Daddy's Girls (19)

“I’ll have to rent a car,” she said, sounding distracted.

“Something wrong with yours?” Kate sounded surprised.

    “It’s so ridiculously expensive, and it’s really too much car for me, it’s more of a guy’s car. I turned it in, and I’m trying to decide what I want now.” Gemma sounded breezy about it.

“How about a Rolls?” Kate teased her, and Gemma sounded vague.

“Yeah. Maybe. See you soon,” she said, and hung up quickly. She had to call the bank to see if she could get a line of credit. She was trying to lease a less expensive car. And she needed to call her agent to see if he had any leads for work. Her life was a constant merry-go-round of terror now, trying to reduce her expenses, cancel things, and find work. Her agent had checked her contract. She was getting four months’ severance and could keep the wardrobe from the season, as she always did. All of which meant that by the end of September, she would have no money left, and no work. She had to do something about it, because there was no Daddy to bail her out this time. Daddy’s Girl was up the creek, and her life was down the tubes.





Chapter 4


On the weekend Gemma and Caroline had agreed to come to the ranch, both of them arrived on Friday night shortly before dinner. One of the ranch hands picked up Caroline and her children at the airport, and Gemma arrived in a small rented Ford. Kate had a simple meal set out for them at her house, and she’d gone to their cottages herself to make sure that everything was in order. Juliette had agreed to join them for dinner.

Morgan and Billy couldn’t wait to go riding with Thad the next day. Juliette surprised the girls by telling them that she had decided to go home for the summer. She was returning to France for the first time in ten years, planning to visit friends in Bordeaux and Provence, and her brother in Paris, then go to their old house in the Camargue with him. It was going to be a big change from the ranch, but she felt she needed a change of scene. It was lonely for her there without Jimmy. She hadn’t expected his sudden death to hit her as hard as it did.

“I’ll try not to screw up the books while you’re gone,” Kate said, smiling at her. Juliette had brought two bottles of good French wine to dinner, which she shared with the three sisters. It was a fine French Bordeaux that their father had loved too. Juliette had taught him about French wines, and he had become very knowledgeable, and had some excellent vintages stocked in his cellar.

    “You should take some,” she told Kate. “It will take me the rest of my life to drink it. Your father liked buying in large quantities.” He liked doing everything bigger, better, and more than anyone else. It was part of his giant personality. And in many ways, Gemma was a lot like him, although he hadn’t been a spendthrift like her, and was careful with money.

She hadn’t intended to tell them, but after her second glass of wine, Gemma told them that the show had been canceled. There was shocked silence at the table for a moment, and no one knew what to say. Then Kate recovered herself.

“I’m sorry, Gem. It must be incredibly disappointing.”

“It is,” Gemma admitted. “I could see it if our ratings had gone down, but they’re stronger than ever. But that’s the way our executive producer likes to do it. Go out on a high, and leave them laughing.” Gemma looked as if she was close to crying, and Caroline reached over and patted her hand.

“At least you’ve had ten great years on the show. You’ll probably get on a new show very soon,” she encouraged her. Morgan and Billy had left the table and were watching TV in Kate’s bedroom. She had just treated herself to a new TV.

“Apparently not,” Gemma countered. “According to my agent, over forty, I’m screwed.”

“That’s ridiculous. You don’t look your age,” Kate said, outraged. “I’m a year older than you are, and I look ten years older.”

    “I keep telling you, Kate, sunscreen and moisturizer!” Gemma scolded her and Kate laughed.

“I know, I know.” But Kate was still beautiful too. Gemma looked incredibly youthful. Kate was right about that. “Is this going to have a big impact on you?” Kate asked her gently.

“Impact? No. Knock me flat on my ass, yes, definitely. I’ve been living a little too lavishly. It gets to be a bad habit. And the studios and production companies spoil you. You can have damn near everything you want when you’re on a successful show, and then suddenly it’s over. The clock strikes midnight, the show turns to dust, and you’re Cinderella, and Neiman’s takes back the glass slipper. I’ll be okay, I guess, but I need to cut back pretty dramatically. I’m thinking about renting my house out for the summer. It will help fill the coffers a little. There’s a lot that I can do without.”

“If you rent your house, you can stay here for the summer,” Kate said warmly. “Hell, you can stay here whenever you want, you own the ranch now too. We all do. And you have a house here. You could commute to L.A. when you need to, for meetings and auditions.”

“I hope I don’t have to,” Gemma said. “My agent says the new shows are pretty well set for next season, so it might be a slim winter, till they come up with new shows next spring. But he doesn’t think I’ll get a lead part at my age. The part I had was tailor-made for me, but I was thirty when they cast me. That makes a big difference.”