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Authors: Kaira Rouda

Tags: #romance

Laguna Nights (9 page)

BOOK: Laguna Nights
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He tried to stand up, to stop her, but she was behind his chair before he could move, wrapping her arms possessively around Josh’s neck before bending at the waist and kissing him on the cheek, purposely ignoring Madison.

“Josh, honey, I decided to pop down for the weekend,” Sally said, as the men at the table watched, mouths agape, as her breasts threatened to pop out of her low-cut dress. Josh was frozen, but watched as Marty stood and said hello, motioning for the waiter to bring another chair.

“Sally, I thought you were staying in Hollywood, like we discussed,” Marty said and Josh knew him well enough to detect Marty’s temper flaring just below the surface. A waiter appeared with a chair and helped maneuver it into place to Josh’s right. Josh felt Madison’s stare but couldn’t meet her eyes. On his other side, he felt Sally settling into her chair. He knew she was enjoying the attention from the men at the table. And he knew she must wonder who the beautiful blonde was seated to his left. He hoped she’d behave, be classy, but Josh knew from experience she never did.

“Well, Marty, you know I like to be with my fiancé whenever possible and this is his big week for us, am I right?” Sally said.

“Bring the lady a wine glass,” Roger commanded and Josh could see he was appreciating her display, as she’d intended.

Josh wished the Big One would hit right now and swallow them all up, drop them into the ocean. At least a 9.0 on the Richter scale would do it. That was the only way he envisioned getting away from this table and out of this mess.

“Don’t I recognize you from somewhere?” Roger asked, a smile cemented on his lips. “Were you in the cast of Laguna Nights, too? Fabulous.”

“No, I’m Sally Stein, Alan Stein’s daughter,” Sally said, proud as always to name drop her famous dad, a man old enough to be her grandfather. He had married her mother, who was 40-years younger, for long enough to conceive and produce a child support payment in the form of a baby girl named Sally. Alan Stein’s string of hit movies in the 1970s still made him an industry heavyweight, and a wealthy one at that, who was currently on wife six or seven, Josh thought. Somehow, he and Sally had crossed paths at a club in LA just about the time his credit card payment had come due.

“Of course. Give your father my best. Roger Dalston, producer of Josh’s new hit show,” Roger said, clinking his wine glass against Sally’s. “A pleasure to meet you my dear. Have you thought of acting?”

Josh rolled his eyes before he could stop himself. Of course Sally had thought of acting, that’s all anyone in Hollywood thought about. He shot a look at Marty but Marty was fixated on Sally, no doubt hoping she wouldn’t ruin anything. Marty’s opinion of Josh’s roommate was even lower than his, Josh realized suddenly. Why hadn’t he extracted himself from this relationship before now, Josh wondered. He glanced at Sally’s profile and noticed her plump red lips. She’d had injections since he left town, he thought idly. He wished he could reach over and squeeze those lips shut and force her to stop talking.

“I’m actually more interested in producing, that’s where the real power is in Hollywood,” Sally said. “My daddy’s helping me review projects right now. I’m going to produce a feature film, at least that’s the plan. We’re going to option something next week. So exciting.”

“Ahh,” Roger said, believing her plans would come to fruition about as much as he believed Josh would hit the A list again. “Well, good luck my dear.”

“It’s too bad you missed dinner. We were just about to call it a night,” Marty said locking eyes with Josh.

“Yes, we were,” Josh said, as turned to check on Madison in time to see her say, “Good night” before she darted from the room. It took everything he had not to run after her as he felt Sally’s hand close around his wrist, her fingernails digging into his flesh.

“Who is she?” Sally said, her voice cold and threatening.

“My co-host,” Josh said, standing and pulling out Sally’s chair. The other men were heading for the door, but he could tell Marty was listening to their conversation. “Look, Sally, it’s been a good run, but I think it’s best if you move out. You’ve got your project, I’ve got mine. Cool?”

“Are you breaking up with me? Here? Now? After I drove all the way down here in all that Saturday night traffic? I mean, the 405 was crazy and even the 73 was bad. I came to support you and this is how you act?” Sally said. Josh saw her eyes were filling with tears, a familiar ploy she’d used regularly since their first date six months ago. Why had he allowed her to suck him in? Because he’d stopped believing in himself, he realized. He had thought Sally and her famous father could save him when instead, he was drowning under the weight of her attention and need.

