“Women don’t always think straight where men like Bram Shepard are concerned,” Rory said. “And after what you went through with Lance…”
“I’m touched by your concern. Truly. But it’s unnecessary.” Georgie couldn’t let this go. “You’ve…tried to look out for me before. I’m grateful, but I can’t help wondering why.”
“You don’t remember what you did for me, do you?”
“I’m hoping I loaned you a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings you’re about to return?”
Rory smiled her snow-goddess smile. “No such luck.” She picked up her champagne flute and twisted the stem. “When I worked onSkip and Scooter,you were always good to the crew.”
Georgie had never understood the logic of stars who made life miserable for the people whose job it was to make them look good. Besides, her father wouldn’t have tolerated diva behavior. Still, being courteous to the crew didn’t seem like a good enough reason for Rory to keep extending herself.
“I also like seeing decent people succeed.” Rory took another sip.
Georgie didn’t feel like much of a success right now. “You were the best production assistant the show ever had. I was sorry you only stayed one season.”
“It was a hard show to work. A lot of testosterone.”
Georgie remembered the way she’d teased Bram about having given Rory a hard time, but now it didn’t seem so amusing. “Bram hit on you, didn’t he?”
“Daily.” She tugged absentmindedly on a diamond stud earring. “But his friends were the real problem.”
“They were such losers. A bunch of parasites living off him. I’m happy to report he’s shaken them off.” He’d shaken everyone off, which seemed odd for someone who’d once kept himself surrounded.
“They’d slip pornographic pictures on my clipboard,” Rory said coolly. “Snap my bra when I walked by. Sometimes worse.”
“And Bram didn’t stop it?”
“I don’t think he knew about the worst of it. But they were his friends, and he was the one who insisted they be allowed on the set. When I tried to talk to him about it, he told me to lighten up.” She draped her wrist over her thigh. “Then one afternoon, two of them cornered me.”
Georgie sat up straight in her chair. “Now I remember. We’d finished shooting for the day, but I’d left a book or something on the set. I went back to get it and saw them pinning you against the wall. I’d forgotten that was you.”
“It was me. You started yelling at them, and you even threw a couple of punches. You might only have been a teenager, but you had a lot more power than a lowly P.A., and they backed off. Afterward you went to the producers. They were banned from the set, and Bram couldn’t do a thing about it.” She tilted her head almost imperceptibly. “I’ve never forgotten the way you went to bat for me.”
“I’m sure anyone would have done the same thing.”
“Who knows? The point is, I don’t forget my friends.”
Georgie thought about Bram. “I’m guessing you don’t forget your enemies either.”
Rory cocked an eyebrow. “Not unless my memory loss will make the studio a lot of money.”
Georgie smiled, then sobered. “If you and Bram didn’t have that old history, would it change the way you feel aboutTree House?”
“A studio invests in more than a screenplay. It’s the whole package.”
“And in this case, Bram’s the centerpiece.”
“He doesn’t have any experience with a project like this.”
Bram had been around the business since he was a teenager. It was his character, not his lack of experience, that put Rory off, and she didn’t pull her punches. “He earned his bad reputation, Georgie. He’s let a lot of people down.”
“I know. But…people do change. I’ve never seen him so passionate about anything.”
Rory offered a distant Hollywood smile that meant she’d already made up her mind. With Paul as a father, Georgie had never needed to be pushy, but no one else could fight this particular battle. She desperately wanted a shot at playing Helene, and Bram’s success was her ticket. “I think passion counts for a lot when it comes to making a great film. All the experience in the world doesn’t mean anything if the filmmaker isn’t in love with the project.”
Bram’s genuine passion forTree Houseforced her to confront how long it had been since she’d felt that kind of passion for herself. Playing Helene would give it back.
Rory leaned forward and gazed at Georgie with a steady intensity. “If you really want to help Bram, convince him to step aside and let me have the project.”
