CH 6

Chapter 6 Cashing In on Opportunity

In Hollywood Star, there are three shifts: the morning shift covers breakfast and lunch, with the option to switch shifts after lunch; the afternoon shift covers lunch and dinner, and the evening shift covers dinner and supper times. Since the chances of getting tips are higher during lunch and dinner, Jenny usually chooses the afternoon shift. She specifically switched to the morning shift the next day in order to have dinner with Dave.

Perhaps due to shyness, Dave did not come to the café that day and even arrived two minutes late for their date. He apologized profusely but couldn’t come up with a good reason for the delay.

Jenny didn’t need his explanation. She took a quick look at Dave’s ill-fitting suit and obviously meticulously combed hair and knew why he was late.— As someone who had been working in the casting industry for years, Dave’s awkwardness surprised her.

“You don’t have to apologize, this upscale restaurant you booked is already enough,” she half-jokingly said, “getting a reservation at ‘Scarpetta’ is enough for you to get a kiss from me.”

‘Scarpetta’ is the name of the restaurant, opened by a famous chef, located in Beverly Hills. A meal there could easily cost Jenny two days’ wages, and even more, if they ordered good wine. As a well-known upscale restaurant, it’s not easy to get a reservation, especially for a window seat, without certain connections.

Dave was obviously pleased with Jenny’s praise. He became more confident in his demeanor, but his personality hadn’t changed. He told Jenny honestly, “Actually, a good friend made a call for me.”

Jenny smiled and said, “Wow, your friend must be really capable— having made such a good friend shows you’re even more capable.”

As she said that, Jenny inwardly cringed at how obvious her flattery was.

But as she had expected, for Dave, who lacked confidence severely and was awkward and clumsy in his manners, this attitude could help him establish confidence as quickly as possible. After Jenny gave him two compliments in a row, he relaxed enough to joke, “So, it seems you’re at the top of the food chain, if someone as capable as me is inviting you to dinner.”

Jenny immediately burst into laughter, and Dave laughed with her. In a relaxed atmosphere, they began to order their food.

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

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

“You should eat more, even as a girl who wants to look good on camera, you’re a bit too thin,” Dave said, pushing the bread rolls in front of Jenny.

“My available funds only allow me to pay for this much,” Jenny found herself an excuse.

Dave’s expression changed, but Jenny spoke before he could, “I know you want to treat me, but this should be a decision made together by both of us, right? If I feel like it… I’ll let you treat me.”

She did not give a clear explanation, but this was sufficient to get Dave blushing, and Jenny looked at him curiously, “Do you rarely go on dates?”

“The last time I dated frequently was seventeen years ago,” Dave said, and then he recounted a familiar story of a high school sweetheart relationship that went through ups and downs, but ultimately ended in divorce due to personality differences. Dave and his ex-wife did not have children, but she got the dog in the divorce. After the divorce, he went through a healing period of three to four months and recently started considering reentering the dating scene.

There was nothing particularly special about it, and she had guessed most of the details from the ring mark on his ring finger. “Wow, to be your first date after seventeen years, I should be feeling very honored,” Jenny said.

“You’re not the first date,” Dave said, looking at her with a kind expression. “But you’re the first date that has made me feel… really great.”

“What happened before?” Jenny asked, silently thinking in her mind: going out with auditioning actresses… and it didn’t go well.

“I might not have told you, but I’m a very small assistant director,” Dave said. “I went out with a few actresses for auditions when I was in New York, and it didn’t end well.”

Bingo, a perfect explanation for why he never mentioned his profession. If she hadn’t insisted on splitting the bill evenly and not accepting casual invitations, Dave might have never mentioned it.

Jennie smiled sympathetically and said, “It’s uncommon to see people who can separate their personal life from their work, right?”

Dave snorted, “Many people think that sleeping with the director will get them a role, but in Hollywood, it’s not that simple. If you only know how to open doors for those who have served you well, then your career as an assistant director won’t last long.”

He had a bit of a bookish vibe, focused on work after marriage— an honest person who had never been tempted by various beautiful women, highly professional and proud of it.

He has a good character.

“People always think Hollywood is a piece of cake.” Jenny changed the topic, “Tell me about your dog. I’ve always wanted to have a dog since I was a child, but foster families always have too many kids and no space for a dog.”

