AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Sure, Jill introduced us at a party. He's very sarcastic. I liked him instantly."
"I had no idea he was still around there."
"He's not.He's out here."
Kline's eyes flew open wide. "What?Really?"
"Yeah, he's doing costume design for Lucasfilm."
"Really?"
Rhiannon nodded as they pulled up in front of her house. "I haven't seen him since I've been here, of course, but he left New York about three years ago."
"That long?"
"Yes, it has to be. He left while I was an intern with Colbert," Rhiannon said, as he was getting out of the car to come around and open her door for her. As she was getting out, she added. "Aren't the two of you still friends?"
"Colbert, huh? You worked for him? I kind of burned a lot of bridges when I left," Kline said uneasily. “And, I stole a couple of girls out from under Gus back in the day. I don’t think there’s any love lost between us.”
Rhiannon looked like she might ask more questions, so Kline repeated, “You worked for Colbert?”
“I did an internship on his show.”
“He absolutely hates me!” Kline laughed.
“Why? I never worked directly with him, but I’ve only heard great things.”
“Nina. She’s part of his social circle somehow. She got him in the divorce and god knows what she’s told him,” Kline said, Clara’s earlier declaration of “fuckboi” ringing in his ears.
Rhiannon clucked her tongue against her teeth, punching in the code to her door’s lock pad. "That happens sometimes. Still want that drink?"
"I'd love it," he said with a smile, following her inside. She led him into the kitchen, handed him the bottle and the opener, then went for glasses as he uncorked the wine. "You said you lived in the same building with Jill. Did she still live in the old Lemmon building?"
"No," Rhiannon shook her head, holding out a glass to be poured. "She moved out of there when her mother died.Got a nice one-bedroom on the edge of Greenwich.She had the front unit, so she had a mini-balcony and a lot of windows.I had a middle unit that was dark as the grave."
"Her mother died?Shit." Kline said. "That woman was a bitch. I always thought she was too mean to die.When'd she die?"
"Before I moved there.She'd been on her own for a couple of years I think."
"She was much better off then, I'm sure," Kline said, pouring them each a glass.
"Seemed so," Rhiannon said, taking a sip. She put the glass on the counter and looked up at him. "You and Jill were pretty close, huh?"
"We were all tight in that group.We were young and trying to get started in the business. Well, Jill was already in, but she was trying to transition from child actor to adult roles. That can be worse. That's back in the day when I was just modeling. It's just--strange, suddenly seeing people from the past. Feels a bit like a school reunion.It's funny how it brings back exactly how awkward and how much of an arse I was."
"I suppose it does," Rhiannon agreed. "Funny that we know the same people and yet we never met before yesterday."
He nodded and swirled his wine before drinking it. "What about you?" he asked. "I've been on about me and people I know.But it's you I'm interested in.What should I know about you?"
She gave him a sly smile over the rim of her glass. "You should know that I'm debating about whether or not it would be wise to sleep with you on the first date."
"Oh?" He shifted to change his body language, his whole demeanor telegraphing interest and he leaned onto the counter. "Who's winning so far?"
She hummed. "There's this concern, you see. Even the most self-assured, brazen of us have this concern. If I sleep with you on the first date because I really want to, will you call me again? And if I don't sleep with you, even though I really want to, will you call me again? To do or not to do, that is the question and it's a toughy."
"I'm going to call you again either way," Kline smiled slowly. "Just decide if you want me to call you in the morning from a few miles away, or from your shower.”
Rhiannon laughed, a warm throaty sound, and leaned across the counter. "Kiss me and then I'll give you my answer."
