26. CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 26
T he journey to LA had been like a dream. Damien had made sure everything was arranged for Clara: a taxi from her house, first-class seats on the plane, and a limousine when she arrived in America that whisked her to the most beautiful hotel she had ever stayed in.
When she arrived, the room she was escorted to was overwhelming—a one-bedroom suite with views of the ocean.
Clara stood staring in the mirror at herself, admiring the incredible dress that she wore.
She had tried subtly checking for a price tag when Louisa insisted she try on the magnificent dress, but nothing in the boutique they had shopped at was priced. This had given Clara a bad feeling that it was likely in the four, if not five-figure range. But however many times she had asked and insisted it was too much, Louisa had just waved a hand at her and told her to be quiet and drink her champagne.
The bodice was midnight blue and covered in tiny sequins that rippled as she moved. It was tight in all the right places and flowed into the most beautiful full skirt as the material changed from sequins to midnight-coloured silk, which swirled around her legs as she walked and twirled.
Her makeup was perfect, done by a woman Clara swore was a wizard. The end result was subtle but somehow enhanced all her features, so what usually looked nice, or sometimes even graduated to pretty, could now be described as stunning. And her hair, which never normally behaved, had been tamed by the hairdresser and was woven into a beautiful braid that snaked over her shoulder.
Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of finally seeing Taylor again. The FaceTime calls and the texts were great, but they weren’t enough; she wanted to see him.
Her phone buzzed with a text.
‘I wish I hadn’t been stuck on the press tour. I can’t believe you had two days in my home town without me.’ Taylor had complained numerous times to her over the last couple of days about that fact.
‘I know. But Louisa and Damien have been great. They’ve shown me around and fed me so much nice food that it’s a good thing I work in scrubs, not proper clothes. As they wouldn’t fit anymore, ’ Clara replied.
They had taken her for sushi when Louisa had coaxed out of her that it was her favourite food, and they had insisted that she order everything she wanted, and if she even looked at a dish, they ordered it for her, even if she had tried telling them it was too much.
‘You’re lucky Mom was out of town. She wanted to hang out with you.’ Taylor had added a laughing emoji to the end of the message.
‘That would have been nice.’
‘When you say nice, you mean terrifying. Anyway, you’ll meet her soon as Mom has decided she’s escorting you at the premier. I hope that’s okay?’
Clara smiled as she read Taylor’s message.
‘It depends on what you’ve told your mum about me.’ It still baffled her that she was talking to an actual movie star about his mum. But when she was chatting to him, he was just Taylor, nothing more than that.
‘Only good things. I promise.’
‘Great. That sounds fine. I’ll hang out with your mum. My car’s coming in five minutes. I’ll see you soon.’
‘I’m looking forward to it.’
Clara peered excitedly out the window as they drew up outside the cinema. She hadn’t known what to expect, but it wasn’t the sight that appeared before her as they slowed at the curb.
There was a mass of people, photographers in the front, then a huge crowd with their phones out, trying to get photos of the celebrities as they arrived.
She stared out the window at the couple in front of her on the red carpet. They had just finished posing for photos and were walking in through the door. A trickle of ice ran down her spine and she frowned at the back of the man in the suit, trying to get a better look at him, but her driver blocked her view when he came around to open the door for her.
Clara stepped out of the car and froze as what felt like a thousand eyes swivelled towards her. She tried to make her legs walk, but they wouldn’t, and she frantically gazed around for someone to tell her where she needed to go.
“What’s your name, love?” One of the photographers yelled at her.
She stared at them for a long moment before some semblance of her senses returned, and she called back, “I’m the medical adviser. You don’t want pictures of me!”
She saw a couple of cameras raise to eyes after she said that, so she smiled and waved. Then she spotted a woman at the far end of the carpet holding an iPad and she strode off down the carpet, not looking either way or responding anymore to the shouts for a smile.
When she reached the door, the woman with the iPad stopped her and asked, “Name, please.”
“Clara Upford,” she replied, clearing her throat nervously.
The young woman tapped a few buttons on the iPad before she said, “Doctor Upford. You’re a popular woman. I have instructions from Mr. Atrosky and Mr. Anderson about you tonight.”
“Oh!” Clara exclaimed in surprise.
“Although you might want to hide from—“ The young woman trailed off when someone shouted Clara’s name. “Here she comes,” she muttered.
Clara swivelled to see who was calling her and saw the woman Taylor had shown her a picture of on his phone. It was his mum.
“Clara,” Taylor’s mum called again as she swept up to them, grabbing Clara and wrapping her up in an embrace before she could answer.
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you, Mrs Anderson,” Clara said as politely as she could while being squashed in a hug.
“Please call me Gloria.” Taylor’s mum squeezed her one more time, then let go.
“No problem, Gloria.” Clara extracted herself from Gloria’s arms and tried to step away, but the older woman caught hold of her hand.
“Taylor asked me to look after you tonight. He said that you’ve never been to a premiere before.” Gloria began tugging her along through the foyer of the theatre, easily weaving between people as they went, gushing, “Which is exciting. I still remember the first one I attended with Taylor; the movie was dreadful, and he was only on screen for three minutes, but the atmosphere was electric, so exciting. I’ve made a point to come to all his premieres. It’s been so wonderful to see what he’s achieved. And the seats I get given are much better than the first time when they shoved me right in the back in a seat that was so uncomfortable I barely managed to make it through the whole film.
