Chapter 132

Phil finished his phone call and headed out to socialize – only to find that the number of party guests had dwindled to 40 or so.

“Where did everybody go?” Phil asked Chris Ransome, the first person he recognized.

“They saw and were seen,” Chris answered with a laugh. “They wanted a chance to check out this place or talk to Jenvieve about a project so they came out. Now they can name drop to all the friends they want to impress. Most of them wouldn’t talk to Grace on a dare. She’s not A-list – yet. She might be soon but soon doesn’t count. They wouldn’t have ignored her if she spoke to them here but there is no way in hell she could get on their schedule if she called them tomorrow.”

“Damn,” Phil muttered. Each time he learned something new about Hollywood he found himself contrasting it with how his life worked. “See, in business, we try to identify the up-and-comers early. We invest in their future and lay the groundwork for a successful relationship when they hit the big time. That’s sort of what Mom is doing with my friends. Oh, sure, she’d have found a job for them if I asked her to. But she wouldn’t have given them so much responsibility if she didn’t think they had the skill to succeed in the future. She gave them summer internships and a little help with scholarship money and in return she’s got their loyalty. They’re my friends but any of them would walk across fire for my mom. Barton is going to reap the benefits for maybe decades. And we do that with a lot of young, talented people.”

“Hollywood is a short-sighted town,” Jenvieve said from Phil’s shoulder. “It is also a town where familial ties are often thinner than what you’re used to. Many of the people I worked with were surprised at how much importance I place on Grace’s future. They are content to be part-time parents or part-time spouses in order to be full-time actors. They don’t build the bond that you have with your parents.”

“Or that you have with Grace,” Phil said. “That’s the first thing I noticed when we got here. You and she act just like my dad and I do. You have that ... comfort. You’re home to her and she’s home to you. It might not always be that way but it’s that way now. That’s how it should be with parents and children.”

“I think that’s why Grace, Sky and I hang out so much,” Chris said. “We don’t have a lot in common on the surface. I’m from Pittsburgh. Sky is from New York. Grace is from here. We don’t really have the same interests but we compromise because we like hanging around each other. Sure, we’re in the same show but that’s hardly enough to build a friendship. I think we’re friends because we were all raised the same way. I still talk to my folks two or three times a week. They were worried about me when I came here so I called often. Once I got a little bit of fame, I never stopped. Skyler is the same way. Her family comes to every big event. I’m sure you’ll meet them when we get to New York. You’ll love them. I mean, they are just ... normal.”

“I also noticed that fame hasn’t gone to your head,” Phil pointed out. “That’s what I like about hanging out with you guys. You don’t think you’re anything great and wonderful just because you are on TV or in movies. That’s where Courtney and I fell out. She thought she was all that – and then she found out she isn’t.”

“There were problems on the set?” Jenvieve asked. No rumors had circulated about it and she was certain that she would have heard. “Kismet” was a constant topic of conversation in her circle.

“This was last year at school,” Phil said. “She came to Heilman for a semester.”

“Oh, yes, I recall that,” Jenvieve said. “I seem to remember she was arrested and spent some time in jail for something.”

“Yeah,” Phil said sadly. “I’m afraid I had a hand in all that. She made a run at my friends and I showed her how life really works. I wasn’t subtle about it. I used a chain saw where a paring knife would have worked. I learned from it, though. Or, I thought I did until I did the same thing last summer at Lambswool. Now I’m pretty sure I’ve got it. The sad part is, my mom did the same thing and I got mad when I found out about it.”

“You seem to be handling things well out here,” Jenvieve said.

Phil didn’t know if she gave Chris a glance he recognized or if he just grew bored with the conversation. Either way, the young man departed as Jenvieve Borchard deftly steered Phil to a quiet section of the room.

“I’m very happy that you have befriended Grace,” she said.

“It’s more like she befriended me,” Phil replied. His chuckle was a little forced because he wasn’t certain why Jenvieve had directed him to where they wouldn’t be overheard.

“Either way, I’m pleased,” Jenvieve said with a warm smile. Phil’s discomfort started to ease until he recalled she had won six Oscars for her acting ability. She also was evidently a good judge of a person’s emotions.

“Yes, I wanted to speak to you privately for a few moments,” she admitted. “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I wanted to compliment you on the work you’ve done for the studio. I feared that it would be lost but those fears have passed. I foresee huge things in Lambswool’s future.”

“I think it’s going to depend entirely on who I bring in to run the place,” Phil admitted. “I’m not coming back after the premiere. I’m a college student and that’s all I want to be right now.”

