Beautiful People - Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Vera slammed the door shut and put her back against it.
Sharise turned half sideways to see around the enormous flowers in her arms. "What's going on?"
"Um," Vera said eloquently.
"Excuse me, what are you doing?" Carmen's voice was muffled beyond the bouquet thicket. "I am late so let's go."
For once, Vera had no clever words. "I thought I saw a, um. A spider? In the hallway."
"What? A spider? Since when are you afraid of spiders?"
Sharise gave her a concerned look.
Vera waited for her malfunctioning brain to generate an excuse, but nothing came. Her stomach sinking straight through her excruciatingly sexy red-bottom shoes, she said, "Nothing. Just got the jitters. Big carpet today, you know. Sorry. Go ahead."
Slowly, she opened the door again.
Marina was still at the top of the stairs, her back to them now, speaking with someone in her entourage.
Vera crossed all her fingers and toes as she stepped aside for the elephantine bouquet and Sharise who was somehow carrying that monstrous thing without even breaking a sweat. Carmen swept out next, then publicist Cora. Jay, oblivious to the horror that could unfold at any moment, cleaned his brushes by the window.
The bouquet led the procession down the hallway, filling it wall to wall and completely blocking the view of the crowd at the top of the stairs. Watching, Vera gripped the doorknob like it would lead her to a time machine that could take her back to the moment she decided not to tell Carmen she was working for Marina. Or before that, when she decided to work for Marina in the first place. Or maybe even all the way back to that moment she had posted a stupid picture making fun of Carmen's style that had somehow convinced Carmen to slide into her DMs.
She thought she might throw up.
The bouquet scraped against baroque wallpaper on both walls as Sharise carried it. A brass-knockered door emerged from behind the rustling herbage, then more wallpaper. Then suddenly, with an "OH!", one very blonde starlet popped out from behind the bustling bouquet, flattened to the wall but still having to spit out a faceful of petals.
Sharise stopped short with a flutter of leaves. "Marina?"
Marina peeled herself off the wall and tugged primly at her oversized t-shirt. She saw Carmen at the same time Carmen saw her. Their big double-takes were mirror images of surprise. In her wide-legged jeans and ponytail, Marina looked plain next to Carmen's shimmering emerald gown and perfectly set pin curls.
There was at least ten feet of empty space between the two feuding actors. Neither made any move to close the distance.
Smiling with all of her square, white teeth, Marina said, "Hi, Carmen!"
Carmen cupped a hand around her ear, as though she couldn't hear.
Marina spoke louder. "What a coincidence, seeing you here. And you, too, Sharise."
"A shock." Carmen put a hand to her chest in mock surprise. "It's almost like there's a reason we'd both be here. Some sort of festival, maybe?"
Marina's eyes twitched like she wanted to roll them but was refraining herself with superhuman strength. Instead, she laughed politely.
Sharise glanced back at Vera, eyes wide. Vera's mouth was very dry.
Muffled voices called somewhere beyond the grove of flowers. Marina's entourage couldn't see where she had gone.
"Congratulations on your premiere," Marina said, still smiling. "I can't wait to see the film. I've heard so many good things."
"You've heard what?" Carmen asked loudly.
Her smile half-slipping, Marina raised her voice to cross the awkward gulf between them. "So many good things about your film! What a beautiful bouquet, Sharise."
"That's one word for it."
"Well, it's certainly unique!" Marina sprinkled out some more laughter as though that could make this encounter less uncomfortable. "It must have been sent by a big fan."
Vera could only see the edge of Carmen's smile, but it was enough for her to recognize the wicked glee that curled into the corners of her lips. "It is gorgeous, isn't it?" She held up her hands with thumbs and forefingers held in a square, like she was framing the bouquet. "There's a lot of things a person could say about Troy, but he always did have good taste."
"Troy?" After one spiky moment, Marina smoothed out a perfectly constructed smile again. "How kind of him to support you."
Carmen giggled like sequins catching the light. "Oh, that's just what friends do, isn't it?"
"I didn't know you two were speaking again." Marina's teeth were still showing, but her jaw was stiff.
"What gave you that idea? Why would we not be speaking?" Carmen waved her hand dismissively. "Thank him for me, won't you? For the bouquet, I mean."
Marina hesitated just a moment too long, let her brows draw too close together before bouncing back into their usual friendly curves."You can thank him yourself. Tonight, at the yacht party."
Carmen opened her mouth, probably to say she wasn't going to that stupid party. But she didn't say it. Vera thought her heart was going to pound right out of her chest.
Twirling a finger slowly through her ponytail, Marina pursed her lips. Even Vera had to admit the effect was very cute. Could stone-hearted Carmen resist that look?
In a slightly-too-casual tone, Marina said, "You are going, aren't you? It wouldn't be a party without Carmen Juarez."
Carmen raised a hand as though to touch her own hair; stopped herself, adjusted an earring instead.
Marina flicked the tip of her ponytail away, blue eyes sparkling. "I would love to catch up with you."
Vera held her breath. Sharise looked like she was doing the same.
Finally, Carmen poured out some laughter. "As if I would miss the party of the season."
Knees suddenly wobbling under her, Vera clutched the door to prevent herself collapsing right there on the floor from relief.
"I don't mean to interrupt," publicist Cora said delicately. "But we do have a schedule to keep."
Feeling dazed, Vera watched them say goodbyes before Carmen glided away down the hall after Sharise.
Or rather, Carmen glided towards Marina, then they both did an awkward sort of crab shuffle to squeeze past each other in the narrow hallway without touching. Straightening her skirt and her back, Carmen continued on, head held high. Marina's entourage, still peeling themselves off the walls in the wake of Sharise's bouquet battering ram, scattered before her like cloth scraps in the wind.
