“No,” I said. “Nope. I’m not signing some contract where they tell me what movies to be in. You and I decide what movies I do. That’s it.”
“You aren’t listening.”
“I’m listening just fine,” I said, shifting my weight onto my shoulder and changing the arm that was holding the phone. I thought to myself, I’m going to go for a swim today. I should tell Luisa to heat the pool.
“We choose the movies,” Harry said. “It’s a blind deal. Whatever films you and Rex like Paramount wants to buy. Whatever salary we want.”
“All because of Anna Karenina?”
“We’ve proven your name brings people into the theater. And if I’m being entirely clear-eyed about this, I think Sam Pool wants to screw over Ari Sullivan. I think he wants to take what Ari Sullivan threw away and make gold out of it.”
“So I’m a pawn.”
“Everyone’s a pawn. Don’t go around taking things personally now when you never have before.”
“Any movies we want?”
“Anything we want.”
“Have you told Rex?”
“Do you honestly think I would run a single thing by that cad before running it by you?”
“Oh, he is not a cad.”
“If you had been there to talk to Joy Nathan after he broke her heart, you’d disagree.”
“Harry, he’s my husband.”
“Evelyn, no, he’s not.”
“Can’t you find something to like about him?”
“Oh, there’s plenty to like about him. I love how much money he’s made us, how much he will make us.”
“Well, he’s always done good by me.” I told him no, and he walked out my door. Not every man would do that. Not every man had.
“That’s because you both want the same thing. You, of all people, should know that you can’t tell a single thing about a person’s true character if you both want the same thing. That’s like a dog and a cat getting along because they both want to kill the mouse.”
“Well, I like him. And I want you to like him. Especially because if we sign this deal, Rex and I will have to stay married quite a bit longer than we originally thought. Which makes him my family. And you’re my family. So you’re both family.”
“Plenty of people don’t like their families.”
“Oh, shut up,” I said.
“Let’s get Rex on board and sign this thing, OK? Get your agents together to hammer out the deal. Let’s ask for the moon.”
“OK,” I said.
“Evelyn?” Harry said, before getting off the phone.
“Yes?”
“You know what’s happening, right?”
“What?”
“You’re about to become the highest-paid actress in Hollywood.”