"Woah..." Avery gasps as she follows Jade through the diner's entrance "It looks like a completely different place!"
Sure, from the outside The Sandy Isle still looks the same, but the interior now reminds Avery more of a soundstage than her family's restaurant...not that she knows what a soundstage looks like...but she's seen enough pictures of them. There's film lighting hoisted up on stands and cameras everywhere, not to mention a ton of people rushing around attempting to get everything in order for the day's production schedule.
"That's movie magic for ya." Jade smirks "Make sure your phone is on silent, if it goes off and ruins a take then we'll both be in trouble."
"Got it." Avery nods
She pulls her cell phone out of her pocket to ensure that it's on silent, and it is. She rarely ever has the sound on, no one her age does. She always rolls her eyes when her mother or great-grandmother's phone will actually make noise, but she supposes it's a generational disconnect.
"Alright, if you're going to watch, stay out of the way, okay?" Jade says to her daughter "Don't bother anyone. Crew members, especially the actors, just keep a low profile. I'll be in the office if you need me."
"You're not going to watch?" Avery asks
"I watched for a little bit yesterday." Jade lies "Besides, Grams and I have work to do."
"What work?" Avery raises an eyebrow at her "We're not even open."
"Which is why it's the perfect opportunity to catch up on all of the work we're behind on." Jade lies again before pressing a kiss to Avery's forehead "Be good, okay? I love you."
In reality, Jade just doesn't want to be anywhere near Beck...or even look at him. He makes her too nervous, and she doesn't think she'll be able to keep herself from scoffing or rolling her eyes if he says something narcissistic or stupid. She hopes that he'll act ridiculous enough off-camera that Avery will want to steer clear of him as well.
"I love you too." Avery smiles a bit as Jade walks away
She positions herself at a booth behind the cameras, near one of the windows and out of any camera shots. Part of her hoped that she would be asked to be an extra, but the director says they need continuity throughout the scene, so only the extras who had been there for the previous day's filming are allowed to be in today's scene. Avery supposes that makes sense, but she is still a bit disappointed. Regardless, it is pretty cool to sit and watch a real Hollywood movie be made. She'll probably be the only person in her classes who can say they've done so when they go back to school in the fall and are asked about what they did over the summer.
"He's kinda hot, don't you think?" One of the waitresses, Anna, remarks as she slides in on the opposite side of Avery's booth
Anna is nineteen, and home from college for the summer. She's worked at the diner for the last three years, and Jade and Judy were more than willing to give her a few weekly shifts while she's home. Avery has gotten to know her over the years, especially since she's good at math. Anna was always around to help with homework when she needed if the restaurant wasn't busy.
"Who is?" Avery asks her
"Beck Oliver, duh." Anna smirks "Like...hello there, hot stuff."
"I dunno..." Avery chuckles "Apparently he's the same age as my mom...kinda hard to think of him like that. I've also heard he's kinda a jerk."
"A hot jerk."
"Alright, Anna." Avery shakes her head "We're supposed to be quiet, remember?"
"It's a shame he's married."
"Yes, because that's the only thing that is stopping you and him from being together."
"Shh!"
"Sorry!"
Avery's phone buzzes in her pocket, and she pulls it out to see a text from Jade. She wants to know if Avery let Willie out before they left, and she hadn't. Apparently Jade had also forgotten, so her next text message to her daughter asks her to run home real quick to do so. Willie is a good dog, but that doesn't mean he has a titanium bladder.
"I'll be right back." Avery says quietly to Anna as she stands up "I have to go let Willie out."
"I'll save your spot."
"Thanks."
The trip takes only Avery maybe fifteen minutes total. Their house isn't that far from the diner, Willie didn't take that long to do his business, and Avery walks fast. However, just as she's about to cut through the diner's small parking lot, a large man in a security uniform stops her.
"This is a closed set." He says flatly
"I was just here." Avery explains "My mom owns the place, I'm allowed to-"
"This is a closed set." He repeats, almost no hint of emotion in his voice
As annoyed as she is, Avery understands. He's probably heard every excuse there is from crazy fans trying to sneak onto set, and maybe even gotten in trouble a few times for letting the wrong people through. Just as she's pulling out her phone to text Jade to come out and help her, a voice stops her.
"It's okay." The person says "She's fine."
"Are you sure?"
Avery looks up to see none other than Beck Oliver standing just a few feet from her.
"Yeah." He nods "She was just inside. I promise you."
"Alright." The security guard sighs "But if she causes trouble I'm giving them your name."
"Fine." Beck chuckles, holding up his hands in surrender "She doesn't look like she'll be a problem, right kid?"
"Right."
"It's fine."
"If you say so..."
"Thanks..." Avery says to Beck "Uh, how did you know I'm allowed to be here?"
"I saw you inside." Beck nods back towards the building "You were sitting at one of the booths with another girl."
