[Chapter 47: Producing In-House]
By mid-April, the temperature in Los Angeles began to rise.
On that day, Edward returned home, grabbed a bottle of ice-cold Coke, and chugged half of it down in one go. He pulled out a check from his bag and placed it in front of Hawke. "The photos from last night sold for only 280 bucks; it's all right here."
Hawke tucked the check away and continued browsing through the personal information provided by Dwayne Johnson. He had been busy recently with Robert Downey Jr.'s situation, so there had been little time to discuss the film and personal ventures with Johnson, which had to be pushed back. Luckily, Johnson had been running around for promotional events and just returned to Los Angeles yesterday.
Edward had nothing much to do, so he fiddled with the camera, mumbling, "Boss, don't you think work has been pretty dull lately?"
Hawke looked up and asked, "Love life taking a hit?"
"Not really." Edward had learned from Hawke's unique way of working, enjoying the thrill akin to bungee jumping, but sitting around taking photos again just seemed boring. He licked his dark lips, "Look, we've been involved in major stories; the news we've generated has been front-page stuff. Now working on these stories worth a measly couple of hundred bucks? It just feels wrong."
Hawke shifted topics and asked, "Any updates from Deborah?"
Edward replied, "She's been busy dealing with Downey's estate issues. Now's not a good time for me to jump in. Plus, I had that situation under control -- she's working at the shelter. I can't just cut things off right away, that would be irresponsible!"
He put on a thoughtful expression. "About Deborah, I've really considered it. Dealing with widows isn't my specialty; I need to plan this right. I'm thinking of taking a roundabout approach, starting with her son. I found out his name is Indio, and he's studying at Brentwood School."
Hawke had to admire him. "You really are something."
"Boss, we need to find a major scoop!" Edward insisted, realizing he'd learned a whole new set of skills -- he couldn't stand being idle for a whole day. "Wait, wait, I mean, we need to produce some big news."
Hawke closed Johnson's file and said, "It'll happen soon."
Edward exclaimed, "Now I'm starting to see it; valuable news doesn't just happen; it's created by people like us."
Hawke took out his phone and dialed Johnson's number. Once it connected, he said, "It's me, Hawke Osment. I saw the news -- you're back in Los Angeles."
Johnson recognized him and said, "I've been busy lately; didn't get a chance to ask about that favor I trusted you with. Any progress?"
"I have some ideas that I'd like to discuss with you." Hawke asked, "Do you have time to meet in person?"
Johnson glanced at his schedule. "Let's meet at the Tracy Gym this afternoon."
Hawke replied, "Sure."
After hanging up, he pondered for a moment and then called Eric. Eric was stuck at a creative block and also wanted to get out for a bit.
...
In the afternoon, Hawke arrived punctually at the Tracy Gym. He changed in the locker room and waited a little while until Johnson and Eric showed up.
Hawke grabbed a towel and said, "I'll warm up first in the boxing area."
Johnson gave him a thumbs-up and entered his private changing room. Eric only had access to the public area.
Just then, the door to a private changing room opened, and a burly white man stepped out. Since there weren't many people around, he spotted Eric immediately and turned to avoid him.
To this man, Eric's unkempt stubble, gloomy gaze, and weathered face with seafood-soaked lips gave off an artistic vibe that seemed almost effortless.
The man walked quickly past Eric and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, haven't seen you around; are you new?"
Eric stepped forward to dodge the man's hand and assessed him, not recognizing him. "Who are you?"
The man grinned, "Miller Collins, wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers."
"An NFL star, huh?" Johnson appeared just in time from the changing room and shook hands with the man. "Dwayne Johnson, we've never met before."
Miller lightly shook Johnson's hand. "I just signed up recently."
He glanced at Eric and added, "It's the off-season, I bought a place in Santa Monica and I'm staying around here. Can't slack off on training."
Johnson chuckled. "I'll definitely come watch your games."
"Thanks," Miller said politely before turning to leave. Just before he exited the changing room, he glanced back at Johnson, noticing a significant bulge in his pants, frowning.
