“I’d love to have you on our roster. You’d be the biggest name on it. But right now, you’re mud. The VSU won’t work with you. Not to mention the little social media storm you’re in the middle of with the fanboys.”
“If you’re really serious about wanting to work with me, give me a plan. Show me you’re the right place to be.”
Goldie was trying to Vulcan Mind Meld Hedda. Maybe a little cognitive dissonance would work to get her a new agent? She would make Hedda work for her before the woman even knew she was doing it.
“My first advice is to stay hidden. You’re not going to win if you talk to the press. They’re out for blood. You’ll look desperate. Make them wonder where you are. Let ‘em chew on it. You’re a mystery. You’re someone who doesn’t care if the gaping maw of the Victor Superhero Universe is trying to chew you up. Let ‘em choke on it. That, my dear, would be badass.”
“I’ll consider your idea. I’ll let you know if I’m interested in your offer.” She knew darn well there was no offer.
“Here’s what I will offer. A little spying. Let me see if I can find out how your dailies looked. Maybe there’s something salvageable. How strong can that current picture be if all it takes to bring down one of their tent pole movies is little ole you?”
“I’m tougher than I look.”
“That I have no doubt about.”
“Talk to you soon.”
“Be like Garbo.”
Goldie hung up the phone.
Her next call was to Tally.
“Tally, I need you to send me a car.”
“What, to the airport? You’re coming back? That’s great, but don’t come to the house. Picketers actually threw an egg at me when I drove in the other day.”
Goldie had planned to send for a car, book the jet, and get back to L.A. to fight.
But Hedda’s advice rang in her ears. And now Tally had warned that the fanboys were still stalking her house.
Her instinct was to go back to Hollywood. She knew how to be seen in the right places. She knew how to make meetingshappen. Well, she used to. Mitchell Ozock had done a lot of that; they’d made a good team. Now that she didn’t have him, she realized how much he had helped ensure that she made the right steps.
Hedda’s advice of staying hidden had to be wrong. Goldie was going back. Tally could arrange the travel. She’d pound the pavement like she had when she was an unknown.
“Tally, why don’t you forward me any important emails, scripts, requests for appearances, interviews, all that?” She’d say yes to a few events. Goldie would work the whole,be famous for being famousthing, just until she was back where she needed to be.
Tally was her gatekeeper. She managed the hundreds of messages that came in. Tally knew what to regard as important and what to politely decline. Goldie would reconsider some appearances that she’d poo-pooed a few weeks ago. Just to get the ball rolling.
“Well, there are dozens of interview requests, all regarding the Victor thing.”
“And?”
“Uh, there are cancelations.”
“I usually have a dozen script backlog.”
“Yeah, some have been withdrawn. I didn’t even know you could do that.”
“I guess you can.”
Goldie wasn’t entirely convinced by Hedda’s idea that she stay out of town, stay hidden. She wanted to fight back and clear her name. But the dearth of messages, requests, scripts, and the like made her see the wisdom of Hedda’s advice.
The only thing anyone in Hollywood wanted Goldie Hayes for right now was to roast her over an open pit.
“Forget the messages. Put an out-of-office reply in everything, tell ‘em I’m traveling, on an extended trip, and you’ll answer only urgent requests.”
“Got it. Do you still need the car?”