"Anna?"
"Sure."
"Shouldn't you be inside?" Avery asks
"We're on a break." Beck shrugs "Director decided he needed a cigarette, so I decided I needed a snack."
"Fair enough." Avery nods "I won't keep you. Thanks again for your help."
"Sure."
Avery begins walking inside, but Beck stops her again.
"Are you Jade's daughter?"
"Uh, yeah." Avery turns around to face him again "That's me...Avery."
"I thought so." Beck snaps his fingers "You look just like her when she was your age...except for the darker eyes."
"You know what my mom looked like when she was fifteen?"
"I do yeah, she and I go way back." Beck sighs "Wait, you're not fourteen?"
"No..." Avery chuckles "I've been fifteen for awhile now. Why do you ask...?"
"Just...wanted to clarify." Beck lies "Yeah, I did know Jade when we were fifteen. We went to high school together."
"I didn't know that." Avery admits "That's...kinda cool actually."
"Yeah, it kinda is."
"You should go get your snack." Avery tells him
"You're right." Beck nods "I should."
Avery turns to walk inside, but Beck stays planted firmly in place. Yesterday when Jade said Avery's dad wasn't around, he was momentarily skeptical. Sure, she looks just like Jade, but she has brown eyes just like he does...and she would be about the right age. She told him she was fourteen though, and the math didn't work out. If she was fourteen, that would mean Jade would have gotten pregnant a year after they broke up sixteen years ago. But she just said that she's fifteen and that...well, that could mean something completely different.
"And cut!" Mark yells "Great work everybody, I think we've got what we need! Go get some rest and we'll see you on the beach tomorrow!"
It's an earlier wrap than they had scheduled, but Beck isn't surprised. They're only using the diner for one scene, and while it's a longer scene...they had gotten quite a lot done the day before.
Rather than heading back to his trailer or calling for his driver like everyone else is doing, Beck heads to the back of the restaurant. He hadn't seen Jade leave yet today, even though Avery had left about an hour earlier, and although there's a chance she could've gone out the back...Beck has a gut feeling she's still in the office.
He's right.
Jade is on the phone when he pushes the door open, so he closes it behind him quietly and waits for her finish. She gives him a questionable and confused look as she wraps up the call, but doesn't shoo him out.
"I thought you and I were avoiding each other." She sighs when she hangs up
"Your daughter is fifteen." He says
"And?"
"Yesterday I asked you how old she was, and you said fourteen." He reminds her "You lied."
"I didn't lie." Jade insists "She was fourteen when that picture was taken."
Which is true, the picture was taken at Christmas and Avery turned fifteen in February.
"But she's fifteen now."
"Yes..."
"And her dad isn't around?" Beck clarifies "He never was?"
"Beck, look-"
"Is she mine, Jade?" He cuts her off, a serious tone in his voice "Is she my daughter?"
"I think you already know the answer to that..." Jade says quietly as she sets her phone down
"I need to hear you say it."
"Yes..." Jade nods, her voice catching a bit "Yes, she's yours."
There's no use in lying, at least not now that he's figured out the truth for himself. She doesn't know how he found out how old Avery really is, but regardless...he knows now. Trying to convince him otherwise will only make the situation worse.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Beck scoffs "I've had a daughter walking around in this world for fifteen years and it never occurred to you to tell me?"
His head is spinning. A teenage daughter? With Jade West, of all people? This has to be some kind of weird fever dream, or some kind of sick joke. There's no way, there's just no way.
"I didn't find out I was pregnant until July..." Jade admits "We had been broken up for months and at that point...I don't know I figured you were too busy with your new hotshot actor life in New York to care. You were either not going to want to be involved or tell me to get an abortion, and I wanted to keep her."
She's trying her best not to get emotional, but she's been fearing this day for over fifteen years. At this point she can't help but get a little teary-eyed.
"Does she know?"
"No."
"Were you ever going to tell her?"
"I haven't really gotten that far yet, to be completely honest."
"Well has she ever asked?"
"Of course she has."
"And you lied to her too?"
"No." Jade insists "All I've ever told her about you is that you were gone from my life long before I knew I was pregnant, and that's the truth."
"God!" Beck runs a frustrated hand through his hair "I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this information, Jade!"
"It's not any different of a choice than it would have been sixteen years ago..." Jade tells him "Either you want to be involved and we figure that out, or you don't and you walk out the door and never talk to either one of us ever again. It's up to you...I won't have hard feelings either way."
"Kind of a big decision to ask someone to make on the spot, don't you think?"
"You don't have to make it now, or tonight, or tomorrow even." Jade assures him "Take some time to think it over. I think it's better than deciding now anyway."
"Oh, I'll be thinking it over." Beck sighs as he heads for the door "And regardless of what decision I make, you'll be hearing from my fucking lawyer."