Chapter 140

Phil felt someone sit down in the vacant seat beside him. He couldn’t see his friends and family from the runway of the small community airport.

Jenvieve Borchard had told Phil that the price of renting a private plane for the trip was comparable to purchasing 13 round-trip first-class tickets. Phil had done the math and found she was correct. It was a bit more expensive but the convenience of being able to land the small plane closer to Heilman would more than make up for that.

Now the woman that had almost become his shadow over the past two weeks was seated beside him.

“Your mother and father are joys!” Jenvieve said. “I loved your aunt and uncle, too. And your grandparents! If I still have that much energy in 20 years I will be thankful.”

Phil’s mother, father, aunt, grandparents and cousins had arrived at Heilman on Saturday morning. It had been months since he’d seen his parents despite the fact they had offered to fly out several times. He hadn’t seen his grandparents since the previous Christmas. Uncle Mark and Aunt Stephanie had come up for a week during the summer and Madison and Danielle had visited two or three times after the fiasco with Deirdre Coleman-Jennings and Melissa Hopkins.

David, Mark and William had been content to just visit with Phil and his friends (and, of course, the attractive young women who were visiting from Hollywood). Actually, Phil would have to admit that Maddy and Dani seemed happy just to spend time with their cousin.

Beth, Stephanie and Kathleen were having none of it. They had done their best to plan out something for everyone to do when the Saturday’s last focus group broke up at 11:30 p.m. Phil was thankful that they had failed.

There simply wasn’t anything around the Heilman community that fit the bill. Instead, they had gone to the director of Heilman’s CACC to see if she would allow them to set up something in one of the spare rooms upstairs. The woman told them that Phil had rented the entire venue for the weekend so it was up to him. She only reminded them that alcoholic beverages and open flames were forbidden on campus. (Phil decided that the woman probably remembered Beth from her coed days or had heard of Phil’s adventures in chemistry).

Phil shook his head when he saw the finger foods and soda but couldn’t really tell his mother no. He probably could have but it wouldn’t have worked. He figured the people from Lambswool would turn up their noses and head back to their budget hotel rooms.

Instead, they stayed and mingled with the faculty members that Beth had called to invite. To his knowledge, none of the stars had complained at where they were staying or what they had been asked to do. Even Ella DeLoach, who had tried to pick up the mantle of “resident diva” that Courtney had put down, had been friendly and approachable all weekend. The group had stayed until after 1 a.m. before heading back to their accommodations. The final screening had been at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Now it was a little after seven in the evening and it was time to bid farewell to Heilman again and focus on the little details leading up to the worldwide premiere in 10 days.

Phil gave Jenvieve a small smile.

“You know, they crashed my party,” he said.

“Yes,” Jenvieve agreed with a laugh. “I threw myself on my sword for you. I told them you had turned the invitations over to me and I had not considered how much your family would enjoy witnessing your success up close.”

“You should have just told them the truth,” Phil said. “I didn’t want them around in case things went down in a huge ball of flames.”

“I believe your family suspected as much,” Jenvieve told him. “I believe your mother and your fiancée have been in contact. Beth waited until she heard from Hailey before making the trip. She said your father has been telling you for two weeks that he’s heard nothing but good things about the movie and its expectations. Perhaps you will believe him now that you’ve heard it from your contemporaries?”

“I haven’t watched the videos of the focus groups yet,” Phil admitted. “Anna is going to go over the surveys tomorrow and Tuesday. She’ll give us a report Wednesday. That will give us a couple of days to look at the recordings.”

“You’ve spoken to everyone on the plane,” Jenvieve pointed out. “They’ve all told you the same thing. The students loved it; the adults loved it; the teenagers loved it.”

“They said they loved it,” Phil countered. “Once I see the video, I’ll be able to tell if the responses were honest or just polite. In hindsight, it might not have been the best idea to have people closely tied to the project to conduct the surveys.”

He paused.

“You were around the adults so you might not see it as much,” he continued. “The adults are pretty normal. I mean, they were college professors and staff. The students at Heilman are ... different.”

“Grace told me that very few of the students seemed excited about meeting an actor or actress,” Jenvieve admitted. “She said you’d told her that many of the students there came from families of wealth and influence but I think it still caught some of them by surprise.”

“That’s why I think some of the responses might have been veiled,” Phil concluded.

“I disagree,” Jenvieve retorted. “If they wished to gain favor in some way, they would couch their responses. In this instance, they had no reason to speak anything but the truth. There were one or two that found aspects of the movie unsettling and they said that. One young woman was adamant that the studio had exploited Ella, Courtney and Rafe by showing nudity. That was the last group. Rafe was leading it and he tried to explain why nudity was needed to create authenticity. She countered by pointing out that other aspects of the movie were inaccurate. In fact, she mentioned something that you have – the smoking.

“Rafe again was up to the task. He told her that the original movie followed the book much more closely than the final product because the ratings board used today’s standards even for historical pictures. He said that if we – you – hadn’t agreed to re-edit it, the people in the room younger than 18 would have been barred from seeing it without a parent.”

