“It is very Gen Z of us, isn’t it? Actually following our dreams?” I joke. He laughs. “OK, this may be un-Hollywood of me to say, but I saw that you won an Oscar forMask of Sin.”
He drops his head slightly, like he’s trying to deflect this confrontation with his own success. “Get Amy Adams to play the proprietor of a gambling den and you kind of can’t lose.” He takes a swig of his wine. “I still haven’t managed not to feel mortified when I talk about my writing, even thirty years in. But yes, you’re right. That was un-Hollywood of you.”
“Then teach me how to be Hollywood,” I say. There’s an unmistakable hint of flirtation in my tone.
He leans into it. He looks up at me through a crinkledbrow, a devilish glint in his eyes. “Rules are pretty simple. You would pretend you have no idea who I am, gradually befriend me, invite me to a casual dinner with other people in the industry, including people I’ve worked with previously, pretend to be surprised when the topic of awards comes up, and then, after a span of three-to-six months, ask me for a favor that you’d had planned from the beginning.”
I look him dead in the eye. “I have never heard of you in my life.”
“You’re getting the hang of it.”
“Well, too bad, I’m proud of you. You’re really doing the thing.”
He sits back. When he smiles now, I notice something behind his eyes that I hadn’t before now. And never did, thirty years ago. It’s pain.
“I suppose I am,” Reid says. “I could never have imagined this for myself. The people I’ve gotten to work with, the movies I’ve been able to make... But a lot of it—work, life—is not what I thought it would be.”
Lightly, I touch his hand where it rests on the table, trying to convey to him how much I get it. My life, too, has taken some unpredictable turns. He looks down, as if to consider whether he wants us to be in physical contact. I begin to pull away, to apologize for crossing the boundary, but he flips his palm up, as if to hold me in place.
“Lili,” he says. “I feel like I should tell you—”
And that’s when Emme and Gracie come back to the table. Quickly, we pull our hands away and innocently pick our forks up again.
When they sit back down, Gracie announces, “Emme’s gonna show me around the NYU campus tomorrow.”
Reid and I raise our eyebrows at each other. Clearly, he is just as in the dark as I am about whatever is going on between these two.
I look over at Emme, who’s now sporting a slick of shimmering chocolate-brown lip gloss. It’s the same one Gracie is wearing. Such is the magic of the girls’ bathroom.
Emme throws up her hands. “I’ve lived on Waverly my entire life.”
“Well, I think that’s a great idea,” Reid says. “You can show her the insider spots.”
“Don’t sayinsider spots,” Gracie says.
Emme claps her hands together. “Yeah! I’ll come up with an itinerary. But, like, a cool one.” Then she shoots a look between Reid and me. “Why don’t you guys go do something too?”
“Oh,” I say. After that moment of hesitation, whatever Reid felt the need to caution me about... I’m not so sure he wants to see me again. And depending on whatever it is he wanted to share, I’m not entirely sure it would be a good thing to see him again either. It’s clear that he’s no longer with Gracie’s mother, but that doesn’t mean he’s not in a relationship. Actually, I find it hard to believe he’s not. How couldn’t he be, with that face and that voice and that kindness?
My cheeks heat as it hits me: I still have a giant crush on this man.
“Dad, do not use the work excuse,” Gracie says. “Youneed to learn how to have fun.” She offers me the barest glance. “And Lili seems fun.”
“Liliisfun,” Reid says. “I can confirm.”
I can’t quite read the expression on his face then. Is it an apology? A warning?
“Are you free tomorrow?” he asks me. He looks... like someone who wasn’t just put up to this by his kid.
Technically, I’m not really free. I have to review and edit the images from tonight to send to the client, call the plumber about the terminally low water pressure in my bathroom sink, take Emme’s dress to the tailor, schedule her dentist appointment...
But it’s been a really long time since I’ve had a crush.
“I’m wide open,” I say.
“OK, let’s talk about this,” I say. Emme and I are walking home from the restaurant, where we left Reid and Gracie to grab an Uber back to their hotel uptown. In a shocking twist, Gracie and Emme hugged goodbye.
“Talk about what?” Emme responds.