Eric's quirky aura seemed much more appealing to him. Inside, he mused momentarily until his wife, Maria, approached and said, "You took too long."
Miller leaned in to kiss his wife and replied, "I ran into Dwayne Johnson; we had a quick chat."
"Your career won't last forever. Now that we've moved to Los Angeles, we need to plan for the future," Maria remarked as they walked. "You're a star player, so while you're in the limelight, it's best to network with celebs here to pave the way for later."
A proud smile adorned her face. "Dorothy is growing up; we need to integrate her into Los Angeles high society."
Miller confidently assured her, "Don't worry, I've got it covered. You forgot, Beckham came over last month, and I leveraged that connection to meet Tom Cruise."
...
Meanwhile, Dwayne and Eric made their way to the boxing area.
In the ring, Hawke was drenched in sweat, throwing punches at his sparring partner. After a while, he jumped back to the ropes, had someone help him take off his gloves, and asked Eric, "Wanna get in and throw a few rounds?"
Eric pushed Johnson forward. "You should fight him."
Hawke said, "I'm not in the same weight class as him."
Johnson waved him off, "let's go lift some weights."
Hawke stepped out of the ring and followed the two of them.
Eric resumed the earlier conversation with Johnson. "I don't know why, but I just feel like that guy is a bit off."
Johnson reminisced and shook his head. "Not really; he seemed pretty normal to me."
Eric couldn't understand that. "That's strange, then."
Hawke curiously asked, "What were you talking about?"
Eric briefly summarized the locker room interaction, gesturing with his eyes. "That handsome couple walking towards the spin bike area; the guy is who I'm talking about."
Hawke took a quick glance, feeling like he recognized him. It soon came back to him that he had seen this guy at the Viper Room.
At that time, he was chatting over drinks with Beckham.
Johnson nodded. "Miller Collins, star wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers."
Hawke connected the dots. A football star.
The three of them headed to the weightlifting area.
Before long, Eric ran out of steam and headed to the resting area.
Hawke and Johnson finished their sets, sweating profusely, before they finally wiped themselves down and entered the relaxation area.
Eric was still panting, "I realized this place isn't for me."
Hawke suggested, "Let's find a spot where we can practice rock climbing and shooting."
Eric sarcastically replied, "You're in the media business and not planning an armed robbery..."
Hawke reminded him, "It's about high-stakes business warfare. You've seen how cutthroat it gets in Park City -- how are we going to win without a good physique?"
Eric recalled poor George and how, without Hawke, his film would never have been released. Gritting his teeth, he admitted, "Fine, I'll continue next time."
Johnson was intrigued, "What high-stakes business warfare?"
Eric explained briefly.
Johnson looked thoughtful and said, "Earlier this month, a production team held a screening in a small town in New Jersey. Out of nowhere, there was a massive blackout. An investigation later suggested that it was probably the work of a competitor looking to sabotage the production team's electrical supply."
Eric exploded, "That bastard George opened Pandora's box!"
Hawke sipped a little electrolyte water and then spit it into a nearby trash bin, saying nothing.
Johnson gave Hawke a thumbs-up. "Dude, you understand movie operations and how to fend off competitors -- impressive!"
Hawke thought to himself, everything was produced in-house.
He shifted back to the subject, addressing Johnson, "About that last matter, I've been contemplating for a while and came up with a preliminary plan."
Following the influence of Eric and Catherine, Johnson felt Hawke had remarkable talent. "That's excellent!"
Hawke briefly outlined his ideas and made it clear, "I need a bit of time to work out the details, but we'll need to sign an agreement."
"I'll have Dany come over; she's my wife and my agent." Johnson had specifically contacted the director and producer, Beto Brant, of the film The Trespassers through his agency.
Like Eric and Catherine, he was all praises for Hawke.
Half an hour later, Johnson's wife and agent, Dany Garcia, arrived.
Eric politely excused himself.
Johnson reserved a private room, and the two sides discussed details for a while.
Eventually, they moved to Johnson's agency to sign a cooperation agreement.
*****
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