Broken Strings

Twenty-Two

He did but she wouldn't take it. If there was one thing he knew for certain about Ginger, she wouldn't accept charity and if he offered her enough money to fund a move to New York and art school, she would surely reject it.

So instead, Jay said, "Because you have it."

"It?"

"The passion and the drive to be an artist. I've seen countless hopeful actors and musicians, artists and writers come to Los Angeles and New York, trying to make names for themselves. Most of them haven't been successful but those who have, they're like you. It's in their face, the way they talk about their art and passions. I see that in you, Ginger. There's not a doubt in my mind that if you get out there, you'll accomplish everything that you want to."

Ginger said, "That's a lot of faith when you haven't even seen a single one of my photos."

"Well now that I know you have a blog, I may have to do some internet stalking."

This elicited a reaction he didn't expect. She flushed deeply, her cheeks going scarlet, and suddenly she looked away.

"What?" he inquired, sitting up a little on the hood of the car so that he could lean over to peer at her and her red face.

"I did do some internet stalking," she confessed quietly, little more than a whisper. Not guilt but embarrassment flooding her tone. "On you."

"Do tell. Find anything of interest?"

"A few failed relationships. Images of fancy parties and wild clubs. There was one story, something about you being difficult on set. Yelling at people."

Jay groaned. He remembered that one. "Most of them are taken out of context. The majority of the photos of me at parties and clubs are from wrap parties of various projects I've worked on or publicity stunts for all of the fake relationships I've been in."

Ginger's brows raised. "You've been in fake relationships?"

"Most of them are fake, yes. My agent will usually connect with someone else's agent. Sometimes a co-worker or a popular musician and they'll suggest that we pretend to be romantically involved for a few months before big project releases so we'd go out to get photographed and then after a while it would all end."

"So Claire and Lennon...Were they the only two that were real for you?"

"Claire was. Lennon and I...I was too much of an ass for her at the time." He gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "It was never really anything except an unrequited crush on my end. I've had maybe two other relationships that were real in spirit but they fizzled out quickly."

"Why?"

"One was heading off to England for a movie shoot that was set to last a whole year and the other just...ended. No drama. No anything."

"And the yelling at people on set?"

"Director on one of my last films. He was bullying the catering staff and some of the P.A.s. I was first on the call sheet so if there was anyone who could call him on his shit, it was me. So I did."

Ginger sighed as if disappointed. "You're a boring celebrity aren't you?"

He laughed. "Sorry to disappoint."

"No," she said and that smile of hers that wrinkled her nose returned. "You don't."

***

An hour later, Jay dropped Ginger at the diner, watching until she climbed into her car and gave him a wave as she sped off towards home, and then he turned toward his hotel, trying his best to outpace the growing feelings that were accumulating in his body. Inappropriate, he kept telling himself. You've got to get a hold of yourself.