“You’re right, come with me,” Josh said, softening his tone. Marty shot him a look and shook his head before pushing through the restaurant doors, as disappointed in his client as Josh was with himself. Josh walked Sally out into the chilly evening, the sound of the surf crashing below the cliffs echoed in his ears. He needed to handle her with respect, and then focus on Madison. It was all a mess, and now, he realized, Madison would have every reason never to trust him again.

 

Did this woman who was dripping in diamonds and literally bursting out of her red dress actually careen into the private dining room and call Josh her fiancé?

Madison knew she had been in shock even before the latest dinner guest had arrived, given Roger’s insistence that her boss had agreed to her on-camera gig without even discussing it with her. That, after all these years of loyalty? She couldn’t believe it. And then, Josh, with his reassuring hand, trying to tell her all would be well, that he hadn’t sucked her into a television appearance, that he hadn’t cheated on her on national TV and ruined her life. He had kissed her, flirted with her since he had arrived and even taken her to dinner, all to get her to appear on his show. And now, she discovered, he was engaged.

Madison gripped the seat of her chair. She trusted her legs had the strength she needed to propel hers out of this disastrous dinner and back into her quiet life. She stood up, nodded to Roger and Marty and dashed out of the room, out of the restaurant and into the cool evening. She looked behind her and nobody had followed her. She pulled off her heels and hurried down the path to the employee parking lot.

She noticed three missed phone calls from Annie and smiled. Annie was her best friend since high school, a strong and supportive friend through the television magnified disaster of senior year and beyond. Annie had stayed in Laguna, graduating from the University of California Irvine. She had found true love with a guy named Hank, who had been a junior at Laguna Beach High School when they were seniors. With two kids and another on the way, Annie had, in a nutshell, the opposite life from Madison; yet they’d both predicted their journeys in the last episode they filmed.

Madison slid into the driver’s seat of her car and relaxed. She thought back to filming what the producer called their “dreams” segment on their last season, season two, episode six “Graduation”. The scene had featured Madison, Annie, Laura and Jessica drinking iced tea on the balcony of the oceanfront Surf and Sand Hotel. As a waiter poured their drinks, the “friends” – the only girl she still spoke to on the cast was Annie by that point -- talked about where they pictured themselves in ten years.

Madison had been so relieved the show was finished, that the producers had only forced her into this one last scene after her embarrassing on-camera meltdown in episode five. She felt so fat and ugly and she was completely depressed, she realized now. On the show she had said, “I’m moving to Europe. Going to college abroad and staying there,” she’d said it with a broad smile, her sad eyes hidden behind large dark sunglasses, her face partially obscured by a large floppy hat. The director had said she looked like she was in disguise and urged her to take off the hat and glasses. But she wouldn’t.

She’d already moved on in her head; she’d been accepted to the University College London, not that she would reveal that on camera, or to anyone but her mom and Annie. Meanwhile, Annie said she would live in Laguna and have “a houseful of babies,” something she and Hank had been busy making come true.

Meanwhile, Laura, Madison’s nemesis, the main character and voiceover narrator of the show, had smiled smugly and plugged her new show,
Hollywood Nights
. “I’m moving to Hollywood, pursuing acting and starting an accessories line. It’s all so exciting,” she had said her blonde hair glowing in the sunshine like a halo. Jessica who had been angling for a recurring character spot on Laura’s new show watched Laura with a toxic mixture of jealousy and desire, like a hungry person eyeballing a bag of potato chips that’s not allowed on her diet. Although back then, Jessica and her anorexia would never allow for a bag of chips.

“Laura, will you and Josh be together in LA?” Jessica had asked, as Annie shot her a dagger look and Madison had felt herself flush. That hadn’t been scripted, but of course it would be part of the finale.

Laura looked into the camera and smiled. “That’s the plan. I’ll keep him around as long as he stays fun,” she said. And then she reached for her iced tea and the scene was over.

“Cut. It’s a wrap,” the director had said.

“You’re such a bitch Laura,” Annie said as Jessica and Laura laughed. “Come on Holly.” Madison had followed her friend out the door, shaking with hurt and anger.

“You’re better than both of them,” Annie had said back then, wrapping a comforting arm around Madison. “Let’s just get through graduation. It’s two more weeks and then you’re free.”

Now she was back in Laguna Beach, no longer in London, no longer free. Her phone rang and it was Annie. How could Annie know she needed her now more than ever?

BOOK: Laguna Nights
12.08Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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