Thrill! (8 page)

His threats had not worked. She'd hired a canny female lawyer and fought back, ending up with shared custody.

Summer was eight when they split, and extremely verbal about spending the majority of her time with her father at his rambling house in the suburbs of Chicago where she could ride horses and keep her pet rabbits. She hated her mother's small apartment, so Nikki gave up - allowing her to stay with Sheldon.

It was a mistake. Summer bonded with her father and began treating Nikki like a slightly crazy older sister.

Nikki was hurt, but over the years she'd grown to accept it. Instead of parenting, she'd concentrated on getting together a career, starting as an assistant and eventually becoming a much in demand costume designer on movies - much to Sheldon's chagrin.

When Richard Barry had arrived in town to shoot a film, he'd requested Nikki as clothes designer. She'd been flattered and intrigued.

Their first meeting was classic Richard, he'd shot orders at her as if she was still an assistant, which infuriated her. After a while sne'd taken him to one side and set him straight.

"I know you're this big Hollywood director,"

she'd told him,

"but I have a reputation of my own, so please don't tell me how to do my job -

I won't tell you how to direct your movie."

Iwo nights later they were in bed together, and to her surprise

delight it was pretty sensational sex.

% the time the movie was finished, Richard had asked her to

49

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Driver holding up a

ss-SSss*1"--

"I am?"

THRILL'.

"Yup,"

she said, thrusting her carry-on bag at him. He took the bag and said,

"Uh . . . shall I bring the car around, d'you want to come with me to the lot?"

"I've got like luggage."

"A lot?"

"Six bags."

"You're here to stay, then?"

"Maybe,"

she said, flirting.

"Whyn't I take you to the luggage carousel, then I'll go get the

limo."

"Cool,"

she said, excited that Nikki had sent a limo to meet

her.

They began the long walk.

"You an actress?"

he asked, throwing

her a sideways glance.

She giggled, flinging back her long blond hair.

"What do you think?"

she responded, pleased that he thought she was.

He squinted at her.

"You look like that girl in Clueless - y'know,

Alicia something."

"Well, I'm not."

"S OK,"

he said casually.

"You're prettier."

"Honestly?"

A laconic'Yeah."

e This was an excellent start to her trip. A sure sign LA was

the place for her to be. Her father had wanted her to go to the it Bahamas with him and his teenage wife, but much to his annoysit ance, she'd refused. The less time she had to spend with him the better.

< They arrived at the luggage carousel and waited for her bags to

appear. Tin Jed,"

her driver said, edging close to her.

"Doing this ^ job to make the rent - in real life I'm an actor."

up a

"^°u must meet a lot of cool people."

was

"Yeah,"

he laughed.

"Like you. Only you can't score me a job."

nd »

"% stepfather's a famous director,"

she boasted,

clieve

"No shit? What's his name?"

"Richard Barry."

His eyes bugged.

"I'm impressed."

Later, sitting in the back of a long silver limo heading for

t

51 Malibu, she reached in her purse and lit up a joint. She'd been smoking grass for two years, it helped her get through all the things she had to put up with. Without it she didn't know what she would've done.

Jed caught on immediately - sniffing the air - eyeing her in his rear-view mirror.

"You're gonna stink up the car,"

he remarked.

"So,"

she said haughtily.

"I'm paying."

"Right,"

he said, snickering.

"You an"

your rich daddy."

"Want a drag?"

she offered.

"It's free."

He hesitated for a moment, then said,

"Why not?"

She moved over to the glass partition, passing him the joint. He dragged deeply. A veteran.

"I could get canned for this,"

he said, not sounding too upset at the prospect.

"Yes, but think how amazing you'll feel for the rest of the day,"

she said with a giggle.

"You got that right,"

he responded, with a crooked smirk.

By the time the limo reached Malibu he'd given her his phone number and the name of a club where he hung out when he wasn't working.

"Come on by,"

he said, hot for this girl with the long blond hair and the primo grass.

"Maybe I will,"

she said, still flirting.

"Maybe you should,"

he replied, thinking that he'd finally found

a live one.

ft ft ft

1

i

Nikki heard the limo pull up and hurried to the door, throwing it open.

"Hi, Mom,"

Summer said, emerging from the car, slightly stoned but hiding it well.

"Where's Richard?"

"Editing,"

Nikki replied, hurt that the first words out of Summer's mouth were, Where's Richard?

"Don't I get a hug and a kiss?"

"Whatever,"

Summer said casually, giving her mother a perfunctory hug.

*->

Nikki wasn't sure, but for a moment she thought she smelled the strong aroma of pot.

The young driver was busily unloading suitcases from the trunk. Nikki directed him to Summer's room.

"LA's awesome,"

Summer announced, wandering through the house.

"Chicago's like soo hot and muggy. Ugh! Disgusto weather!"

"It is beautiful here,"

Nikki agreed, following her.

"I guess I never take the time to appreciate it."

"Course, I could've gone with Daddy and Rachel to the Bahamas,"

Summer continued.

"Thing is I've already been there twice and it's way boring. Besides, I wanted to see Richard - and you, of course."

