First Impressions
This was the woman Lance thought he should get to know? JC looked at the woman standing next to Lance when he walked into the lounge. It had to be for career reasons – she wasn’t his type, not even close. Her dark hair was in a short cut, feathered around her face. She wore a crisp, white blouse and black slacks with no-nonsense black pumps. She had that pulled-together look – that look of professional superiority. The glasses perched on her nose only added to her business-like appearance.
“JC!” Lance called to his friend when he spotted him. He and the small woman next to him straightened.
“Hey, dude!” JC said as the two men embraced briefly. “How’s it goin’?”
“Just great.” Lance indicated the woman. “Christina, I’d like you to meet JC Chasez. JC, Christina Chandler, writer extraordinaire.”
“Laying it on a little thick, aren’t you, Bass?” the woman mocked. She looked over JC with a dismissive flick of the eyes. Long hair, wrinkled jeans and faded tee-shirt. What was Lance thinking? She offered her hand to the man in a firm handshake. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Chasez.”
“Miss Chandler.” JC nodded as he released her hand.
“Too formal,” Lance announced. He pointed to JC. “Christina, JC.” He pointed at Christina. “JC, meet Christina.”
“And before you even try, it’s Christina. Never Chris. Never Tina. And heaven forbid Chrissie.”
Ball-buster, JC thought immediately.
“Shall we go in to lunch?” Lance asked. Picking up his drink, he offered his arm to Christina.
Okay…she was a little too formal and seemingly up-tight for his taste, but Christina was an intelligent, interesting woman with a wry sense of humor. He would never go for a woman like her, but he could see where some men would. She seemed like a take-charge and take-over steamroller.
Lance seemed to be keen on getting her to do a script for a movie he had the rights to and he wanted JC to do the score. For some reason, Lance thought it important for the writer and the composer to have a working relationship. Something about flow and cohesiveness. JC wasn’t so sure he and Christina Chandler would ever be on the same wavelength.
Lance rose. “I’ll pay the tab.”
Christina smiled at Lance’s retreating back. “I guess that is his not-so-subtle way of saying ‘talk to each other’,” she said to JC.
“I guess.”
She leaned forward on one elbow. “So what should we talk about?”
“In five minutes?”
“Toss out a topic.”
“Umm…movies?”
“Haven’t been to one in a while. I prefer the Classics. Cary Grant. Audrey Hepburn. Doris Day/Rock Hudson.”
“I like StarWars and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I guess I like adventure.”
“If I do go to a movie, I prefer action. I don’t sit still well. I would rather rent and take them home.”
“Yeah, I like to watch movies at home.”
Lance was grinning like a proud poppa when he saw them chatting when he approached. “So where would you two kids like to go for dinner?” he asked.
“One – I believe we are both older than you.” Christina pointed out. “Two – I have just finished lunch and am not even contemplating dinner. Three – who said anything about dinner?”
“And four – I have plans tonight,” JC added.
Lance frowned. “What sort of plans?”
“Lance!” Christina protested.
“If it is any of your business, I am going to a premier,” JC told him.
“Take Christina.”
“Lance!” Christina repeated.
“Christina doesn’t have the same taste in movies that I do.”
With a little growl, the woman got to her feet. “And Christina will leave now as long as you are talking as if she weren’t present.” She nodded to Lance. “Call me.” To JC, she said politely, “Nice to have met you, Mr. Chasez. Good day.” With that she turned on her heels, putting her back to the stunned men. She was out the door before they could form a coherent thought.
“Damn, she’s a spitfire when she’s mad,” JC muttered.
Lance chuckled. “She’s tiny, but I hear she has attitude to spare. She has to in her business. Hollywood loves her.” He rattled off the woman’s impressive résumé of screenplays and books she had authored.
“Damn!” This time JC said the word with hushed respect.
Lance produced a book and handed it to JC. “This is the movie I want to make. I want Christina on board to do the treatment. Read it. I’m pretty sure your music could do it justice.”
JC read the book. Even though it wasn’t his usual reading material, he admitted the story would translate to the screen well. He even had some melodies floating around in his head. Lance was right. This story had box office written all over it.
“This is Lance.” He answered his office telephone.
“Dude, it’s JC. I read the book.”
“And?”
“Is she on board? Chandler?”
“Not on paper.”
“Why is she hesitating?”
“You’d have to ask her.”
“Gimme her number and I will.”
“Hello?”
JC didn’t know what to say once he heard the soft feminine voice on the other end.
“Hello?”
“Umm…Miss Chandler, this is JC Chasez.”
“Hello, Mr. Chasez. What can I do for you?” Her voice was now frosty.
