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“I’d love that.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to get in the way or anything.”
“You absolutely won’t be in the way,” I assured him, “and I’m flattered that you want to see what I do.”
“I’m so proud of you, Riley. Look how far you’ve come in just four years! It’s amazing that you’re a Hollywood makeup artist.”
“Like I said before though, I was just hired as an assistant. The only reason I’m doing Will’s makeup is because he and I met through Phoenix and hit it off, so he asked to work with me exclusively. There’s a whole hierarchy in the makeup department, and I was at the very bottom of it. But stars are allowed to bring in their own makeup artists or make special requests, and that’s literally the only reason I’m doing more than fetching coffee and catering to the whims of the lead makeup artist.”
“You’re selling yourself short. If you weren’t good at what you do, Will wouldn’t have asked you to do his screen makeup, and the lead artist wouldn’t have signed off on it.”
I grinned and said, “I’m great at what I do, no false modesty there. I just don’t want to mislead you into thinking I’m super successful or anything. After this movie wraps, I’m going to go right back to the bottom of the hierarchy, assuming I can even find another job in the field.”
“The experience you’re gaining on this movie will help, won’t it?”
“Oh, for sure. This’ll look great on my resume. But the fact is, there are only so many jobs to go around, and a hell of a lot of makeup artists are constantly trying to break into the movie business.”
As he folded some pajamas and placed them in a suitcase that was open on the bed, he asked, “How’d you get your first movie job?”
“When I was in cosmetology school, a guest speaker came to talk to us about careers in the film industry. I struck up a conversation with him after class, and we ended up going out for coffee. He’s a friend of mine now and got me my first job, which led to the next two. It’s definitely a field where it pays to know people.”
Gabriel studied me as he folded a pair of black pants. “I used to think you were an introvert, same as me, but I was wrong about that. You’re actually very outgoing.”
“Oh no, you were right the first time. I can be social, but afterwards I totally need to go hide in my makeup cave and recharge.”
He grinned and asked, “Makeup cave?”
“I once heard a scriptwriter refer to her home office as her writing cave, so for lack of a better idea I borrowed the name. You’ll see what I mean in a few hours. We’re going to stop by my apartment before getting on the road to San Francisco, so I can pick up a few things.” I frowned and added, “I obviously never imagined I’d be taking you to see my home when I left for Catalina, and the place is a huge mess. Please don’t hold that against me. I was only home for a day after filming wrapped at the first location, and I pretty much just threw my stuff everywhere.”
“That’s fine,” he said with a smile. “It’ll give me a chance to see you in your natural habitat.”
He was joking, but I started to worry about what kind of impression my cluttered home was going to make on him. I wanted to convince Gabriel I had my shit together, and my apartment really wasn’t going to sell that message. There was nothing I could do about it, though. It wasn’t like I could ask him to wait in the car while I went inside to pack my stuff.
I changed the subject with, “I’ll go get us some coffee while you pack. Is it okay to just help myself to stuff upstairs?”
He nodded. “All the food and drinks in that kitchen are shared. By the way, some of the guys do a big brunch for all of us every Sunday morning, so we should plan on joining them in about an hour. Since the resort’s closed, that’ll be happening in the main building.”
“Sounds good.”
I started to leave the room, and he called after me, “I take my coffee with—”
“A ton of milk and a little sugar.” I grinned at him over my shoulder and said, “I was paying attention yesterday.” He was grinning too as the door swung shut behind me.
My smile faded when I reached the main floor and spotted Tracy Garcia. He was sitting by himself, drinking coffee at the counter that fronted the open kitchen. I hated the fact that we were dressed identically in white tank tops and gray sweatpants. Normally, I felt pretty good about my body, but next to this behemoth I looked like his mini-me.
