california christmas dreams (7 page)

“I want everything involved with the art to be exclusive to the park.”

“Of course,” she replied. She pulled a notebook out of her pocket and started writing in it. “I want my lawyer to look over the contract. What’s negotiable?”

She haggled cheerfully with him for a few minutes, and finally they agreed on the rent and some other negotiable items. He made notes on the contract and told her he would send it to her within a couple of days. After a firm handshake, she left.

He stood at the window and watched her stroll down the path back toward Merry’s office. He’d had a plum opportunity to pump her for information about Merry, and he’d let the chance get away from him. He’d enjoyed talking to Noelle, but she made him feel like her big brother. He would never feel that way about Merry.

* * *

Candace Frenche walked around the staff performer, studying the elf costume she’d created. Wrapped around one wrist was a pink pincushion studded with straight pins. Merry sat in the first row of seats in the amphitheater with John Walters while Candace worked her magic.

Candace had had her start in costuming on
Maddie’s Mad World.
From there she had moved on to various TV shows and into the movies. She and Merry had been friends since Merry’s first day on the set. Merry had enjoyed watching Candace grow into the costume designer she was now.

Candace was a tall, slender woman with gleaming dark skin and amber-colored eyes. She wore her dark brown hair in a stylish ponytail at the back of her head with small clips on the sides to hold strays hairs in place. She was dramatic with a Naomi Campbell type of beauty.

“So you’re saying we only have to buy one costume and it can be adjusted to fit whatever performer we have for the day.”

“Exactly,” Merry said. “There are hidden tracks inside with fabric ribbons that can be pulled tighter and loosened to fit whoever is wearing that particular costume for the day.”

“Who knew?” John said. “How come this didn’t exist when my kids were little? My wife wouldn’t have made herself crazy trying to find clothes to fit them.”

“What it means is that if you have ten different performers inside Benny the Bear’s costume, you will only need one costume because it can be adjusted to fit.”

“Wow,” John said. “I’m impressed. You two are amazing.” Then he snickered.

Merry grinned and turned back to watch. Candace had dismissed the elves and was now studying the carolers who would roam the park singing Christmas carols in Victorian-style costumes. The women’s clothes were floor-length dresses in various colors and then men wore top hats and knee-length coats with old-style cravats tied into enormous bows beneath their chins.

The door to the amphitheater opened, throwing a flash of sunlight across the stage. Candace looked up, distracted and annoyed. Merry glanced back to find Jake bearing down on her.

He frowned at her as he sat down. He didn’t look as though he was having a good day.

“So these are the costumes.” Jake didn’t sound enthused as he watched the parade of performers. Merry kept a blank face, but in her mind she was giving him the mental stink eye. She and John had been enjoying themselves and Jake was raining on their parade.

John gave his son an annoyed look. “Jake, be polite. Merry is working her butt off.”

Jake’s frown took on a tired edge. Merry was afraid to ask how the meeting had gone between him and Noelle in case that was the reason he was so irritated.

“What’s got you so twisted up at the moment?” John asked.

“Sometimes I think my life is as crazy as some of my clients’,” Jake replied.

“Having client issues?” John asked.

Jake just shook his head. “Whoever said finance was boring...” His voice trailed away.

“Maybe you need a vacation,” John said.

Take one now,
Merry thought.
Get out of my hair, make my life easier.
She turned back to the stage. Candace was pulling at the fabric of one of the women’s skirts. She seemed to be muttering to herself, but Merry couldn’t quite hear what she was saying.

Jake leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “I guess I’m a little tired. But right now is no time for a vacation.” He shot a meaningful look at Merry.

From the tone in his voice, Merry figured this was as close to an apology as she was going to get.

“I just got a call from Max. He’s been Benny for the past two years, but he was accepted at a college in Ohio and he’ll be leaving soon. We’ll have to hire a new Benny. We’ll have to buy another costume.”

“Okay,” John said, completely unperturbed. “We won’t have to purchase a new costume. Merry was just explaining how there’s all these hidden doodads and strings inside that make the costume one size fits all. It’s Merry magic.”