“Lance says you haven’t decided whether you would do the screenplay for your book or not.”
“And he wants you to cinch the deal? What was he thinking?” she mused dryly.
“No. He had me read the book. You put so much love in your characters…” What did he think he could possibly say to make her want to work with a small operation like Happy Place? “I know my opinion counts for less than zero…But I think it would be a mistake to let someone else do the script. You know your characters and their evolution. You would know where you could cut things and keep the story intact, keep the emotional impact,” he said honestly. When she said nothing, he added, “I know I made a bad first impression. I didn’t like Lance shoving us together.”
“I didn’t either,” she answered truthfully.
“Christina, this is a damned good story.”
She paused a moment before she said, “Thank you, JC.”
“To make amends, let me take you to dinner or something.”
“Or something sounds interesting.” She laughed softly.
“Well, I guess it depends on when you want me to make amends. This weekend I have this charity thing to go to…”
Christina mentioned an event and he affirmed it was the same one he was attending. “Me, too.”
“I was gonna go stag…”
“Me, too.”
“Well, schmoozing isn’t the best time to get together…” JC trailed off.
“Are you asking me to attend with you?”
“It would be nice to know another person there.”
“Not good at answering questions are you?”
“Or asking them,” he answered.
“Mr. Chasez, would you attend the dinner with me?” she asked plainly.
“Yes.”
“See how simple that was?” she mocked gently.
JC laughed at himself and somehow the atmosphere of the call eased considerably. “I’ll have to remember you prefer the direct approach.”
“Always works with me.”
“I just bet it does.”
They chatted for a few minutes more before she gave him her address and the time to pick her up.
“I’ll see you then, JC,” she said in way of good-bye.
Paparazzi were snapping away when they arrived. JC was glad he’d decided to wear a suit and tie – so he didn’t look like a bum next to Christina. Damn, who would have thought the prissy, up-tight business woman would step out wearing a short red dress with a flirty skirt and killer heels? Gone were the glasses that shielded her chocolaty brown eyes and long black eyelashes. Her sweet little mouth was painted scarlet. She looked like a starlet!
“Christina!” one camera-laden man called out.
“Jason!” she acknowledged.
“How do you get more gorgeous every time I see you?”
She laughed. “Do I?”
“You know you do. New boyfriend?” He indicated JC.
“No. We’ve just met, thank you.” She waved her good-bye and moved along with JC.
“That’s just strange,” JC murmured.
“What is?”
“Usually they’re after me.”
“Oh…Does it bother you? No being center of attention?”
“Hell no! It’s refreshing.”
She smiled up at him. “You didn’t seem the type to have a lot of ego.”
“I have enough. That’s just not where it’s at for me.” He slid his arm around her waist to guide her through the door. “I don’t mind being anonymous when I’m out.”
JC had to admit he knew next to nothing about his companion. He knew she was a writer. He hadn’t known she was an accepted member of the Hollywood elite. People sought her out. Men – actors, producers and politicians were hitting on her. Even a former ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ had made a play for her!
“I have a date, thank you.” She rebuffed all comers.
“What am I? Invisible?” JC was incredulous at the audacity of her admirers. His arm was around her and he was treated like furniture!
Christina slid her arm around his lean waist and gave him an affectionate squeeze. “I’m sorry, JC. I see you.”
“I’ve never been with a man magnet before.” And he wouldn’t have thought Christina Chandler was one. “Anonymous is one thing – invisible is another.”
From her small handbag, she pulled out a yellow sticky pad and a pen. She scrawled, ‘I’m with Chasez’ on it, peeled it off and slapped it over her left breast.
JC laughed. Taking the pen and pad, he wrote, ‘I’m with Chandler’. He put it over his breast pocket, then they laughed together.
“That should clear it up!” Christina declared.
He liked her. He truly liked her. After spending the evening with Christina, JC found he enjoyed her company. Not in a romantic sort of way but as a friend. She was smart and funny. She was very open and outgoing – rather the opposite of him. She wasn’t the type of woman he could ever become amorously involved with; she just wasn’t his type. But he could see her as a good friend.
“So what have you decided?” Christina asked as JC walked her to her door.
“What do you mean?”
“The wheels in your head were spinning mighty fast on the way here – and you barely spoke.”
He smiled down at her. “That I like you.”
She returned his smile. “I like you, too.”
“But I am honestly not looking for a girlfriend.”
“That’s cool with me. I like my men older and with less hair,” she taunted.
JC chuckled. “Friends?”
“I’d like that.”
He leaned in to kiss her cheek. “I’ll talk to you soon, okay, friend?”
Christina pressed her scarlet lips to his chin. “Okay, friend.”