"That's terrific,"

Nikki said, checking out her daughter's outfit, shades of early Madonna crossed with Courtney Love - a look that did not suit Summer's fresh prettiness.

"Let's go shopping tomorrow,"

she suggested.

"We'll explore Melrose, there's plenty of new stores I'm sure you'll love."

Summer groaned, as if it was the worst idea she'd ever heard.

"C'mon, Mom, y'know we don't have the same taste."

"I'm hardly an old fuddy-duddy,"

Nikki replied, resenting Summer's comment.

"In fact, I am one of the most successful clothes designers in movies."

I'm also younger than Madonna, she thought. So don't treat me like some decrepit old fart.

"Yeah, Mom. Thing is - you like so don't get me."

Great! She didn't get her own daughter.

"I'm starving,"

Summer said, racing into the kitchen.

"Is there anything to eat?"

There was plenty to eat, but Summer had this infuriating habit of flinging open the fridge and saying,

"Yuck! Nothing edible!"

She " it now. Then she threw open every cupboard in the kitchen, Ailing to close them.

Nikki tried to stay calm, her daughter's messy habits drove her totally insane.

Bummer!"

Summer exclaimed.

"Richard's not home and there's no food."

Tell me what you'd like, and I'll send the maid to the market."

53 "Forget it, Mom. I'm gonna hit the beach. I plan on getting a way cool tan."

So much for mother-daughter bonding, Nikki thought ruefully.

-ft ft ft

The moment the messenger delivered the script, Nikki grabbed it and hurried onto the deck overlooking the beach. Summer was lying down below on the sand, topless. Since she was almost flatchested it didn't really matter, except that it was inappropriate especially as this was a public beach where you were not supposed to do that kind of thing.

She contemplated calling down and telling her to put on a top, but what was the good? Summer would do so for two minutes, and as soon as Nikki turned around she'd take it off again.

Clutching the script under her arm, she curled up in a comfortable wicker chair and began reading.

For an hour and a half she was completely absorbed. It was a brilliant final draft - the writer she'd hired had done an excellent job incorporating all her notes. Placing the script on a table, she shivered with excitement. Lara had to see it immediately.

It crossed her mind she could deliver it personally. Then she remembered that Summer was staying, and it wouldn't be fair to leave her alone with Richard. Maybe she'd Fed Ex Lara the script, give her a chance to read it, and then get on a plane. Yes, she decided, that was the way to handle it.

She called Richard in the editing rooms.

"The script's here,"

she said.

"I just finished reading, it's exactly on target."

"Don't get too excited,"

he warned.

"The money people have to take a look, and they alwayshzve comments."

"Who cares?"

she said recklessly.

"I think it's good enough to send to the directors I have in mind, get their reactions."

"Well . . . they're all waiting to see it,"

he mused.

"Only remember I'm tied up for the next few weeks, I won't be much help."

"I can handle it,"

she said confidently.

"This is my project, and although I appreciate your input, I'm OK on my own."

54

"You're sure you want to do this?"

"Absolutely."

She was about to call Federal Express and package the script off to Lara when she remembered Summer, who'd definitely been out on the beach too long. She went over to the edge of the deck and peered down. Summer was sprawled on the sand - still topless. A muscled boy was crouched down next to her, talking nonstop. Hww, Nikki thought, it hasn't taken her long to find some local action.

She realized she shouldn't be so critical, but she didn't want the same fate happening to her daughter that had befallen her. Pregnant at sixteen, married at seventeen, divorced at twenty-five. A little voice murmured in her head, It's not your problem, it's Sheldon's. He's in charge.

She called out Summer's name.

Her nearly naked daughter swung her head around, looking up at her as if she was a total stranger.

"Yeah?"

"Shouldn't you come in now? You don't want to get too much sun on your first day."

Summer whispered something to the boy. They both shrieked with laughter.

Somehow Nikki knew she was the butt of their joke, but she pretended not to mind and hurried back into the house. She called Federal Express and dashed off a short note to Lara. After that she sat down at her desk and began calling the directors she planned on sending the script to, alerting them it was on its way.

# -fr -fr

Summer knew there was one thing she could do without any effort: attract boys - or men, it didn't matter as long as they were male, rive minutes on the beach and this big burly surfer came along and started chatting to her. She took off her top, told him everyone in Europe sunbathed topless, and while his eyes bugged out of his "cad, she asked him where she could score some grass. He informed her he could get her anything she wanted, invited her to a party and fell in love.

55 Men! Summer thought disdainfully. They're all so easy!

Later, she wandered into the house barefoot and sandy, a thin shirt barely covering her bikini.

"Gotta go out,"

she told her mother.

"Can I borrow a car?"

"You're too young to drive,"

Nikki pointed out.

"You have to be sixteen, remember?"

"I drive Daddy's car all the time,"

she said, pouting.

"Maybe Daddy's prepared to take the risk,"

Nikki answered crisply.

"We can't do that."

"I'm a way cool driver, Mom."

Tm sure you are, but you're not allowed to drive here. It's the law."

"I won't get caught."

"I said no."

"You're such a downer,"

Summer mumbled, thinking that her mother was not going to be as easy to manipulate as Daddy Dearest.

"Where are you off to, anyway?"

Nikki asked.