“Have you ever seen a bungalow at Chateau Marmont?”
“That’s the kind of bungalow you’re talking about? Oh my God! I’ve heard about those!”
“So do you think you’d be okay staying there until we can find you a suitable place to live?”
She frowns and hangs her head. “They’re really expensive, Riley. I don’t need anything that nice. Besides, I don’t have anything to wear to a place like that.”
I push her chin up. “Then it sounds like you’ll need to go shopping first.”
“Riley, I can’t . . .”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?” She starts crying. “I’m sorry, Riley. I’m just so emotional right now. Must be all the pregnancy hormones.”
“Speaking of that, I thought you told me you’ve been sick?”
“I have been. I threw up first thing this morning. I usually feel okay until about midday then I’m exhausted.”
“Are you still planning to work?”
Her eyes get big, and she looks at me like I’m nuts. “Of course I am, Riley. I appreciate that you’re going to put me up and all, but I know how men are. As soon as they’ve used you up, they move on. And if you decide to move on, I’d be fucked. I’m not stupid.”
“I’d say I’m not like other men, but I probably am. I work hard. I fuck a lot of women. It’s who I am.”
“I don’t care about any of that, Riley. You know, sexually, I’m pretty open-minded. But just to be clear, if you’re going to fuck around, so am I.”
“I understand,” I tell her, appreciating her candor. “Tyler, my assistant, will get in touch with you this morning. He’ll have a personal shopper work with you and then get you all checked in.”
“Will you come help me christen my new place tonight?”
“I’ll try,” I tell her, not wanting to commit, but knowing I’ll be there with fucking bells on.
Captive Films - Santa Monica
DAWSON
I took the girls to the airport this morning and got them on a plane back home.
It was not fun.
Harlow hung on me and cried, saying that she didn’t want to leave. That she didn’t care if Ava liked the school. That she wanted to be with her daddy and her soon-to-be-adopted pony.
I’m not sure what to do. Harlow loved the school when they visited yesterday. She and Carder seem thick as thieves, and I know if she came here, she’d do well. But she’s more easygoing like me.
Ava is tougher. She said she had a good day, but that she didn’t know yet if she wanted to move. My mom says it’s because she’s almost a teenager. That they are moody and don’t know what they want. She says at some point, I’m just going to have to tell her she’s moving, and that’s it.
But I don’t think she’s right. Ava is a lot like her mother. She knows what she wants and is not afraid to go for it. Where Harlow is reckless abandon, Ava is a well-orchestrated plan. I think if I back off, she’ll come to the right decision.
I blink away my thoughts and focus on the marketing calendar in front of me.
Tyler’s voice comes over the speaker. “Keatyn is on line three.”
“Hey, Keatyn,” I say, picking up the receiver. “What’s up?”
“I have some news I need to share with you. This is top secret, okay? We’re calling a special board meeting this week, where we will announce the sale of Captive to Front Door Films.”
“Oh, wow,” I say, shocked. I know how these things work. When one company sells to another, most of the executives are fired. And that means me. “I probably wouldn’t have come out here had I known.”
“Most of the employees will have the option of taking a buyout or moving with the sale.”
“I see.” Shit, what are the girls going to say when I tell them I’m coming home?
“Riley and I want you to run our new company.”
“Run it?”
“Yes, it will be a much smaller Captive Films. One that only takes on a few special projects at a time. We’ll be taking Daddy’s Angel with us, along with all my scripts that haven’t been optioned by Captive—which is everything that’s not currently in production. And Knox and I have a project in the works that we hope to run through the new Captive, as well.”
“What’s Riley going to do?”
“Produce movies. It’s what he loves. Really, this sale will allow us all to get back to doing what we love. What we started out doing. Things won’t be quite so hectic, you know?”
“That sounds nice, actually.”
“How did the girls’ visit go yesterday?”
“Harlow loved the school and is ready to move. Ava isn’t so sure.”
“She’s at a hard age. I’m sure she doesn’t want to leave her friends. Have you tried bribing her?”
I laugh. “That’s the other reason Harlow is so gung-ho about California. She wants a pony, and Vanessa said she could adopt one of hers.”
“Vanessa must really want you to stay.”
“She’s redoing her whole house. The girls seem to affect her. She showed us a playroom that she’s kept locked up and told me about how she can’t have more children.”