Page 32 of Hollywood, Ending

“Intense.”

“Intense is bad.”

“Bold. Confident.”

“Better!”

“Dedicated. Passionate.”

“Love it. Juniper.”

“Um.”

“Um is not great.”

“I loved her?”

Ellen exhaled through clenched teeth. “Present tense, Kai. She is not deceased. You love her.”

“I love her. Juniper is…thoughtful. Prepared. Careful.”

“Careful is not great. Caring is great,” Ellen said.

“But I don’t mean caring. I mean careful.”

Ellen closed her eyes. “What else?”

“Ambitious.”

A slight shake of her head. “Ambitious is terrible.”

“Hardworking.”

“No,” she said. Ellen was pressing her thumb and forefinger to her eyes now.

“She’s a great scene partner.”

“Adjectives.”

“Smart.”

“Meh.”

“Beautiful.”

“Oh, I like beautiful,” she said.

I laughed. “I bet you do.”

“But you don’t say that. You show it with your eyes, right? You’re an actor. So you say brilliant, loving, and hilarious, and the beautiful you show-don’t-tell.”

I didn’t think Juniper was brilliant, loving, or hilarious. I thought she was thoughtful, prepared, and careful.

We turned into the studio lot, and the guard waved Al past. I could see Juniper and Katie the Publicist standing together in the parking lot, talking to Kathryn and Studio Todd.

“Three adjectives about everyone,” Ellen said. “Flattering and particular. Then you expand. Matthew is kind, loving, and supportive. Insert story here about his kindness. And so on. Yeah?”

“Yeah,” I said. The car had stopped. Al hustled out of the driver’s seat so he could come around and open my door. Even though I knew how to open a car door, I waited for him, and let him do it.