Chapter 6 Opportunities to Cash In

There are three shifts for Hollywood stars. The morning shift covers breakfast and lunch, and after lunch, they can switch shifts. The afternoon shift covers lunch and dinner, while the evening shift covers dinner and late-night snacks. Because the chances of receiving tips are higher during lunch and dinner, Jenny usually chooses the afternoon shift. In order to have dinner with Dave, she specifically changed to the morning shift the next day.

Maybe it was shyness, but Dave didn't come to the café that day. He even arrived two minutes late for the date and apologized repeatedly, but couldn't come up with a good reason to explain.

Jenny didn't need his explanation either. She took a quick glance at Dave's ill-fitting suit and obviously well-groomed hair, and she knew why he was late. As a casting director who had been working in the entertainment industry for years, Dave's awkwardness surprised her.

"The restaurant you chose is already a good enough reason for you not to apologize," she joked. "Being able to make a reservation at 'Scarpetta' is enough to earn you a kiss from me."

'Scarpetta' is the name of the restaurant, originally in Italian, opened by a famous chef and located in Beverly Hills. One meal there could easily cost Jenny two days' wages, and even more if they ordered good wine. As a famous upscale restaurant, it's not easy to reserve a seat, especially a good one by the window, without certain connections.

Jenny's compliment obviously made Dave happy. He became more confident in his demeanor, but his personality hadn't changed. He honestly told Jenny, "Actually, a good friend called me."

Jenny smiled and said, "Wow, your friend must be really talented - being able to make such good friends, you're even more talented."

She couldn't help but think to herself: This flattery is a bit too obvious.

But as she thought, for Dave, who lacked confidence and was clumsy in his behavior and speech, this kind of attitude could help him build confidence quickly. After Jenny gave him two compliments in a row, he relaxed enough to make a joke, "So, as someone as talented as me, let me treat you to dinner. Looks like you're at the top of the power chain."

Jenny immediately laughed, and Dave laughed along. In a relaxed atmosphere, they began to order their food.

Jenny hadn't had a full meal in a long time, so if she said the aroma of the food around her wasn't tempting, that would be a lie. But looking at the foie gras, dessert, and sauce in the set menu, and then calculating the amount of exercise she would need to burn off those calories...

She ordered a salad and a dessert, while Dave ordered more than her and also a bottle of red wine.

"You should eat more, even for a girl who wants to be on camera, you're a bit too thin," Dave said, pushing the bread in front of Jenny.

"My available funds only allow me to pay for this," Jenny made up a reason for herself.

Dave's expression changed, but Jenny spoke before he could, "I know you want to treat me, but it should be a decision we make together, right? If I feel... I'll let you treat me."

She didn't explain clearly, but Dave's face turned red. Jenny looked at him strangely, "Do you rarely go out on dates?"

"The last time I went on frequent dates was seventeen years ago," Dave said. She then listened to a common story of high school sweethearts going through ups and downs and eventually divorcing due to incompatible personalities. Dave and his ex-wife didn't have children, and his ex-wife got the dog in the divorce. After the divorce, he spent three to four months healing and recently started thinking about getting back into the dating scene.

There was nothing particularly special, and she guessed most of the details from the ring scar on his ring finger. "Wow, so as your first date in seventeen years, I should feel honored."

"You're not the first date," Dave said, looking at her kindly, "but you're the first one who made me feel... like a really great date."

"What happened before?" Jenny asked, silently thinking to herself: going out with an audition girl... and it turned out badly.

"Maybe I haven't told you, but I'm a small actor and assistant director," Dave said. "When I was in New York before, I went out with a few audition actresses, and it all turned out terrible."

Bingo, the perfect explanation for why he never mentioned his profession. If she hadn't insisted on setting her own standards and not accepting free meals casually, Dave might never have said.

Jenny smiled sympathetically. "Not many people can separate their personal and professional lives, right?"

Dave snorted. "A lot of people think that sleeping with the director will get them a role, but in Hollywood, things aren't that simple. If you only know how to give convenient favors to those who have served you, then your assistant director won't last long."

He had a nerdy feeling, dedicated to work after marriage, an honest person who had never been tempted by beautiful women of all kinds, very professional and proud of it.

He's not a bad person.

"People always think Hollywood is too simple," Jenny changed the topic. "Tell me about your dog. I've wanted to have a dog since I was little, but foster families always have too many kids and no space for a dog."

Dave's interest was clearly piqued, and he was also a little surprised. "I didn't expect-I mean, sorry, you seem like a happy girl who came from a happy family."

