Chapter 20
twenty
. . .
BLAIR
“I need to confess that I have a small crush on Grant Hall,” Sophia tells me as she gets into my car.
“Please don’t tell him that. He doesn’t need any more women to feed his ego!” I joke with her.
She looks at me, her brows knit with worry. “Is he a jerk?”
“No, no, I was kidding. He’s actually one of the nicest guys in Hollywood. He’s tough. He takes his job seriously and has a bit of a reputation for being a hard-ass, depending on who you ask.”
I give her the background on how he rose through the ranks and is a bit of a box-office whisperer. In an industry that is competing with technology giants and using data to get ahead, Grant is someone who believes in following his gut vs. following data. He has an exceptional ability to understand and read people and an even better aptitude for what audiences and fans want.
“I sound terrible,” Sophia says. “I don’t mean to demean his talent and make it about his looks, but the guy is so hot!”
I throw my head back and laugh. It is so refreshing to see someone as talented as she is, and currently in the biggest spotlight there is, act like a normal twenty-something with a crush.
Celebrities. They’re just like us.
“He’s definitely what some would refer to as a DILF.”
“He’s a dad?” Sophia snaps to look at me, her shock apparent.
“Yeah, and if you think he’s charming now, just wait until he brings his daughter to an event. Any woman in the vicinity will feel her ovaries melt.”
“Oh, so is he with someone, then?” I catch a flicker of disappointment in her eyes.
“No, and that is the big mystery. Geneva is the mother, but she’s not in the picture at all.”
“The supermodel?” Sophia asks. “That child must be gorgeous.”
“Yeah, they were an item for a hot minute a few years ago. He has full custody, though. I don’t know the story there. No one does. He’s very private about his personal life.”
“Hmm.” Sophia pinches her lips between her fingers as she looks out the passenger window. “He must be. I sat next to him all night at Pink Slip , and he never mentioned he had a daughter.”
I shift topics and let her know this isn’t a big pitch but more of a relationship-building opportunity. Part of Grant’s process of knowing if a project is going to work is also about the people. He’s meticulous in understanding the personalities of talent and creators, and he works hard to pull together a team that connects as well off the screen as they do on screen. There’s a reason everyone wants to work with him and his team at Wonderland Studios.
“Just be yourself. He’ll want to get to know Sophia the person, not necessarily Sophia the actress.”
She nods and tells me how refreshing that is to hear.
Because she’s still so young, it’s easy to forget that she’s been in this industry for so long. You’d think, since most of her work was on a TV series or original movies for kid channels, that she was protected from some of the darker politics in Hollywood, but you’d be wrong. Some of the worst corruption happens to young actors just starting out. It’s easy for studios to take advantage of fresh talent who might not realize what they can negotiate. This business is so competitive, and if you’ve made it, you don’t want to fail. Sometimes, that means you adjust your personality to do whatever it takes, even if what it takes is not in alignment with your values or morals.
From conversations we’ve had, I know Sophia was lucky and most of her experience was fantastic, but there were a few incidents where things could have gone terribly wrong.
I look nervously over at Sophia. I hope I don’t piss her off with what I’m about to share.
“I may have shared that I’m hoping to sign you. I hope that is ok. I’ve not talked about any projects yet, either. I think if we can focus on what you are interested in, ideal roles, it will ensure you are top of mind in the event those roles are ever pitched to him, regardless of who represents you.”
Even though a lot of projects pitched to studios have people attached to produce, direct, or act, a studio can always influence the final decision.
“It’s absolutely ok. I don’t think it has to be a secret that we’re talking.”
When we arrive at The Ivy, Grant is already waiting for us, and I glance at my watch to see if we are late. We’re actually early, so I’m relieved but surprised that he beat us here. He must really be interested in catching up.
After hugs, kisses, and reintroductions, I’m surprised when Grant starts the conversation.
“You absolutely deserved the Oscar. It was by far the best performance of the year.”
