Hollywood Stardust Supporting Roles - Wilson and Giselle (12 page)

Before he had a chance to answer her,
Logan’s car sped into the small parking lot.

Ivy got out first, and as if on automatic,
she and Wilson ran to her.

Her best friend stared up at the damage.
Giselle could already make out the tears glistening in her
eyes.

Wilson gave Ivy a hug. “We got what you told
us to. I didn’t call anyone for help like you asked.”

“
There’s already too much
media attention on us. We’ll fix it.” Ivy shook her head and went
toward the back door. “Let me change, and we’ll get
started.”

“
Ivy,” Logan called to her,
his voice curt.

Ivy turned away from him and tilted her
head. “Elle, do you want to snoop in Logan’s closet?”

At last, she had something she could do
other than stand there stunned. She glanced back at Wilson who
patted her, then ran after her friend. “You don’t have to ask
twice.”

The two of them made their way up to Logan’s
room. It was a mirror image of Wilson’s, only much more sparsely
furnished, as if this place were more of a rest spot rather than a
permanent landing pad. She sat right down on the floor and pulled
her knees up to her chest “Everything okay with you and Logan?”

“
Anytime he can’t control
every detail of every situation, he gets really tense, and I’m a
little upset.” Ivy changed out of her vintage chic outfit into a
pair of Logan’s shorts and a white t-shirt.

“
Wilson has been super
calm.” She shrugged.

“
That sort of fits their
personalities.” Ivy sat down by her. “What’s going on?”

“
Well, today sucked.”
Giselle inspected her nails. “I learned not all publicity is good
publicity.”

“
Yeah.” Ivy took her hand.
“Are you all right?”

“
Why does everyone keep
asking me that?” With a grunt, she turned to her friend. “This
doesn’t even involve me. Not really.”

“
You’re such a liar. You
know it involves you, and it hurts.” Ivy turned to her and leaned
in. “You’ve been crying.”

“
It’s the LA smog.” She
shook her head.

“
It’s a beautiful day out.”
Ivy tapped her.

Slowly, she looked over at Ivy.

“
You care, admit it. You’ve
been crying and you haven’t cracked one joke.” In a best friend
move that said she knew more than anyone, Ivy jutted her jaw
out.

“
I’m more than comedy
relief.” The tears started again. “Fine, I care. I didn’t want it
to hurt Wilson.”

“
See?” Ivy
grinned.

“
What do I do now?” She
swore she sounded like her mother the day her father passed away.
“What can I do for Wilson?”

“
Why don’t you try loving
him?” Ivy gave her a hug.

She cared too much and it would be the end
of her, but at this point she had no choice.

She should have thought of that.

“
ARE YOU READY?” Blindfold
in hand, Giselle trotted over to him.

“
What am I doing again?”
Before she covered his eyes, Wilson took another long look at his
gorgeous girlfriend in what he would only call a traditional pink
strapless party dress with a short flared skirt. Everything fit
with her theme for the soft opening, right down to her.

Her theme…birthday party. Her explanation…it
was the birth of the bar. Her idea…genius.

Ike, his liquor vendor, elbowed him. “Do you
want us to leave so Giselle can show you how to use that in
private?”

“
He doesn’t need any
lessons.” Giselle pushed Ike away.

A couple of his friends nodded. For the
first time in his life, he was the one with the coveted girlfriend.
Better yet, she never even glanced in another guy’s direction. Her
attention was focused solely on him.

“
I told you. We’re playing
pin the shot glass on the bar.” She squealed, kissed him, and
handed him the little picture of the shot glass with tape on the
back.

“
That’s right.” Wilson
primed himself to play.

Their guests’ laughter resonated way above
the ragtime music she chose to fit her theme.

Apparently, she left no detail unattended,
from the black and red streamers and balloons decorating the club,
to a magician doing a show, and even games.

She spun him around three times, stood in
back of him, and took him by the shoulders. “Okay, do your
best.”

