I wouldn’t mind having a trailer, I find myself thinking idly. Imagine if, everywhere you went in life, there was a little trailer waiting for you to go and relax in whenever you felt like it.
Imagine taking a trailer shopping. God, yes! You could put all your bags in it, and have a little rest, and make yourself a cup of tea and—
“Becky.” April puts down her phone and smiles at me. “How are you?”
“Er, fine!” I say. “Thank you. This is my friend Suze.”
“Hi, Suze.” April bestows her radiant smile on Suze, then turns back to me. “I just wanted to make sure you were OK. I don’t want you getting any backlash from Ant. You have any trouble with him, you let me know.”
“Thank you!” I say, touched.
“Well, I owe you.” She sighs. “I should have picked up that issue at the read-through. Or someone should have. Those guys are idiots.”
“What will they do now?” I say in slight trepidation. “Have I really derailed the whole movie?”
“Sheesh, no!” She laughs. “They’ll write another scene. They’ll fix it. That’s their job. But I’d like to do you a favor in return, if I can.” She looks earnestly at me. “Do you have an agent? Do you need a better one? Would you like a contact? I know how tough it is out there; anything can help.”
“Actually, I don’t have an agent,” I start to explain. “This isn’t really what I do—”
“I’d love an agent!” chimes in Suze. “I want to be an extra. I think it could be my new career.”
April Tremont surveys us both curiously. “You’re not actors?”
“I went to drama school,” says Suze quickly. “I’ve got a diploma. I was highly commended in my modern speech.”
“I’m in fashion.”
“We got on the film because of Tarkie.”
“Tarkie’s her husband,” I explain. “He finances films.”
“Now I find out,” says Suze bitterly.
“So everyone was like, ‘Do you want to watch a film being made?’ and we said, ‘No, we want to be in it.’ ”
“So here we are!”
We both come to a halt and look expectantly at April. It seems as though she’s having slight trouble following.
“So you need an agent,” she says to Suze.
“Yes, please!” says Suze.
“And you need …” She turns to me. “Do you need anything?”
“I’d love a job in styling,” I say. “That’s what I do. I used to work in Barneys, and I’m trying to make it in Hollywood, but it’s really hard to get a foot in the door.”
“Bex is brilliant,” says Suze loyally. “She makes anyone look good. Even my sister-in-law Fenella, who, believe me …” She makes a face.
“She’s got good shoulders,” I say. “You just have to focus on the shoulders.”
“OK,” says April thoughtfully. “Well, how about this? I have a friend who’s a stylist and she’s run ragged. I know she’s always looking for talented people to work with her. How about I fix up a meeting for you?”
“That would be amazing!” I gasp. “Really?”
“We’ll both be at the Actors’ Society Awards, Friday night. How about I get you a ticket? I’ll get you both a pair of tickets. It’s a fun evening.”
“Thank you!” I grin delightedly at Suze. “Thank you so much!”
“My friend’s name is Cyndi.” April scribbles the name on a piece of paper. “She’ll be there with her new client. You can meet her too. Maybe you guys will all end up working together!”
“Wow!” I take the piece of paper. “Thanks. Who’s her new client?”
“Lois Kellerton,” says April, and I freeze. I’m aware of Suze opening her eyes wide, and I try desperately to ignore her.
“What’s up?” says April, sensing the tension. “Do you know Lois?”
“No,” I say quickly. “Not at all. No. Never met. Why would I have met Lois Kellerton?” I give a shrill, unnatural laugh.
“OK. Well, Lois is lovely,” says April. “We’re friends too—in fact, we’re neighbors. We’ve both lived on Doheny Road forever. You’ll get along great.”
This is the first time I’ve heard anyone describe Lois as “lovely,” and April clearly notices my surprise.
“What is it?” she says.
I know I should keep my mouth shut, but I can’t resist it.
“It’s just I heard Lois was … tricky to deal with?” I venture. “Isn’t her new film running into problems?”
April sighs. “I wish Lois didn’t have this reputation. She’s a wonderful girl. And the film will be wonderful. It’s the story of the early female athletes, you know, using some original footage from the Olympics. So smart. And, yes, there have been glitches, but every movie has glitches.”
“Sorry,” I say awkwardly. “I didn’t mean to … I just heard …”
“I know.” April drops her hands as though in exasperation. “Everyone says the same. The thing is, Lois is bright, she expects high standards, and she doesn’t necessarily win herself friends. But you’ll like her. I’m sure you will.”
A text bleeps in her phone and she reaches for it. “Sorry, I have to go. Give your address to my assistant and I’ll messenger the tickets over. Let yourselves out when you’re ready.”