AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I thought you always said you wouldn’t be loyal for the sake of being loyal. That if an opportunity came along, you wouldn’t turn it down because you had a loyalty to someone else.”
“My career’s winding down. As is Jerry’s. I’m not switching representation for the sake of two or three years.”
“You’re not serious. Charlotte, you know you don’t look fifty-one. And things are changing. Because of actresses like us. If we fold, we’re only fulfilling the assumption that Hollywood won’t entertain actresses in their fifties. We have to keep going. For Sydney. For everyone else coming up.”
“Woah, relax Ada.” Charlotte took another drink. “I’m not retiring tomorrow. I’m just being realistic. If Jerry still wants you to sign with him, he thinks he can get you the roles you want. And in theory, that means I will have those opportunities too.”
“If you haven’t retired.”
“Ada, we’re celebrating. Stop talking about work and careers and the next generation. Write that damn book if you want to make an impact. That’s what you should be thinking about. Not my career.”
“Okay, okay.” Ada held up her hand. “If I can’t talk about your career, can I talk about your relationship status?”
“What? No.” Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “Is this some kind of an intervention?” She swept her eyes around the room. “Is this party just a cover?”
“Get over yourself. It’s not an intervention. But you came out months ago, and I have heard exactly nothing from you or anyone else about who you might be seeing.”
Charlotte didn’t get a chance to reply.
Ada kept going. “Unless you’re having a secret affair.”
Ada’s eyes bore into her, and Charlotte had to look away. Of course, she looked right at Lara.
“Charlotte…” Ada’s gaze followed hers. “Why are you looking at Lara?”
“I’m looking at Sydney and the very secretive affair that you had.”
“And I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. It nearly ruined us. I nearly ruined us. But I’m still waiting for you to deny that something’s going on between you and Lara. I thought I saw her looking this way a few times, but I thought it was about me.” A slow smile came to Ada’s lips as she took a drink. “But I’m nearly certain it has nothing to do with me.”
Charlotte closed her eyes for a second. Like Ada, she was the problem. Charlotte was sure that Lara would only love to shout from the rooftops that they were seeing each other or could be maybe. Shit, they really needed to talk.
“All this silence,” Ada said with a smirk.
“Okay, fine. I might have kissed Lara Sunday night. When she was at my place for the ceremony.”
Ada’s smile was genuine now, full of warmth. “Really? I know she’s young, but obviously, I know that sometimes that means absolutely nothing. There’s so much more to a relationship than age.”
“Yes. I know. I’m just…”
Ada’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t mess her around Charlotte. Seriously. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I wish I could have done things differently with Sydney. It’s not even the three years apart. It’s the way I treated her at the start. The hot and cold. All the reasons why we shouldn’t. If you want her, fucking go for it. We’re not getting any younger. And she’s lovely. Honestly. She was so shy when Kerri first hired her. Star struck probably. But she’s an amazing person. And Kerri has never had a negative thing to say about her. Not once.”
Charlotte bit the inside of her cheek, her eyes darting towards Lara again, only to find both Sydney and Lara staring back at her.
17
Lara leaned against the living room wall as Sydney’s focus moved from the couch across the room where Ada and Charlotte were sitting to her, an eyebrow raised.
“Why do they keep looking over here?” Sydney asked, bringing her bottle of beer to her lips. “Do you think we should go over?”
“No,” Lara blurted out. She cleared her throat. That had sounded desperate. “No,” she said softly. “I wanted to ask you something.” She had to say this while they were alone. Well, they were in a room full of people, but no one was paying them any attention. Except maybe Charlotte, but she was out of earshot.
“Sure. What’s up?”
Lara tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she spoke. “Okay, so this is off the record. I’m not your agent right now.”
“Okay…”
“You and Charlotte.” Lara wasn’t even sure how she was going to ask this. “When you two… Was she ever weird about the age difference?”
