Chapter 5
Evie
The Martini Meeting
“He called me Final Girl.” Skye swooned and fell back against the railing I’d been leaning on.
I stepped back, slightly confused. Had we been part of the same conversation?
“He’s so fucking hot,” she continued. “Did you see him in Step-Devil? I need to touch that bare ass.” She made a squeezing motion, and I cringed. She didn’t seem to notice my reaction. “I have a friend who slept with him a year or so ago. She said his dick is huge.”
As if seeing me for the first time, she stuck out her hand for me to shake. “I’m Skye.”
“Evie.”
“I think I recognize you.” She squinted and ran her gaze up and down me. “I feel like I’ve seen videos of you?”
I rolled my eyes. I got this often in public.
“Probably. I have a web channel, The—”
“Body Count Bimbo! Yes!” she squealed as her eyes widened with recognition. “I listen to you when I work out sometimes. Wow, no wonder he wants you as the main lead.”
I blushed and offered a tight smile. “I think he was just trying to throw his weight around. I think you’d be better in that role.”
Like a spring, her mood popped right back up from disappointment to excitement.
“Really? This is gonna be such a game-changer for me. Especially if we go with the good script.” Her words were casual, but the look in her honey-colored eyes was a mix of threatening and hopeful. Almost as if she were making sure I agreed with her.
“It sounds like they haven’t made a decision yet.” A sudden flare of jealousy and protectiveness came over me. Maybe I did want the lead role alongside Sebastian. It was my mother’s legacy after all. “It could be either of us.”
“True, but if you don’t even want it, that should factor in.” She spun around, flipping her long, silky blonde hair over her shoulder. “If you don’t want to fuck him on camera, I will.”
I pressed my lips together. She was clearly confident in her status on this project. Who was I to argue? I nodded and stuffed my hands into my pockets.
“Well, it was nice to meet you. I’m going to head to my hotel.”
“Ooh, where are you staying? They put me up at the Carradine.”
I faltered. Hopefully my mother’s home was ready sooner rather than later, and my hotel stay was short. I couldn’t quite read Skye, and that made me uneasy. Was she only interested in the role, or something more with Sebastian? And why did I even care? I shook my head, forcing him from my mind.
Suddenly, her competitiveness slid off, and she looped her arm through mine.
“If we’re gonna be spending the next few months together, we need to become friends fast.” She started moving, and I stumbled forward, not entirely sure what was going on but too nervous to protest. She was far more confident in this world than I was, even though I’d grown up on this very lot.
I thought about that as we rode to the hotel we were both staying at.
How unfamiliar this all felt, despite knowing it shouldn’t be.
Skye didn’t seem to notice me going in and out.
She talked the entire ride. She gave me a rundown of her life and asked about mine.
I was guarded and kept things vague when she asked about my family.
It didn’t seem to faze her, though, because she just kept talking.
And by the time we got to the hotel, I realized I was the bitch—not her. She was just a girl with goals.
“It’s gonna be so much fun, Evie.” She hugged me in the elevator. “I hope they pick me,” she said, stepping back, her wide eyes searching mine. What did she want from me? Was she waiting for me to say I wished it too?
I wasn’t sure what I wanted.
Before I could speak, the elevator dinged, and we turned to see a man holding a giant bouquet of flowers. Skye’s face lit up, and she ran to him. I followed behind at a slower pace.
“Dahlias are my favorite! Those have to be for me.” She grabbed the mixture of burgundy and pink flowers from the man. He looked slightly startled but waited as she read the card. Her jaw dropped, and she looked at me. “He wants to take me to dinner.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Sebastian, silly!” She waved the card.
The delivery man nodded and left.
Skye came back to me, holding the large arrangement. “I knew we made a connection today. He’s probably going to go with the good script. I’ll have my chance to win him over. Oh, Evie, this is amazing!” She tried to hug me again, but the flowers got in the way.
“That’s great, Skye. I’m not feeling too hot. I need to go lie down.”
“Oh? Headache? Tummy troubles?”
“Chronic nausea,” I told her, which wasn’t a lie.
