Read Online Stars Collide by Janice Thompson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Janice Thompson
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Whatever he had to say, I could take it. I was a big girl. Besides, I could always get work filming commercials, right? Just last week I’d been offered one for a shampoo product I happened to love. A girl could go a long way on a shampoo commercial.
The expression on Rex’s face softened with his opening words. “Kat, I hope you don’t find me too nosy, but I’m curious about something. Something . . . well, of a more personal nature.” He looked around, and I sensed he wanted to make sure we were really alone. This only served to make me more nervous. What was he leading up to here?
“What would you like to know?” I offered. “My life is an open book.” I groaned internally as I remembered the article in The Scoop . Perhaps my life was more open than I’d hoped.
The oddest look passed over Rex’s face, and his next words were a bit shaky. “Well, not that it’s any of my business, but I’ve been trying to figure out your connection to Lenora.”
“Lenora? Well, she’s my grandmother, of course.”
“I know that much,” he said. “But I don’t really know much beyond that. You two live together, right?” He looked up, suddenly appearing shy. Odd. When I nodded, Rex’s brow wrinkled. “Have you always lived with her?”
“Since I was seven. That’s when my mom . . .” I looked up, lips pursed, hoping he’d take the hint. Talking about my mother’s death, even after all of these years, wasn’t easy. She had been the most important person in my life . . . until that horrible day. And even though I’d lived through nearly three-quarters of my life without her, I still got that horrible lump in my throat when her name came up. Like now, for instance.
What would I tell Rex, anyway? That the room I slept in was next to the one that had been Mom’s as a child? That my grandmother kept every item in her room as it had been all those years ago? That the haunting reminder of my mother’s presence hovered over me every day, bittersweet and painful?
Something in my expression must’ve tipped Rex off to the fact that I wasn’t comfortable with this. He reached over to pat me on the arm and gave me a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, Kat. This is none of my business. I’m a nosy old man. I just wonder about Lenora sometimes. She’s so . . .” He shook his head. “Different from the Lenora Worth I used to know when we were youngsters in this business. Completely changed, I’d have to say.”
“Wait. You . . . you knew her?”
“Well, sure.” He looked startled. “We worked together on several projects in the late ’50s. She didn’t tell you?”
“No. Not a word.”
“Odd. I would’ve thought . . . Anyway, we worked together. She was quite the star back then. I was just a kid trying to break into show business, and not doing a very good job of it at that.”
“Really? It took you a while to break in?” For whatever reason, this surprised me. I guess I’d always pictured Rex to be the hotshot Hollywood producer he was now.
“You have no idea how long,” he said. “Decades. I tried a few acting roles but never garnered the acclaim Lenora did. Ended up working behind the scenes, which, ironically, suited me just fine. Who knew I’d be happiest offstage? Not me. I was sure I’d be the next Marlon Brando.” A smile lit his face. “I was just a small-town kid with big dreams.”
“So was my grandmother,” I added.
His face lit into a smile, and I could read the excitement in his eyes. “Oh, but Lenora went on to do great things. Her film work was really something. She made quite a name for herself.”
“Yes, I’ve seen the movies. She keeps them in a safe at the house. We’ve watched a couple of them over and over again. Grandma wants to keep the lines memorized.”
“Of course she does.” He laughed. “She’s Lenora Worth, after all.” He dove off into a story about a film they’d done in ’57, sounding almost as nostalgic as she often
The expression on Rex’s face softened with his opening words. “Kat, I hope you don’t find me too nosy, but I’m curious about something. Something . . . well, of a more personal nature.” He looked around, and I sensed he wanted to make sure we were really alone. This only served to make me more nervous. What was he leading up to here?
“What would you like to know?” I offered. “My life is an open book.” I groaned internally as I remembered the article in The Scoop . Perhaps my life was more open than I’d hoped.
The oddest look passed over Rex’s face, and his next words were a bit shaky. “Well, not that it’s any of my business, but I’ve been trying to figure out your connection to Lenora.”
“Lenora? Well, she’s my grandmother, of course.”
“I know that much,” he said. “But I don’t really know much beyond that. You two live together, right?” He looked up, suddenly appearing shy. Odd. When I nodded, Rex’s brow wrinkled. “Have you always lived with her?”
“Since I was seven. That’s when my mom . . .” I looked up, lips pursed, hoping he’d take the hint. Talking about my mother’s death, even after all of these years, wasn’t easy. She had been the most important person in my life . . . until that horrible day. And even though I’d lived through nearly three-quarters of my life without her, I still got that horrible lump in my throat when her name came up. Like now, for instance.
What would I tell Rex, anyway? That the room I slept in was next to the one that had been Mom’s as a child? That my grandmother kept every item in her room as it had been all those years ago? That the haunting reminder of my mother’s presence hovered over me every day, bittersweet and painful?
Something in my expression must’ve tipped Rex off to the fact that I wasn’t comfortable with this. He reached over to pat me on the arm and gave me a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, Kat. This is none of my business. I’m a nosy old man. I just wonder about Lenora sometimes. She’s so . . .” He shook his head. “Different from the Lenora Worth I used to know when we were youngsters in this business. Completely changed, I’d have to say.”
“Wait. You . . . you knew her?”
“Well, sure.” He looked startled. “We worked together on several projects in the late ’50s. She didn’t tell you?”
“No. Not a word.”
“Odd. I would’ve thought . . . Anyway, we worked together. She was quite the star back then. I was just a kid trying to break into show business, and not doing a very good job of it at that.”
“Really? It took you a while to break in?” For whatever reason, this surprised me. I guess I’d always pictured Rex to be the hotshot Hollywood producer he was now.
“You have no idea how long,” he said. “Decades. I tried a few acting roles but never garnered the acclaim Lenora did. Ended up working behind the scenes, which, ironically, suited me just fine. Who knew I’d be happiest offstage? Not me. I was sure I’d be the next Marlon Brando.” A smile lit his face. “I was just a small-town kid with big dreams.”
“So was my grandmother,” I added.
His face lit into a smile, and I could read the excitement in his eyes. “Oh, but Lenora went on to do great things. Her film work was really something. She made quite a name for herself.”
“Yes, I’ve seen the movies. She keeps them in a safe at the house. We’ve watched a couple of them over and over again. Grandma wants to keep the lines memorized.”
“Of course she does.” He laughed. “She’s Lenora Worth, after all.” He dove off into a story about a film they’d done in ’57, sounding almost as nostalgic as she often
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