Phil nodded.

“That led to a very spirited discussion that I think you should send to the MPAA,” Jenvieve continued. “Rafe gave me a synopsis but you should speak to him about it. The students in the room – even the high school students – made several valid points. Seeing a fictional character use a drug is not going to cause anyone with half a brain to try it – particularly given the consequences in the book. Rafe said the student pointed out that MPAA does not put a harsher rating on movies depicting alcohol use – even underage usage.”

“I know,” Phil grunted. He had used that argument in his appeal of the MPAA’s initial rating – and failed.

“What I am trying to say is that I have revised my opinion of the group you selected for our survey,” Jenvieve admitted. “I believe it is a portion of my Old Hollywood mindset I will need to set aside. The group, while perhaps more affluent than our core audience, is still far more representative of it than bringing in failed actors and actresses as we typically do.

“The survey group asked smart questions and gave honest responses. That is my opinion and Anna agrees. She said that this was the smoothest pre-screening she has ever witnessed. She plans to pin you down for details about how you set this up so she may duplicate it. My only question is why you chose to rent the entire venue. That seems like an expense that we really cannot afford at this point.”

“I paid out of pocket,” Phil admitted.

“Philip!” Jenvieve hissed. “You are the exact same person that informed me that I could not do that when I wished to pay to charter the flights!”

“I am a student,” Phil said, shaking his head at how much Jenvieve reminded him of his mother. “A student can rent the CACC for projects for a nominal fee. It cost me $500 a night to rent the entire venue. But it couldn’t be through the corporation. That would have cost about $50,000 a night. As I said, this is an internship so I could do it. I could have rented individual rooms for $10 a day. Mostly, I wanted to ensure that we had sole use of the facility. It is why I made the viewers leave their phones at home. It’s the same reason I took the DVDs home with me each night. ‘Kismet’ is not going to leak online before it premieres. After the first weekend, well, it’s out of my hands and I know it.

“But that first weekend ... anyone that wants to see the movie is going to shell out the cash to do it. We have to have that, Jenvieve. That first weekend has to kill. Thanks to you and your salary demands, we can stay open another year even if it’s mediocre. We’re going to be hurting, though, if we come in less than $65 million. I need asses in the seats that first weekend.”

“You will have plenty of asses in those seats,” Jenvieve assured him. “I know this is your first rodeo to a certain extent. It is not mine. I have been through this. I have sat where you are, biting my nails and chewing antacids because you just don’t know. Well, I’ve learned to gauge. In fact, I will make you a wager. If we do not meet your goal the first weekend, I will work as your maid for a year when we close Lambswool’s doors.”

Phil scoffed. Of all of Jenvieve’s down-to-earth qualities, cleaning up after herself was not high on the list.

“You know, of course, that it wouldn’t just be me,” he said. “It would be Hailey and Katelyn and Tiffany and Molly.”

“And Bob,” Jenvieve added helpfully. “That is how sure I am of success. Besides, I adored your friends. They are so funny and there is absolutely nothing superficial about them. I thought it was hilarious when Taylor’s girlfriend stalked up to Grace and told her to keep her mitts off her man.”

“Emma was just playing,” Phil cut in.

“Oh, Grace knew that,” Jenvieve assured him. “Emma could barely keep from laughing. She said she decided to do it because Katelyn is so much larger than Skyler. Grace finally found another woman she could see eye to eye with.”

She chuckled at her own joke.

“She’s sending Katelyn a pair of Glamazon boots for Christmas,” Jenvieve continued.

“That will give Bob a complex,” Phil replied with a chuckle. Bob already stood two inches below his girlfriend but he didn’t mind – or even appear to notice. But the boots would add five or six inches to Katelyn’s height – and make Bob look like an extra from “The Wizard of Oz.”

“Perhaps she should send them to him instead,” Jenvieve retorted. “They really are lovely people. I believe Grace got an idea that there is life outside of Hollywood. Did you know that Courtney is taking classes at UCLA next semester?”

“I knew she planned to return to school,” Phil admitted. “I spoke to the president of the college. She is no longer banned from the property. I wish I had thought of that beforehand.”

“She enjoyed New York,” Jenvieve said. “It is rare for her to do television – and rarer for her to do a live performance. Did you see her?”

“I was at the CACC until one in the morning,” Phil pointed out.

“They have these nifty devices that record shows now,” Jenvieve joked. “I recorded it. We can watch it later. I spoke to her this afternoon. She said that the buzz is really good in New York, too.”

“That just leaves the critics,” Phil said with a sigh. He knew the men and women from newspapers, television and blogs would likely savage the movie – not because of its value but because he had refused to pander to their demands.

“It will not matter,” Jenvieve said firmly. “The public is looking forward to it. To be blunt, critics are a waste of resources for struggling industries. I don’t believe anyone actually makes a decision based on their opinions.”

