want you to spend your whole life waiting on something to fall into your lap. He’ll never have this conversation with you, and that’s why I’m doing it. Tough love. You want to work in movies, right?”
I nod.
“You’re never gonna get a job on a movie set if you don’t leave the house. Move somewhere else, get a job.”
Perhaps I should be annoyed at Tommy for overstepping his professional boundaries, but maybe he’s right. Uncle Don wouldn’t ever have a conversation like this with me. We primarily talk about his feelings regarding spoilers for new Star Wars films, not the state of my employment opportunities. I wonder if, this whole time, Uncle Don has been waiting for me to make a move, thinking I’m some big loser for spending so much time writing internet content.
“But it’s not that easy,” I say to Tommy. “I can’t just move somewhere and poof, someone offers me a job.”
“Not to toot my own, but . . .” Tommy holds up his hands in an exaggerated shrug. “Toot toot, I won an Oscar. I have connections. I make a damn fine recommendation.”
I can’t help laughing.
“Listen, Annie, I’m not saying this is your only chance, but you’ve got some experience now. If you want to try something new, you can. All right, then.” He slams a hand on the table. “How are things going with Drew?”
I raise my eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
Tommy smiles. “Ah, come on. You think I haven’t seen the way you two have been looking at each other since the first day on set? You’re talking to a guy who makes love stories for a living. I know one when I see it.”
I shake my head. “Drew and I are not— Wait. When you sent us to dinner together, was that like . . . a setup?”
Tommy smiles. “Just call me your fairy godmother, sweetheart.”
Emboldened by our conversation, and uncomfortable by the way Tommy has been meddling in my love life like he’s turning me into his own personal rom-com, I say, “You know, you really shouldn’t call women sweetheart. Or honey. Or dear.”
He looks at me in confusion. “You mean you don’t like that?”
“No,” I say. “We’re having a cultural moment, Tommy. You’ve gotta keep up.”
“Huh.” Tommy leans back, drumming his fingers on the table. “You learn something new every day.”
“An old-fashioned for the lady,” Drew says, appearing with our drinks. “And, Tommy, can I get you anything?”
“No, no, no,” Tommy says, vacating Drew’s seat. “The old man’s getting out of here to let you kids have a good night. But promise me you’ll think about it, Annie.”
He looks at me meaningfully, and at first I think he’s talking about Drew. But of course he’s talking moving, about taking a big risk, and a wave of something—excitement? nausea?—washes over me. I just nod, and then he walks away.
Drew gestures toward him with his bottle. “What the hell was that about?”
“Why did you tell Tommy I’m working on a screenplay?!” I ask.
Drew takes a drink. “Uh, because you are, and because friends help each other out with their careers?”
Friends, I think. Right.
“But now I have to send it to him,” I say.
“The horror! Forced to let a world-famous director read your screenplay.” Drew reaches across the table and grabs my hands. “Annie, will you ever accept my apology for ruining your life?”
I hold back a smile. Even though Drew’s joking, he kind of is ruining my life. In a couple of days he won’t be around anymore, but I’ll be stuck here, forced to see him occasionally on TV or movie posters, a constant reminder of what I kind of, sort of, almost never had.
“I forgive you,” I say softly. To my chagrin, he lets go of my hands.
We each have another drink and talk about things other than my screenplay. About how Drew doesn’t think Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are right for each other in When Harry Met Sally . . . (“They’re annoyed with each other, like, most of the time!”), even though he is obviously very wrong. About how I heard a rumor there’s going to be a Frasier reboot, and Drew says he would do just about anything to get cast in the smallest part.
I’ve had two old-fashioneds, and for a lightweight like me who’s only had an apple and a bagel today, that’s a lot. I’m already feeling it when Tarah comes over to say hi and, from the way she’s utterly unfazed by Drew’s presence,