Evelyn knew her parents had been meeting at the creek like teenagers their entire lives. When they were younger, Evelyn andher brothers had made fun of the fact that their parents were still in love enough to want privacy. Now she found it to besweet.
Her mother laughed. “Your father likes to debate things and have a well-rounded understanding of a subject, be it our faithor something else. You get that from him.”
After her mother left the room, Evelyn thought about her comments. Her mother might be right about Evelyn’s thirst for knowledge and understanding. But right now, she needed Jayce to understand her feelings. Or is it more than that?
* * *
Jayce sat in a rocking chair on the front porch. He could hear the meeting of the great minds in the dining room through theopen screened windows.
By great minds he meant his father, Quinn, Hal, Giovanni, and Jesse. Out of the entire bunch the only true great mind wasprobably Quinn. She was the art director, probably the lowest on the production team totem pole, but she was smarter thanall the men in the room. Too bad his father couldn’t recognize that. Someday Quinn would tire of his treatment and leave.She wasn’t one to cling to his diamond-studded coattails. Neither was Veronica, but even though their leading lady had cutpersonal ties to Jayce’s father, she still had a contract to fulfill.
Since arriving, Jayce hadn’t spent much time with Veronica and the others who had taken up residence in the motor homes. Theywere the lesser evil of the two groups right now, and he had to do something to get Evelyn off his mind. It bothered him thatshe judged him. Or did she?
He pushed himself out of the rocking chair and walked over to the motor homes. Veronica would be in the larger one, rooming with Kate, her hair and makeup person. There were also Jodi, Pam, and Lindsey, the part of her entourage who enjoyed a place on the payroll, although Jayce didn’t think they really had titles. Kind of like him. This job was a farce, a means to an end, an opportunity for Jayce to move on with his life. As the thought crossed his mind, it stung. Despite his desire to move out, he wished things were different between him and his father.
Jodi, Pam, and Lindsey were Veronica’s party buddies. Jayce had liked Veronica the first time he’d met her at a party. She’dbeen nice to him from the beginning, and later when she began to date his father, she’d often defended Jayce. She was likeQuinn in that regard, though the women were opposite in every other respect. Quinn worked out, stayed away from booze anddrugs, and focused on her job, determined to be the best at what she did. And she was.
Veronica partied. Way too much. Somehow it didn’t seem to affect her beauty or acting abilities. She was stunning on-screenand had a talent most actors only wished for. Maybe it was because she wasn’t much older than Jayce that she didn’t botherwith vigorous exercising like Quinn, who was in her forties. Several people thought Quinn was more suitable for his father,but Jayce knew otherwise. Quinn would never put up with Brandon Clarkson in a personal relationship. Even Veronica had eventuallytired of him and his overbearing, bullying ways.
Jayce recalled their split and how his father acted like losing Veronica was comparable to losing at the blackjack table—justa bad day and better luck would come along soon in the form of another woman. His father hadn’t dated anyone since they brokeup. Jayce suspected the loss was more than his dad let on. Sometimes he caught his father looking at Veronica with regretand remorse, like maybe he realized what he’d lost.
The other motor home was the temporary housing for the camera crew. Jayce didn’t really know them. This was their first film to work with his father. So he tapped on Veronica’s door. Jodi opened it and stood in a pair of jean shorts with a white tank top. In Jayce’s opinion, all three of Veronica’s playmates showed off more skin than necessary. Ironically Veronica, the star of the show, downplayed her physical assets.
He thought of Evelyn and her overly modest dress. Seeing women in this type of clothing would embarrass her, he was sure ofit. His new friend had a level of modesty Jayce wasn’t familiar with, but he appreciated it.
“Hey, Jayce.” Jodi stepped aside, a martini glass sloshing in her twenty-five-year-old left hand. “Come in, sweetie.”
Jayce was only three years younger than Jodi, but she referred to everyone as sweetie, regardless of age or gender. He trudgedup the steps, knowing he wouldn’t stay long. The smell of recently smoked pot hung in the air. He’d given all that up a longtime ago, and while the smell didn’t make him want to gag or anything, it brought back memories of a time in his life he’drather not think about.
Veronica sashayed into the room wearing jeans and a pink T-shirt. She could wear anything and look good. And despite her stardom—shewas a big name in the business—she was always kind. He’d heard she panicked when her scuba equipment had a glitch on Friday,but he doubted she made a big scene or blamed anyone. Veronica was high maintenance on several levels, but she kept a coolhead during a crisis.
“Jayce, hey,” she said as she pointed to the kitchen area. “Want a drink? We’ve got the usual. Red wine for Lindsey, martinis