I dipped into my room before she could try to help me—or before I had to hear more about her and Sebastian’s possible sex scenes.
I leaned against the door and let out a breath.
Sebastian was taking Skye out to dinner, and I was…
disappointed? Why, exactly? I didn’t come here for him, and yet…
Had I read everything wrong?
Sebastian had seemed happy to see me.
He’d remembered our codes.
And…so had I.
I fell onto the bed and rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling.
The more I thought about it, asking Skye out made sense.
He was so obnoxiously Hollywood now. With his muscular physique and chiseled features, he didn’t need plastic surgery.
He was one of the rare people who were born gorgeous. Time had only enhanced his allure.
He'd bragged to me about how good his life had gotten after I left, and all I could think about was how bright his green eyes were now. A far cry from the dull, depressed look he wore when we were kids. He’d wanted me to know that my sudden departure from L.A.
hadn’t hurt him. And I couldn’t say the same.
This was just another kick in the shin to tell me he was over me.
It was hard not to take that personally. Exhaling, I sat up. Staying here, alone in my room, I’d go crazy thinking about him and Skye. I needed to do something.
I took a nausea pill then showered, changed, and redid my makeup. I waited until I heard Skye’s voice in the hall, heading downstairs. Once I was confident she’d left for her date, I exited my room. I went down and wandered into the bar.
“Blueberry lemon drop,” I ordered.
“Is this who I think it is?” A handsome man with a sun-kissed tan and slightly long, tousled, sandy blond hair slid over, flashing a bright smile. “Evie Reyes?”
I eyed him cautiously. He wore a dusty blue suit, but he appeared young. “And you are?”
“Glenn Thornton. I’m one of the producers for Simon Says Six. It’s nice to finally meet you. I was a huge fan of your mom.”
Thornton.
I stiffened.
“Six Six.”
“What’s that?”
“The movie is Simon Says Six: Six Six.”
He eyed me curiously. “Right.”
The bartender returned with my drink. Glenn ordered a rum and Coke and sat beside me.
“I’d heard they’d put some of the actors up here, but I hadn’t realized you’d be here too.”
“It’s temporary. I have people cleaning my mom’s estate so I can move in.”
“They never sold it?” He raised his eyebrows, his tone shifting with interest.
I shook my head. “My aunt wanted me to be the one to decide what to do with it. I was only two years away from being an adult when my mother died.”
“Right. My apologies. Lita was highly respected in the field.”
A moment of awkwardness crept over us when I didn’t reply, but Glenn pushed it away quickly.
“We’ll be seeing a lot of each other. I’m one of the youngest producers on the project. I took over for my dad when he passed earlier this year.”
“Michael Thornton?” I asked, my stomach tightening.
Thornton. Dourif. Castle. Hodder. Englund. Bradley.
He was on my list.
“Yes. Did you know him?”
“My mom did.” I brought my drink to my lips but paused. “I’m sorry for your loss.” The words rang hollow, but what does one say when they tell you their parent is dead?
Good.
“Same. Let’s not talk about our dead parents, though. The Hollywood gossip circles have done enough to both of them.”
“Fair enough.” I smiled tightly and made a mental note to look into the cause of death—and why I hadn’t heard about it.
“So, Simon Says, we’re second gen. Welcome to the club.
” We raised our glasses, letting them clink, and then we drank.
I was a bit stiff in my movements, and I didn’t reply when he said welcome.
Instead, I toasted to something else silently.
Thanks to whatever or whoever did Michael Thornton in.
“It’s an honor to be here.” I lied. I wouldn’t be here at all if it weren’t for his father and his friends.
“So, tell me about yourself, Evie Reyes.”
I eyed him suspiciously for a careful moment and then started in. Over the next hour, I told him about my career as a social media influencer, and soon, after a third cocktail, I’d completely forgotten why I’d come down from my room. I was having a good time with Glenn.
Even if his dad had been one of my mortal enemies.
He was flirty but polite. He teased me, leaning in intimately, but never once did his hand move to my thigh. It was a pleasant surprise. Had I met the only gentleman in Hollywood?