“Screenwriter Christina Chandler showed up on the arm of JC Chasez of the pop group NSYNC. Christina was appropriately glamorous
as always. The former boy-bander not known for his fashion sense must have taken his cue from the lovely Christina. He looked dashing
in Armani.”
JC laughed as he listened to the fashion police show. He had never given much thought to his attire. He generally dressed the way he pleased. If they wanted to credit Christina, let them. He had dressed to look good for her.
“So for once I wasn’t a fashion disaster,” JC joked when he called his new friend.
“I thought you looked rather ‘dashing’ myself,” she teased.
“And you were ‘appropriate glamorous’,” he shot back and they both laughed.
“I think I could wear a gunny sack and that guy would announce it as the next haute couture trend.”
“I didn’t know you were on the best dressed list.”
“I didn’t know you were on the worst dressed list.”
“I like to wear what is comfortable. What I like.”
“You can be comfortable and pulled-together.”
JC chuckled. “Whoa there, Miss Fashion Diva—“
“I’m sorry, JC. I over-stepped. What you wear is totally none of my business.”
“I won’t embarrass you, C,” he stated softly.
Well, it wasn’t Chris and it wasn’t Tina. It seemed her new friend was into initials…”You’d only do that if you showed up in a banana hammock and a smile. Hmm…maybe I wouldn’t be embarrassed exactly..."
JC growled in warning. “Christina…”
“You have a lovely smile.”
He chuckled again. She loved to tease; still she said the nicest things. “Thank you.”
“Okay…it’s my turn to ask you for an escort. I have a premier to attend next Wednesday. You game?”
“Just tell me where and when.”
They discussed the time he needed to be at her house and which movie it was then rang off. JC shook his head in wonder. Damn, it felt good to have a teasing, light-hearted friend!
This time JC wasn’t caught off guard when he saw the more ‘glamorized’ Christina. She wore a pencil thin black skirt and heels with a tailored white blouse. Creamy pearls were at her throat and in her ears. Again she wore subtle make-up with red lipstick. A classic beauty.
“Hey, beautiful!” JC called as she approached the car. He held her door open in true gentlemanly style.
Christina took in the dark brown slacks and boots to the blue-green turtleneck. “Hello, Handsome.” She bussed his cheek before she got into the car. “Thank you.”
JC went around to the driver’s side, starting up the car once he got in. “Mind if I leave the top down?”
“Not at all. I love it.” She flicked a glance at his shoulder length waves. “Your hair is more liable to get tangled than mine.”
He chuckled. Her short little pixie-girl cut would be hard to mess up.
“I signed the contract with Lance yesterday,” she told him.
“Fantastic! I promise to do a score to do it proud.”
“I am sure you will.”
“How soon are you gonna start the script?”
“I have been working on it for a while now.”
“Cool!”
At the red carpet, a familiar voice called from the paparazzi. “Christina! JC!”
“Jason!” They answered in unison.
The little man chuckled. “Together again? What’s the story?”
“No story,” JC answered. “We’re friends, dude.”
The photographer ran his eyes over Christina. “None of my friends look like that.”
“Dude—“
Christina laid a finger over JC’s lips. “It doesn’t do any good to protest. They’ll think whatever they want to, Jace.”
JC sighed as he took her hand and continued up the carpet. “I don’t like the thought of them assuming I’m doin’ you.”
“How charmingly put,” she teased.
Grinning, he put his arm around her. “I’m full of charm.”
“You’re full of some thing!”
This time a picture was published of the friends. JC saw how people could believe they were something else by the photo. It had been snapped when he was reaching up to remove Christina’s finger from across his lips. They were looking at each other with genuine affection. It looked tender and intimate.
“Christina Chandler was seen cozying up with JC Chasez,” the gossip columnist wrote. “This new couple claims to be ‘just friends’.
Where have we heard that before?”
“Grrr…” Christina growled as she read the column.
“You said yourself that denial wouldn’t help,” JC pointed out as they ate lunch together the next week.
“Why is it so impossible for people to believe we are just friends?” she demanded, not expecting an answer to her rhetorical question.
“Because you are a beautiful woman.”
“And you are a very pretty man.”
“C…”
“Those cheek bones and those eyelashes…I would love to have lashes like that without the benefit of mascara.”
“Gee thanks.” He was chagrinned.
“We’ll just have to prove them wrong…”
“Like how?”
“Date.”
“I am not into dating right now. I am going into the studio.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “Okay, leave the nasty part to me.”
JC laughed. “Dating is nasty?”
Christina winked impishly. “It can be – if you do it right!”
“And I just bet you know how to do it right,” he declared.
“Don’t you just know it, Chasez.”