“I’m very glad to hear that,” Jenvieve said. “A person is young only once. You owe it to yourself to enjoy it as much as you can. The young are so anxious to grow up. When you reach my age, you find yourself wishing you’d done more before you had children, a job and responsibilities.”

“I’m learning that,” Phil said with a nod. “My parents have tried to point that out to me and I finally get it. This is more than I want right now. I want to ... well, I’m not sure what I want to do right now. I just know I don’t want to have every single hour of every day planned for me.”

“Exactly!” Jenvieve said. “That is why I am happy that you are becoming close with Grace and her companions. She is barely an adult. I’ll be frank. It was never my desire for her to follow in my footsteps. I would have preferred she teach kindergarten or deliver the mail. You’re different. You didn’t grow up here so you know the life here is artifice. Skyler and Chris know it, too. I was tickled when Grace told me that she is going to spend a weekend at your school. I truly hope she enjoys it enough that she considers leaving Hollywood and attending.”

Phil blinked at that news.

“Fame can be fleeting,” Jenvieve explained. “If I had failed, I had nothing to fall back upon. I likely would have gone into adult movies.”

Phil tried to push the images that possibility produced from his mind.

“I do not want to see Grace or her friends doing infomercials or in one of those dreadful ‘B’ movies that show up late at night,” she added.

“Sadly, Lambswool produces many of those,” Phil said with a sigh.

“True,” Jenvieve agreed ruefully. “Many of the performers in those products saw limited success when they were 20 or 21 – usually a one- or two-season arc on television. Then fame disappeared. Some simply had no talent; others were typecast and couldn’t find work. I’m not worried about either of those things. What I fear is that Grace – or Skyler or Chris – will be like the rest. They are talented; they have range; and they still can’t get viable work. There really is no reason for it. They simply do not get hired. Since they have no other marketable skills, they now essentially strip for a living. That really is how I see it. Acting in those shows is no different than going on stage at Petey’s Cabaret. Rather than having men stuff dollars in your garter, the studio pays you upfront. Now, with my financial means, Grace is unlikely to find herself in that spot. Still, she has pride and she would do it before accepting charity from me. I simply wish for her to have as many options as possible.”

The conversation waned when Grace approached.

“It looks like all the old folks are headed home,” she said with a wink at her mother. “Is it OK if we move the rest of the party to the pool?”

Jenvieve gave an indulgent smile and nod.

“If you don’t mind if this ‘old person’ joins you,” she said. “After all, your friend Phil says I could pass for a coed – although he admitted he wasn’t certain if I should thank genetics or a scalpel.”

“Sorry,” Phil said quickly.

“It’s genetics,” Grace said.

“You only hope it’s genetics,” Jenvieve said with a laugh. “Yes, you may use the pool. I’ll keep Phil entertained while you change. I doubt he will need to fix his hair or touch up his makeup.”

“Ha,” Grace retorted. “Little do you know. Sometimes Phil likes to feel pretty.”

She pinched Phil’s cheek and then sauntered away.

“I always want her to have that joie de vivre,” Jenvieve said. “I do not ask you to push her in any direction. She can choose her path. I just want to ensure that she knows college is one of her choices. From what I’ve heard of you and your friends, I believe you live life to the fullest, too.”

“We try,” Phil agreed. He smiled when a few of the group’s escapades entered his memory.

“Now, on another matter,” Jenvieve told him. “I also wanted you to know that I am willing to work for scale when it comes time to cast Lisette’s mother. I loved those books and I believe you will ensure the screenplay is just as good. I wanted to make certain you do not dismiss me because you fear for the budget. I have made my money in this business and now I work only on productions that interest me. So, if Lambswool is interested, I am interested.”

“Wow,” Phil said. “I’ll make sure it is known.”

Jenvieve looked to make sure there was no one nearby. Overheard gossip was a staple in the Hollywood tabloid trade.

“I actually would have appeared in ‘Kismet’ if you hadn’t re-edited it,” she said conspiratorially.

“What?” Phil asked incredulously.

“I was visiting Grace when they shot the scene in the drug den,” she admitted. “I try not to advertise my visits so I had on a wig and I used makeup to change my appearance. They were rounding up extras as I was leaving and, on a whim, I signed up. I had a SAG card, so I was given a role as one of the prostitutes in the scene.”

She smiled widely at her subterfuge.

“There is no way,” Phil said, shaking his head. “Yeah, we had some real knuckleheads working there. I admit that. But everyone knows your name!”