“
What do I win if I hit the
mark?” Though he felt ridiculous, he lifted his arm with his game
piece. All his friends were having a ball, and he certainly didn’t
want to be the buzz kill. Plus, he wanted to let loose a
little.

“
You’re the host, so you
can’t win the prize.” She slid her hand down to his backside and
gave him a pat. “I guess we’ll have to get you a special
present.”

With a newfound sense of competition and his
guests cheering him on, he walked forward until he basically
collided with the wall and stuck his paper shot glass wherever it
landed.

He lifted the blindfold and frowned. Rather
than the bar, he managed to get the shot glass near the sink.

“
Not even close, my
friend.” Once more, Ike came over. “At least I made it to a
barstool.”

“
Hey, Ike, one more word
and that extra ten percent off you gave me will become fifteen
percent, and I’ll start shopping around.” Once more, Giselle moved
the guy out of the way, then kissed Wilson’s cheek. “You put your
glass away, so you get your present.” She motioned to one of the
wait staff to have her continue with the game and high fived a
couple of his buddies. “Come here.” Like a kid at, well at a
birthday party, she dragged him through the crowd.

He jumped back when a clown jumped up from
behind the bar. “Giselle!” In order to protect his woman at all
costs, he grabbed her and pulled her tight.

“
This is Floopy!” She
jumped and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Floopy, this is
Wilson, the owner!”

The clown bowed and handed Giselle a balloon
flower.

She took the gift and proceeded to put it to
her nose as if it were real.

“
Aww.” Several of his
guests gathered around to take in the new entertainment. Surprises
abounded for this gala.

The clown, complete with creepy hair, red
nose and makeup smile held his hand up, then made a gigantic ordeal
out of blowing up another few balloons. He proceeded to twist and
weave the squeaky rubber into some sort of crown. Floopy gave the
monstrosity to Giselle, and she proceeded to put it on top of his
head.

After blowing a horn, the clown trundled out
from behind his bar and tended to the other guests.

“
Do I have to wear the
balloon crown?” He wrinkled his nose. Letting loose was one thing,
insane was another.

“
You are the party king.”
Again, she kissed him, and this time he got a little tongue. “If
you wear the crown, I promise to use my tongue elsewhere
later.”

“
Do I still get to be the
king later?” A little bargaining was in order.

She fluttered her eyelashes at him.
“Anything you want.”

Out of the corner of his eye he spied two of
his guests now wearing balloon hats, and Ike high-fived the clown
when presented with his balloon tie. “Fine, I’ll wear the
crown.”

“
Why don’t you see your
public, my liege, while I go check on the cake and ice cream and
then you can blow out the candles?” She mock curtseyed. “And you
don’t need to say the obvious about blowing, you are the
king.”

The best words in the world out of her
mouth, or at least some of the best words, she left, turning over
her shoulder twice to wave at him.

As he went to go check on the bar, someone
tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to find Ivy standing
there with a present.

“
For you.” She held out the
bright yellow wrapped box with a huge white bow. “Open
it.”

“
You really didn’t have
to.” Like a little kid, he lightly shook the box then took the lid
off revealing a vintage martini shaker, chrome and shiny with an
art deco flair. “Giselle had everyone bring gifts, but this is the
first non-alcoholic present I have received, and it’s beautiful,
thank you.”

“
You are welcome.” She
leaned up and gave him a hug.

“
Come with me while I find
it an honored space.” He went behind the bar, squeezing in between
it and his worker and placed the art piece among the more expensive
bottles of liquor he stored back there. “What do you
think?”

“
I was about to ask you
that same question.” She turned the item slightly and gave it a
thumbs-up.

Though he knew what she was asking, he still
needed to draw it out a little. He turned to the bar and watched
the staff pour some drinks.

“
Wilson, you are finally
behind the bar where you belong. Are you finally going to make
something?” Harvey the plumber put his elbow on the bar and lifted
his eyebrows.