Sophia immediately blushes, and I know she must be dying a little on the inside to receive such a big compliment from Grant.
“Thank you. That means a lot coming from you.” Their eyes lock and linger a bit, and suddenly, I feel like a third wheel at this lunch.
I wonder if I’m reading the vibes right when Grant snaps out of his trance and immediately gets the conversation back on track by asking Sophia to tell him how she got started in this business.
The hour goes by quickly, and before I have a chance to tell him about some scripts on my desk, he gets an alert that he’s needed back at the office. I’m a little disappointed, but overall, it was a big win because it appears he and Sophia had a great connection. Without a doubt, she won him over, and I know that she’ll be on the roster of talent he likes to work with.
“Blair, I’m sorry we didn’t talk more about your projects, but it’s obvious we’ll be talking more about the talent you’re collecting. I’ll be seeing you again soon.” He’s not even looking at me when he says this. There’s definitely a vibe happening here.
I nod in agreement. I don’t want to disrupt the mood. As he stands, he hesitates a minute before leaving the table. He walks away but turns back quickly.
“I’d like to invite the both of you out to my summer party in the Hamptons. I’ll have my assistant send over the details to Stella.”
I nod again because I’m speechless. In all my years at TWA, I have never made the invite list to a Grant Hall summer party. It is beyond exclusive.
“Did he just…” Sophia doesn’t even finish. She’s just as shocked as I am.
“You must have really impressed him!” I tell her. I don’t add that I think he may also have a crush on her, too.
Just then, my phone buzzes, and when I look down to see who it is, Sophia notices Wyatt’s name on the screen.
WYATT
How’s lunch?
“Why is he asking about this lunch? Did you tell him we were meeting Grant?”
Is she mad? Should I have mentioned it to him? I’m not exactly sure how to tell her that Wyatt knows I had lunch plans with Grant because he asked me to lunch, but I led him to believe I was meeting with Grant alone so I could be funny and evil and make him jealous instead of telling him I was bringing his sister.
“No, I’m not sure. I guess it’s just lunchtime. You know your brother is weird.”
I hold my breath, hoping she buys that excuse. It’s another reminder of why we won’t work as anything more than colleagues. It would be so awkward.
“He totally is. I know you have history, but don’t let him bother you. He can be overbearing and protective of me. I appreciate it, but it can become a bit much sometimes.”
I leave him on read just to mess with him.
As we walk to the car, she looks over at me like she wants to ask me more about our history.
“He’s not bothering me. And I know you want to ask. Go ahead.”
When we get into the car, she fires off about twenty questions in one breath: “How did you meet? Was it love at first sight? How long were you together? Why did you break up?”
It’s that last one that sticks with me.
“The short version is he was dating my friend Holly and, when they broke up, we sort of started dating. And then he started dating her again but failed to let me know.”
“He didn’t,” she whispers.
“Yeah, I found out when she told me they were going to prom together.”
I spare her the details of him taking my virginity.
I confess to her that we did finally talk about it the other night and that he explained how her dad and Holly’s parents concocted the reunion. She tells me that what they did was bullshit, upset with her parents in my defense, but I tell her I understand what it’s like to want to please your parents.
“I vaguely remember some of this,” she says. “Not the details, but I remember Wyatt was so angry when we were moving him into UCLA. He refused to talk to our dad the entire summer. I’m not even sure when they started talking again. Just one day, he was over it, I guess.”
I want to ask her more questions about Wyatt. Did he mention me or seem sad? I push down my curiosity and tell her it was just young love. I’m glad Wyatt told me what happened, but it was all so long ago. I’m just glad we can be friends.
“You know, this sounds like the start of a Hollywood rom-com. Maybe we pitch this to Grant next year,” she says with a glint of hope in her eye.
I laugh at Sophia’s romantic idealism and try to tell her that the ending would make it a tragedy, but she looks directly at me and says, “The story isn’t over. I just know it.”
I swallow hard and don’t say a word because something deep down wants her to be right.