CHAPTER 32
Dana woke in Samara’s bed in LA and couldn’t believe she was there.
She hadn’t even told Lainey that she was leaving until after they’d arrived, and she’d sent her a quick text letting her know that she had gone to LA.
Lainey had replied with a surprised emoji, followed by a heart emoji, and lastly, a smiling wide emoji.
That had been it. Dana had expected questions or a ‘what the fuck’ kind of text, but nothing had come after the emojis, so she had put her phone on silent and let Samara show her around her massive house, which was five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a den that she sometimes used as an office, a movie theater, a small at-home gym, and more.
The kitchen alone was larger than Dana’s entire apartment in New Orleans.
There was also a hot tub pool combo in the yard, off a nice deck made of dark wood, and an attached screened-in porch with plexiglass windows that opened and closed, so Samara had an air-conditioner installed there so that she could sit outside for long periods of time but also have the room be at seventy degrees.
They hadn’t gone swimming or used the hot tub.
Instead, they had snuggled up on the small patio sofa and talked while they stared out at the view of the hills.
They’d both been very tired, so after a few hours of that, as well as eating dinner that they had ordered and taking their shower together, they’d decided to get a good night’s sleep to have enough energy to explore today.
“Babe?” she asked when she got back out of the bathroom and noticed that Samara wasn’t in bed.
The house was too big for her to yell and have Samara hear her, so she threw a pair of sweats from her bag on over the panties she’d slept in and headed out to find her.
“You need an intercom or something,” she said when she found Samara in the kitchen, standing over the stove.
“Why?” Samara asked. “And good morning.”
Dana kissed her and looked down at the skillet.
“You’re cooking?”
“Vegan eggs for me. Real eggs for you,” Samara said.
“You’re cooking real eggs?”
“For you, yeah. I’m not a fan of eating animal byproducts, but the main reason I’m vegan is that it’s healthier for me. I can cook you eggs.”
“Where did you even get them?”
“Kyla sent someone shopping for us yesterday.”
“God, it must be nice to have an assistant,” Dana said. “And you need an intercom because this place is so huge, I couldn’t yell for you and find you.”
“Oh,” Samara said and plated the eggs from one pan before she turned to the other skillet Dana hadn’t noticed at first. “I guess I’ve never needed anyone to find me here. It’s usually just me.”
“What about your previous relationships?”
“There aren’t a ton of those. I think you forget sometimes that I’m younger than you,” Samara replied and plated the eggs from the second skillet. “I don’t date all that often. When I have, yeah, they’ve been here, I guess, but an intercom just wasn’t needed.”
Dana watched as Samara carried the plate to the round kitchen table that stood in front of a nook with a cushioned bench seat that looked like the perfect spot for her to sit and read a book or a script.
“Can you get the coffee?” Samara asked, and minutes later, they were sitting at the table, eating their breakfast.
“Kyla ordered the fully cooked kind from the store because she was afraid I wouldn’t know how to cook it,” Samara shared, shaking her head as she glanced down at Dana’s plate, where there were three strips of bacon. “She was right: I’ve never just cooked bacon before.”
“It’s good,” Dana said. “And you cooked it right.”
“The microwave did most of the work,” Samara replied and took a drink of her coffee before adding, “This is weird.”
“What is?”
“I’ve never sat here with someone I’m dating and shared a breakfast I cooked.”
“No?”
“I never really wanted to cook for someone else.”
Dana smiled and said, “I know this coffee is way too hot for me, but the one sip I managed before it burned my tongue tasted really good.”
“Just let it cool off,” Samara said, laughing. “Why did you drink it when it’s too hot for you?”
“Habit,” she said. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?”
“Well, I have a little surprise for you, if you’re interested.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. I’ve got a car picking us up in about an hour. It’s going to drive us around all day.”
“All day?”
“I have six stops picked for you, and we can do whatever else you want to do, too. Technically, Kyla made the arrangements, but I made the plan.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll find out. A few tourist spots. A few local spots.”
“Yeah? That sounds good. I’m in,” Dana said.
“And do you remember me telling you I have a party to go to on New Year’s Eve?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, you’re my plus-one.”