A few hours later, our good evening was interrupted by a squealing voice.
“Evie!”
Glenn and I turned to see Skye and Sebastian returning from their date. Skye ran toward us, but Sebastian stayed back, hands deep in his black suit jacket, scowling. He’d styled his hair back with gel. My breathing hitched slightly at the sight of him.
“Seb—come here!” Skye called, throwing her arms around me. “You look like you’re feeling better.” She giggled and called to Sebastian again.
Reluctantly, he sauntered over, maintaining the scowl on his face.
“Hey, Sebastian,” Glenn greeted warmly. “Glenn. I’m a producer for Simon Says Six.”
“Six Six,” Sebastian and I shot back at the same time.
We made eye contact, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
I laughed, but stopped when I realized I was the only one who thought it funny.
Glenn held out his hand, but Sebastian didn’t shake it, leaving Glenn to falter and stuff his hand back into his pocket.
“Let’s go sit at a booth.” Skye grabbed Sebastian by the arm and pulled him to a table.
Glenn picked up our drinks off the bar.
“You want to?” he asked.
No. Not with how Sebastian was scowling at us. However, Glenn was already halfway across the room, and Skye had already sat down and was waving her arm in the air.
“Sure, I guess,” I muttered to myself as I hopped off my stool and joined the party.
Skye and Sebastian took one side of the booth, while Glenn and I sat across from them.
“What were you guys meeting about?” Sebastian asked as soon as we sat down. His tone was sharp and carried an air of authority. “Discussing the movie?”
Glenn and I exchanged a look at the cold, almost accusatory question. Why did he care?
“Not at all, actually. Glenn saw me drinking by myself and decided to be friendly,” I shot back.
“You look more than just friendly,” Sebastian said. “Like we caught you on a date.”
“We only just met today, actually.” What was he doing? I stared at Sebastian, trying to communicate silently. I scanned my memory for a movie line that could convey what I needed, but I was a tad too tipsy to focus.
“So did we.” Skye leaned her head against Sebastian’s shoulder. “We had an amazing dinner. Sebastian took me to Tantalus. Have you been?”
“I love that place,” Glenn said.
“I’ve never been,” I said.
A waiter came by and took our drink orders.
“Maybe I can take you sometime.” Glenn gave me a smile that, ten minutes ago, would have given me delicious butterflies. Now, I was hyper-aware of our audience.
“You can do better than that, Mr. Producer,” Sebastian sneered. “That’s if Evie’s not pretending to have a stomachache. I can’t help but notice I didn’t even get a thank-you call.”
I stiffened. How did he know about me not feeling well? I glanced at Skye, who coincidently was focusing hard on the drink menu.
Thank you? For what exactly?
I was about to ask when Glenn spoke up beside me.
“Well, I mean, it’d probably be more than just dinner.” Glenn fumbled with his words. “Maybe a show or something. We can talk about this later,” he said.
I pressed my hand to my forehead. This was mortifying.
Poor Glenn. Poor Skye. She had no idea why Sebastian was acting like this.
I didn’t either, for that matter. This was exactly why I hadn’t called Sebastian when I returned.
Glenn was a producer. He had connections I didn’t, and while his dad was already dead, the others weren’t. I needed to play nice.
Sebastian wouldn’t understand my need for revenge. This was a solo mission.
“Speaking of thank you—Sebastian is such a gentleman. Not only did we go to dinner, but Sebastian also sent me flowers. Evie saw them. They’re gorgeous, aren’t they, Evie?” Skye, seemingly afraid of silence, piped up.
Sebastian’s head snapped toward her. “What?”
“The Dahlias. They were stunning. And expensive. My momma had a saying—if the date costs more than what you made in a full day’s work, then your date deserves to get a little lucky.
Thank you for sending them to my room.” She turned from him to beam at us across the table. “He called me his Final Girl.”
Everyone at the table watched as her hand dipped under the table to touch Sebastian.
He didn’t flinch. He didn’t seem to register she’d said anything at all. He was glaring those green eyes at me.
“Those flowers were for Evie.”