“I can’t take credit for that. This is all Candace.”

Candace had ushered the carolers off and was now motioning to Mrs. Claus. Merry smiled. Mrs. Claus’s costume was Merry’s favorite.

Jake made no comment as he watched Mrs. Claus prance around the stage.

“I don’t know when,” Merry said, “but at some point you have to trust me. I’m not in kindergarten like some of your clients. I’m twenty-nine. I’m responsible. I’m as careful with other people’s money as I am with my own. And I wish you would treat me as though I’m adult.”

“I trust lots of people. I trust them to be childish. I trust them to whine when things are inconvenient and I trust them to get away with everything they can. I just don’t trust them with money.”

Merry blew out an exasperated sigh. “The caliber of people you associate with must really depress you. Let me help you. I’ll take you out to dinner. I’ll even take you someplace cheap.” Had she just asked him on a date?
Where is your brain, girl?

Jake burst out laughing. “How cheap is cheap?”

“McDonald’s has a dollar menu. But for you, I’d spring for something costing five, maybe even six bucks, easy. Drink included.”

She could see by the way he stared at her he was looking for an answer.

“She’s got you there, son,” John said with a chuckle.

“I want good, cheap food that doesn’t come from a restaurant with a drive-through window.”

Oh, well, she could make this fun. “You drive a hard bargain. I know exactly the place.”

His eyebrows went up. “Done.”

Merry grinned. She was going to show him. “Okay, you’re on.”

Chapter 5

J
ake parked in front of her house, a small bungalow in a quiet Pasadena neighborhood situated on a large lot. The house looked small from the outside, with huge hydrangeas flanking the sidewalk leading up to the shaded front porch. Large live oaks towered over the bungalow. A huge orange-colored cat sat on the first step, staring at him.

He walked up the pathway approaching the cat. The cat didn’t even blink as he put one foot on the step. He walked up to the front door and almost fell in love with its old-fashioned rounded top and small stained glass window set at eye level.

He punched the doorbell and, after a moment, heard the sound of footsteps from inside. Merry threw open the door. The cat darted inside, gave a slight meow and disappeared down the hallway. Merry took one look at Jake and shook her head. “You’re wearing a suit.”

“We’re going to dinner.”

“A casual dinner,” she said with a sigh.

She wore a stylish white sundress with red polka dots. The hem ended midway between thigh and knee, showing off her long, slender legs. The sleeveless dress displayed her toned arms. Her feet were decorated with expensive sandals that had ribbons that wound around her ankles. If not for the fact that he worked with so many fashion-conscious women, he would never have known they were Valentino. He caught a whiff of her perfume and inhaled the heady scent. He tried to identify it but couldn’t. And he thought he knew his perfumes.

“Nice shoes,” he said.

“I know. Shoes are my kryptonite. The secret is out. But if it makes you feel any better, I found the dress on sale at Saks at the year-end sale. Perfect for the beach.” She tilted her head.

“You didn’t say we were going to the beach.”

“I said cheap. I thought we decided on the kind of cheap that doesn’t include Hugo Boss suits and ties.” She eyed him critically. “Lose the tie and hopefully no one will notice.”

He found himself peering over her shoulder, trying to get a feel for her house. She raised her eyebrows. “Would you like to come in a moment and see my home? It has quite the history.”

She opened the door wider and he walked inside, his shoes loud on her wood floor. The hallway spanned the center of the house. On his left was a medium-size living room decorated in blond-colored wood furniture that had a definite arts and crafts look to it.

“The house used to belong to Ernie Cordova.”

“He was a singer. Did a string of Busby Berkeley musicals back in the thirties and forties. This house was party central. In fact, you are walking on floors that supported the weight of W.C. Fields, Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.”

He didn’t want to be impressed, but he was. “That’s quite a history.” He’d expected a very different house from what she showed him.

