“Got it, I have a few calls to make, but I’ll go with you. I need to take charge.”
“Got it… and congratulations.”
“Oh, yeah, Thanks.”
Goldie was holding on to the high of coming out victorious in negotiations. The fact that she had to trap a wild animal couldn’t bring her down.
Hollywood was full of wild animals, and she’d survived that. How bad could a raccoon in the attic really be?
Joe drove them to town, and she realized this was the perfect cover. The perfect reason to stay away from L.A. She’d do exactly as Hedda advised. She’d kill time here; she’d distract herself with this project.
And then, when the time was right, she’d make her triumphant return!
Chapter Thirteen
Goldie, 2000
The timing was tight.
By the time she’d finished all the filming, looping, and reshoots forTenured,she was four months along. She needed to get out of town before someone other than a key grip who liked big boobs noticed.
She stayed at a rental house in Malibu as she watched Dustin Toms and his wife bask in the adoration of their lovely marriage and blessed news.
Everyone loved them.Vanity Fair,People,Time, andEntertainment Weeklyall featured the two on the cover.
Mitchell Ozock was the only one who knew Goldie’s secret.
“You’ll finish it out in Europe. No one will care in Tuscany, trust me. We’ll tell the press you’re reading scripts, weighing the next phase of your career.”
Goldie did just that. She rented an entire villa. No one could access the place. It was set way back, and if you wanted a picture of Goldie Hayes, you’d need a helicopter.
There couldn’t be a more beautiful place to hide. The grounds were like living in a fairy tale. Goldie ate, took long walks among olive trees, she slept on the porch. She stayed away from prying eyes.
In some ways, it was the most relaxing time of her life, hiding a pregnancy in Italy on her own.
But she wasn’t alone the entire time. She had reached out to a friend. And that friend had arrived, open arms, open heart, and ready to change both of their lives.
Her friend had tried to get pregnant for the last three years. Her friend wanted a family more than anything else. Her friend was married and had a successful business, but it didn’t consume her life.
Goldie and her friend hatched a plan as Goldie prepared to hatch a human.
Her friend was there for six weeks. She was a godsend. She helped in any way she could. She’d get her a glass of water, lend her a hand as she strained to stand up from the grips of a squishy sofa and provided calm support.
The plan was unorthodox, Goldie knew, but it would work.
Goldie’s friend would take the child and adopt it. She was also open to letting Goldie be the beloved aunt, extra mom, or whatever Goldie wished.
But Goldie knew she wasn’t ready to be a mom, wasn’t ready to explain to the world who the father was. Wasn’t ready.
Goldie’s daughter came into the world under the glow of a Tuscan sky. Her first moments were greeted with love from Goldie and from the mother, Goldie had chosen for this precious soul. A private doctor and staff, arranged by Mitchell Ozock, attended to her needs.
It was an easy pregnancy and easier delivery. Seeing her baby for the first time, Goldie decided that she wasn’t the type who could just hand over her daughter and close the book. Goldie’s friend did not pressure her. It was all easy, natural. It was right.
Goldie spent a month watching her friend bond with the child as Goldie healed from the birth. She needed to look like Goldie Hayes, movie star, when she returned to Hollywood.
But a month was all the time she could afford to give. She had to return to her career or see it vanish.
Goldie named the baby Siena, after the nearby village.
