Page 55 of Off Script

“Dude, pay attention,” he said, nodding at LeeAnn looking at him expectantly.

“Oh, I’m sorry. What did you say, Lee?” Tristan desperately tried to refocus but all he could think about was who had snitched. Along with the disturbing possibility that the person who leaked this information could have also sent out the video of his fight with Jada.

“I was saying, red or blue for the decorations?” LeeAnn repeated, oblivious to Tristan’s dilemma. “It all depends on what kind of mood we’re going for.”

Already seeing red himself, Tristan opted for the safer choice. “Go with blue. Not as catchy but it’s . . . more soothing.”

LeeAnn nodded, prattling on about the festival planning. Meanwhile, Tristan’s phone felt heavy inside his pocket. Once their organization prep was over, he needed to talk to Doug. ASAP.

—

The Palm Springs heat enveloped Jada, eager to make its sizzling presence known. Not that she wouldn’t have been aware of it. The sandy dust on the streets and hills on the horizon transported her back to a Clint Eastwood, Old West flick. After Jada and the girls landed at the Palm Springs airport, their rental car ride to their hotel was well air-conditioned and short. A nice contrast to the city’s “squaring off with a gunslinger on a horse,”Fistful of Dollarsstyle.

Entering the luxurious Blue Sierra Resort gave them some relief from the sweltering temperature. The hotel had capitalized on the land’s down-home atmosphere with its decor. A rustic rug marked the entryway, and above the faux fireplace a mounted bull’s head proclaimed its imposing glory. While the overall ambiance captured a heavy tumbleweed vibe, the reception desk made a point of advertising the resort’s top of the line spa amenities. Offering signature mud baths and a massive sauna, the staff enticed their clients to try the expensive treatments available to them.

Mikayla squealed at their displays on mint aromatherapy, the promise of pampered relaxation working its magic. However, as much as Mikayla might enjoy indulging in the spa, she wouldn’t be able to post about it or her spontaneous vacation on her social media after calling in “sick” to theLove Locketproduction. She’d packed a number of disguises that mostly consisted of giant beach hats and sunglasses. Ignoring Mikayla’s gawking, Alia greeted the attendant behind the desk.

“Hi, the name is Alia Dumont. I’m here for the WIE conference.”

Jada’s chest filled with pride at her friend getting to be a speaker at the annual Women in Entertainment convention. In addition to being a featured speaker on the Breaking into Television panel, Alia’s room and accommodations for the weekend had been covered. Thus, the money she would have spent on attending this trip she used to set Mikayla and Jada up with their own room. Alia refused to let them reimburse her, calling it an investment in Mikayla’s budding career and a mini-vacation for Jada post–Love Locket.

Gathering up the keys to the respective rooms, Alia checked her Hermès watch.

“According to the itinerary, we have some downtime before the mixer in a few hours. I have to make a few calls, make sure things haven’t burned down inUnboundland, but I’ll meet you guys later.”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll be tucked away with the room service menu,” Jada said. Hotel food could be a costly rip-off, but Jada never could resist snuggling up and sampling what was available. Mikayla dismissed this plan, dumping her bags in their room and then jetting off to the spa. Somehow, the girl planned to fit in a shiatsu and facial before heading back to change for the party tonight.

Frankly, Jada relished this bit of alone time, and took advantage of the opportunity to stream Netflix and decompress. But as she waited for one of the waiters to bring her the margherita flatbread she ordered, a flicker of guilt passed through her. Here she was enjoying a weekend getaway and still semi-ignoring Tristan. Of course, she’d seen him when they both had their first auditions forLove and Warand during theUnboundwatch party, but since then she’d kept her distance. She hadn’t mentioned the trip to him because it felt like throwing it in his face, especially since he was still in the middle of filming. He was probably too busy to care what she was doing. Were you supposed to report back to your fake boyfriend when you went out of town?

Knowing she wouldn’t be able to unravel the intricate etiquette of fake dating by herself, Jada pushed these thoughts to the back burner. She found easy distractions in the delicious food and Mikayla coming back and fawning over the magic hands of her masseuse, Roland. Their downtime went by fast and soon Jada had to slip into her little black dress for the night’s mixer. Mikayla glammed up in her own flowy, cocktail dress but made sure to carry her sunglasses as a precaution for potential photo ops. They made their way back down to the lobby where Alia was waiting for them. She’d taken more time to familiarize herself with the resort’s layout for moving about the conference. As such, she served as their guide, navigating from the reception area to the ballroom the WIE conference had reserved for the mixer.

The room was a step up from the kitsch, western feel of the rest of the hotel. A tasteful chandelier, sans any type of animal horn, twinkled overhead. Close to the entrance, there was a table set up for check-ins, which also boasted a plethora of welcoming swag bags. When they gave their names at the check-in point, the volunteer at the station perked up at hearing Alia’s name. With profuse enthusiasm, she handed them their WIE badges (decked out in a glittery clapboard logo) and their swag bags. As they made their way inside, Jada peeked in her bag and spotted what looked like an eclectic mix of facial products and CBD gummies. Only in California would those two go hand in hand at an exclusive networking event.

Jada started to remark on the strange combination to her friends, but Alia had gotten snagged in a conversation with another presenter while Mikayla made a beeline for the food. Knowing Alia would escape when she could, Jada joined Mikayla at the banquet table. From crab dip and crudités to little petits fours, there were plenty of snacking options to choose from. After scooping up as many goodies as they could carry, they searched for a free table only for Alia to wave them over to her spot with the other presenters.

“Hey, you sure it’s okay for us to join you?” Jada asked her, not wanting to intrude.

“Oh yeah, we’re just talking shop. Please save us from our workaholic tendencies,” one of the women said. “I’m Kamila.”

“Yes! Oh my gosh, I lovePreeti Goes Live!” Mikayla gushed.Preeti Goes Livewas a hit teen comedy about an Indian girl whose life goes viral after an online incident. The show had developed a cult following and picked up numerous accolades for Kamila Rahal, the show creator, as well as the cast.

“Thank you, but enough talk about my work. What do you do?” Kamila asked. While Mikayla discussed her journey into costume design, Alia stole a petit four off Jada’s plate.

“Don’t be self-conscious. This weekend is for you too,” Alia nudged her.

“I know.” Jada blushed. Obviously, she knew she should be superexcited to connect with all these amazing women, but it was also hard to gauge your footing when you first got dropped into a new situation. But if she didn’t want to rely on Tristan to be her one way to move up the entertainment totem pole, she needed to get better at networking. Stat!

So Jada did her best to keep up with the clunky small talk until Regina Blake, one of the board members for Women in Entertainment, got up to speak. Clinking her wine glass, she gathered everyone’s attention and launched into her opening remarks.

“I wanted to thank you all for coming and making such a positive step to further your careers and friendships in this tough industry. As women from many different backgrounds, we are still united in the unique struggles that we face while trying to succeed. I hope you will take this weekend as a chance to share your experiences and come out stronger and more inspired because of it.”

Regina went on to talk about some of the panels that would be going on this weekend as well as thanking the panelists for donating their time. By the time she actually finished, Jada’s stomach was rumbling. Excusing herself from the group, she headed back to the buffet, looking for something to make up for the petit four Alia had taken earlier. Mid-decision between strawberry cheesecake and swirled fudge, she caught another young woman staring at her intensely.

“Hi. Can I help you?” Jada tried to sound more curious than what the hell are you staring at.

“Sorry, it’s just . . . are you Jada Berklee?” the woman asked. Her intense gaze still gave off suspicious vibes to Jada, but she answered honestly.

“Yes.”

---