d convinced Cameron to go this route instead but now I had to rethink my previous stance. Had it just been a red herring? If so, why trick me like that? Had he known I’d choose this path if presented with the other one? Had he played me? Was Cameron playing me now? So many questions ran rampant through my head and as I felt the weight of each one, my face grow hot with anger and my breath hitched.  

Cameron must have heard me because he glanced my way out of the corner of his eyes. Watching me for a fraction of a moment, his eyes went dull and then dragged his gaze to rest on Jillian. He smiled at her, that million-dollar smile I loved so much and suddenly it hit me. Aerin wasn’t presenting the other option because everything had already been decided. When he left me there’d still been forty minutes before this meeting. During that time Cameron must have talked with Broderick – or, more likely, had Julie call Aerin – to set the wheels in motion. If he thought
I’d
betrayed
him
, this was just as bad. Maybe worse since we’d agreed on one thing and what they were doing now was something entirely different.

The more Aerin spoke, the clearer it all became. They weren’t going to wait for Vancouver to put the plan into action; it would start immediately. I had a hard time hearing the specific details over the ringing in my ears, but Cameron’s body language wasn’t hard to misinterpret. In a matter of moments, he’d done a complete one-eighty. He was a damn fine actor but this was unlike anything I’d ever seen from him. If I didn’t know him – if I hadn’t known about
us
– I’d completely believe the tale Aerin was spinning. It took everything I had not to jump out of my chair and run out of the room. As it was, my hands had gone numb and sweat dripped down my spine. On a dime he’d gone from the man I considered “My Cameron” to one I was coming to view as “Their Cameron.”

Their chairs rested in mirrored position, their bodies canted in the others’ direction. Cameron smiled and Jillian’s eyes sparkled. He whispered something in her ear and she let out a light, tinkling laugh. Touched his bare forearm and let her fingers linger proprietarily. Cameron turned and said something to Broderick to which he nodded. All around me people smiled and laughed and said they’d had no idea about Cameron and Jillian.

They both laughed and looked bashful and seeing them pretend to be all googly-eyed and happily in love, there was no doubt in my mind the fandom would eat this shit up. They were gorgeous separately, no doubt, but together they were stunning. Even under false pretenses, if they smiled at each other this way for the paparazzi, in no time whatsoever the public would buy exactly what the studio was selling.

I tuned out for the rest of the meeting and focused on not vomiting. When it finally concluded, Cameron stood and walked out with his agent, never glancing my way. I sat there for a few moments, absorbing the fact that he’d just completely ignored me. Eventually, I grabbed my laptop and went to exit myself.

“Sarah, meet me in twenty minutes in my office,” Broderick said, quickly popping his head around the door and then out just as quickly before he ventured off.

Numb, I responded “Sure,” as I turned off the lights and departed in the opposite direction. I didn’t think he’d heard me. He hadn’t stuck around long enough to.

I dropped my computer onto my desk and as it bounced and crashed to the floor, I didn’t bother to pick it up. I just stood there, feeling the weight of the last several hours settle over me. I was exhausted and didn’t know if I could continue on. From the very first moment Cameron and I came together, it seemed fate had conspired to keep us apart, this fake romance between he and Jillian another in a long series of roadblocks along the way. I rubbed at my chest hoping to lessen the physical ache I felt whenever I thought about them together. As tears stung my eyes, I considered what this new revelation meant for us. I loved him with every fiber of my being, but I was beginning to think loving him was bad for me.

Taking a deep breath to stem the tide of my tears, I checked my phone. I had 15 minutes before my meeting with Broderick. I left my cubicle, intent on hiding in the restroom for the next quarter hour. People knew I was friends with Cameron and I didn’t want to be approached with questions about whether or not I knew about his romance with Jillian. A stall in the shitter was my safest bet for avoiding such a scenario. When I entered, Jillian and her manager already occupied the space.

“Hi Sarah,” Jillian chirped as her manager nodded my way and exited, leaving the two of us alone together. “Congratulations, by the way.”

“Thanks,” I said, washing my hands for want of something to do.

“Listen …”

I glanced up from my soapy hands to see her reflection in the mirror. She sidled up next to me and held my eyes in the glass. “I know about you and Cameron and I’m sorry.” She turned away from her reflection to face me and I was forced to do the same.

I grabbed a paper towel to dry my hands which gave me something to look at other than her. “Ha,” I huffed. “But thanks anyhow.” We weren’t friends, didn’t even know each other all that well. What sort of response did she expect from me?

“That’s a beautiful ring, by the way.” She raised my hand for closer inspection and I tried not to blanche or pull away. “You must be thrilled.”

My voice hard, I responded, “Yeah, thrilled with my super secret engagement. It’s what every little girl dreams of.” I couldn’t have kept the hurt from my voice even if I tried … and I didn’t.

Knowing that Cameron was engaged to me hadn’t stopped her from participating in that little display back in the conference room. Then again, it hadn’t stopped Cameron either. Right now I didn’t feel like I owed either of them anything, least of all polite discourse.

“I don’t know if it makes you feel any better, but Murray – that’s my boyfriend – he’s not happy about this either. It’s easier for him being on another continent and it helps that we’re used to spending time apart, but he doesn’t like it any better than you that there are going to be photos of his girlfriend kissing another guy. What I do onscreen is one thing, but a fauxmance is something else entirely. He’s going to be so jealous.”

“How long have you and Murray been together?”

“Five years,” she responded wistfully, and by the way she said it I thought she was really, truly in love with him.

“You’re lucky. You’ve had time to be with each other, learn the ins and outs of your relationship and make it work for you. Cameron and I haven’t had that.”