Page 13 of After the Red Carpet
“I’m excited to have people to talk to about work again. I had a great group of friends in Paris—artists, writers . . .”
“Well, I, for one, am thrilled you’re in LA.”
Ella smiled. “So, catch me up. Are you seeing anyone?”
“Who has the time? I was dating a woman kind of seriously for a while, but it didn’t work out. She wanted too much. You know me: work is my life. My version of ‘having it all’ is doing big things in the world and then going home to a bottle of pinot noir and a remote control I don’t have to share with anyone.” Ella laughed and Marni continued, “But I hear you’ve gone all glass slipper on me. I’m telling you, Ella, my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw Finn Forrester propose to you at Cannes. I was watching TV and mindlessly munching on some popcorn when I saw the news. I literally choked on a kernel. Could have died in my apartment!”
Ella laughed. “What can I say? He swept me off my feet.”
“Does he respect your work? I mean, you’re not going to morph into one of thoseReal Housewives of Hollywoodzombie plastic things, right? You’re a feminist icon. You can’t fuck us over and jump ship now.”
“Don’t worry, no plans to zombie out. Finn and I are both passionate about our own work, just like we are about each other.”
“Good, then let’s skip ahead to the sex talk. Seriously, Ella, he’s crazy hot. Ah, and speaking of hot, there’s Dante,” Marni said, lowering her voice. “Fair warning, he may be the most gorgeous Black man on the planet. I say that as a committed lesbian.”
Ella tried to muffle her laughter as Dante approached the table. Marni jumped up and hugged him. They both sat down, and she said, “Dante, this is my good friend—”
“Gabriella Sinclair. I would know you anywhere. If you weren’t taken, I’d already be wooing you. Beautiful and brilliant. Your essay on eroticism inspired one of my recent pieces.”
“I’m flattered. Please, call me Ella.”
“So, before Jade gets here and makes us talk about Sartre’sNauseauntil our ears bleed, I want the scoop. How did one of the most brilliant philosophers of our time end up in La-La Land and engaged to a Hollywood legend? Spill.”
“HONEY, I’M HOME,” FINN CALLEDas he joined Ella in the dining room and gave her a peck. “Sorry, I’ve always wanted to say that.”
“Perfect timing. I just poured us each a bourbon. How did your press thing go?” she asked as they sat down.
“Fine. Same old drill: trying to be enthusiastic while answering the same questions all day. Of course, the first thing every reporter asked about was you—how we met, when we’re getting married. Michael was a good wingman, though. He made jokes and eventually steered them back to talking about the film.”
“See? His bravado comes in handy from time to time.”
Finn laughed and asked, “How was your day? Did you have a good time catching up with your friend?”
“It was great. We were super close in school but lost touch since I was always roaming around. I forgot how much I like hanging out with her. Her friends are great too. Really smart and interesting, and they’re familiar with my work. I’m officially a member of their philosophy club now.”
“That’s great, sweetheart.”
“We meet once a week and take turns hosting. I thought it might be nice to invite them here next week. Would that be okay?”
“Sweetheart, this is your home. You can have guests here any time you like. You don’t need to ask anyone’s permission.”
Ella smiled. “I know you have that voice-over job next week, but if you’re able to stop by to meet them . . .”
“I’ll make a point of it.”
“Would you mind if I gave Marni a call before dinner?”
“Of course not.”
“I’ll be quick,” she said, slipping her cell phone out of her pocket to make the call. “Hey, Marni, it’s Ella. I just wanted to let you know that it’s no problem, we can have next week’s meeting at Finn’s house.”
Finn winced but tried to muster a smile as Ella wrapped up her call.
Just then, Joyce came into the room to serve their dinner. “Ooh, this looks delicious,” Ella remarked, admiring the pan-seared scallops atop a bed of roasted vegetables. “Joyce, I’m having a few friends over next week. I’d like to serve cake with coffee and tea in the living room. I have a few recipes in mind, but I thought maybe you could help me.”
“My pleasure. Find me whenever you’re free and we can go over the shopping list.”
Ella turned to Finn. “This looks so good. I’m starving.”
