Page 89 of All That Glitters
Craig then turned to Carrie and her parents. “And there’s our star!” he boomed, his face lighting up as he wrapped her in an affectionate bear hug and swung her around. Setting her down, he turned to her parents. “And you folks must be the proud parents I been hearin’ about!” He enveloped Dale’s hand in a grip that could crush walnuts. “Craig Caldwell. Me and the boys have grown quite fond of that daughter of yours. She’s one hell of an actress. Tough as nails, that one.”
“Dale Thompson,” he replied, returning the handshake with the firm grip of a man who worked with his hands. “You boys are the filmmakers?”
“That’s us!” Craig declared proudly, introducing the whole gang. It was a match made in heaven, with the Rif Raf team instantly hitting it off with Dale. For the next few minutes, Tony and Carrie watched with amusement as the gang shared stories with Dale about the production’s misadventures. Mary looked over at Tony and Carrie, and rolled her eyes with a smile.
Suddenly, a loud, piercing scream, followed by a crash and a splash, erupted from the other side of the room.
Craig didn’t miss a beat. He turned to Tony and pointed a thumb in the general direction of the commotion. “Think we just found Debbie.”
Tony excused himself and headed off into the crowd. He squeezed his way through the dense pack of guests toward the source of the noise. There, he found the Society Woman, staring down in horror at her now completely drenched silk blouse, which was clinging to her like a second skin. A nearby waiter was frantically dabbing at a spilled tray of drinks on the floor.
“Did either of you see a short brunette in a black dress?” Tony asked, already knowing the answer.
The Society Woman shot Tony a glare that could have curdled milk, then looked back down at her ruined blouse. The man with her, however, simply nodded towards the open glass doors.
“I think she headed towards the patio,” he offered.
The night was cool and clear. Moonlight sparkled on the turquoise water of a massive swimming pool. Tony headed out onto the patio and saw Debbie standing at the far railing, her back to him, just looking up at the stars.
“You know,” he said as he walked toward her, “there’s this woman inside who looks like she’s ready to kill someone. So I’m thinking, only Debbie could get someone that pissed.”
Debbie turned at the sound of his voice. A small smile played on her lips. “Is that the same Debbie who’s about to kick your butt?”
He came to a stop in front of her. “It’s the same Debbie who looks incredible,” he said, his voice soft and full of the awe he’d felt seeing her at the premiere.
Whoa. Okay. She wasn’t ready for that. Her pretend frown melted away. “I guess I’ll let you live,” she said, and then she smiled, a real, radiant smile, and pulled him into a hug. “I’m so proud of you, Tony.”
He hugged her back, burying his face in her hair for a moment. “Don’t you mean shocked?”
“Okay,” she said, laughing as she pulled away. “That too.”
A comfortable beat passed between them. It felt easy. Real.
“I have some time before they need me to do interviews,” he said. “Want to go do some Tony-Debbie stuff?”
A playful grin lit her face. “Like what?”
“You’ll see.”
Back inside at the bar, Dale Thompson was laughing, a shot glass of whiskey in his hand. Craig had his arm slung around Dale’s shoulder like they were long-lost brothers.
“And then,” Craig was saying, “the dog runs past with a whole dang skeleton arm in his mouth! Funniest thing I ever seen!”
Dale roared with laughter. “Reminds me of the time my buddy’s beagle stole a whole rack of ribs off the grill at our Fourth of July cookout!”
Craig flagged down the bartender. “Another round for my new friend here! And get this pretty lady whatever she wants,” he said to Mary, who was smiling warmly at the chaotic camaraderie. They were her people.
Eli navigated the crowd and waved Craig over. “Hey! How’s about havin’ a shot with us?”
“Maybe later,” Eli said, his eyes scanning the room. “Have you guys seen Tony?”
“Seen him a bit ago,” Craig said, gesturing vaguely. “He gone off that way lookin’ for his klutzy friend.”
“Thanks,” Eli said, and headed off into the throng.
The wine cellar was cool and quiet, lined with walls stacked floor-to-ceiling with vintage wines. Tony and Debbie sat on the floor, their backs against a heavy wooden wine rack as theypassed a bottle of very expensive-looking red wine back and forth. He took a long gulp straight from the bottle.
“Oh,” Debbie said, her eyes sparkling in the dim light, “and what about the time we tried to paint your tree house? And my hair got stuck in the paint can.”
