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But Rachel must have noticed the shift in Valerie, because she shook her head quickly as she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. I should probably get going or I’ll miss my flight.”
The girl stood up, but before she strode away, she looked back down at Valerie.
“But seriously, Ms. Bernard…”
“Valerie, please,” Valerie corrected gently.
“Valerie.” Rachel tried again, color still high in her cheeks. “Thank you for being so kind and for taking a picture with me. I promise, I’ll scream from the rooftops that you’re the nicest celebrity I’ve ever met.”
“Have you met many?” Valerie asked with a chuckle, and Rachel shook her head.
“Well… no. Just you,” she answered, her nerves seeming to fade a little as they shared a laugh. “But thank you again.”
Valerie nodded at the girl, still smiling as she watched Rachel’s blonde head disappear through the crowd, rushing off toward her gate. A few people had turned their attention to her, likely seeing the interaction between her and Rachel, and Valerie shrank back into her seat.
She tugged the brim of her hat farther down, disguising her face as much as she could. She might have loved meeting Rachel, but the last thing she wanted was for an actual fuss to be made over her being there. Luckily, just as she saw one other woman seem to be plucking up the courage to come talk to her, the announcements for boarding started, and people became distracted once more.
Valerie was so used to boarding with first class that when they called for it that she almost got up to join that line. But she stopped herself just in time, staying seated as the first-class passengers boarded.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford to fly first class any longer. Throughout her years in the limelight, she had made plenty of money, and she had a nest egg that she could easily survive off of for the rest of her life. But Valerie had figured that people were more likely to recognize her if she flew first class. She supposed people typically didn’t expect movie stars, especially ones who were just barely out of their prime, to be flying coach. So maybe if someone recognized her, they would second-guess themselves when they realized that she was sitting in the very back of the plane.
It wasn’t a foolproof plan, but it was all she had.
When the call was finally made for her economy group to begin boarding, Valerie rose to her feet and tucked her Kindle into her oversized purse. She had checked her two other suitcases, and she was glad that she didn’t have to worry about them as she walked through the waiting area toward the line that was forming in front of the attendant at the gate.
As she slowly made her way through the line and then onto the boarding bridge, Valerie’s mind began to wander. She tried to steer her thoughts clear of her career, but no matter what she did, her mind kept drifting back to her meeting with Rachel and the question the girl had asked right before she’d left.
Are you starring in anything soon?
Rachel had seemed so eager and excited when she’d asked, as if she just knew the answer was going to be something outrageous and fantastic. She had probably already been thinking about what quippy caption she would write when she published their selfies on Instagram.
Valerie could all but see it in her mind’s eye.
I can’t believe who I met at the airport today!Rachel might write.She was so nice, and be sure to check out her new movie soon! Valerie Bernard says it’s going to be a box office smash!
Only… there was no movie. There would be no box office smash. There was nothing for Valerie anymore when it came to acting. Or at least, that was what it felt like.
Valerie let out a long, quiet sigh as she finally boarded the plane. Her bag jostled against the closely packed seats as she walked between them, looking for row K. She had at least gotten a window seat, and she was grateful when she found the row empty and was able to slide right across to it. Valerie gazed out the window, watching the airport workers wave neon sticks and drive carts filled with luggage as the other passengers filed onto the plane.
But still, nothing could keep her thoughts away from the disaster that had become her acting career.
She had been in the business for a very long time, having starred in a few short films, commercials, and plays while growing up. It had never been anything big back then. Her mother had been too insistent that she have a normal childhood in Montana, refusing to allow her to work enough to ever be considered a ‘child star.’ But it was certainly enough for Valerie to fall in love with acting.
She’d moved from Montana to Los Angeles almost the very same day she had turned eighteen. After arriving in the entertainment capital of the country, she had bussed tables, made lattes, and worked as a server to pay for the small studio apartment that she’d shared with two other girls in West Hollywood just to get by.
The day that Grace Maloney, one of the biggest names in movies at that time, had strode into the restaurant Valerie had been working at, Valerie had known that luck was on her side. She had delved into her bag and grabbed one of her audition tapes, something that she’d happened to have on her in order to submit herself for a supporting role in a low-budget indie film.
By giving the tape to Grace, she’d known that she would be losing out on her chance for the other movie, but she’d also known that another opportunity like the one before her wouldn’t happen again any time soon.
So she had risked it.
Grace had been kind and taken the tape. And when she had left by the end of the night, she had promised to watch it and pass it along to her agent. Still, Valerie had doubted anything would come of it. So when a call had come from Grace’s agent the very next day telling her that she had incredible talent and he wanted to sign her, Valerie had been floored.
At nineteen, Valerie had been hired for her first role in a major film. A speaking role. Anamed character. It wasn’t huge, just the main character’s plucky best friend who helped her heal her heartbreak and provided much needed comic relief. But it had been enough. Enough to get her in front of the A-List cast and crew. And enough to launch her into stardom very shortly afterward.
She had worked steadily for nearly ten years. But as Valerie’s thirtieth birthday had drawn closer, the conversations surrounding her had begun to shift.
People no longer cared about what she wore on the red carpet, or who she had been caught talking to at an awards party. No, what they cared about now was the fact that she had decided to do something as wild and unheard of as not getting Botox and now had a single, solitary wrinkle by the corner of her mouth. What they cared about wasn’twhoshe was dating, but the fact that she wasn’t dating at all. That she was approaching thirty and she had no husband and no children.
