Page 8 of Hollywood Undercover
She gnawed at the corner of her nail, staring at the wall as she waited. Just before she gave up again, Evangelineanswered.
“Hello, darling.” She had a characteristic flare for the dramatic, and Alexandra lovedit.
She squealed with excitement at finally connecting with her best friend, whose face now filled the screen. Twenty-six-year-old Evangeline Reese was from London, England. She had a roasted chestnut brown complexion from head to toe, jet black hair, gorgeous bedroom eyes, a button nose, and plush, full lips. In a word, stunning, and was proudly every bit the diva the media had made her out to be. Her fans adored her forit.
“Eva!” Alexandra shouted. “I’ve been trying to call you forever, you lousy phone-answerer. Where the hell is your assistant to take my calls when I need you, woman? I mean for Christ’ssake.”
Alexandra watched as Evangeline placed her iPhone in a cradle and padded around Studio F. She was in house slippers and a red silk robe, smoking a slimcigarette.
“Darling, it’s the heat! Oh yes, lovely. I’m in the middle of this place that’s desert on one end, and swamp on the other. I’ve got a pack of sexy-as-sin wild boys on set with me, and I am loving the view, let me tell you! But I can’t believe this sun hasn’t fried every component in this expensive piece-of-shit phone. Ahhh, who am I kidding? It’s the hottest set in the most scenic corner of the Statesimaginable.”
She picked up the phone and turned it in another direction to show Alexandra the green screen. Standing in front of it was one of Evangeline’s supporting characters. At one corner, several sexy male actors were lining up for what Eva told her was take seventy-five of a fightscene.
“Darling, these guys are sizzling hot, but it’s all a big, fat, wicked sham! Not one of these hunks are straight. Not even one! This has to be what purgatory is like, I swear!” She paused, lowering her tone a few octaves. “How are you, my dear? How is the Grammy’s sexiest musicalcouple?”
Alexandra took in the entertaining scene on her phone. Eva was swatting away the makeup artist who began to refresh her face, and pulled herself from the hair stylist tugging at rollers in her thick, black hair. After Eva broke free, she gave the finger to the frowning script coordinator who pointed at the cigarette she still had in the other hand. She furrowed her brow and puffed on the cigarette again indefiance.
“Haven’t you heard?” Alexandra whispered. “Wilkes was cheating on me—with Lydia Daniels. I dumped thebastard.”
Evangeline gasped, flinging her manicured nails up to her pouty lips, her eyes widening in shock. “You’re kidding, right? I mean, Lydia Daniels? That two-bit, no-talent twat? What a step down,darling.”
“See? Without you around, my life has become a cesspit of despair.” Alexandra wailed with theatrics to match Evangeline’s tone, and the two giggled together. “Anyway, I really need tovent.”
“You have somewhere between thirty minutes and three hours, give or take. It depends on how many times this insufferable amateur director decides to micromanage the talent. We’ve been on this one scene since morning. He should be grateful I haven’t thrown a diva fit today.” She turned to the stylist still working on her hair. “That’s enough, Kalise! God, if you put any more hairspray on me, you’ll single-handedly deplete the ozone! You see, Lexxi? He’ll bring it out of me soon if he doesn’t get this show together. Iswear!”
“Sounds like you’re having the time of yourlife.”
“Naturally. It’s not every day a girl goes from barista to three-time Best Actressnominee.”
“How are the Academy Awards shaping up?” Alexandra smiled and rolled over on the bed. This was exactly what she needed. They had known each other since the early days of both their careers. She had been around when Evangeline waited on tables, and Evangeline was Alexandra’s biggest fan when she was playing to an audience of two or three—both of them included. Now that they had both attained stardom and success, they had remainedclose.
Evangeline let out a loud guffaw of laughter and walked through a back door. She looked for a spot where she could talk without interruption. Once outside, she dropped the stuffy language, and her British accentsoftened.
“All right, so enough of this. I can only hope the awards are doing fine, hun. But how are you? Of course I saw you calling all those times. My schedule has been grueling! We work around the clock sometimes. I’m exhausted out of my mind, but I know you have to really be going through some shit if you were blowing up my phone about Wilkes, of all people. I didn’t even think you liked him that much. What’s really going on, Lex? Spill it. I’m allears.”
“I don’t know why I reacted like this, Eva. To be honest, I was over him within the first few months of dating him. I let the feel-good country songs fool me for a minute. He’s not nearly as romantic in person, and I know it’s nothimthat has me feeling heartbroken. It’s theideaof him, which is even worse, because that means I’m turning into one of those women who get suckered into a pretty face and an emptyshell.”
“Never go for the emotionally vacant, dear. You’re much too smart forthat.”
“Am I, Eva? I mean, am I really? I’ve had the worst string of dating luck. Some of this has to be my fault. Take Wilkes. All he had going for him was a hot body and that southern boy charm! He had no sex drive either, so the sex appeal almost didn’tcount.”
“Ah, not really, hun,” Eva said, her shoulders shrugging. “Actually, I never knew what you saw in him. But don’t judge yourself too harshly, Lex. We all fall for that one guy who turns out to be just a pretty box filled with absolutely nothing. I’ve had my share of those for sure. Sometimes you have to know your limits and cut your credit cards before you leave the house, so you won’t be tempted to buy. Oooh, write that down! That was a goodone.”
“Yes, thatwasclever. But now I have to deal with an extra helping of media bloodhounds here in LA. God, Eva, I really just want to run away for a while. How lonely and depressing is that, taking a vacation all bymyself?”
“It’s not. I do it all the time.” Eva sucked at the last of the cigarette and dropped the butt on the ground, stamping it out with herslippers.
“Trying your luck at quittingagain?”
“There’s always tomorrow, darling,” Eva declared. “Anyway, you can and you should take a vacation alone, hun. The problem is you’ve been waiting for someone to show up and inject your life with excitement. What you really need to do is learn how to be okay on your own. Enough with the serial monogamy, Lex. It’ssotwenty-fourteen. Being single is all the rage. Trustme.”
“Just to put it out there, I’ve been single since last night, and it’s not all it’s hyped up to be,” shejoked.
Evangeline’s laughter became contagious. “Well, you’ve got to do it a little longer than that to reap the full benefits, love. So, have you finished the album? All kidding aside, maybe you need to take a little break from it all—not just romance—or the lack of, as you say. You just came off a demanding tour, and then you launched right into a big project. With the personal stuff going on, I can imagine it’s overwhelming you. Why don’t you fly home and take some downtime?”
“Ms. Evangeline,” one of the set guys popped a head out the door to get her attention. “The director is ready for younow.”
“Can’t you see I’m on thephone?”
