Free All the Stars in the Heavens by Adriana Trigiani Page A

which was important to Tracy. A pretty girl was one thing, but pretty and talented, that was preferable. If he was going to sell out by acting in the movies, he hoped to at least bring serious skill to the proceedings.
    The deep roots of respect are fed by admiration, and Tracy held Loretta in high regard already. He liked the way she worked. She was specific, kept her focus, and didn’t fool around. She didn’t seem to fear Borzage, and she didn’t ask a lot of questions. She appreciated the work of the crew, treating them as she wished to be treated. She was without airs, and yet there was a distance between her and others; for sure there was one between her and him. Tracy was a man who couldn’t abide artifice, on or off the set, but it was here, at work, that he sensed a conundrum regarding his costar.
    For all of Loretta Young’s warmth and professionalism, there was something aloof about her. In her company he got an odd sensation of simultaneous hot and cold. It reminded him of the magic hour in the desert, the brief interlude of twilight. The sun was going down, but there was still heat, and in an instant it was gone, as the world turned lavender and a chill set in. Loretta was mysterious, which intrigued him; she was sensual, which stirred him up. He was lonely, but he felt none of it in her presence. This was a girl who would matter to him, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

    Father McNally, the fresh-scrubbed young priest and pastor of Our Lady of Good Shepherd Church in Beverly Hills, sat at the head of the dining room table at Sunset House. Ruby, the family cook since boardinghouse days, placed a pork roast at the center of the table. Like her boss, Ruby was from North Carolina. Ruby was a black woman who had the same goal in Hollywood as the Young family. She wanted to make it big. When she wasn’t working for Gladys Belzer, she made cakes and pies for some of the popular restaurants on the strip. Ruby wanted to retire young and rich.
    â€œMay I help?” Father asked.
    â€œReverend, I don’t need help in the kitchen. I need help everywhere else. Just keep me in your prayers,” Ruby said wearily.
    Gladys entered from the kitchen, carrying a basket of fresh biscuits.
    â€œMrs. Belzer, let me serve the table,” Ruby groused. “That’s why I’m here.”
    â€œMany hands make light work, Ruby.”
    â€œMany hands also make a mess, Mrs. Belzer. A mess that I have to clean up later.”
    Loretta and Polly came in, laughing, while Sally chased Georgie around the table. The girls greeted the priest before taking their seats. Alda sat at the far end of the table, the farthest seat from Father McNally.
    â€œWho’s the extra plate for?” Polly wanted to know.
    â€œI invited a new friend.”
    â€œIs it a man?” Georgie complained.
    â€œYes. My fellow actor, Spencer Tracy.” She checked her watch. “He should be here by now.”
    â€œNever heard of him.” Sally poured herself a glass of ice tea.
    â€œHe’s from the theater.”
    â€œUgh. If you’re going to invite actors to dinner, I wish you’d bring Clark Gable home.” Sally unfolded her napkin on her lap. “Theater people have lousy clothes and bad teeth.”
    â€œThere’s some Christian charity for you, Father,” Polly said drily.
    â€œSal, I hate to disappoint you,” Loretta said. “I don’t know Clark Gable. And I never will. He just signed a big contract at Metro.”
    â€œYou could get loaned out.”
    â€œWon’t happen,” Loretta promised.
    Alda’s head was swimming. People didn’t talk in the Belzer home, they prattled like the keys of a typewriter being hit by a crack secretary at a hundred words a minute. Words richocheted around the room like stray bullets, and when one of the girls made a point, she didn’t stay in her seat—she stood up, as though called upon