Page 77 of Cuts like a Knife
“Are you okay?” I say, earnestly. “I saw Pete storming up toward the hotel and I don’t know … I just. There was something weird about his vibe. And you were in here. I worried he’d …” I let my voice trail off.
What am I implying exactly? Nothing. Nothing definite. Her minds will fill in the blanks and how she reacts will tell me something. It’s a manipulation and I feel soiled at the saccharine sound of my own voice. But oh well. In for a penny250.
“Oh…” Maylee says, her expression softening. “It’s fine. It’s not him. I’ll call you back,” she says in to the phone, then drops it from her ear. “No, I’m fine. You were worried about me?”
I nod. I don’t really trust myself to say anything else yet. I’m not much of an actor.
“That’s sweet of you. To worry. But no, I’m fine. I was hiding from Petar, but only because he’s so obnoxious and I don’t want to talk to him. It’s nothing more sinister than that.”
“Oh,” I say. “Sorry. I’m really sorry. I didn’t meant to bust in on you like this. I just … I guess I jumped to a weird conclusion.”
“No, it’s fine, really. It’s nice to see one of you people actually looking out for us for once. Terrible things happen on the sets of these sorts of shows, you know. And nobody gives a s—. Nobody does anything. Camera operators keep rolling. Journalists keep scribbling. Producers cream themselves as they calculate their year end bonuses. In the meantime, some of us — the so-called talent, usually — get screwed. Whether we like it or not. The conclusion you jumped to was sadly justified251.”
“That’s terrible,” I say. Because it is.
“You get it. I heard your questions at the press conference yesterday. You were the only person there who asked anything worthwhile. You really pissed off Shane, by the way. Afterwards, I heard him talking about having you removed.”
“Really?” I say, as my gut clenches.
“Don’t worry. He calmed down. You’d think he’d know how to deal with journalists by now. He’s been a producer for more than a decade. Did you say Petar was gone?”
I nod. “I passed him on the path. He was headed toward the main building.”
“Then I suppose it’s safe for me to come out.”
I back up and Mayee follows me into the sunshine.
“All I wanted was a walk on the beach. Just like, ten f— minutes to myself, away from the noise,” she says.
“Me too,” I admit. “I was about to drop my laptop when I realized you were in here. Hiding.”
“Hiding. Yeah. Pathetic, right? I’ve been in media since I was six years old and here I am, twenty-nine and hiding from a some random douchebag trying to shake me down for money. Do you still want to walk? Together?”
I nod252.
“Sure,” I say, trying not to sound triumphant253. “He was trying to shake you down for money?” I ask, trying to keep my voice casual. “That’s weird.”
Was that too eager? I need to be careful here. Maylee gotta be media savvy after being a child star. She gets that I’m talking to her for content. She must. Still, I have to be delicate here, before she starts second-guessing this friendly little walk254.
Instead, at my question, she sighs.
“Well, not really. He just wants me to invest. He wants all of us to invest. He’s opening some sort of private social club. Like we need another one of those.”
I nod like I understand. I’ve never been to a social club.
We head off toward the shoreline, side-by-side.
~
I can’t believe it. Maylee Wise is nice. Really, shockingly nice.
As we walk and chat, she tells me a little bit about Petar and it’s sort of interesting, but not, like, scandalously so. The guy wants investors and he’s been sort of aggressive about it, bugging members of the cast, but so what255? It’s not a story after all.
As we walk along, Mayee is so normal, I practically forget that I’m trying to mine her for content. Soon we’re just talking. Which is nice.
“I never should have agreed to do this ridiculous show,” she admits as we amble along. “I don’t know what I was thinking. Well … actually, that’s not true. I know what I was thinking. I was thinking it’s only a week. A free week in the Bahamas. Free press.”
I laugh. “I came for the same reason,” I say. “But surely, if you really wanted a Bahamian vacation, you could just take one?”
