Author's note-Thanks for your patience everyone, AGAIN!
*****
"OK, let me see if I've got this straight..." Roger Sullivan began "First, Jackie Morrison tries to take over AU and Chuck tells her to take a hike?"
I nodded.
"Then, in between gobbling up studios and assorted personnel around town, she offers you a prime job at the new company?" Michael Baldwin added.
I nodded again before adding;
"Get ready for another zinger. To top it all off, she gave me a clue related to the Corvette I've mysteriously "acquired" courtesy of Laura Austin."
"Who's Laura Austin?" asked Roger.
"Don't ask, it's a long story." I quickly replied. Michael waved his hand slightly as well as if to say the same thing. I knew Roger would find out eventually but figured it was best to handle one crisis at a time.
"Did she say where she is?"
"Not in so many words. But she must know something. I think she could be in San Francisco."
"How do you know?"
"I received a photo on my phone, unknown sender. I put two and two together..."
We all sat in silence.
"Did you give Jackie any kind of answer to her offer?" Michael asked.
"No, no, I was too stunned by everything to do that."
"What does Chuck know?"
"Nothing. It's probably better that way."
Just then the phone buzzed in the outer office. Natalie Hayden, who'd been silent throughout our meeting, got up to answer it and a minute later returned;
"Guess again, Chuck just called from the beach house. He wants to see you, now."
We all stood up, but Natalie stopped us.
"No, he just wants to talk to Jim. Alone."
I looked at Roger and Michael who nodded their approval.
TWO DAYS EARLIER
Chuck Tyler never seemed to get nervous but today was different. Awaiting the arrival of 2 highly desired clients, he nervously paced back and forth in his office, mumbling to himself and occasionally gesturing to some unknown audience, like he was rehearsing a speech. I sat on the edge of his desk, idly checking my phone for messages. I couldn't help but watch his obsessive pacing.
"You're gonna wear a hole in your carpet with all that, you know." I calmly said as I took a bite of my doughnut.
"Stay out of this, Jim..." he mumbled without even looking at me "You don't need to be here anyway."
"OK, I'll just go..." I said with a shrug as I stood up
"NO! Stay here!" he said urgently "I may need you."
"For what?"
"I don't know...just stay here." He said as he continued to pace. He seemed more like an expectant father than the head of a top Hollywood talent agency. Just then, his scretary stuck her head in the door.
"They're here." She said.
Chuck immediately straightened his suit and tried not to look nervous, unsuccessfully, I should add. The doors to his office opened and in walked 2 blondes. One dressed in brown pants and a simple white blouse, the other in jeans and a gray pullover. They were accompanied by what seemed like an assistant or manager. She looked at Chuck, then me before finally speaking;
"Chuck Tyler, I'd like to introduce you to Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence." She said in a very serious tone of voice. The two girls immediately dissolved into giggles.
"We can't fool him can we?" Jennifer laughed.
"Nah, no way." Amy said "OK, now that we got that out of the way, let's talk."
Jennifer and Amy had become the town's new party girls that everyone wanted to be in business with and more than a few wanted to be in bed with. In all the time I'd seen them, I wasn't sure whose side I was on. I thought Jennifer was obnoxious and with a big mouth to boot. Plus she always seemed (to me at least) to be one step away from the obligatory DUI mug shot. But Oscar (you know, the gold statue) thought differently, as well as all the directors in town. And I had to admit, she had a rather nice body as well. Amy, on the other hand, was a different story. There was a strange kind of "real" quality to her. She reminded me of girls I'd worked with in different jobs back home. And it looked as if she could match Jennifer drink for drink. The pair was now in Chuck's office, negotiating a deal for a secret, untitled script they'd written. According to Chuck the negotiating was fierce, he'd mentioned Jackie Morrison's name more than once and it seemed like she was his chief rival in this.
"OK, that'll be all Jim." He said to me, once he'd calmed down enough to start talking to them. I was still taking in the fact these two were in front of me. Amy was much prettier than I thought as was Jennifer. I don't think I heard him.
"Jim? Hey, HOLLYWOOD!" he yelled, bring me back to reality "You can go now."
"Does he have to?" Amy asked.
"Yeah, he's kinda cute, how long you been workin' here honey?" Jennifer said in a flirty voice, provoking more giggles. It was like being in a room with a couple of teenage girls. And perhaps that was their appeal.
"He has much to do and should leave business like this to his superiors..." Chuck said with an emphasis on the word "superiors". I could tell that this his way of saying I should leave, immediately.
"Uh, it was a pleasure meeting the both of you." I said as I made my exit.
An hour later my phone buzzed with a call from Natalie who was obviously on a speaker phone;
"Hey what was the name of that club you used to go to long ago?"
"You'll have to be a little more specific, clubs out here are a dime a dozen."
"C'mon, I'm serious it had like a bird's name in it."
"The Eagle?"
"Right, that place. Is it still around?"
"I doubt it, why?"
