Page 19 of Reel Love

“Okay. What about Julia Roberts and Scarlett Johansson?You know them, don’t ya, Tank? Those women. Iconic actresses. I bet you watched Black Widow more than once.” I study his face. He stares at me. “You’ve got a crush on her, don’t you? Oh yes, you do. You actually have the lines memorized from every movie she’s been in. Tank. You and Scarlett. Who knew?”

Nothing. He’s good. And it just makes me want to poke the bear all the more.

Miguel laughs, though. His eyes crinkle up around the edges.

“Miguel, you like Scarlett?”

“Who doesn’t like Scarlett? She’s the queen—funny, beautiful, and she could kick your … Yeah. I like her. But she’s married, no?”

“Tank here likes her too,” I say. “And yes. She’s married. Sorry, Tank. I’m a dream crusher, I know.”

I wink at him when he barely glances at me in the rearview mirror. He knows I’m playing around. I know he knows even if he doesn’t show an iota of emotion.

Miguel laughs, looks over at Tank and stops laughing immediately.

“Don’t let him intimidate you, Miguel. He’s a big teddy bear. Besides, we're all on the same team. You have nothing to worry about.”

Miguel gives me a small nod in the rearview mirror, but he doesn’t laugh again.

“All I’m saying is, these women have managed to straddle multiple genres. And let’s not forget Sandra Bullock! She primarily does humorous roles, yes. But she also took on mysteries, thrillers, romance, and she excels in dramas. Why can’t I have a career like that?”

“You can, Miss. You can,” Miguel says enthusiastically.

Tank says nothing.

SIX

Stevens

You look familiar. Do I know you?

~ Madagascar

“So, this movie star is pretty private,” Joel says.

I met Joel a few minutes ago at the dock where he parks his motorboat in one of the coves on the North Shore of Marbella. He climbs aboard the boat and I follow.

“I emailed the papers yesterday, including the NDA,” I say. “They got me cleared in record time.”

“Let me tell you,” Joel starts the engine and backs out of the slip. “Working with Hollywood people is sort of like being in an alternate universe. What they want, they get.”

I hum, considering what it would be like to snap my fingers and have anything I wanted or needed. I wonder if that level of instant gratification and power is actually beneficial long term. Most healthy systems in nature are interdependent, even if there is a natural hierarchy of organisms. When one species takes up more than its share of resources or dominates the ecosystem, the entiredynamic shifts to an imbalance which threatens the well-being of all the organisms.

“Whatcha thinking?” Joel asks.

“About ecological balance.”

“Of course you are.” He smiles warmly at me.

I like that about Joel. He gets me. He’ll be the first to say he doesn’t follow my train of thought at any given moment, but he never judges me for being who I am.

“So, you’re not going to tell me who I’m driving?” I ask.

“She requested that you not know in advance. There’s less chance of a leak that way, I guess. You’ll be contacted by her personal assistant when you’re needed. Like I said, this star is very private. Just call her Ms. Vargas. I never even call her by her actual name. It’s one of those things—alternate universe, I’m telling you. Besides, you won’t need to strike up a conversation. If she wants to talk, she’ll let you know. Sometimes she just wants to ride in silence. Other times she’ll ask you things.”

“What kinds of things? Like personal things?”

Joel laughs. “No. Not personal things. She’s just … I don’t know. She might ask you what you did over the weekend. Or she’ll ask about … probably nothing since she doesn’t know you. I’ve been driving her for a few years now. So, she asks me all sorts of stuff. We talk about music, her life, my life, the woman I’ve got a thing for, her movies. Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. It’s just a few trips back and forth across the channel during the coming week.”

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