"Is that true, what you told him?" Jake asked her.
"I hardly ever lie," Mindy replied, flashing him her smile again.
"Because it doesn't fit your image?" he asked.
"Exactly."
"And does your real personality reflect your image?" Jake asked.
She giggled. "I like to think so," she said. "I grew up in a small town in Nebraska, raised by church-going parents who loved me. I used to sing in the school choir and act in the school plays. I played Annie in my junior high class play."
"I'm sure you were a very beautiful Annie," he told her.
She shrugged shyly. "We got good reviews, especially me. I tried not to let it go to my head. I still don't."
"Well I must say that you're quite refreshing too."
"No sense getting too much of an ego," she said. "If you're good at what you do then you're good at what you do. I know I'm good so I don't have to over-inflate myself to prove it."
"You are a very talented actress," he said. "And you're cute as can be on top of it."
This brought another blush to her face. "And what about you?" she asked. "You asked me about my image. Does your image reflect your real personality?"
He laughed. "I don't think anybody could live up to my image," he said.
"So you're not a Satan worshiping pagan?"
"Nope, not this week."
"And you're not a cocaine addicted sex maniac?"
"Well... I'm not a cocaine addict," he said.
She giggled. "And the sex maniac part?"
"Uh... well, it depends on what your definition of 'maniac' is."
She giggled again. Their talk turned a bit more serious. They swapped anecdotes about life on the road as a musician and about life as a sit-com star and then a movie star. The stories Jake told her were the tamer ones. He avoided references to groupies or drugs or the exploitation. The stories she told were of a similar vein, centering on fussy directors, practical jokes between cast members, and the basic routine of filming. As they conversed, Jake found himself awed by the fact he was actually standing here and talking to Mindy Snow — the Mindy Snow. And not only was he talking to her, there seemed to be a connection of some sort taking place. Her beautiful brown eyes were flirting gently with him as she spoke. She continually twirled a lock of her rich brunette hair as she listened.
She's interested in you, his mind kept insisting. A movie star is actually interested in you. Though his self-esteem had certainly improved over the years — particularly over the last two years as his music career took off — he still had a hard time listening to this part of his mind. She's a movie star, the more cynical portion of his brain whispered. And a sweet and innocent one at that. Why would she want anything to do with a longhaired musician with a reputation for ass-crack snorting?
"So, when are you going to make another album?" she asked.
"We'll be hitting the recording studio next month some time," he replied. "We're having a little spat with the label over some of the tunes, but I think that'll work itself out pretty soon."
"Will it?"
He smiled. "Yes, I think it will."
"That's good," she said brightly. "It's such a bummer when people don't get along, isn't it?"
"Indeed it is," he agreed, his heart lurching a bit more as she did a particularly aggressive twirl of her hair.
"So tell me," she said. "What do you do with yourself these days... since... you know... you're not in the studio?"
"They have us flying all over the country making public appearances."
"Oh yeah," she said. "I caught you on Wake Up USA the other morning. That man was so mean to you."
"Yeah," he said. "Its not up there among my fondest memories, that's for sure."
"I can relate to the whole publicity thing," she said. "This is only the first premier party we'll be doing. I get tomorrow off and then we do one in a different city every day until the movie is actually released to the public next Saturday."
"Yeah, I guess you can relate all right," he agreed.
"However, I'll have some free time when I get back."
"Oh?"
"Uh huh," she said softly. She began to blush again, her eyes dropping to the floor. "Maybe... you know... when I get back, you and I could... oh... you know... go out sometime."
It took him a moment to credit what he had heard. Go out? What did she mean by that? Surely she wasn't talking about a date, was she?
He didn't get a chance to find out. Before he could even open his mouth, Georgette appeared as if by magic. Her face was scowling.
"Mindy," she said, her voice low but authoritative. "I think its time to start mingling a little more. You've been talking to Mr. Kingsley an awful long time."
"Oh, Georgette," Mindy said with a sigh. "We were having a really cool conversation."
"That was quite obvious by the way you were smiling and cooing and eye batting and hair twirling," Georgette said. "For God's sake, Mindy, there are reporters here. You can't be seen together with... him. It could destroy your image." She looked at Jake. "Uh... no offense, of course."
"Of course," he said sourly.
"Georgette, that's not very nice," Mindy said.
"I'm not paid to be nice," she replied. "I'm paid to look after you. Now come on. I fear you've already given them far too much to speculate about." She grabbed Mindy by the arm and began to gently tug her away. "Come on. Let's get you out of here."
Mindy was pouting but she allowed herself to be led away. As she went she took one last look over her shoulder. "Bye, Jake," she said. "Nice talking to you."
A second later she merged into the crowd and disappeared from sight. It wasn't more than a minute before a reporter approached Jake to ask what he and Mindy had been talking about.
"Where did you get the idea that our conversation was any of your business?" Jake asked her.
"The people have a right to know," she told him in all seriousness.
Jake opened and closed his mouth a few times, on the verge of saying several profane and inflammatory things. But in the end his better judgment kicked in. He said nothing and walked away.
Matt ended up leaving in the company of Tana Kensington thirty minutes later, a battalion of cameras clicking and flashing away as they walked hand in hand through the door and climbed into Tana's limousine.
"He can't do that," Janice cried to Jake. "He didn't even check with me first!"
"Check with you?" Jake asked.
"The gossip magazines will all be reporting on this tomorrow. Oh this is just terrible. We'll have to come up with a statement about how they're just friends... and no one is going to believe it."
Jake sighed. "Can we go now?" he asked.
"Leave? Now? It's so early. They haven't even cut the cake yet."
"If we don't leave in the next five minutes I'm going to pick up on one of the champagne girls and bang her in the bathroom."
That made Janice suddenly very agreeable. She made the arrangements for their limo to come to the front of the building and then the two of them went to say their official goodbyes to the hostess and the stars. Veronica remained coolly polite as Jake shook her hand. Mark Dennison tried to score some tickets for the next Intemperance concert — a concert that wasn't even scheduled yet. Georgette had a look of warning in her eyes but said nothing. Mindy was smiling a little and sending warm messages with her eyes. When Jake shook hands with her he felt something pressed into his hand. When he got back into the limo he waited until Janice — who was still fretting about all the exploits her two charges had engaged in this night — was mixing herself a stiff drink. He opened his palm and looked to see what Mindy had slipped him. It was a cocktail napkin, folded into a small square. He opened it and saw, written in spiky, feminine handwriting: 479-1647. My personal number. Call me Sunday if you want to talk some more.