Dave’s interest was clearly piqued, and he was somewhat surprised, “I didn’t expect that – I mean, sorry, you seem like a cheerful girl from a happy family.”

They talked about Dave’s dog, Dave’s childhood (middle-class, strict, and distant parents, being bullied as the youngest in a large family), Jenny’s childhood (failed family, turbulent foster care experience), Dave’s marriage, and Jenny’s ideals and current situation.

During the meal, Jenny didn’t ask about Dave’s work, but when they were tasting desserts, Dave voluntarily told her about his career path (interest in movies, studying at USC, realizing he didn’t have much talent, getting an internship at Warner Bros. through connections, working hard and successfully staying on as a senior assistant director at Warner Bros.).

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

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

Dave was almost ecstatic about it — his excitement was quite obvious.

After finishing their meal, they walked back, talking about some of the films Dave had been involved in, some of which Jenny hadn’t seen. They agreed to watch them together when they had the chance.

Jenny’s apartment was fifteen blocks away from here, and they actually walked all the way to the entrance of Jenny’s apartment building. When Dave said goodbye to her, he seemed reluctant to part, but Jenny smiled and told him, “I’m not the kind of girl who invites someone up for coffee on the first date.”

To be honest, she would never have taken the initiative to give other guys an excuse to strike up a conversation before, let alone invite someone for coffee. Chen Zhen used to live in China, a country that values modesty and elegance, where girls just need to dress up nicely and sit there waiting. If you are too proactive, others will think you are not valuable. But in the United States, such taboos hardly exist. If you are too reserved, no one will pay attention to you, no matter how beautiful you are. Chen Zhen couldn’t change the environment, so she could only change herself and silently adapt to the social norms of the Western world.

“Yes, you’re right,” Dave said amiably, reaching out his hand. Jenny shook it, and he took a long time to slowly let go. “See you tomorrow.”

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

When she reached the stairs on the second floor, she found Dave still downstairs, looking up at her figure.

His smile was so genuine and filled with hope — a smile that would never have appeared on his face before dinner.

Jenny suddenly felt a twinge of guilt, but she still smiled and waved to him.

The next day, Dave came to have coffee, but the restaurant was busy, and Jenny barely had time to chat. When it came time to pay, she told him, “You can leave a 3% tip, that’s the portion for others.”

In the restaurant, there is a fixed 3% tip that is divided among the kitchen helpers and busboys, and the remaining portion is given to female servers, which is an unwritten rule. Dave seemed surprised for a moment, “But-”

Jenny said, “Friends don’t need tips for service.”

She smiled at Dave, and Dave stammered excitedly, “B-b-but-”

He called Jenny again that night, and Jenny checked her schedule and agreed to go on a date the day after tomorrow.

It was Dave’s last night in Los Angeles and their second date. Jenny dressed up a bit more than usual, sprayed some perfume, and they had a great time chatting – although, of course, she didn’t mention anything about her audition.

“You know, I’m going back to New York tomorrow.” After dinner, Dave drove her home, his tone sounding a bit low.

Jenny tried to sound regretful, “But you’ll come back to Los Angeles again, right?”

“Yes, I’ll be back in about two months when the production team starts filming,” Dave said, trying to sound upbeat. “See you in two months?”

Jenny hooked her arm into his, “See you in two months.”

This time, Dave was even more reluctant to say goodbye, but he still couldn’t break through Jenny’s defenses. Clearly, Jenny wasn’t the kind of girl who would jump into bed on the second date.

The next day, Dave didn’t show up at Hollywood Star, and Johnny made a comment about it, but Jenny just laughed it off.

She continued to lose weight and wait, not feeling anxious and not holding too much hope. Even if there was no further development, she had two nice evenings, nice dinners, nice drinks, nice conversations, and a nice date. In fact, truth be told, Dave wasn’t much worse than those boastful male actors, except for not having a glamorous appearance, and Jenny was past the age of judging people by their looks.

A month later, Jenny fit into size 2 clothes, and she started researching the major theaters and theater groups in Los Angeles because the previous Jenny Jane had never considered a career in theater, so her knowledge in this area was quite limited.

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

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