They talked about Dave's dog, Dave's childhood (middle class, strict and cold parents, being bullied as the youngest in a big family), Jenny's childhood (a failed family, a turbulent foster life), Dave's marriage, and Jenny's ideals and current situation.

Throughout the meal, Jenny didn't ask about Dave's job, but while tasting dessert, Dave voluntarily told her the whole process of how he got into the industry (interested in movies, studied at USC, realized he didn't have much talent, got an internship at Warner Bros. through connections, worked hard and successfully stayed on, now a senior actor and assistant director at Warner Bros.).

They had a great conversation, and Dave's eyes sparkled the whole time. That's why Jenny ordered dessert, as dessert time is the most relaxed and casual time for conversation during a meal.

When it came time to pay, Dave insisted on treating, and after considering for five seconds, Jenny smiled and nodded.

Dave almost cheered for this-he was really obvious about it.

After finishing their meal, they walked back, discussing some films that Dave had been involved in, some of which Jenny hadn't seen, and they made plans to watch them together sometime.

Their walk took them fifteen blocks away from Jenny's place, and they ended up walking all the way to the entrance of Jenny's apartment building. When it was time for Dave to say goodbye, he seemed reluctant, but Jenny told him with a smile, "I'm not the kind of girl who invites someone up for coffee on the first meeting."

To be honest, she wouldn't have even given other guys an excuse to strike up a conversation, let alone invite them up for coffee. Chen Zhen used to live in China, a country that valued modesty and elegance. All a girl had to do was dress beautifully and wait. If you were too proactive, others would think you're worthless. But in America, such taboos hardly exist. If you're too reserved, no one will pay attention to you, no matter how pretty you are. Chen Zhen couldn't change her environment, so she had to change herself and silently adapt to the social rules of the Western world.

"Yes, you're not," Dave said in a tamed tone. He reached out his hand, and Jenny shook it, but he took an unusually long time to let go. "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Jenny said, waving at him and turning to go upstairs, calculating how much time she wasted that could have been used for exercise.

When she walked to the second floor staircase, she found Dave still downstairs, looking up at her figure.

His smile was so sincere and full of hope -- a smile that would never appear on his face before this dinner.

Suddenly, Jenny felt a little guilty, but still smiled and waved at him.

The next day, Dave came to have coffee, but the restaurant was busy, so Jenny didn't talk much with him. When she paid the bill, she told him, "You can leave a 3% tip, that's for others."

The restaurant's tips had a fixed 3% that was divided among the kitchen staff and the busboys, and the rest was given to the female servers. This was an almost established rule. Dave obviously hesitated for a moment, "But--"

Jenny said, "No need to tip when serving a friend."

She smiled at Dave, and Dave excitedly stuttered, "But, I--"

He called Jenny again that night, and Jenny calculated the time and agreed to go on a date the day after tomorrow.

That was Dave's last night in Los Angeles, and it was their second date. Jenny dressed up a little more than usual, sprayed perfume, and they had a great time chatting. - Of course, she still didn't mention anything about the audition.

"You know, I'm going back to New York tomorrow." After dinner, Dave walked her home, his tone somewhat low.

Jenny made her tone more regretful, "But you'll come back to Los Angeles, right?"

"Yes, I'll probably come back in two months. The cast will probably shoot together at that time." Dave said, trying to sound cheerful. "See you in two months?"

Jenny hooked her arm with his, "See you in two months."

This time, Dave was even more reluctant to say goodbye, but still couldn't break through Jenny's barrier. It was obvious that Jenny wasn't the type of girl who would sleep with someone on the second date.

The next day, Dave didn't show up at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Johnny commented on it, but Jenny just smiled it off.

She continued to lose weight, continued to wait, and she wasn't anxious and didn't hold too much hope - even if there was no follow-up, she had two nice nights, nice dinners, nice drinks, nice conversations, and a nice date. Actually, truly speaking, except for not having a glamorous appearance, Dave wasn't much worse than those boastful male actors, and Jenny was already past the age of judging people solely by their looks.

One month later, Jenny fit into a size 2 dress, and she began researching the major theaters and theater groups in Los Angeles - because the previous Jenny Jane never thought she would come from a theater background, so her knowledge in this area was very lacking.

A month and a half later, her phone rang, and Jenny picked up her phone from her apron.

Dave was panting on the other end of the phone and said, "Listen, Jenny, I need your resume and photos, now, right now. Do you have an email? Send me an email right away!"