“And I’m rambling. Taylor tells me I talk a lot. Anyway, tell me all about you. You’re a doctor. That’s so fabulous. It’s every parent’s dream for their child to either be a doctor or marry a doctor, so I was delighted when Taylor started to talk about you. I know I’m getting ahead of myself, but I know my son, and I see the light in his eyes when he talks about you. I know his career is pretty overwhelming, and the scrutiny can be intense. I also might be a bit biased as I’m his mom, but he’s worth it, and you should give him a chance.” Gloria stopped talking and drew breath.
Clara took the opportunity to speak. “It’s very kind of you to look after me. You’re right. I’ve never been to anything like this before, so I’m glad I get to spend the evening with you.” She ignored the things Gloria had said about Taylor, even though it made her heart beat faster when she heard Taylor spoke about her to someone who was so important to him.
“Anyway, you look stunning tonight. I hear Louisa took you shopping. That woman is a marvel; she has a fantastic eye, and if she weren’t an interior designer, she would have been a huge success as a stylist. I must ask her if she’d like to attend the Hollywood ladies club.”
“I thought it was the Hollywood mums?”
“I’ve broadened my horizons recently; it’s now anyone who needs a bit of company. Do you think you could introduce me so I can ask her?” Gloria stared at Clara expectantly.
“Oh yes. When we see her, I’ll introduce you.” Clara couldn’t work out if Taylor would be delighted or terrified if the fearsome Mr Atrosky’s wife joined his mum’s club.
“Fabulous. We have fifteen minutes until the movie starts. I’ll grab us both a drink. Champagne?” Gloria didn’t wait for Clara to answer before she gestured to one of the circulating waiters and plucked two champagne flutes off the tray.
“Thanks,” Clara said, taking hers and sipping appreciatively. It was cold, crisp, and some of the best champagne she had ever tasted.
She took the opportunity to scan the room while Gloria was silent. There were so many faces she recognised, some because she had met them on the movie set, but a lot because they were faces that most people in the world would recognise.
There was no sign of Taylor, but he had told her that he and Devon would arrive last and spend as long as possible on the red carpet courting the press before they were escorted straight to their seats.
One woman looked familiar. Clara didn’t think they were an actress and she couldn’t place them. The shifting crowd quickly blocked her view of them, and she stood on tiptoes to try and get a better look as something at the back of her mind rang alarm bells, but Gloria drew her attention away.
“I’m grabbing another drink. Do you want one?” Gloria asked, waving her empty glass at Clara.
Shaking her head, Clara took another sip of her still half-full glass before she replied, “No thanks.”
Gloria plucked up another champagne and took a large swig, which made Clara dip her head to hide her giggle as she recalled Taylor complaining about his mum drinking all his good wine.
A voice came over the cinema’s speakers. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. The premiere of ‘Dreamless Sleep’ will be starting in ten minutes. We would like to request that you all take your seats.”
Clara turned around and placed her now empty glass on the tray of a passing waiter, hoping that Gloria would lead the way.
“I already found out where our seats are. Usually, you have to wait in that line,” Gloria nattered, gesturing across to a queue of people who were being escorted one at a time into the cinema. “But now we don’t have to. So let’s go.”
Gloria grabbed her arm again and led her in, weaving through people so they bypassed the line and went straight to their seats.
Clara swept her flowing skirts out of the way and sat down, half listening to Gloria’s chatter as she watched everyone take their seats around her. When it looked like the room was full, another announcement came over the speakers.
“Welcome to ‘Dreamless Sleep.’ I am pleased to introduce the director, Mr Atrosky, to the stage with his leading actors, Taylor Anderson and Devon LaSalle.”
Applause started through the theatre and increased in volume as Damien, Taylor, and Devon strode onto the stage, waving at the cheering crowd.
Damien raised his hand to signal for silence and brought a microphone to his mouth. He spent a few minutes thanking everyone for attending and telling them about the inspiration behind the film and how proud he was of the final result.
Clara listened to Damien but couldn’t stop staring at Taylor, who looked so handsome in his suit.
“He always looks so handsome in his suit.” Gloria leaned over and whispered.
Clara’s head snapped to the older woman, for a moment convinced that her mind had been read. She was going to say something when Damien’s next sentence had her spinning her head back to the stage.
“As many of you know or have heard rumours about, I had a medical episode in the middle of shooting this movie. I’ve downplayed the event’s seriousness, as I didn’t want to distract from the film I’ve made. However, I feel it would be remiss of me not to give credit to a remarkable young lady who is the reason you see me standing here today.”
Clara gripped the arm of her chair; she knew he was talking about her.
“Somehow, we managed to keep out of the press that I had a cardiac arrest on set while we were rehearsing, and I was technically dead for several minutes. But thanks to our medical adviser, Doctor Clara Upford, who immediately assessed the situation and swept into action. I was saved.
“I won’t make her come up on stage, as I know she wouldn’t thank me. But I would like you to join me in a round of applause for this remarkable doctor.”
Clara blushed deeply as the whole cinema erupted into loud applause. Staring down at the stage, she saw Taylor clapping along enthusiastically and cheering for her.
She grinned when Gloria reached over and clasped her hand, whispering in her ear, “Well done.”
“Thanks,” Clara murmured back.
Once the applause died down, Damien finished his introduction of the film, introduced his two lead actors and then the three of them moved off the stage and took their seats in the audience.
Taylor was so tall that it was easy for Clara to see the back of his head, and she was staring at it when he turned in his seat and began to scan the audience. When his eyes fell on hers, a smile split his face, and he gave her a little wave.
“Taylor’s trying to get your attention,” Clara said, nudging Gloria.
Gloria snorted with laughter. “No, he’s not. That wave is most definitely for you.”
Clara stared for a moment longer, then gave a little wave back, grinning when Taylor nodded and turned back to face the screen.