Page 29 of Second Act
Dash went upstairs to change after he finished his drink, and came back in cutoff jeans, and a short while later, they helped themselves to the Mexican buffet in the dining room and sat down at a beautifully set table with a long centerpiece of red flowers. They were all impressed by how graciously Andy lived. He realized too how strange it was to be there without Frances helping him, but Timothy was managing well without her. She was still enjoying her new job, and she was in Aspen for the winter with her new boss. Her mother was in a care facility in Palm Springs now, but doing well. Frances stayed in touch with Andy.
Godfrey asked Andy during dinner how many people he had working at the house, and Andy looked blank for a minute and laughed.
“I don’t know. I’ve been gone for almost a year.” And they had all been there waiting for him to come back.
“Now I know how rich and important you are, if you don’t even know how many employees you have. I have a cleaning woman twice a week.”
“I probably have too many,” Andy admitted. “I’m very spoiled.”
“You certainly are,” Dash agreed with him, and they all laughed, even Andy. “I want to be you when I grow up, if I ever do.”
Andy was happy to see Violet relax as the evening wore on. The house was beautiful and impressive, full of valuable art and objects, but he was still the same man she lived with in London and was in love with, in the rented apartment in Notting Hill, with the battered furniture. There was nothing arrogant or pretentious about him. He just lived very well, and he could afford to. But he was just as comfortable living simply with Violet. It was nice to be able to do both.
—
They all went to bed early that night, after the long flight, and came down to breakfast in the morning. Andy looked happy now that he was there, with his friends around him, in his luxurious home, but as the day wore on, they could all feel the tension mount, and Andy looked stressed when they got into the cars at five o’clock to do the red carpet at the Hilton Hotel where the awards dinner and ceremony were being held. Andy was dreading it, and the rude questions the press would inevitably ask, and the comments peoplewould make to cut him down to size and remind him he’d been fired. He looked deeply unhappy as Violet got in beside him in the Bentley driven by a driver hired for the night. Another hired driver drove the others in the Range Rover. Violet was wearing her simple black dress. She looked beautiful in it, the makeup artist had done her face lightly with just a little eye makeup and blush. She had her own natural beauty, and the hairdresser had combed out her shining dark hair and left it down.
“You look gorgeous,” he whispered to her. Marilyn was wearing a slinky silver dress, and the men were in tuxedos. And as soon as they got to the red carpet at the Hilton, the press started shouting Marilyn’s and Godfrey’s names, and another group of them broke away and called Andy’s name and begged him and Violet to pose for pictures. Andy looked elegant and dignified and as handsome as ever. Nothing had changed in the last year, except his job. He was still who he was.
“Welcome back!” several of them called out to him, and Violet stood next to him, looking beautiful and natural. “You’ve been making indie pictures!” one of them shouted. “And you’re up for an award forTightrope. Your dad would be proud. Like your dad directing. Are you going to produce more indies?” one reporter called out to him.
“I hope so!” Andy called back and smiled at Violet. His homecoming to LA had gone smoother than he had expected. No one had mentioned Global Studios, or the fact that he’d been fired. It was as though they had forgotten, and they were interested in his new career now as the producer of indie pictures. Just like his father’s transition from actor to director. He realized, as the group made theirway to their table after the red carpet, that he had come home, and he was still a hero in his hometown. He felt a wave of relief wash over him as he leaned over and kissed Violet. She was beaming at him, proud to be with him, as he was to be with her.
He saw Alana in the distance a little while later, with the same studio head he and Violet had seen her with in Portofino. He looked even older in his tuxedo, and Alana was glancing around the room for important people to talk to. She seemed not to see Andy, and he had the feeling that she had and was embarrassed to say hello to him in public, not sure which way the wind was blowing for him.
Their group had a good time at dinner, and the awards ceremony was exciting once it started. All of the nominees were nervous as they waited interminably for their category to come up. It was a long wait as the other categories were announced and the trophies handed out. He and Dash exchanged a look as the Best Dramatic Picture nominees were announced at last. The presenter ran through the nominees, and Andy heard Violet give a gasp, and Dash half rose from his chair and looked at Andy. “We won!” Marilyn shouted, and Dash and Andy went up on the stage to accept the awards, each of them said a few words, briefly, and then they were back at the table, looking stunned. Dash held his globe high in the air, and Andy set his down in front of Violet and she kissed him.
“Congratulations!” she said, and he smiled at her. She’d been right all along. He was glad he’d come, and he had a feeling his father would have been proud too.
“Thank you for the great story,” he said to Violet, as everyone at the table congratulated him.
It was a perfect evening. They went to one of the after-parties,and then went back to Andy’s house and drank champagne by the pool, and Violet gave a start when she heard her phone vibrate and she looked at the message, and then at Andy.
“That’s weird. I have a message from a woman I don’t know at Webber Communications. Helen Berg. She wants me to call her. What’s that about? Do you know her?”
“She’s the head of TV. She’s a big deal there. You should call her in the morning,” Andy told her. Violet couldn’t imagine why the woman had called her. They sat together and drank champagne for another hour, and then Andy and Violet went up to bed, and he set his trophy down on the dresser and looked at it with a broad grin, finally beginning to feel comfortable with having won.
“That looks pretty good, doesn’t it?” He was surprised at how good it felt to win. And then he smiled at her. “You’ll win next time,” he said to her. “Thank you for making me come home.” He was comfortable in LA again. The demons had been laid to rest. He was no longer the studio head who had been fired. He was the award-winning producer of independent movies now. The tides had turned while he was away, starting a new life.
Chapter 15
The morning after the Golden Globe Awards, at Andy’s urging, Violet called Helen Berg at Webber Communications. She had no idea what the woman wanted or how she had gotten her name, but Andy insisted that she was important, and she might be an interesting contact to have. Webber was a streaming service that also placed major original shows on TV, and according to Andy, Helen Berg was the head of TV.
When Violet called the number Berg had left, it was obvious that she was expecting Violet’s call when the assistant who had answered said, “I’ll put you right through.” Helen Berg came on the line immediately and sounded very pleased.
“First, let me congratulate you on your Golden Globe win last night for Best Picture. I saw it, and it’s a spectacular film. You had me on the edge of my seat for the entire movie, and I don’t say that very often.”
“Thank you. We had a terrific cast and director, and a wonderful screenplay.”
“I had no idea that Andy Westfield had started his career as a screenwriter. He has a real gift. I hope we’ll see more of his work soon,” Berg said.
“I hope so too,” Violet said. “We’re starting a new project now.”
“Before you get too deep into it, I’d love to toss some ideas around with you. It could be to our mutual benefit. Did you write any of the script yourself?”
“I tried my hand at a few scenes. I’m learning from Andy, but I don’t have his talent or experience.”
“I’m sure you have the talent, and the experience will come with time. He must be a great teacher.”
