Hollywood Flirt - Alexa Aston Page 0,21
Why I’m calling, though, is to invite you to a cookout. Rhett’s kept eating red meat to once a week and he’s hankering for a big, juicy burger. He did some crazy new workout today with Leo and a few of his other clients and he tells me only a burger will satisfy him.”
“Sounds great. Can I bring anything?”
“Just yourself. The guys are still hanging around. They’ve collapsed and are scattered on the deck. I don’t know if any of them are staying for dinner or not. My friend, Melanie Cameron, is here. The one I’ve been wanting you to meet.”
“I’d love to meet a few new people,” Sydney said. “What time?”
“Six.”
“I’ll see you then.”
Sydney hung up and glanced at her watch. She had twenty minutes before her attorney arrived. She gathered all her templates and made sure they were in the correct order before she ran copies in her dad’s office. She punched holes into the originals and placed them in a notebook that she left on the table next to her laptop. She’d see if Cassie wanted a copy as a reference. If not, Sydney would keep it in case her dad spilled something on the other set. He was notorious for eating and working—and leaving bits of whatever he ate behind. His copy of the script was usually sticky and muddled by the time shooting was completed.
She heard the noise of a car turning into the driveway off the highway and glanced out the front window. Marvin Trumble had arrived. Sydney watched him climb out of the black Mercedes Benz. She hadn’t trusted many people in her life but Marvin was one of them. She went to the door and threw it open.
“Hi, Marvin!” she called.
“Sydney. So good to see you.” She was enveloped in a bear hug and smelled his usual spicy cologne.
“Come in. Thanks for coming out to Malibu.”
He winked at her. “You know I’d go to the moon and back for you, Kid.”
Sydney ushered him in and he settled on the sofa. He opened his briefcase and began pulling out the forms she would need to reclaim her original name.
“You should be familiar with this by now, Sydney,” the balding attorney said. “I’d say third time’s the charm, but this’ll be your fifth. And who knows? You might get married again someday and need to do it again.”
She sighed. She’d gone through the process so many times, she could probably do it in her sleep. She’d changed her last name from Revere to Thompson shortly after she married Craig. Then when she decided to disappear, she’d legally changed Thompson to Brown. After marrying Wake, she’d become a Marshall and had to name change again. She’d actually thought about keeping Brown for professional reasons, but Wake had acted hurt that she’d even consider such a thing. After her divorce, the Marshall name brought such terrible memories that she went back to Sydney Brown.
Now she’d be a Revere again. Her life, in short, was complicated.
“Let’s go over the basics again, Sydney, since this is a request through the courts and not a simple marriage name change. A few documents have been altered since the last time you did this in California. California law is slightly different than state law in New York and Massachusetts.”
“I want to go through official channels and do it right, Marvin. That’s why you’re here to guide me every step of the way.”
“You can fill all of these out and either messenger them back to me, or make two copies and bring them with you when it’s time.”
He handed her the Petition for Change of Name. “This will ask for your present name, what your proposed name will be, and the reason why you want the name change.” He passed over another document. “Here’s the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name. You’ll need to bring both of these when we file. Although California’s a state that actually allows you the legal right to change your name by simply starting to use the new name in all aspects, government agencies require the court order. With all your investments, we want the right, legal name on those, as well.”
She nodded. “I want it all above board and official.”
“Once you’ve completed these, be sure you also make copies of your Social Security card, birth certificate, and that you have a photo ID when we file with the clerk of courts.”
“What about posting the change in a local newspaper? Is that still a requirement