“What about school?” I asked.
“I was home schooled on the set,” she said. “They brought in the best tutors money could buy.Hey Vickywas a huge revenue source, so they spent a lot of money to keep my mom happy.”
“Your mom?” I asked. “Not you?”
Another one of those careless shrugs. “Mom was my manager then. She was the one they needed to keep happy.”
“Was? She’s not your manager anymore?”
“No, I fired her when I was nineteen. It was a big blow-up.” She took a bite of chicken, her eyes closing in pleasure. “This is really good. Thank you for cooking for me.”
“Do you mind if I ask why you fired her?”
“Mom was… controlling. Still is, but she has less leverage now that I’m an adult. Also, I discovered she was stealing from me.”
Tori
The look on Hailey’s face was priceless. She looked shocked and horrified, which was incredibly validating. Many of my so-called friends in the industry thought I’d overreacted when I discovered that Mom was not only paying herself ten times more than the average manager commission but was also paying for everything from her massages to her groceries out of my business account. If I hadn’t insisted that my accountant go through my taxes with me in detail, I never would have figured it out.
I expected her to ask for details, but as usual, Hailey surprised me. “It must have been hard to learn that kind of thing about your own mother.”
“It was,” I confirmed. “By the time I realized what was going on, I was pretty in-demand in Hollywood. I put out the word that Iwas looking for new management, and I had dozens of inquiries. Then I did something important: I went to online college and took business classes so I could understand my own finances.”
“That’s great,” Hailey said, giving me an encouraging smile. “You have to take care of yourself in this world.”
I just stared at her, remembering how my mother, my accountant, and a few other people implied that I was wasting my time. The only person who’d supported me was Pepper. She’d grown up as a child actress before developing crippling anxiety and retiring from the business. Now she was my assistant, right hand woman, and the closest thing I had to a friend.
“What does your mom do now?” she asked.
“She lives in the mansion she bought with my money, goes to a lot of lunches with important people, and tries to influence me to do her bidding so she can get more money out of me. It’s a constant source of tension between us.”
Hailey’s face softened with sympathy. “That sucks.”
“Yeah. What about your parents?”
“It’s always just been me and my mom. She’s awesome. I know it sounds corny, but she’s my best friend.”
“Does she live here in Seattle?” I asked.
“She lives in an intentional community about an hour away from here.”
At my confused look she said, “It’s kind of like a commune. A bunch of people living simple lives off the grid, working together as a community. They support themselves with farming and selling crafts online.”
“So your mom has the internet?” I asked half-teasingly.
“No. One of the community members uses the computer in a café in the closest town to manage their website.”
I shook my head. These people lived a much different life than me. I wondered what Hailey’s mom and her little commune would think of me. Something told me it wouldn’t be good.
Suddenly I yawned so loudly that my face flushed with embarrassment.
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I’ve been up for over twenty-four hours now. I’m afraid I’m dead on my feet.”
“We should figure out the sleeping arrangements,” Hailey said as we shared some candy bars for dessert.
It turned out that Kit Kats were pretty good, but Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were like crack. They were so delicious I could have eaten about five packages myself. Only through years of self-control was I able to stop after two cups.
“I only have one bed here and that couch isn’t the most comfortable to sleep on…”
