Chapter 81: Daily Life II
Soon after, Phil showed up with Alex.
"Glad you could come, Phil," Daniel said, patting him on the back.
Phil smiled. "Thanks for the invitation, Dani."
Dani turned to Penny and Lexi. "This is my bro Phil - he's my brother-in-law. These are Penny and Lexi, my friends. You saw them at the premiere."
"And this is my beauty-and-brains niece," he added, pulling Alex closer and squeezing her cheeks. "Alexandria Anastasia, a.k.a. Alex."
She tried to kick him. "Stop that, Dani!" she complained.
[Alex commentary]
"It doesn't seem like my kind of thing, but last time I actually enjoyed the spa day a lot."
"It relaxed me like never before," Alex revealed.
[Commentary ends]
"Haley was a little annoyed she couldn't come," Phil commented, "and Claire..."
"Yeah, even I feel weird when my sister gets massages - better that she couldn't come," Dani added.
He is normally very open to any bizarre behavior from friends and family.
[Phil and Daniel commentary]
"Well, Claire makes some... noises when she gets professional massages," Phil tried to explain, not quite sure how.
"Phil, she's your wife and my sister. No offense. When she gets a massage, she sounds like a porn actress," Daniel said bluntly.
"A very loud porn actress," he emphasized.
Phil didn't know what to say, but he didn't disagree with what his brother-in-law had said.
[Commentary ends]
Everyone moved to the chairs to receive facial massages with the cream.
Dani sat between Penny and Phil, while Alexandra was on the other side of Penny.
Gloria and Alex were sitting in front.
"By the way, Penny," Dani recalled the conversation he had earlier. "This morning, when I was playing golf with my dad and his friends, we ran into some executives from Warner Bros."
"We mostly talked about my book Percy Jackson, but I took the chance to ask about opportunities."
And he revealed, "They said they're still holding auditions for a new show of theirs called One Tree Hill. And it seems there are some roles for young actresses."
Penny turned abruptly, causing the attendant to spill the cream.
"Sorry," she apologized, but quickly placed her hand on Dani's arm. "I'm definitely interested."
He smiled. "I'll give you the address and the contact he gave me later."
"Thanks," Penny grinned, giving his hand an affectionate squeeze.
"What about Percy Jackson?" Lexi asked curiously.
"They want to acquire the production rights. But for it to become a big-budget production - around $100 million - it will probably only happen after the release of book three," Daniel replied.
"Obviously, assuming the success continues," he added.
"Whoa, that's so cool, D-money!" Phil remarked, excited about the idea and offering his usual support.
Alex joined the conversation as well. "So you need to focus on writing the third book? I think Percy is your best work."
"Yes... but I was having other ideas..."
And they stopped talking, since the attendants were applying the facial masks.
After a while, Gloria and Alex moved to another area of the spa, while the four of them remained in the same chairs.
"Dani," Mary, the spa attendant, crouched down and whispered to him, "we have another client you know. Lindsay Lohan. Do you want me to tell her you're here?"
He raised an eyebrow slightly. "You can tell her, yeah. But say she can enjoy the spa in peace and doesn't need to come here if she doesn't want to."
She nodded.
"What?" Penny nudged him.
"Lindsay Lohan is here." He simply adjusted himself in the chair while Liss, the other attendant, trimmed his nails.
Unlike the one at the reception, the attendants with them were already experienced and knew not to make a fuss over anyone.
Even though the girl in question was currently being elevated as one of the hottest teens of the moment.
A little while later, Lindsay showed up smiling. "Hi, Dani, what a coincidence-" she cut herself off mid-sentence when she saw him.
"Hey, Lindsay," Dani waved, completely unbothered by the green facial mask on his face.
She held back a laugh and sat in the chair in front of him.
Dani introduced everyone he was with. Phil was the most excited, while Lexi and Penny were more reserved.
"So, do you come here often?" Lindsay asked, making conversation.
"Yeah, once or twice a week," he replied.
"What?" She chuckled in disbelief. "Didn't know you were that kind of guy..." she muttered.
"Citrus, mango or kiwi?" one of the attendants asked Phil, holding up three jars of cream.
"Go for kiwi," Dani suggested. "It's the best."
Lexi leaned slightly, turning her face toward him. "Dani, if I didn't know you better, I would've thought you swung the other way."
"You're just jealous my skin is better," he retorted. Since there were other people besides Penny, he didn't mention how well she knows he's not gay.
"Oh, Lindsay," Dani looked ahead. "I had an awesome idea. I'm not really inspired for a sequel yet, but I can use some unused drafts and ideas and turn them into a new movie."
She understood quickly. "You want to milk the movie's popularity and make quick money with something similar? Aren't you afraid that could hurt your name?"
"Not really..."
"What's the idea?" Lindsay asked anyway.
"Olive, the protagonist, lies about losing her virginity… and suddenly everyone believes she's easy. So she decides to use that reputation instead of fighting it."
Daniel raised a finger. "So, not clueless or mean. She would be a smart, sarcastic protagonist who quickly understands how the system works."
"The title will be Easy A, a reference to both being an 'A' student and being 'easy'."
Lindsay made a thoughtful face. "Sounds interesting. But if you want me, you'll have to wait a while. I just signed on to Freaky Friday with Disney."
Daniel grimaced. "Damn, maldito ratón!" Then he turned to his friends. "You're free to audition for the movie, but I wanted one of the main girls from Mean Girls for marketing purposes."
"What ratón? Why are you cursing?" Gloria appeared with Alex, both of them with towels wrapped around their hair.
--------------
If you enjoy it, please leave a Review and Power Stones
You can also support me on patreon and read up to 25 chapters ahead, plus 32 chapters of Modern Family: Francis Jacob Pritchett
[email protected]/Japa_Madri