“Take that, Billionaire Man!”
Aunt Emma and J.J. had taken to calling Stirling Stone ‘Billionaire Man’ for some reason.
“That’s not the end of Stirling Stone,” Libby warned. “He’s going to do whatever he can to make people avoid Irish Hills.”
“It’s obviously now a premier, up-and-coming vacation spot. He’s vanquished, defeated, sent packing,” said Aunt Emma.
“Ha, hardly. I doubt he’ll give up. He said as much. But while we use the grant to finish this building, we need to get a gift shop or clothing boutique in this space. But we also need to get good press. Stone went on and on about Chef Ellston and his celebrity clientele.”
“Well, about that, did you seeTMZ Today?”
“Aunt Emma, I don’t have time to readTMZ.”
“Okay, well, look.” Aunt Emma slid her state-of-the-art smartphone over to Libby.
Libby didn’t have her readers on, but that turned out to be no problem. The text size on Aunt Emma’s phone was gigantic.
“Wow, I guess that’s one way to solve the readers issue.”
“Hmm, just read.”
The headline blared;Goldie Hayes dropped from marquee project!
“Keep going. She’s having a moment, as the kids say.”
Oscar nominee’s behavior raises eyebrows and insurance premiums.
“This is all just gossip, Aunt Emma.”
“Oh, sure, but look at this blind item.”
Libby rolled her eyes as her aunt, who’d turned into Rona Barrett all of a sudden, pulled up another story. She read:
A precious metal by any other name’s once blinding luster is tarnishing. Sources close to the production of the latest installment of a major movie franchise say the once above-the-title constellation is out in favor of a star with a little less seasoning! Said seasoned twinkler reportedly destroyed her on set trailer, slapped a production assistant, and worse yet, broke the terms of the contract on the way off the lot. Stay tuned to see if the sparkler continues to flame out!
“Uh, is this English?” Libby asked.
“You just have to read between the lines. Precious metal, obviously your friend Goldie. Tarnish, well, she’s used up, getting too old to carry movies, that’s the implication. She used to open movies, and now, well, she’s not as popular as the younger starlets. It looks like Goldie trashed her dressing room, slapped someone, and is in violation of her contract. They’re predicting the worst is yet to come.”
“You got all that from this?”
“Yes, it’s code.”
“What are you saying? I mean, I feel bad for Goldie if it’s true, but spell it out.”
“Seems to me we have three of five Sandbar Sisters. Why not go get one more?”
“Goldie isn’t going to need me to bail her out. She’s one of the most famous actresses in Hollywood!”
“Was, not is, didn’t you get the point there?”
“I’m not the grim reaper or a buzzard or something.”
“No, what you have is a huge hotel that needs renovation. No one else has that kind of cash. Oh, and weren’t you saying you needed to compete with that rude celebrity chef man?”
“Yes, yes I was.”
“Okay then, go get Goldie.”
