The Seeds Of A Daisy: The Lily Lockwood Series: Book One (Women's Fiction) by Alison Caiola Read Free Book Online Page A

block, so even though it was nighttime, I knew the house had a phenomenal view of Los Angeles basin and Catalina Island. I walked over to the bar to exchange my martini for a mojito, which I had recently adopted as my cocktail of choice.
    While I waited for the bartender to make my drink, I noticed a large man walking toward to me. He had a sweet face—a cross between John Belushi and Jon Favreau.
    “Hey,” he said.
    “Hey yourself,” I replied.
    “I’m Jamie’s sidekick,” he said.
    “Sorry, guy, that position’s been filled,” I quickly responded.
    He gestured as if he were hitting a drum and cymbal, and made the sound of a rim shot. We both laughed.
    “Well, I guess you are, in real life,” he replied. “But in the movie, it’s me. Put it this way, if Jamie was Don Quixote, I would be Sancho Panza.”
    “And that would make me his sweet Dulcinea,” I replied. We both laughed again. I liked this guy.
    “I’m Bobby,” he said.
    “Lily,” I replied.
    We shook hands.
    “I know who you are,” he said. “Everyone here does. They’re all trying to look at you without turning their heads. I’m afraid there are gonna be a lot ofyoung actors going home with headaches tonight!” He faked an expression of deep concern and I laughed.
    “I’m a big, big fan of
St. Joe’s
.” He patted his oversized stomach. “A big fan in every way.”
    “Well, the show could sure use every fan it can get, big and little,” I said.
    “Not what I hear—I hear your ratings are through the roof. I also hear they’re starting contract re-negotiations.”
    “You hear right, sidekick,” I replied. I was amazed. How did people find these things out? It was beyond me.
    “I guess your Emmy nomination came at the best possible time.”
    “I guess so.” I changed the subject quickly. “So, tell me, what does a sidekick usually drink?”
    “Well, this sidekick drinks Diet Coke—I’m in recovery
and
on Weight Watchers. Pretty pathetic, huh?”
    I laughed again.
    Jamie came up behind me, put his arm around my waist, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I leaned into him.
    “I see you’ve met Bobby,” Jamie said.
    “I certainly have!” I replied.
    “Hey, brother,” Bobby said.
    Bobby and Jamie did what I always call the “manly man hug.”
    “Just getting to know your lovely lady,” Bobby said. “She’s as quick as she is beautiful.”
    “Oh kind suh, don’t make me blush,” I said in my very best Scarlett O’Hara accent.
    Jamie looked at me and said, “I’m a damn lucky guy, I know that.”
    At that moment I felt wonderful. I was happy that Jamie’s career was finally taking off. In the past, there had been some uncomfortable moments on the red carpet when he’d been pushed aside when people wanted to get to me. I tried my best to make him feel as comfortable as I could, but sometimes with everyone wanting to speak to me at once, it got difficult.
    After those nights, Jamie usually went into one of his funky moods for days. But not tonight—this was his moment and I was happy to be on
his
arm for once.
    “Hey, guys, how’re you doing?” A pretty blonde girl came over and stood between me and Bobby. She was about 5’8”, with long, stick-straight hair and a smokin’ hot body. She was wearing an exceptionally short Marc Jacobs black strapless silk seersucker dress with a sweetheart neckline. A thin black band of silk was tied at her waist. I remembered seeing her in an episode of
Mad Men
a couple of years ago. I was pretty sure she played a slutty model. I couldn’t remember if she was any good or not.
    “Hey, Natalie, how’re ya doing? Ready for the shoot? ” Bobby asked. I noticed that even though Bobby was talking to her, he was staring at her boobs. Which, in all fairness to my newfound friend, she had put out there, as my mother would say, on a silver platter for the whole wide world to see.
    “Yep, can’t wait to start.” She looked at Jamie and gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek.