Secrets of My Hollywood Life: There’s No Place Like Home (25 page)

“You’re not making me unhappy.” I change my approach slightly. “I think I’m making
you
unhappy, Mom. Look at you!” I tell her. “I’ve never seen you so stressed. You’re not enjoying yourself. I know you’ve done
an amazing job getting me where I am in my career, but at what cost to you? To our relationship? I know you want me to be
bigger than Reese Witherspoon, Mom, but I’m only eighteen. I have time to get there.”

“I don’t understand what you want me to say,” Mom says exasperatedly, and her BlackBerry buzzes urgently. She ignores it.
“My happiness isn’t your concern. I’m worried about you, and if sometimes I seem a little stressed doing it, then—”

“I’m worried about us,” I blurt out, and my voice cracks. “I know you could keep doing what you’re doing forever, driving
yourself into the ground, but I need to see you as happy as Dad is with his new dealership. Your life shouldn’t all be about
me and Matty. You deserve to enjoy yourself too.”

Mom stutters, “I do, I mean, I—”

I grab Mom’s hand. “I want more for us, Mom. I want a real relationship, and I don’t think we’ve had one in a very long time.
I don’t want to be your employer anymore. I want to be your daughter, and I want you to act like my mom, not my manager.”
My voice grows stronger. “I want to talk about normal stuff, like a fight I have with Austin or what you think of an outfit
I’m wearing on a date or what I should do about going to college. And I want you to answer as my mom, not as someone who has
a stake in the industry.” Tears start to plop down my cheeks.

Mom is teary too and looks completely shocked by what I just said. “Oh, honey, of course I want to be your mom.” She leans
over and hugs me tight, not letting go. “I thought I was being your mother, making sure your career was on track.” She looks
at Nadine. “I always worried about someone taking advantage of my children. You see how this town can do that.” Nadine nods.
“But that’s not what you really needed, was it?” Mom looks at me and I shake my head no. We’re both crying now, in the middle
of the restaurant, and I don’t think either of us care. “I want us to have a real relationship too. I know you talk to your
dad about things you don’t with me. I hate that you think you can’t tell me anything important.” She strokes my hair and sighs
heavily. “So what do we do to change this?”

“For starters,” I say and wipe away my tears, “I think we have to separate our personal and professional relationships. I
know you don’t want to do this, Mom, but I think I need to find a new manager.” She starts to protest, but I cut her off.
“You’ve focused on my career forever, and you’ve made me a big star,” I say quickly. “I’m so grateful for all that you’ve
done to get me here. Now it’s time for you to do the same for Matty. He needs you, Mom, and the two of you work well together.”

Mom sniffs. “He does need me, doesn’t he?”

“Yes. And when you’re not working, you and I can focus on our relationship, and you can spend time doing the other things
you love, like working with the Darling Daisies.” I smile. “That’s your other Christmas present—I spoke to Nancy Walsh and
told her what a mistake it was not to make you the chairperson of the West Coast committee. I told her you’d have more time
to devote to your charity work now that we weren’t working together anymore, and she agreed to give the position to you. You’re
gearing up the launch, Mom!”

Mom looks stunned. “You called Nancy Walsh for me? I… this is incredible! Wait till I tell Victoria the news!” She goes to
grab her BlackBerry, but then she looks at me. “I can’t do it. I can’t leave you like this.”

I look her straight in the eyes. “I need a mom more.”

Mom wipes under her eyes and sighs. “Okay, then. If this is what you really want…”

“I do,” I say honestly. “I think this is the best thing for both of us.”

“So where do we go to find you a new manager?” Mom says and grabs her BlackBerry for real, going straight back to work mode.
She starts scrolling through numbers. “We need someone who can devote a lot of time to you, especially with the projects you
have lined up, and someone who can—”

I gently pull the BlackBerry out of her hands. “I already found someone.” I look at my former assistant. “Nadine.”

“Kates, are you serious?” Nadine squeals. “You’re not just saying that?”

“You have gotten me through so much,” I tell Nadine seriously. “I can’t think of anyone who knows me and what I need better
than you.”

Mom’s gentle expression hardens. “No. No, no, no. She’s an assistant! She doesn’t have what it takes. You’re always giving
bad advice,” Mom scolds Nadine. “Who gives back the pot on five-dollar Friday?”

“The star!” Nadine retorts. “It’s meant for the crew.”

“Then why put in five dollars?” Mom asks.

I sigh. They’re getting off the point, but I guess I should still explain.

HOLLYWOOD SECRET NUMBER NINETEEN: Five-dollar Friday is another one of those morale boosters on movie sets. Or you could call
it a lottery, kind of like the one we did with the jar on my last movie set. On five-dollar Friday, everyone in the cast and
crew gives five dollars (get it?), and the winner’s name is drawn at the end of the day and that person gets to keep the money
raised. Even stars participate because it’s considered rude not to, but the unwritten rule is that stars don’t collect the
prize. Mom freaked out when I won one time and Nadine commended me on giving the money to the next person I picked from the
hat.

“Kaitlin, you see what’s happened on
Entourage
,” Mom adds and squeezes my hand. “E can’t do anything right for Vince.”

I giggle. “Mom, that’s a TV show. Nadine knows what she’s doing, and she has a lot of people who believe in her.” I give the
waitress the sign, and on cue, Seth and Laney appear. “I knew you’d have some doubts, so I asked some people here to back
me up. Seth and Laney are two of the biggest agents and publicists in the business, and they think Nadine is the right manager
for me too.”

Seth and Laney take seats, and the waitress brings over the iced teas I ordered them. They’re both in work mode. Seth is in
one of his pitch-perfect John Varvatos tailored navy suits, and Laney is in a tan slim-fit pantsuit that looks like Chloé.
Her long blond hair is pulled back loosely.

“Meg, I know we don’t always see eye to eye, but I think Kaitlin is right,” Seth says, removing his trademark sunglasses
and getting to the point. “Nadine has what it takes. We’re going to work closely and make decisions together. I have full
confidence in her.” Seth smiles at Nadine, who looks like she might burst into tears. “You know I wouldn’t hand Kaitlin over
to just anyone.”

“That’s true,” Mom says and plays with her fork.

“I think she has the chops too, Meg,” Laney adds and actually smiles at Nadine. I notice she’s not wearing her Bluetooths.
“This one has never mucked up Kaitlin’s career the way so many idiot assistants do. Nadine’s smart and savvy and having worked
with her for years, I know she’s got the guts and the mouth to keep Kaitlin on the fast track to the A-list. Heck, Kaitlin
is already there.”

“I have already made her a household name,” Mom tells herself more than the rest of us. “How badly could Nadine mess it up?”
Nadine looks like she wants to snap, but I give her a look. Thankfully, she restrains herself. Mom looks around the table,
taking it all in. Then she looks at me. “If this is what you really want…”

I squeeze her tight, not caring if I’m wrinkling Mom’s blouse. “What I really want is for you to be my mom. You’ll know everything
going on, and I will always want your opinion, but the work rests with me and my team. You’re off duty.”

“Matty could use some good torturing, Meg.” Seth winks and runs a hand through his stylized do. “You’re going to have your
hands full.”

“I’ve already had to fend off a dozen rumors of who he’s dating.” Laney groans and stares at one of her phones angrily. “That
boy is going to put my tabloid statements into overdrive.”

Mom laughs. “That’s for sure! It sounds like I will have my hands full and when I don’t”—she looks at me again—“I’m going
to be spending time with my daughter. That’s the best gift a mom could ask for around the holidays.”

I may cry again. Mom is never this mushy. “Merry Christmas, Mom.”

“Merry Christmas to you too, Kate-Kate.” Mom kisses my forehead. “And an early happy New Year. I have a feeling next year
is going to be your best one yet.”

For once, Mom and I see eye to eye.

Next year is going to rock.