“What does he say?”
“That he ended it.”
“Does he say he loves her?”
“He says he doesn't know.”
“I hate guys like that,” Max said, looking annoyed. “Either he loves her or he doesn't. How the hell can he not know?”
“He says he loves me, too,” she said, blowing her nose again. “I'm not sure I even believe that anymore.” Tanya felt as though her whole life had been destroyed, and she looked it. And in fact, it had. Max felt very sorry for her. She was such a nice woman, and had talked about her husband so much, and how much she loved him. He knew it must be an awful blow for her. And a fatal blow to her marriage, too.
“I believe that he loves you, Tanya,” Max said thoughtfully, stroking his beard. He always did that when he was thinking. “I mean, what guy wouldn't? He'd have to be deaf, dumb, and blind not to. And I also believe that he's confused. And probably loves you both, which is really pathetic of him, but it does happen. Men get mixed up a lot that way. That's why they have mistresses and wives.”
“Then what do they do?” she asked, feeling like a child as she listened to him.
“Depends on the guy. Some marry the mistress, some stay with the wife. He could be right about one thing, you know. You could outgrow him down here. I didn't think that would happen, and I figured you'd go scurrying back. But you never know, maybe you'll do another picture. Or maybe you'll dump his sorry ass if he dicks you around.” She smiled at what Max said.
“I'd still go home. I have no reason to stay here.”
“You could have a hell of a career in movies, if you wanted to. You did a great job with this screenplay. You're going to get a lot of offers after this picture is released. You'll have your pick if you want.”
“I don't. I like the life I had.”
“Then fight for it. Keep a leash on him. Go home. Kick his ass. Don't put up with any shit. And make him pay for what he just did. That's what my wives did to me when I got out of line.”
“And what did you do?” Tanya asked with interest.
“I divorced them as fast as I could. But my mistresses were always younger and cuter and a lot more fun.” They both laughed at his response. “In your case, if this guy has any brains, he'll hang on to you. If that's what you want, I hope he does. Has he ever done this before?” She shook her head. She did believe that. “Good. Then he's a virgin. He may never do it again. It could have been a one-time mistake. A slip. Just keep an eye on this woman, and don't believe a word either of them says. Trust your instincts, you'll never go wrong.”
“That's how I figured it out. I knew it the minute I saw them.”
“Good girl. Hang in. It may turn out okay. I'm sorry you had such a rough time.” She shrugged.
“Yeah. Me too. Thank you for listening.” As she said it, the dog barked and they both laughed again.
“He agrees with everything I say. He's a very smart dog.”
“And you're a very smart man, and a good friend,” she said as she leaned over and kissed his cheek, and Douglas walked by again.
“What are you two getting so cozy about?” He looked intrigued.
“She just proposed to me,” Max explained. “I told her she'd have to buy me. Six cows and a herd of goats, and a new Bentley. We were just concluding the negotiations. She's giving me a tough time about the goats. The Bentley was easy.” Douglas grinned, and Tanya laughed. She felt better after talking to Max.
“It looked pretty good to me this morning. What do you think?” Douglas asked him, and Max said he was pleased. The romance between Jean and Ned was working well for them. It had improved her performance immeasurably. It was a common thing. A lot of actors and actresses got involved during the shooting of a film. Kind of like shipboard romance. And when they docked, it was over. A few stuck, but most didn't. The cast was betting that this one wouldn't. Jean had a reputation for changing men like her shoes. And she had a lot of shoes. So did Ned. They were cut from the same cloth.
Douglas turned to Tanya then. “Do you want to grab something to eat tonight after we finish shooting? I want to talk to you about some changes in the script.” Tanya was tired, but she didn't think she should turn him down. Meetings with Douglas were command performances, even if they came in the guise of dinner.
“Sure, if I can look like this.” She didn't have the energy to go back to the hotel and change.
“You look fine,” he said, seeming not to notice. “We can go out for sushi or Chinese. I won't take long. I know you've been sick.” He had no reason to doubt it, she was very pale and had lost a lot of weight. She had no intention of telling him the truth.
They finished around eight o'clock that night. Douglas drove her to his favorite sushi bar, and she had her limo follow. He said he was going out afterward. Tanya was exhausted by the time they sat down to eat.
The changes he wanted to talk to her about were minimal. She was surprised he had wanted to do it over dinner. He said he wanted to catch up.
“So how was Christmas? Great with your kids?” he asked as they divided up the sushi and put it on their plates. He liked all the same ones she did.
“Yes, great,” she said, trying to convince herself, and forget what the vacation had really been like. “It was actually nice to come back to work today.” He watched her eyes as she said it, and saw something there.
“Why is it that I get the feeling there's trouble on the home front and you're lying to me? Tell me to mind my own business, if I'm too far off base.” She didn't want to confide in him, but she didn't have the energy to lie either. Maybe it didn't make any difference anymore.
“I'm not lying. I just don't want to talk about it,” she admitted to him. “To be honest, the holidays sucked.”
“That's too bad,” he said softly. “I was hoping I was wrong.” She wasn't sure if she believed him. He was such an advocate of her buying into the whole L.A. scene. But when he saw the devastation in her eyes, he felt sorry for her. “Serious stuff?”
“Maybe. Time will tell,” she said cryptically, and he nodded.
“I'm sorry, Tanya. I know how much your home life means to you. I assume it was a problem with your husband, not the kids.”
“Yes, it was. First time. It was kind of a shock.”
“It always is. No matter who you are. Trust issues. Relationships aren't easy, whether you're married or not.” He smiled at her over the last of their dinner. “That's why I avoid them at all costs. It's easier being a free agent, and keeping things light.” There was nothing light about her life, or her marriage, or the way she felt about Peter, and Douglas knew that. “I know that's not your style.”
“No, it's not,” she said with a sad smile. “I think coming down here put us to the test. It's a lot to ask to be gone for nine months, and only home for occasional weekends. It's been hard on Peter, and my girls. It's a shame it didn't happen next year. But it still would have been hard on him.”
“Maybe it will strengthen the marriage,” Douglas said as he paid the check. He didn't look as though he believed what he was saying, or even that he cared. Tanya was a foreign breed to him. He was fascinated by her, but he didn't really understand the value of the life she led, or why she wanted it so much. It sounded fatally boring and mundane to him. “Or maybe you'll find that you've outgrown each other,” he said carefully, “or that you've outgrown him.”
“I don't think that's the case,” Tanya said quietly. “I think this is just hard.” Harder yet now that Peter had added Alice to the mix. “We'll deal with it,” she said, and wished she was convinced. She was quiet as they left the restaurant, and stood on the sidewalk for a minute, discussing the script again, and then Douglas looked down at her gently.