“I know.”
“And it’s a pretty big deal,” Samara added.
“That I’m your plus-one?” she asked. “Are you coming out at this party?”
“No, when I come out, it won’t be at some party. It’ll be an article or an interview or a post on social media that I control.”
“Then, why is me being your–”
“The party is a big deal,” Samara told her. “It’s Peyton Gloss’s annual New Year’s Eve party.”
Dana’s jaw dropped, and she said, “What now?”
Samara laughed and replied, “She started them up again last year, and I was on the invite list. It’s not as huge as it used to be, apparently, but it’s still a big beach party, and practically everyone who’s anyone will be there.
Last year, she had to hire security for the door because people just tried to get in.
Only invitees get to show up, and you are now on the list.”
“I’m going to a Peyton Gloss party?”
“You’re going to the Peyton Gloss party, baby.”
Dana shook her head and said, “That’s crazy.”
“And since I’m friends with several of her friends who happen to be very well-known actors, I was thinking I could introduce you, and you could talk to them about it.
Kenzie and Lennox have had very different experiences.
Lennox grew up in the business. Kenzie kind of came upon it in college.
Jessica Morrison will be there as well. She was a model first. There will be more, too, but maybe they’ll have some advice or something. ”
“Advice for me?” she asked. “Someone who’s done community theater and hasn’t even finished her first film yet?”
“You’ve got to start somewhere, Dana. Everyone does.
Jessica modeled, and no one took her seriously as an actor at first. Because Lennox was an industry kid, everyone had just assumed she got her first roles due to nepotism, but she’s a great actress and a really talented writer.
Kenzie was about the last person to even think about acting, and now, she’s won all the awards and is incredibly successful.
She went to an audition on a dare, and that’s how it all started for her.
You auditioned because I thought you might be good, and I was right: you are good.
And not only are you good, but you are also a good scene partner.
That’s not always the case. I have worked with some people who don’t seem to care whenever the camera isn’t on them or if it’s not their line, but you’re always in the scene.
You’re present. You make it easier to play this character. ”
“It’s not exactly a complicated character, Sam. Nothing against you, Sophie, or Stella, how Bryce wrote her, but it’s a romance. You’re–”
“Will you just take a damn compliment? I swear, I have no idea how we’re going to make this work if I can’t ever compliment you on things.”
Samara laughed and took another sip of her coffee.
“You can compliment me in other areas.”
“I’m not complimenting you for sex all the time, Dana.”
Dana laughed and replied, “That, too, but I meant, like, literally anything else.”
“Why don’t you believe in yourself?”
“I do. It’s not that. I know I was talented enough to get into a tough drama school.”
“A few of them, apparently,” Samara pointed out.
“Yeah, but I did theater for years. And trust me, plenty of tourists attend the theaters in New Orleans. I’m sure, over all those years, an agent, producer, a casting director or something attended one of my shows, but no one stopped me to hand me a business card.”
“Babe, that’s how it works for some people.
I was just a cute kid. They had no idea when they handed my mom a business card that I could even act.
I know an actor who was out walking his dog one night, and he happened to live down the street from an agent who thought he had the look for a part.
He had no idea if the guy even wanted to be an actor, but this is LA: throw a rock anywhere, and you’ll hit one.
So, he was right, and that guy makes millions a picture now, but it’s not like that for everyone.
I know more stories where that wasn’t the case than where it was.
In fact, most of my friends had to audition hundreds or thousands of times to get their big break, and I know people who thought they had that break only to never get cast in anything big again.
Some of them gave up. Some of them play other roles whenever they can get them, but they’ll probably never be a lead.
Everyone’s story is different. This is just yours, and I, personally, think it’s a really good one. ”
Dana smiled at her and wished she could have that kind of confidence in her abilities but also lose the fear it felt like she always had around making a real go of being an actor.
Samara must have recognized that she needed a topic change, so she started talking about making plans for dinner that night at a restaurant she liked.
They went back upstairs, where they got ready for their day, and Samara walked Dana through some of the ways she used organization around the house to reduce her stress. Then, they were off on their journey.