He expected to find a house filled with clutter, with drawing materials everywhere. Instead, she showed him a tidy dining room and the kitchen. Each room was a masterpiece of arts and crafts simplicity, with elegant art deco Erté lithographs on the walls and a few canvases that she explained had been painted by her mother. Even her office was a surprise. He had thought it would be filled with tons of photos of herself and the awards she’d won. Instead, he found a couple of photos on one wall and two awards tucked away inside a bookcase.

“I’ve been in many of my clients’ homes,” he said as he looked around at the office, which had been tastefully decorated with wood panels, bookcases, a tilted drawing table with a gooseneck lamp and a tidy wooden desk. “They have photos of themselves everywhere.” Especially Annie Gray, whose small condo was literally littered with her stuff. “Why not you?”

“That’s my past,” she said, touching the corner of a photo of her and her costars from
Maddie’s Mad World.
“It’s fun to remember my acting days, but I think the future is much more exciting. Every day is a mystery and a challenge.”

He was dumfounded at her answer. “I don’t know what to say.”

“From what I see, you deal with the worst of celebrities. You wouldn’t have a job if the majority of the people you deal with were financially responsible. Does that change your opinion of me?”

Every moment with her was a surprise. A surprise he found he liked. His own clients were so predictable and Merry was so charmingly unpredictable. Even if she was going to make him walk in the sand at the beach.

Usually he was right on the money with people. He could tell by just looking at them how financially strapped they were. Usually the more expensive their clothes, the more in debt they were.

Merry was so very different from the character she’d played on
Maddie’s Mad World.
Chloe had been kooky and a bit naive. Merry was so different—more like the savvy girl next door. She was quick and smart, always ready with a comeback. Chloe had been easily led astray. Merry was focused and on task almost all the time. He was starting to like Merry the woman better than the Chloe he’d had a crush on. Chloe had been charming in her way, but Merry was devastatingly delightful.

She led him out onto the back patio to a long, narrow yard filled with a jungle that was taller than he. In the middle of the jungle he saw a pool, the blue water sparkling in the sun.

“You like the garden,” he said.

“Actually, I like to swim. My gardener likes to garden.” She led him down an overgrown path to the pool, which was more a lap pool than for playing in.

Again, he was surprised. She looked at her watch. “We’d better get going. You look like you’re brooding, so let’s go have some beach time.” She turned back to the house.

He opened the door to his Mercedes sedan and she slid into the passenger seat.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“Venice Beach,” she answered.

“What’s in Venice Beach?”

“The world’s best-kept secret.”

He pulled smoothly out onto the street and headed for the freeway. He liked the way she looked in his car with her cheerful dress and her long legs crossed neatly at the ankles. Her ponytail swayed gently as he turned onto the entry ramp. He caught another whiff of her subtle perfume.

“So tell me,” he said as he merged into the freeway traffic, “what was it like being an actress?”

She tilted her head as she thought. “That’s a broad question.”

“Did you like being a child actress?” he said.

“All the time,” she said. “I loved it. I loved the hard work, the energy. By the time you’re six or seven you stop believing in make-believe, but as a child actress, I got to stay inside that make-believe world until I was almost eighteen.”

“It doesn’t seem to have stunted your growth in any way.”

“My parents were very grounded, which was good for me. Because if I’d had crazy parents, I probably would have ended up crazy. One of the best things my mother did was value artistic expression, but she was still practical. She would never have abandoned us and run off to Tahiti to pursue her art. She might have made us all move with her, but she’d never do anything that put her art first. And that’s what I learned. I could be an artist and still live in the real world. What about you? You grew up with an amusement park as your playground.”

Jake found himself smiling. “It was fun. I could ride the carousel for as long as I wanted. But I never knew if my friends wanted to hang out with me because they liked me or because they wanted free tickets.”

“I know exactly what you mean. It was easier to have friends in the business.”

“Was your sister jealous?”

She turned to study him. “What’s with the deep and personal here?”

“Just asking.”

“Noelle had her own interests that my parents encouraged. She can draw and paint and sculpt and create exquisite glass sculptures. She can make something out of nothing.”