Page 6 of Everybody Needs a Hero

Ashley lifted the red cloth napkin on the breadbasket, and Tess saw it was empty but for some breadcrumbs. “Both?” she said with a smile, and Tess loved that Ashley didn’t hold back from the enjoyment of good food. In the film industry, everyone, including herself far too often, was on some new diet. Luckily, the latest movie didn’t require her to be supermodel thin, at least. “Mom? Want more wine?”

Eyeing her nearly empty glass for a moment, Tess thought about the next day’s shooting schedule and ended up shaking her head. “Not tonight. Early start in the morning.”

Ashley set down her fork, giving her mom her full attention. “You haven’t told me anything about filming today,” she said as the waiter left. “I’ve monopolized the entire conversation.”

Tess raised a finger. “But I needed to know about what happened at the coffee shop first,” Tess said. “I worried when you mentioned what happened.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Ashley said, nodding her apology. “Everything was scary for a few minutes, but the whole thing turned out fine.” She laughed. “The little girl I told you about, Kelly, asked Bryce if she was a superhero. It was adorable.”

Tilting her head, Tess took a moment to look at Ashley’s face. She glowed whenever she mentioned her friend.I’ve never seen her like this over someone, she thought, even more confused as to why the woman’s name had never come up.

Ashley went back to eating her salad before glancing up meeting Tess’s eye. “What?”

Tess shrugged as the fresh bread, and her daughter’s glass of wine arrived. Grabbing a piece of the warm bread, she knifed some of the whipped garlic butter. “Honestly? I’m confused about the woman who saved the day. I know what she did was impressive, and I’m grateful she was there, but you can’t stop talking about her.”

Leaning back in her chair, Ashley wrinkled her brow. “I guess you’re right,” she said after a beat. “But when the cops finished taking our statements and left, she stayed around, and we talked until the shop got busy again.” She tilted her head as she leaned forward, looking Tess in the eye. “You know Mom, I think we could have talked for hours if I didn’t have to focus on work.” She shook her head, going back to the food. “I really didn’t think I would ever see her again.”

Tess sipped the last of her wine. “And why not?” she asked. “She sounds special.”

Ashley nodded. “Yes,” she agreed. “She is. I guess I never let myself go there. You know how I was. Laser-focused on school, and then suddenly she was leaving, and I didn’t have a chance.”

“And now?” Tess asked with a lifted eyebrow. “Please tell me you asked for her phone number at least.”

At that, Ashley smiled, her face lighting up again. “We exchanged them,” she said. “And she said she would call me tomorrow.”

Touching her daughter’s forearm, Tess leaned closer. “Don’t wait until tomorrow,” she said. She knew from experience special people were hard to find. “Call her tonight.”

6

Enjoying the feel of the warm sun on her face as her feet tread a perfect rhythm on the wide dirt path, Ashley felt terrific. The hills of Runyon Canyon Park were some of her favorites to run, and at seven a.m. the weather was perfect. Best of all though was the sense of companionship she felt from running with the woman beside her. Following her mother’s advice, Ashley had called Bryce last night after they finished dinner. What she worried would be an awkward conversation after not seeing each other for so many years didn’t exist at all. They fell into a chat, reminiscing about old times at college, and an hour blew by without Ashley noticing. Thrilled to hear Bryce was an avid runner, Ashley invited her on an early morning outing. When she learned Bryce hadn’t ever tried the routes in Runyon Canyon, the location was a must to visit. “The views of Los Angeles are stunning,” she told her. They reluctantly hung up after setting a time for Bryce to pick Ashley up at her apartment. For the first time in a long time, Ashley had trouble sleeping because she was so excited to see Bryce again.

“You were right. The place is amazing,” Bryce said once they were underway at the park.

Ashley smiled at the pleasure on her friend’s face. “Wait until we get closer to the top,” she said. “The air is clear enough this morning that we will be able to see for miles.”

True to her word, she slowed as they came to a broad clearing on the trail. “Are you okay with taking a quick timeout to see the view?” she asked. “I promise the time spent is worth it.”

“Of course,” Bryce said. “Maybe I’ll even take a picture.” Together, they stopped at a viewpoint along the path. A pair of wooden benches faced the city for those who wanted to rest awhile, and a trashcan for litter helped keep the trail clean.

Ashley spread her arms wide, taking in the vast expanse. “Well, what do you think?” she asked, and when Bryce didn’t comment at first, she glanced over. The woman wasn’t looking at the cityscape but at her. A tenderness in her brown eyes made Bryce look even more beautiful than usual, and Ashley felt her heart skip a beat.

Then, caught looking, Bryce blushed. “Sorry,” she murmured, looking away in the direction of LA’s skyline. “But so far, all the views have been beautiful today.” After a beat, she let out a long whistle and shook her head. “Wow, that’s a lot of houses all jammed together.” Still a little flustered from the comment, Ashley took a moment to register what Bryce said. Then, she turned to the view too. Although she never really noticed, Bryce was right. House after house sprawled across the valley floor, along the canyons, and up into the hills. In the distance, skyscrapers towered over downtown. “It is impressive,” Bryce added. “But I’m not sure I could live so crammed in there.”

“Yes,” Ashley said, letting her eyes scan for miles. She wasn’t sure but thought she read somewhere that Los Angeles had twelve million people living in the metro area. Even if you counted four people to a house, that was a lot of buildings.If something ever happened and people had to evacuate…she thought.It would be chaos.“I guess that’s the word for it. You can’t say it’s beautiful necessarily, but definitely impressive.”

Turning away from the suddenly unsettling view, Ashley saw Bryce fishing her phone out of her running shorts’ pocket. “I want a picture though,” she said, glancing at Ashley. “Will you take a selfie with me?”

Ashley smiled. “If you promise to text it to me,” she said as she stepped closer. For a moment, Bryce didn’t move as if undecided what to do, but then she put her arm around Ashley’s shoulders to pull her closer, so their faces were together in the shot. Unable to help herself, Ashley sucked in a breath at the contact. Something about the woman’s touch made her stomach flutter.This is crazy. Why am I having such a strong reaction to her?she wondered a moment before Bryce asked if she was ready.

“Yes,” was all Ashley managed to say in response.

Then, Bryce held the phone up to frame their faces with the city behind them. “Smile,” she said, and Ashley didn’t have to because she was already.

“The daily’s look great,”the director said with a smug look on his face. “You can’t deny that, Drew. Tess wasn’t only good, she was great.” Drew frowned as she sat looking at the last shot from yesterday. The hurt face of Tess Landish as the nurse stared back at her. The film froze on the closeup of her reaction in the grocery store. Pain showed in her eyes.No,Drew thought.That’s deep-felt anguish.She couldn’t help but wonder where the actress could channel so much pain from.

She shook her head. “One great scene doesn’t mean she can carry the character through the entire film,” she said. “Put her amid the chaos when a flood of crushed bodies come in after a multicar crash on the freeway, and then let’s see. I can’t believe it will work.”

The director crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “I can see your point,” he said with a frown. “Emotions are one thing a quality actress can evoke, but maybe she’s too… delicate for the disaster stuff?” Before Drew could agree, there was a soft knock at the trailer door. The director clapped his hands together, starting to stand. “I do believe that’s our cue to get on set and start filming for the day.”

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