Chapter 12

David
As David worked on the guest list for his family-oriented ‘welcome to campus’ party, he could see it was growing beyond what he’d expected.

“I want to invite the coaches,” Carol said.

David took a moment to ponder his mom’s suggestion.

“I don’t think my townhouse is big enough.”

“It’s not. That’s why I’ve ordered a tent that will cover two-thirds of the parking lot,” she said.

That made many logistics-type questions pop into his head, but he decided to just leave it to his mom.

“Does that mean we’ll have room for the coaches and their families?” David asked.

“Yes.”

“I’ll call them,” he agreed.

“And you might want to call your athletic director and a few boosters.”

That was his mom’s not-so-subtle way of saying that she and his dad wanted to meet Ron Pennington, the man David got Grace in touch with to save their company.

“I’ll call Ron and his daughter and ask them to come,” David said.

“And Gabe Francis.”

Gabe was also a big-time booster who happened to be the studio executive who made David’s Royal Palm movie.

“Fine. Anybody else?” David asked.

“You might find a date.”

“Why don’t you just tell me who to call?” he asked sarcastically.

“Don’t take that tone with me. I’m only volunteering my time to organize a party for you,” Carol fired back.

David raised one eyebrow in response.

“Call Halle James. I talked to Rita, and she said she and Trip could make it but thought you should probably call Halle.”

He was impressed. She’d said all that with a straight face.

He gave up.

“Just give me a list of who I need to invite.”

His mom handed him a piece of paper with names and numbers on it. Why they’d had to go through the whole routine was beyond him.

“And I expect you to call and personally invite everyone. No mass text messages,” Carol added.

When David didn’t make a snarky comment, his mother smiled.

“I think you’re starting to grow up.”

It might have been wrong to flip his mother off, but he wasn’t all grown up yet.

“Halle James, please.”

“May I ask who is calling?”

“Kendal, it’s me, David.”

Kendal Miller had been his first PA, and now she was Halle’s personal manager. Halle must be on set if Kendal was answering her phone.

“I hear you’re having a party.”

“No. You can’t come,” David said, beating her to the punch.

“Why not?”

“If I ask you, I’ll have to ask everyone you work with. Then, before I know it, Frank and his minions will find out about it, and I’ll have to ask them too,” David explained.

“I heard Lily is coming,” Kendal said, blowing a hole in his argument.

“Lily does my social media, and I asked her to work the event.”

“Aha! I talked to Lily this morning, and she said you hadn’t asked her.”

David suddenly remembered the old saying about assuming things.

“Fine. You tricked me, but you’re still not coming,” David said.

“It probably would be a good idea to ask Lily,” his former PA suggested.

He agreed.

“Halle said to swing by for lunch. You’re to bring your kids because she’s filming with ten-week-old golden-retriever puppies. The studio is hoping for some B-roll footage of them playing together.”

“If you’d led with the puppies, I would have said ‘yes’ right away,” David teased.

The kids were excited that their dad had sprung them from daycare. It was hit-or-miss with two-year-olds whether they were going to be happy or have a meltdown. David had discovered that his baby-whisperer superpower had little or no effect when they went into crying mode. He simply had to endure it.

By ‘accident,’ his dad had discovered a way to distract the munchkins from being upset. David wasn’t sure if it would earn him grandpa of the year or not, but it was a godsend. His dad had been cooking on the grill. David’s daughter, Carol, had been talking to her grandfather as best she could and got frustrated. That was when the waterworks started. Without thinking, Rob had used the squirt bottle that was intended to put out flare-ups. The startled little girl stopped crying.

That led to the adults all getting squirt guns in case of emergencies. Coby, the devious little shit that he was, had figured it out. David’s mother had been called to daycare because Coby had used it on another boy who was crying. When his mom got there, they admitted that it’d worked but that ‘guns’ of any kind were prohibited.

Ashley bought them alternative toys that squirted water. With the kids policing the crying, it had improved life for everyone. David thought they might actually survive the terrible twos. The only downside was that half the time, the kids were soaking wet. David was certain that sometimes Coby would cry just to get sprayed.

That meant that on the ride to the studio, he was busy putting his little darlings into dry gear.

Since he was no longer a rookie dad, David had hired a watcher for each kid. With five of them, it didn’t take much to lose one.

“Okay! Everyone, listen up. We are going to eat in public, so you have to use your table manners. It also means that you don’t wander off and visit other tables. Finally, I want you to remember to use your indoor voices. We’re going to meet Miss Halle, and she has promised that if you’re good ... you’ll get to play with puppies.”

“Ice cream!” Carol called out.

“I’ll make you a deal. If all the puppies survive, I’ll take you to get ice cream on the way home,” David promised.

When he first became a dad, David had all these ideas about how he would raise his kids. Now he was willing to spray them down and bribe them to get them to behave. He gave nothing happening the whole afternoon a ten percent chance. With five two-year-olds, those were pretty good odds.

When they reached the movie lot, David became nervous because Halle had obviously spoken to someone about him showing up with his kids. Word must have spread like wildfire because it was standing room only when they entered the studio cafeteria. The studio even had a photographer snapping pictures, and a videographer.

Halle made a grand entrance and rushed to David. Before he even realized it was happening, she had him in a lip-lock as the camera ripped through several dozen pictures. He had no doubt that she had just marked him as hers in front of all the women there.