“
You know what I found out
since being with your best friend?” Taking the challenge, he slid
over and began collecting some ingredients while continuing to talk
with Ivy.

“
Tell me.” Ivy watched
him.

“
Not unlike any drink, you
have to have just the right balance.” He took two glasses and began
his creation by pouring in some gin, and both dry and sweet
vermouth. “Sometimes you want to add more, but you have to stop
yourself, for fear of ruining the drink.”

“
That is true.” She
laughed.

“
With Giselle, it’s
important to add a little something sweet.” He added some orange
juice. “And to pay attention to detail.” For a finale, he stirred
the drinks and hung a piece of curled orange peel off the side of
each one and handed one glass to his buddy, the other to
Ivy.

“
So, what do you get in
return?” She tilted the glass in his direction and took a
sip.

“
I get to drink her in, and
she makes me happy.” He stopped and considered his words. “I laugh
all the time with her.” His voice came out sort of far
away.

“
This is good, what do you
call it?” Harvey chugged his drink down.

“
The Bronx, it’s from the
20’s.” Wilson took the empty glass and put it in the
sink.

“
That’s different, but
good.” The man gave him a high five and turned away when Floopy
came around with his balloons.

Yes, different, like his girl. At what point
did he add more alcohol, up the proof of their relationship?

“
With Giselle, you walk the
tightrope between drinking enough to get tipsy or getting a
hangover,” Ivy noted.

No sooner were the words out of Ivy’s mouth
than the door to the kitchen burst open, and Giselle came out in a
burst of candlelight holding a birthday cake. “Everybody sing!” As
all their guests and well-wishers went into a round of the
traditional Happy Birthday song, she made her way toward him.

At the scene, he had no choice but to smile.
More than anyone in his entire life, she made him happy, glad to be
around and glad to be alive.

She presented the cake to him before putting
it on the bar and taking her place by his side. “Look at you,
you’re a star.”

“
A king and a star, what
more could a guy want?” He knew the answer and put his arm around
her.

While the crowd finished their song, she
stood on her tiptoes and whispered into his ear. “You don’t need to
make a wish. I’ll make sure you get whatever you want.”

Again, he smiled. She brought happiness and
laughter into his life and he never wanted it to end. “You’re the
only one who can give me my wish.”

* * * *

“
HOLD OUT YOUR HAND.”
Giselle caught up to Logan right before he followed Ivy into the
kitchen. Thus far, she didn’t really have much of a chance to talk
to Wilson’s brother, AKA the movie star.

He turned, blinked and did as she
requested.

With a huge smile that she got him to
comply, she plopped her miniature goodie bag into his palm.

“
What is this?” He glanced
inside the bag.

“
Your party favor. Thank
you for attending Wilson’s soft opening.” She used her best game
show host voice.

“
You do know that I own
part of this bar, right?” As he spoke, he used one finger to root
around in the gift.

“
Unless it’s your name on
the door, you’re not the star, so you get a party favor.” Now was
as good a time as any to set the record straight with him. Someone
needed to be one hundred percent Wilson and then maybe Wilson could
follow suit.

“
Fair enough.” A smile grew
across Logan’s face. There was no doubt why the man had the star
power. He possessed that indefinable edge where Wilson had that bit
of softness, the part that made him take care of his brother after
their mother passed, the part that made sure Logan had the career
he wanted, and the part where he let her be her.

“
Let’s see what Wilson’s
guests took home tonight, shall we?” Somehow, watching Logan
dissect her favor bag held some fascination for her. “ A miniature
fruity nut bar.” He held the little candy up.

“
That’s mine and Wilson’s
favorite candy.” She decided to offer subtitles.

Once more, he delved inside, this time
taking out a little card. “The guide to Wilson’s secret menu, but
remember only those in the know get to know.” He read off the card.
“Order the G-spot and you are sure to get a sweet treat. I wish I
knew before the party ended.”