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And a slow drive through horrendous traffic.
“I stopped by and filled the refrigerator, got a little of everything. Are you a vegetarian? Oh, which reminds me, I have a list of restaurants you’ll love.”
“I thought Alessandro could—”
“Gosh, isn’t he perfect? Don’t tell Yasmin I said that. It’s not professional. But”—Jacqui paused for a moment and tapped her pointed nails on her thigh—“phew! You get used to seeing celebs around here, but he is really… phew!”
“You’re from around here?” Megan said, since she had a moment to speak.
“Oh no, I’m from Connecticut.”
Megan laugh-coughed. “Hey,” she said. “Not far from me.”
“I guess so!” Jacqui observed her more closely. They could not have been more different. Jacqui looked as though she’d been sunbathing on a multimillion-dollar deck since her toddler years. Megan was Boston-winter pallid. And if she tried to bleach her hair the way Jacqui had, it would probably fall out.
“But you’re here now,” Megan prompted.
“Yeah. I went to UCLA, and they couldn’t drag me back.”
“So you’re a West Coast gal now, huh?”
“Oh yeah. And you will be, too, in a hot minute. Alessandro lives in the best neighborhood—you’re gonna love it—and he can afford the best for both of you.”
“I can pay for myself,” Megan interjected quickly.
“Well, I dunno. You’ll be surprised how much things cost here. Oh, you gotta go to Il Formaggio. Alessandro will take you. My roommate’s an actor? And she once got taken there by Meryl Streep’s assistant’s hair stylist? She brought home leftovers, and it was the best damn fondue I’ve ever had in my life.”
Fondue. Cheese. Made sense. Megan let Jacqui lay out all the best places she’d eaten—or been given leftovers—around the city as they merged onto a highway and the car stopped. And started. And stopped.
Then Jacqui moved on to the best bars in town as the car surprised Megan by turning out of the traffic and into a neighborhood with small houses and stores. Forget Il Formaggio—this was more like McDonald’s and Chuck E. Cheese. Despite its pedestrian look, Megan couldn’t forget that they weren’t in Massachusetts anymore by the palm trees that seemed to touch the sky and the strange and beautiful plants that spilled out of every tiny garden.
“And if you want to do some real celeb spotting,” Jacqui was saying, “Alessandro should take you to SAE.”
“Açai?” Megan asked. It didn’t sound like a bar.
“No. The letters.S. A. E.Something about returning something in the mail. Anyway, it’s got a great vibe, and when BTS is in town, they always go there.”
“Have you been there?”
“Oh no. The drinks are like, fifty bucks apiece. I can make you a reservation though!”
Jacqui looked and sounded absolutely delighted that she was forced to get other people into this place and yet was kept out of it herself.
“Well,” Megan said. “As soon as I’m settled, I will take you to SAE. And Il Formaggio.”
“Ohmigod!” Jacqui exclaimed, her big blue eyes wide. “That’s so sweet of you!”
Basic human decency, Megan would have thought, but she didn’t have a chance to say so, because Jacqui went on. “But you won’t have time for that kind of thing for a while. We’ve got you booked in for hair and makeup tomorrow, and pretty much every day you don’t have—”
“Hair and makeup for what?”
“The Ravello Awards. Tomorrow night.”
“Oh.” Alessandro had said they’d have events to go to. She hadn’t realized he’d meant, immediately. Megan liked to see the outfits everyone wore during awards season, but she didn’t have the schedule memorized. Especially not for the Ravello Awards, which focused on international movies.
“I know, right? It’s so fun. You’re gonna love it. We’ve got dresses ready for you to choose from—”
“What?”
