Page 10 of Thicker Than Water

By the time we arrive at the wrought iron gate, the sun has set. All I can see are the two giant Cs that adorn each side, which our headlights are illuminating.

Our driver, Constantine, rolls the window down, punches a code into the little keypad to open the gate. We drive down what must be the longest and best-lit driveway in the world. It’s lined with dozens of torches on either side. At the top of the driveway, we stop in front of a beautiful house. It’s a modern structure made of glass and white stone. Constantine kills the engine and hops out of the car.

Sol’s dozed off and I nudge him awake. His eyes shoot open and before he can speak, I demand, “I thought they were putting me up in a guest house?” He shrugs sleepily and stretches.

“This is your guesthouse, Ms. Vega,” Constantine says as he opens my door.

“This is a guesthouse? All of this is for me?” I say as I step out of the car and look around. This guesthouse is three times the size of our house in Los Feliz.

He nods. “Yes, this is part of the Carras Estate, and the offices are also on the property.”

“Where’s the main house?” I ask him, unable to tear my eyes away from the beautiful structure that is going to be my home for the next few months.

“It’s farther down the beach, about a quarter of a mile away. It’s a quick jog but you can also take the golf cart that’s in the garage.” He holds up a pair of keys and jingles them. “These are for you. House, golf cart and access fob for the office building. It’s another half a mile beyond the main house so you should definitely use the cart to get to and from the office.”

I can hear the unmistakable crash of the ocean. The first thought I have is that I’ll be doing my yoga to that sound every morning.

“Sol, I think things are going to be okay,” I say with a smile before I start to walk up the steps that lead to the house. I peer inside through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that sit on either side of two huge white wood doors. They are battered and look like they were salvaged from the original structure that this modern structure replaced.

It’s a single-story, open-plan home. All the lights are on inside and I can see furniture in a style I’ve heard called shabby chic dotting the huge open-plan space. I can see straight through to another wall of glass that leads to what looks like a back deck. It’s dark, but there are two fire pits burning, and beyond them I see a pool with a ledge that looks like it’s meeting the horizon. “It’s nice, right?” Constantine says as he comes to stand behind me.

I turn around to face him. He doesn’t look a day older than twenty-five, but he told us he’s Reece’s older cousin. I can see a resemblance. They have the same coloring and similar facial structures. He has a huge friendly grin on his face. I’ve not yet seen one like that on Reece’s face. And . . . I’m thinking about Reece again. I frown and Constantine misreads it and says, “There is a porch that wraps around the entire house so you can access the back deck without going inside. Even though you can’t see it from here, beach access is just down those stairs at the end of the deck.”

I walk over to look, and indeed, there are steps built into the side of the hill leading down to the beach.

He comes to stand next to me and smiles down at me. “You’ll like it here, Ms. Vega.”

I return his smile, “I hope so, Constantine. And please, call me Lucía.”

“Okay, Lucía. But only if you call me Coco.”

Sol comes to stand beside us. “Coco,” he says mockingly, “I want to get back to LA tonight. Can we get Ms. Vega settled and be on our way?” His voice is gruff and unfriendly.

Coco’s smile disappears and he mumbles a quick, “Yes, sir,” before he jogs back to the car to get my bags out.

I bump Sol with my hip and whisper, “That wasn’t nice, Sol. He was just being friendly.”

“You’ve got a lot to learn, kiddo. But friends like him are usually the ones named as ‘a source close to the star’ when you hear juicy tidbits in the news. I don’t have to remind you that you’ve got a lot to lose here, Lucía. Focus on what you’re here for. Be careful who you talk to.” After giving me that bitter pill to swallow, he tests the door, finds it unlocked and walks inside.

Coco returns with my luggage in both hands. As he passes me, he gives me a friendly wink and I try to smile easily back at him.

6

Reece

Lucía?

?s not my type. I wasn’t being dishonest when I said that. I can smell the innocence on her from a mile away. She has no guile; no poker face. Yet despite that and all the other reasons I should stay away, I can’t stop thinking about her.

It’s not just that she’s beautiful. It’s that on her, innocence doesn’t equal naïveté. Her lack of guile doesn’t manifest as a lack of self-awareness. She’s clever and direct. The way she demanded what she wanted, and was prepared to walk away if she didn’t get it, won my respect.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that kind of conviction from anyone who’s trying to make a career in this industry. I’m fucking glad that she sold us those rights. This film is important.

I think back to the night that changed my whole life and spurred this journey. It’s been fifteen years and I still feel cold when I think about it. I’ve dedicated myself to trying to make sure that what happened then doesn’t happen to anyone else. Recently, I realized that no matter how much money I raised, how many people’s legal defenses I funded, how many times I testified before Congress, I wasn’t tipping the scales enough to have an impact. Immigration has become a political football that no one wants to run with. Throw Away the Key has given us the chance to change the narrative by putting relatable, likable faces to the issue. This film could be a game changer.

So, it’s a real inconvenience that I’m insanely attracted to the author. I can tell she feels it too because I saw her looking at me the same way I was looking at her. The attraction and tension between us is so thick, I can almost touch it. Her entire body flinched when I said she wasn’t my type. But, if I hadn’t put that barrier up, we’d be in bed faster than either of us can think better of it. I can’t let that happen. But, fuck me. I want it to.

Since I’m in Malibu this week, I’m going to keep an eye on Lucía as she gets her team together. I’ll try to offer advice and help her make informed decisions. Then I’m hightailing it back to LA. I need to put physical distance between us because when I’m near her, it’s easy to forget why I need to stay away.

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