Vera took two steps back into the hotel room and collapsed onto the brocade stool. "Oh my god, Jay," she said faintly.
He didn't look up from his brushes, which he was arranging in meticulous order on the table, clean and ready for Marina. "What?"
"Operation Marmen is a go."
"Operation what?"
"Operation Carmina?" Vera offered. "Operation Troy Who?"
"You need to come up with a better name."
"Rude. I thought hard about those ones."
Somehow, Vera refrained from collapsing into hysterical laughter. All that work trying to convince Carmen to go to that party so that she could make up with Marina, and yet it was Marina who convinced her to go. Maybe this would be easy after all.
At the thought, the blonde actress stepped into the open doorway. Vera sprang up, smoothing out her sleeveless silk blouse and plastering on a smile.
Looking subdued, Marina tugged the elastic off her ponytail, blonde curls tumbling around her face. "I'm so tired of trying to figure out what the hell that woman is thinking." She had clearly noticed Vera hanging on every word of their exchange. "Have you told her yet? That you're working for me?"
Vera shook her head.
With a sigh, Marina sank onto the stool Vera had just vacated. "Well, she's going to the party tonight. I guess if I'm brave enough I can see if she'll thaw out once she's had some champagne."
It would have looked very bad for Vera to rub her hands together in glee like a supervillain whose evil plan was all coming together. So she just said, "She'll be in a good mood if her premiere goes well."
"It's a Merry Sanders film. It's almost guaranteed to go well. And that look. People won't be able to take their eyes off her. You really outdid yourself with that one. I would say I'm jealous but I know you've got something equally fabulous lined up for my premiere." Marina winked, a smile once again curling her pert lips.
Turning back the protective cloth covering on the clothing rack, Vera clacked through the outfits, looking for the one Marina needed for her afternoon event: pleated linen shorts and a breezy, pale pink eyelet lace top. Jay pulled out lipstick shades for her to consider.
Vera moved the outfit to the window and hung it from the bar. Afternoon sunlight slipped thick as honey between the wafting curtains. Marina's entourage crowded just inside the closed door, discussing something in hushed tones.
Pulling her shirt over her head, Marina asked quietly, "Are the flowers really from Troy? She wasn't fucking with me?"
Vera and Jay exchanged a glance.
"That's what the card said."
Marina blew out a breath. She was quiet for a bit, as Jay got to work making her skin glow. But then, as though she couldn't hold it in, she went on, "That man is driving me up the wall, I swear. First he convinces me that trying to make up with Carmen is asking for trouble. And maybe he's right, but it sucks to lose your best friend just like that, you know? Then he planned this whole summer for us. And yeah, it was nice to get away from the chaos of LA for a while, but spending so much time together? That was a lot to put on a new relationship. And then he ruins my photoshoot for Hollywood at Home magazine."
"I saw that spread," Jay said. "It was gorgeous. Lift your chin, please."
Marina lifted her chin. "I guess it turned out okay, but it wasn't what I wanted. I paid a lot of money for Empress' nails. We matched, see?" She produced a photo on her phone: a dainty hand with nails painted a deep, shimmering gold next to a small, fluffy white dog paw, its claws shining the same gold.
"Cute," Vera said.
"Right?" Marina pulled the phone back and examined the photo. "It was so hard to find someone willing to do real gold for a dog's nails."
Vera choked.
"As if Troy could even hear her nails clacking on the floor. That was his excuse for why he cut them. She's light as a feather! You can't hear her nails on the floor."
"He cut her claws while they were covered in real gold?" Vera asked, faintly.
"Oh my god," Jay said.
"See, it's valid to be upset about that, right? The gold all flaked off. Totally ruined the look. And the photographer was literally on his way. We were going to be Greek goddesses together. It's not the same without Empress."
She held out her phone again, but Vera was still processing the absurdity of the situation and couldn't quite take in the image of Marina, poolside, draped in a gauzy white sheet. "Lovely," she said vaguely.
"Yeah, I'm happy with the shots, I guess. And we did Empress in the bath instead, rose petals and candles and stuff. But I'm still disappointed."
"Eyes, please," Jay said, brandishing a pot of something gooey.
Marina put her phone away and closed her eyes. "And did Troy apologize for ruining my photoshoot? He did not. He even laughed at me, said it was a waste of money to put gold leaf on a dog's nails."
"What a dick." Jay flicked his brush over her eyelids.
"Such a dick," Vera agreed, carefully arranging a pair of floral earrings on the velvet cloth.
"Thank you." Marina let out a frustrated sound. "And now he's sending those ridiculous flowers to Carmen, who he told me he hasn't even talked to in months, instead of saying he's sorry to me? Men are the worst."
"Excuse me." Jay put his hand on his hip.
"Sorry, Jay. Straight men are the worst."
"That is still some wild generalizing, babe."
"Can't you just let me sulk in peace?" Marina whined. "No, you're right. I'm sorry. Troy Dicks is the worst."
"Sounds like you're dating a loser." Vera shook her head. "I've dated enough losers to know."
"God, I am, aren't I? I'm dating a loser." Marina threw up her hands. "You know what? I'm better than this. I don't need to put up with his crap. If Carmen wants him so bad, she can have him."
"Oh, girl, don't worry. No one wants him."
Vera unfolded a delicate pearl necklace. She wondered how much it cost to get gold leaf put on a dog's nails. Probably more than she made in a month.
Her hands stilled, a sneaking suspicion creeping over her like a winter chill.
How big of a bouquet would it take to make up for ruining a magazine photoshoot? Because she was suddenly not so sure that the flowers, or the attached apology, had, in fact, been for Carmen.