“When are you leaving for Vietnam?” Ricky asked after a sip of wine.
“Three days.” Darcy couldn’t wait; being in L.A. was making him ready to jump out of his skin. It had only been a few weeks since the wrap party, but as it was, he saw false “Elizabeths” several times a day, some of whom bore little resemblance to the original. At least in Vietnam that would happen with less regularity.
“So how is the project shaping up?” Ricky asked as he perused the menu.
“Well, you know it’s a thriller,” Darcy said. “Not my preferred genre, but the script is good.” He left “beggars can’t be choosers” hanging in the air unspoken, but Ricky gave him a sympathetic look. At a previous meal, they had commiserated over the vagaries of Hollywood. Ricky understood that this new movie represented the best choice Darcy had at the moment.
They had shared their love/hate relationship with the Hollywood universe: the glamour and magic of film warring with the maneuvering and pettiness. “It must be frustrating.”
No need to ask what “it” was. At least Ricky didn’t ask about the Palm Springs incident.
Darcy stared moodily into his wine. “Everyone’s career has ups and downs. Nobody stays on top forever.” At least that’s what he told himself and hoped that it was true. “Fans are fickle, and studios are skittish. That’s Hollywood.”
“In the Shadows is getting good advance buzz,” Ricky said. “That should provide a boost.”
“Yeah. My agent is already fielding some promising offers. It’ll be good to do some projects I’m passionate about.” Actors like Charlie never seemed to have a problem with movies that didn’t ignite their passions; they just took whatever came along. But Darcy wasn’t built that way and never had been. If he wasn’t invested in a project, he had difficulty doing his best work.
I wonder if Elizabeth feels that way about practicing medicine. From that perspective, her decision was easier to understand. Huh, he’d never realized they had that in common. Not that it mattered now. He’d probably never see her again.
After the waiter took their orders, they chatted about Darcy’s film, his parents, and Ricky’s next project.
On the other side of the restaurant a woman laughed, a sound eerily similar to Elizabeth’s. Darcy nearly dropped his wineglass. Upon peering in that direction, however, he found that the table was inhabited by large middle-aged women.
Ricky took a sip from his drink. “Is there something going on, Cuz? You seem jumpy.”
Darcy grabbed a roll from the bread basket. “No. Nothing.” Ricky nodded amiably. “Everything’s just fine,” Darcy insisted.
Ricky was staring at Darcy’s hands. Only then did he realize that he had been shredding the roll into tiny pieces. Damn. He hastily dropped it onto his bread plate.
“All right, so I’m a little…stressed.” He swept the crumbs off the table into his hand and deposited them on his plate. “Women trouble.” Every guy goes through it…except the gay guys, I guess… He knew nothing about his cousin’s sexuality.
Ricky took a sip of wine. “Would you like to talk about it? I’ve had women troubles of my own—and I used to be a woman. I’m uniquely qualified.”
Darcy toyed with the stem of his wineglass. He didn’t usually confide the details of his love life to others. But Ricky had a good point, plus he knew Elizabeth. More importantly, remaining silent on the subject was beginning to drive Darcy crazy.
He stared down at the crumb-pocked tablecloth. “It’s Elizabeth,” he mumbled.
“Pardon?” Ricky leaned forward.
“It’s Elizabeth Bennet,” Darcy said more distinctly. “She’s the woman I’m having…trouble with.”
“Really?” Ricky’s head jerked in surprise.
A horrible thought struck Darcy. “Is there anything going on between you?” The words rushed out. Ricky was different from Darcy in just about every possible way; was he the kind of guy Elizabeth wanted?
Ricky chuckled. “No. Totally not my type.”
Whew.
“I wouldn’t think she was your type either. I would have expected you to go for someone like Caroline Bingley.”
“Yeah, that’s what Caroline thinks, too,” Darcy said sourly.
Ricky chuckled. “I don’t think Elizabeth is seeing anyone at the moment,” he said, stroking his chin. “You should ask her out.”
Darcy gave a rueful laugh. As if I hadn’t thought of that. “I did, and it didn’t go well.” Understatement of the century.
His cousin goggled. “She rejected you?” Darcy nodded. “That must have been a shock to the system.”