Free Stars Collide by Janice Thompson Page A

Someone needed to teach that little diva some manners. Could she at least feign some respect? The kid was an actor, after all. She could certainly act respectful.
    I couldn’t help but think that Tia’s arrival had ushered in a new season of sobriety for the cast and crew. No more pranks while the cameras were rolling. Yikes. How would we handle that? Our crew members made a sport of playing pranks on the actors, and vice versa.
    There had been that time one of the boom mics whacked me in the back of the head midscene. I’d been told it was an accident but suspected foul play based on the laughter from the camera crew. And then there was the time I’d opened the onstage refrigerator to what was supposed to have been a stash of diet sodas, only to have thousands of walnuts roll out on top of me. From what I’d been told, it had taken the tech crew hours to get them in there and they had only one chance to film it. I challenged them to be more original next time, knowing they’d stolen the idea from an old Dick Van Dyke episode.
    We always had fun at each other’s expense. In a healthy way, of course. And all of these things made for great outtakes, or so I was told. But would all of that end now that Tia had arrived? Would she put an end to our merriment altogether? Only time would tell.
    The meeting ended, and she seemed to soften a bit. A smile lit her face as Rex drew near. She extended her hand, obviously thinking he wanted to shake it. In usual Rex style, he swept her into his arms for a fatherly hug. She looked a bit taken aback at that but didn’t say anything.
    Grandma watched this transpire in silence but then took a few steps in my direction. “What do you think of her, KK?”
    “She’s, um, something else.”
    “Sure is. She reminds me of someone. What about you? Who does she put you in mind of?”
    I was torn between Attila the Hun and Mommie Dearest, so I said nothing.
    Thankfully Grandma Lenora did all of the talking for me. “I know! She reminds me of that lovely young woman who delivers the flowers, don’t you agree?”
    “Delivers flowers?” Frankly, it had been so long since I’d received any that I couldn’t say.
    “You know, honey,” Grandma said, patting my arm like she would a small child, “when I was under contract to Paramount and used to get flowers weekly. Beautiful pink sweetheart roses. The same girl would deliver them. I’m pretty sure that’s her.”
    “Ah.” Should I tell her Tia wasn’t born yet when she was under contract to Paramount? Nah. I’d let it go.
    “I like her,” my grandmother said with a nod. “She’s just what this show needs. Business and spunk. A nice combination indeed.” Leaning in, she whispered, “And I’ll bet if you asked her, she would tell you she used to work for a florist.” Grandma gave me a wink.
    I paused to think about what she’d said, the florist comment aside. Mark had been all business too, though he had trouble sticking to a plan. But having someone in charge with a nice personality would be good. Hopefully Tia was just trying to make a strong first impression.
    Grandma gave Tia a look of pure admiration. “You know, back in my day, a woman would never have become a director, so I think it’s wonderful. She’s made inroads into a man’s world, and that’s pretty impressive. I always said a woman could give a man a run for his money.” Giggling, she added, “I know I’ve given a few men a run for their money, anyway.”
    I didn’t even want to know what that meant.
    Grandma ventured off to the dressing room to touch up her makeup, and I made up my mind to speak to Tia. After a deep breath, I headed her way, ready to break the ice. Might as well get this over with.
    “Tia, I’m Kat. Kat Jennings.”
    She turned to me with a warm smile and took my extended hand. “Of course. I’ve seen you on-screen so many times. Good to meet you in person. Rex has told me so much about you, and I can’t wait to get started