Famous Read Online Free PDF Page B

and on closer
inspection, I see that they’re twins: beautiful, brunette twins. I
flash my best Jansen smile and turn back to Matt.
    “Say, Matt?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Reason I’m in New York is I’m doing research
for an upcoming part. I’m going to play an actor in the
off-Broadway scene. And I’ve never worked here. Always done film.
So there’s a lot I don’t know. And of course to do a character
right, I’ve got to really understand where they’re coming
from.”
    “Sure.”
    I sip my vodka. It’s growing on me.
    “So I was wondering if I could talk to you
about your experience. Not tonight of course, since you’ve got your
party here, but maybe this week. And I’d love to meet the actors
from Love in the 0’s , get a window into their lives.”
    “Hell, Jim, I’ll put you in my play if you
want.”
    “Really?”
    “Look, while Love in the 0’s runs in
Hamilton, it’s a work in progress. I’ve written a few dozen scenes
that could potentially work. The story’ll stay the same. It’ll stay
a half-hour long, but I’m experimenting with what best depicts the
course of this relationship. In fact, I can think of a scene right
now that would be perfect for you. And I’d love to see how it plays
in front of a crowd.”
    “What’s the part?”
    Matt polishes off the rest of his
martini.
    “You’d play the shrink. I wrote two parts.
One for a man, one for a woman, which you saw tonight. Despite what
Paul says, I’m not sure a woman shrink is the best thing for the
play. You be interested?”
    “Absolutely.”
    That puts a hell of a smile across his
face.
    I take the last sip of vodka. I could breathe
fire.
    “If I give you a script before you leave
tonight, could you come read tomorrow?”
    Of course I can, but I grimace because Stars
never have time to do anything.
    “What time?”
    “Two? I’d do it earlier, but I’m going to
feel pretty shitty tomorrow morning.”
    I pause for no real reason.
    “All right.”
    “Since it’s a short scene, what I’m thinking
is, if we nail it fast, which I’m sure we will, we could be ready
to show it by next performance, which is Thursday. That’s perfect,
don’t you think? You get firsthand experience doing theatre in New
York. I get to work with one of the greatest actors of the last
twenty years. It’s a fucking dream, Jim.”
    He’s pretty happy now. I think it’s starting
to hit him that he’s recruiting James Jansen for his shitty
play.
    “You need another drink, Jim.” He takes my
glass before I can argue and walks back inside.
    Now only the twins and I share the
balcony.
    I look over at them and smile again.
    “Evening, ladies.”
    They smile back, far younger than I first
thought. Hardly twenty.
    One of them says, “Could you help us settle a
bet?”
    Everything is buzzing. This may be the best
I’ve felt my whole life. I step toward them. Champagne and
strawberries on their breaths.
    “My sister, Dawn, says you’re that movie
star, James Jansen. But I don’t think you are. I think you just
look like him. Who’s right? I got twenty bucks riding on this.”
    “You’re right,” I say, giving her this
soul-penetrating stare.
    “So you aren’t him?”
    “Nope.” But I say it like I don’t mean it.
Real flirtatious-like. She laughs and sips her champagne. “You’re
pretty cute in person.”
    “What? You don’t believe me?”
    She steps closer and her sister comes around
the other side so they’ve got me backed up against the railing.
    “We had another bet,” Dawn says.
    “What’s that?”
    “I bet Heather a hundred dollars you’d come
home with us. You wouldn’t let me lose that money, would you?”
    “I’d hate to cost you money,” I say. And I
would. Man, these women smell good.
    “All right, stand aside.” Matt reaches a hand
between the twins and I take my glass of vodka.
    “Do we know each other?” he asks, looking at
Heather and then Dawn. He doesn’t say it meanly, and I guess it’s a
reasonable