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“I love this side of her,” Hayden said. “She came out while we were filming, and she just… She was a new person. She was always easy to be around, but it was visibly noticeable how much more at ease she was with herself when she came out.”
“I still can’t believe it.” Lara watched Charlotte wrap her arms around the host, Jessica Hodges, sharing a long embrace. They would have known each other, of course, but this was their first time working together, and their chemistry had just been fantastic to watch. They’d played rival lawyers with Hayden playing Charlotte’s paralegal.
“Why didn’t you stop by when we were filming,” Hayden said, gently elbowing her. “You clearly have a thing for her. You should have.”
Lara blinked, finally forcing herself to look away as Charlotte let Jessica lead her over to another group of people by the makeshift bar area. “What?”
“You have a serious crush on that woman. Hey, I’m not judging,” Hayden said with a grin. “I think I might even have a thing for her and I’m straight.”
“Yeah, she does have that effect on people.” Lara focused her attention on Hayden when she realized she was looking in Charlotte’s direction again.
Lara was no stranger to spending time with Hollywood royalty. Kerri’s best friend was Adelaide Atwood. Adelaide’s girlfriend, now fiancé, was Sydney Lockett. And they were both her clients now. The list went on and on. Lara had met so many famous faces in the last three years, and not just actresses. Kerri’s friends extended to athletes and musicians. Lara rarely got starstruck anymore, but there was something about Charlotte Dixon.
Yes, she was stunning, but it was more than that. Charlotte just had this alluring mixture of confidence and talent. It was the way she carried herself. And this was all before she came out. Now, all of those characteristics were amplified.
Hayden was right. It was like Charlotte Dixon was a new woman.
“You should talk to her,” Hayden said with a grin.
“No.” Lara gulped her wine.
“Why not?”
“What would I say? She’s one of Hollywood’s best actresses. I’m… A newbie agent.”
“And that’s why you should talk to her. Introduce yourself.”
Lara inhaled a shaky breath. No, that was definitely not happening. She wasn’t mentally prepared for a conversation with Charlotte Dixon.
She’d often wished that Charlotte had been a client of Kerri’s. That way Lara might have been able to spend some time with her, to get to know her, but they’d never actually spoken despite having mutual friends.
“I obviously look up to her,” Hayden said when Lara remained silent. “But I think the thing I respect about her the most, is that she’s decided to age gracefully.”
“Yeah.” Lara once again couldn’t keep her eyes from peering through the floor-to-ceiling windows looking into the living room, searching for Charlotte, finding her on one of the sofas chatting to another actor.
At fifty-one, Charlotte Dixon was more beautiful now than ever. The lines around her eyes, when she flashed that dazzling smile, were clearly visible, and Lara knew she was one of the very few women in this town who let themselves age naturally.
“I’m going to get a refill,” Hayden said, taking her away from her thoughts. “Want one?”
“Sure.”
Lara sipped her drink as Hayden made her way inside. She could have joined the three women to her right, sitting on the white outdoor couches, but she stayed where she was, content to soak up the atmosphere and get lost in her own thoughts.
2
Charlotte Dixon wandered over to the bar area that was set up between the kitchen and the living room area, a bartender manning the station, ready to whip up any kind of cocktail she could want.
“What can I get you?” the young man asked, his hair perfectly gelled.
“An Old Fashioned, please.”
“Coming right up.”
Charlotte rarely felt like she could relax at wrap parties, knowing that although she was in the company of friends and colleagues, one wrong move, one drunken comment, could potentially ruin her career.
Tonight was different though. Jessica was hosting, and while she invited the entire cast, she left out the suits, wanting a laidback atmosphere, and after doing the rounds, Charlotte knew she was truly in the company of friends.
More than once in the last two years, she’d thought about retiring, but the buzz she’d gotten working on this series was what kept her from officially calling time on her career.
