Lying in bed, Riley replayed every moment she’d spent with Briggs. It didn’t take very long, so she kept repeating the memories.
Sitting up as a thought hit her, she grabbed her stuffed bear, sat it in front of her, and spoke to the plush toy. “Auntie Athena invited me to go with her and the other Littles to the big playground today. If I went over there, I’d at least get to see Briggs for a minute.” The white bear with a big red heart on itsstomach just looked back at her. “And my call time is early this morning. I only have one scene to film. I bet I can make it to Auntie’s in plenty of time!”
Excited, she hopped out of bed, ran to her bathroom, and readied for the day. There wasn’t much to do, since the folks in the makeup trailer would take care of everything to get her ready for the scene.
She skipped breakfast, choosing just to get something from craft services on set. So, less than thirty minutes later, she was driving through Burbank on her way to the studio.
Houses, businesses, and apartment complexes passed by outside her window. It wasn’t an overly ritzy area. Nothing like Beverly Hills or even those giant mansions in the mountains.
Riley was doing okay for herself. It would be tone-deaf to complain! But she wasn’t top-tier Hollywood yet. A lot of people didn’t realize that most actors, unless they’re the huge household names, aren’t just rolling in the cash. In the business, one paid ten percent of their paycheck to their agent, then another ten to their talent manager, if they had one (Riley did not), and of course there were taxes. When you factor in that the average mid-range actor made $84,000 a year, it wasn’t all glitz and glamour like many outside the business perceived it to be.
Riley was making more than that, though, and living her dream, so she wasn’t about to complain. But her house wasn’t anything spectacular. Nothing like an opulent palace. It was just a good, spacious home in the suburbs.
As she drove, she smiled at the mixture of trees. With the ocean on one side of L.A. and the mountains on the other, the greenery was a mixture of palm trees and evergreens and other trees that would look more at home in a Western movie than the beach.
Arriving at the studio, she showed her credentials to the guard at the gate, though there wasn’t any reason to because he instantly recognized her and waved her on.
The Taylor Swift song coming over her car’s speakers ended midway through, replaced by a beeping. The car’s screen told her it was Rita calling.
Oh what fun.
Riley rolled her eyes and accepted the call. “Hey, Rita. I’m due on set in just a minute. What’s up?”
“Are you in your own car?”
What a greeting. Rita wasn’t one for small talk.
“Yeah. Why?”
“I told you to use a driver.”
Riley sighed, rolled her eyes a second time, and then thought of explaining that a driver would cost way too much money. Instead, she said, “Well, I like my own car and my house is just a few miles away. It’s all good.”
She could hear the irritation in Rita’s voice when she spoke again, but at least she dropped the subject of the driver. “Hey, we have a big opportunity. Are you free tomorrow night?”
Instead of giving a direct answer, Riley asked a question of her own. “What’s up?”
“Big party. Lots of heavy-hitters. At the Polo Lounge.”
Riley scrunched her face as she thought it over. While she’d rather go to her new favorite place, Auntie Athena’s nursery, it was important to be seen around town. She wanted her career to take off; she just wasn’t so sure she wanted Rita along for the ride.
They were stuck together for now.
“I can make it.”
“Good. There’s more to it, but I’ll fill you in on the deets later.”
Riley tried not to laugh. Rita loved to use words likedeets, even though it really didn’t save her all that much time from just sayingdetails. But whatever.
“And, like I said, this is the Polo Lounge,” Rita continued. "So old Hollywood type glamor stuff. I want you wearing Zac Posen. I’ll send you over a few dresses. Just pick which one you want and my assistant will send the others back. Gotta run, babe.”
The line went mercifully dead.
It occurred to Riley that Rita was not only doing the job of an agent, but one of a publicist, too. Maybe that was part of the problem. Perhaps it would be best to tell Rita to focus only on securing auditions and parts, while Riley hired a dedicated publicist to take care of the rest.
She’d give it some more thought later. Right now, she needed to report on set, get to the makeup trailer, and maybe grab a little something to eat too.
The quicker she filmed her scenes, the quicker she’d be at Auntie Athena’s!