“I hope not,” Phil said as the plane lifted off for the trip back to Los Angeles.

“Tell me that wasn’t one of the coolest things you’ve ever done!” Tiffany said as she and Hailey started back to the house. Molly was off to practice for her final and Bob and Katelyn were headed to, of all things, the movies. The Bartons and Warners had already started back to Calder City where they would stay until after Christmas.

“It was fun,” Hailey admitted.

“Look, are things all right with you and Phil?” Tiffany wondered, moving straight into the topic she wanted to discuss.

“Of course,” Hailey snapped. “Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

“We ask because we have eyes,” Tiffany replied. “For the last couple of years, you two couldn’t be within 10 feet of each other without holding hands or brushing shoulders or something. A couple of weeks ago, you barely touched. This weekend was worse. You hardly even spoke.”

“We touched and we talked!” Hailey said. “We just did it when we were alone. Phil was working this weekend. This was part of his job.”

“Yeah, I got that,” Tiffany answered in an even voice. “But it was also a social venue. Last summer, when we’d go places for Barton of the evenings, you two would never be more than a foot apart. This weekend you rarely stayed on the same side of the room. He didn’t sit with us during the movie on Friday night. He only ate with us twice during the whole time he was home. I just wanted to know if something is going on. It affects me, too, you know.”

Hailey sighed.

“Things are different,” she finally admitted. “He’s changed and so have we. For the last couple of years we’ve had him to lean on. We’ve used him as a crutch. When he wasn’t there, we all learned to stand on our own. We’ve all grown here this year. We’re all more self-reliant than we were this time last year. It might have been gradual to us but it’s stark to Phil.”

“He’s grown, too,” Tiffany noted.

“I know he has,” Hailey agreed. “But he’s grown differently than we did. He’s done the same thing out there. He’s had us to rely on here but out there he had no one he could count on. So he’s become more independent, too. Think about how things are at the house now and then compare them to this time last year – or even this summer. They’re not the same. We’ve all started to develop a life outside of the group. Sure, we still do things together but not as frequently as we did last summer or last year. You and Molly do more by yourselves now. Bob and Katelyn go places on their own. Our evenings are rarely spent doing things as a group. We talk at the gym but we don’t do much else all together. The relationships we have with each other and with our special person have started to evolve. At least you and Molly and Bob and Katelyn have started to evolve. Phil and I ... we haven’t had the chance to experience things together. It’s going to take some time for us to get back into sync.”

“We didn’t mean to exclude anyone,” Tiffany said, unhappy at the thought she’d pushed her friends out of her life.

“It wasn’t like that,” Hailey assured her friend. “Up close, it’s happened a little at a time. At the first of the semester, you and Molly would have dinner alone once or twice each week. Now you have dinner with the rest of us only once or twice a week. But Phil didn’t get to see that. He still thinks things are identical to how they were three or four months ago. He didn’t get to see how naturally things have progressed for you guys. It was going to happen sooner or later. I ... I talked to Beth and David this weekend. I asked them if they still keep in touch with their college friends. Beth said that she hasn’t talked to most of them in 20 years.”

“That isn’t going to be us!” Tiffany declared.

“No, I don’t think so either,” Hailey agreed, patting the driver softly on her arm. “We’re going to stay close – but probably not as close as we pictured ourselves last year. It was going to start soon. Bob graduates in May. He’s going to look for a teaching job. If he finds one close to Heilman, I’m sure he’ll take it. If not, he might move farther away. He’s thinking about taking master’s classes and becoming a graduate assistant on the baseball team. Right now, his future is up in the air. Phil and I are getting married in July and we’re going to be away from everyone for two weeks on our honeymoon. The following May, we graduate.”

“And we’re all going to work at Barton,” Tiffany said.

“Not all of us,” Hailey noted. “Molly will start her full-time career with the orchestra. Katelyn is heading to law school and, right now, I’m planning to go to graduate school. We’re both thinking about going to the University so we’ll be in Calder City. If Bob stays at Heilman, Katelyn will probably go to State for law school. Either way, you’ll be the only one of us at Barton immediately after graduation.”

“Phil will be there,” Tiffany noted.

“I’m not sure,” Hailey confessed. “I think, right now, he’s considering starting off smaller. I think he’d prefer more autonomy than working as Beth’s assistant will allow him.”

“No company is going to hire him as CEO right out of college,” Tiffany replied.

“They might,” Hailey countered. “He’s done a lot of good things at Lambswool. Even if he hadn’t done much, a few companies would start him at the top just to curry favor with Beth. But he’s thinking of something different. I think he wants to work in the finance department of a smaller operation at the start. It will let him get a better feel for how things make money. He is, at heart, a numbers guy. Then he’ll move over to operations for another year or two. I’ve got a five-year contract with Barton as part of my scholarship so I’ll be going to work there when I complete my MBA. You’ll only have two years left on your contract when Katelyn and I start and you might well be blocked from advancement.