Then again, this was Hollywood. It was all but guaranteed that the studio would be releasing a few shots to help boost sales of something somehow.

“Nice to see you, too,” David teased.

“Come on. We have a private dining room,” Halle said as she led the way.

David held his breath, but they made it through the throng of people without incident. His kids all had big eyes at the number of people, which kept them distracted from causing mischief.

When they walked into the dining room, he saw they had a buffet set up. David read the little signs on the trays and knew the meal was a nonstarter for two-year-olds. While he loved smoked salmon on lemon brioche, his clan was more into mac and cheese and chicken nuggets.

David stopped himself, though, and looked at today as a new adventure. He could always feed them when he got home if need be.

Coby ended up saving the day. When he didn’t spit out the saffron poached halibut with baby vegetables, the others got brave and dug in.

While they ate, David got a chance to catch up with Halle. She was currently filming a family-oriented movie, hence the puppies.

“Brook called me,” Halle finally said. “How are you doing?”

“I’ve been better,” he admitted.

“She said you put a serious press on her to get back together. Is that something you’re thinking about?”

“That was a mistake. Brook has a boyfriend. It was just that when I saw her, all the old feelings came back.”

“If she wasn’t seeing anyone?” Halle asked.

David thought before answering.

“There is still the issue of her living clear across the country. It wouldn’t work.”

“Just so you know, she found out that her boyfriend has been spending time with his ex. I think if you asked, Brook would want to give it a try,” Halle said to stir the pot.

Back in high school, David had dated a group of girls, of which Halle and Brook were a part. He learned early on that they all got together and compared notes. When they found out that David wasn’t playing favorites, the girls had become close friends. That meant they shared everything with each other, most of which he considered TMI—Too Much Information.

“When we parted, I finally was able to get closure. Brook is my past. I’m sure I’ll find someone.”

“So, you don’t worry that she’ll find someone?” Halle pressed.

“I’m sure she will. Brook has never been one to sit home at night. She can get just about any guy she puts her mind to. I only wish her the best,” David said. And for the first time, he believed it, too.

“I bet you’re glad to have found out about Lexi. She’d been seeing Ben for at least a month before they left for Paris. I’d thought she’d gotten him out of her system because she felt so guilty about hooking up with him. She’d discovered what I learned: spending time with Ben doesn’t come close to spending time with you,” Halle said.

“What are you talking about?” David asked.

“Lexi and I had lunch at the studio cafeteria one day. Ben came in and was on the hunt for a bit of no-strings afternoon fun. He tried to get me to have it with him, but I turned him down. He ignored Lexi because he knew that the two of you had spent time together.

“We were talking about girl stuff, and I joked that she should take him for a spin. I guess she thought I was serious because she had me call him back to our table. When I saw her later, she broke down in tears over what she’d done.

“She must have gotten over it if what Isabel told me is true,” Halle said.

David kept his expression neutral, but inside, he was livid with Halle. He couldn’t believe she’d played a role in getting Ben and Lexi together. Friends didn’t do that to one another, or so David thought. Some days, he hated Hollywood. Because of what Halle had done, she’d ruined three of his friendships: Ben, Lexi, and now Halle.

After lunch, they went to a set made to look like a park. The kids were running off their energy playing when David heard a squeal from Dawson. That alerted the rest that the puppies were bounding out from the back.

Seeing the joy as they played together almost made David forget how mad he was at Halle.

After half an hour, the director came on set, and Halle had to get back to work. David made good on his promise of ice cream.

When they got home, he told his mom that Halle wouldn’t be his date. He had to rehash why, but she understood once he was done. It seemed like his personal life had taken some severe hits in the last week.

David wanted his jet type rating. He’d borrowed Chubby’s jet to get his check ride taken care of, which was the last item on his list for his license. Since he’d passed, David could now fly jet-powered aircraft on his own.

He was itching to try out his newly minted freedom. So, he planned dates with the three baby mamas living in his Malibu home. It opened up a whole new level of awesome when he could say, ‘Hey, want to jet to San Diego for dinner?’

With that in mind, David decided to kill two birds with one stone. He craved some one-on-one time with Peggy, Ashley, and Scarlet. When he broached the idea, the girls were enthusiastic. Peggy picked Palm Springs; Ashley, Las Vegas; and Scarlet chose Monterey.

Things didn’t go quite as planned. First, Peggy wanted to invite some other people. By ‘other people,’ she meant her boyfriend, Walker Ames, and another couple. Peggy’s guy was in his last year of law school.

Her intention was for David to meet Walker because they were starting to get serious. She was going to be a senior at Pepperdine, and with Walker also finishing up school, David could see that he might be the guy she ended up with. However, what had been planned as a way for the two men to bond turned into David feeling like a fifth wheel.

The other couple were old friends of Walker’s, and they took the occasion as the opportunity to announce their engagement. The rest of the trip was focused on the couples. When they got back, Peggy said she was going to spend the night with her guy, so David didn’t even get to talk to her on the ride back from the airport.

Ashley’s trip to Vegas was a little better. She told David that she’d signed up for a poker tournament. For her to make it on time, they would have to grab a quick bite to eat. She told him at dinner that she planned to spend an extra day, so he didn’t need to wait for her to finish playing cards that night.