That’s another good reason to avoid Will. He and Charlie probably go clubbing and pick up “chicks” together. Ugh.
“All right, I’ll stick with you and act as a Charlie deterrent,” Elizabeth promised. “If he comes anywhere close, I’ll throw meatballs at him until he retreats.”
Jane hooked her arm through Elizabeth’s. “That’s true devotion for you: the willingness to chuck appetizers for the sake of your sister’s emotional stability.”
“Hell, if he’s really awful, I’m even willing to throw entrées.”
At least she could make Jane laugh. Elizabeth stuck with her sister until Roberta needed Jane for a private discussion about her next project.
Elizabeth wandered back to the food table and checked the door yet again. No Ricky. Maybe he wasn’t coming, in which case there was no reason she couldn’t leave now.
“Lizzy?”
She turned to find her father and Will at her elbow. Great. A whole day of avoiding the guy, and now he was directly in front of her—his face so scrupulously dead-pan she had no idea what he was thinking.
“Isn’t the screenwriter coming?” her father asked. “William wanted to compliment him on the script.”
Elizabeth kept her eyes fixed on Tom. “Ricky said he’d come, but I haven’t seen him yet.” She peeked at her watch. “I hope he arrives soon. I need to go.”
Her father snorted. “Why? Do you have a hot date?” As if the idea that she could have a date was ludicrous. A hot flush bloomed over her face. Her father had made similar “jokes” before, but why did he have to do it here? In front of him? She knew she wasn’t movie-star gorgeous; he didn’t need to rub it in. “No, I have to work on med school applications,” Elizabeth said from between clenched teeth.
Her father gave Will a smile and a “what can you do?” shrug. “I sent her to Stanford, and she comes up with an idea like medical school. Can you believe it? She could have a perfectly good career in Hollywood. I’ve told her a million times; she’s organized and persuasive. She’d make a good producer, but she has to do things the hard way.”
To his credit, Will didn’t nod in agreement, instead giving Tom a blank-faced stare. Maybe Elizabeth had been avoiding the wrong person at the party.
The tension that had been accumulating throughout the day abruptly bubbled over. “You know why I don’t want to stay in Hollywood, Dad? Maybe it has something to do with how you laugh at the idea I might have a date. At Stanford, people cared more about what I learned in biochem than whether I had perfectly shaped eyebrows. And I’m sure that’s what my patients will care about, too. You want to know why I want to leave Hollywood? You just demonstrated it!”
Her father had pasted a conciliatory smile on his face. “There’s no need to get upset over a little joke…” But he had turned quite pale. She had never spoken like that to him before.
Elizabeth put her hand to her mouth before she said anything else she would regret. I can’t believe how badly I lost it—and in front of Will! She needed to find an excuse to leave.
“I think you’re right,” Will said to her.
She gaped at him.
“I love being an actor,” he continued, “but I’m not blind to Hollywood’s flaws. And I think it’s great that you want to be a doctor.”
She blinked at him. “Who are you, and what have you done with William Darcy?”
After a pause, Will just laughed, but her father regarded her with wide and horrified eyes.
Will’s eyes met hers. “You are smart and compassionate. I think you’ll make a great doctor.”
“Thanks,” Elizabeth said, wondering if he had just made an oblique apology for
his dismissive attitude the previous day.
Will cleared his throat. “The True Colors program seems to be helping a lot of people.”
“I’m glad you think so.” Elizabeth gave him a bemused smile while Tom stared at her as if she had sprouted wings.
An awkward silence followed, broken by Jane’s appearance. “Still no sign of Ricky,” she said breezily. Elizabeth shot her a grateful look; no doubt Jane had noticed her blowup.
Will picked up the conversational ball. “Usually screenwriters love coming to the set.” Why was he being so amiable tonight?
“I guess writers are allowed to be eccentric.” Elizabeth addressed the remark to Will’s shirt; another glimpse of those blue eyes might deprive her of the power of speech. It was bad enough that he was being unexpectedly nice.
“Ricky really is a remarkable guy,” Jane told Will. “I hope you get a chance to meet him. A lot of the screenplay is based on his life: being transgender and being kicked out of his parents’ house.”