I pulled out a garbage bag from under the sink and began to put all the food that was in the refrigerator into it. I expected that would be the last I would see of Manaia and wanted to have his food packed for him. Dad ignored me as he sent Fritz a text to let him know what we wanted to do.
Lexi came down in a swimsuit and walked out to the pool. Damn!
“Best behavior,” Dad reminded me.
“You might need to worry about what Mom thinks,” I shot back.
“Yep,” Dad said as Fritz came in with Manaia.
“I packed your food. It was nice meeting you,” I said to Manaia.
Fritz looked like he might have a migraine. Dad looked at me and sighed.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“David and Manaia didn’t hit it off. He’s David’s security while you’re in town,” Fritz said when neither of us would speak.
“We’re going grocery shopping. You can either figure it out or give me the keys so I can drive,” Dad said.
It didn’t make me happy when Fritz put the trash bag into the refrigerator and handed the keys to Manaia. There were two Range Rover SUVs in the garage that looked like the ones Rita James had. These vehicles were luxury with a capital ‘L.’
Walking into the grocery store was a revelation. I’d thought food shopping might be different out here, but I hadn’t realized just how different. I discovered I was in for a treat. We were in La La Land, that’s for sure.
My first clue was when I entered the deli and found that their special of the day was a yellow and red tomato, fresh mozzarella, and spinach sandwich. You had to try something like that. They also had pizzas that you could take home and bake. You told them what you wanted on the pie, and they made it to order. I told the girl to surprise me.
The dough was made from scratch daily with an oil infused with roasted garlic and tomato. There were so many things that I had to try that I ended up spending more at the deli than we usually spent on food for a full week. Then I discovered they had sushi!
Dad found me and was grumbling about the prices, and his cart was empty. He looked at mine and sighed.
“I was about to suggest we go somewhere cheaper. These prices are outrageous, but it looks like you’ve decided to embrace the madness.”
“Live a little,” I suggested.
“I’m telling Caryn it was all your fault.”
She had decided that I should have to live on a budget. What Dad forgot was that I had only a few expenses each month. A big chunk had gone into learning to fly. Other than that, I’d behaved myself.
I wasn’t happy when Caryn had reduced my monthly allowance when I agreed to give Ashley and Scarlet child support. I think she’d seen my bank account balance growing and decided to slow it down. So, I figured the old saying about ‘when in Rome’ applied. If we were in Malibu, we should live like we belonged here.
Dad got with the program and began to spend money like a ‘drunken sailor’—his words.
The bakery could have been my downfall. One could only conclude I was about to go off my diet if what I’d put in the cart was any indication. When I saw all the goodies they had on display, I had to force myself to walk away. I was sure my blood sugar was low, so I did have to buy a dozen white chocolate, cranberry, and pistachio cookies. I’d made the mistake of sampling one. Yeah, it was low blood sugar that made me buy a dozen.
When we got home, I was happy to see my dad take control.
“We won’t be going out tonight. Your bag of food is in the refrigerator. Collect it, and have a good day.”
Damn! Manaia seemed to realize that this might be his last day.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said what I did to David. I’m not a bad guy. Give me a chance to prove myself,” he said.
I believed in redemption, but this guy had rubbed me the wrong way. When Dad looked my way, I just shrugged.
“Okay, we’ll see you first thing in the morning when David runs.”
I kept a straight face until he gathered his garbage bag of food and left. Then I was all smiles. I would run this guy into the ground.
◊◊◊
Hana Yamamura, my Japanese tutor and interpreter, arrived in time for dinner. We had my mystery pizza and a large salad. Hana, Lexi, and Dad split a bottle of wine between them. The pizza was a genuine California creation. It had artichoke hearts, green olives, roasted red peppers, and a mixture of goat and Asiago cheese for toppings. If the opportunity arose, I might order that again. The kicker was the garlic-and-tomato-infused oil they’d added to the crust. It was much better than it first sounded when the girl explained how they made their pizzas.
“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” Dad asked as I shared my cookies.
“In the morning, they’ll do a read-through of the script for this week,” Lexi said. “Then David has to go to wardrobe and makeup to get the look they want. The camera crews will be out doing establishing shots and b-roll while he does that. Then everyone will come together, and they’ll start shooting in the afternoon.
