Page 12 of The Golden Scoop

FOUR

Emma

The sun isn’t even out, and I’m already awake. I’m usually not cranky about being out of bed this early, but I don’t appreciate it when it’s not for a morning surf. And thinking about Matt’s smug face? Instant bad mood. Time to channel my inner queen and gear up for a fight.

I pull on one of my go-to outfits: a tailored white button-down tucked into a black mini-skirt. Sheer black tights smooth everything out, and ankle boots give me the few needed inches to face him.

Cross-body bag in hand, I check my arsenal. Notepad, recorder, three different colored pens, and a small secondhand camera borrowed from Julia and never returned. Not as thrilling as pepper spray, but it’ll do.

As I get in my car, I wonder what he’s doing to prepare. Does he even know I’m coming?

Surprisingly, that simple pass Martha sent me last night is enough to get me through the main barrier and into the employee parking lot. Frank, one of the security guards, insists on following me and giving me a ride to set on his golf cart. I thought it was weird at first, but in hindsight, I appreciate it. The less walking I have to do in these boots, the better.

“It’s not far, but you need to know your way around,” he says between turns.

I’d have gotten lost if it weren’t for him. It would have made me late and embarrassed. He drops me off at the door, where I’m supposed to meet Zoe, one of the PAs.

“Hi,” I say to the girl leaning on the door. Her black hair swings back when she looks up at me. “I’m looking for Zoe.”

She nods. “You must be Emma Miller. I’ve been waiting for you.”

I glance at my watch. Then at my phone. I’m early. How long has she been waiting?

“I’m sorry. I was told to be here at eight.”

She waves her hand around and hurries me down the edge of the building toward the trailers. Despite my job revolving around Hollywood, this is the first time I’ve stepped inside an actual studio. I try to take it all in, snapping mental pictures of every detail.

“I’m sorry for being so short with you,” she says, glancing back to make sure I’m still following. “As you’ll soon find out, around here if you’re not early, you’re late. So technically, I’m already behind.”

Explains the power walking. She looks young. Early twenties. If I had to guess, probably an aspiring actress starting out as a helping hand, trying to get her foot in the door. Hollywood’s cutthroat, and I don’t want to be the reason she gets chewed out.

“I had no idea,” I say, catching up beside her. “But hey, I know Matt, so I’ll make sure they understand this was all on me.”

I catch the hint of a smile, though she doesn’t fully let herself relax into it.

A few seconds later we stop in front of the metal pull-out steps of a trailer. On the side, there’s a plaque with black letters that reads: M. Hunt. She knocks twice, then steps back and glances at her watch. I’m about to check mine when the door swings open.

“Hi, you must be Emma. I’m Jennifer, Hunt’s manager,” she chirps. “We’ll be with you in a minute. Zoe, you’re free to go. We can take it from here.”

As the dutiful soul she seems to be, Zoe nods and scurries off without another word.

Jennifer slips back inside, leaving enough of an opening for me to catch the end of the conversation.

“I hope I’ve made it clear how important this is.”

Matt grunts. I’d recognize that sound anywhere. He’s so under my skin I could probably identify him from a mile away.

“Can we stop acting like this isn’t going to be the easiest article I’ve ever had to interview for?” he says. I can practically see the smugness spreading across his features.

I roll my eyes. He definitely doesn’t know it’s me that’s coming. There’s nothing about this that’s going to be a stroll in the park. If anything, I plan on making him hate these three weeks as much as I will. Maybe even more.

“It’s so frustrating that exactly what you’ve told me to do for the past seven years is what might cost me this role,” he continues.

I frown, running through everything I’ve ever read about him and what I know so far. Nothing unusual comes to mind. Since that first action movie he did took off, he’s always been the same ‘Matt Hunt.’

“I said what I said. I’ll do this, but afterward I’m done pretending. I’ll stick to the narrative, no matter the cost.”

Huh.