Chapter 288

"You have to stay inside the bubble," she said. "Otherwise, you get too exposed to predators. There are some many potential pitfalls out there. You become a target, whether it’s for grifters or hangers-on or people who just genuinely are out to get you."

"I can only guess," I said. "It must be really hard to trust people."

"It is!" she exclaimed. "That’s why I’m so lucky that I got to know Kelly when I was so young. She knows the Hollywood social scene as well as anyone. She liked me and took me under her wing, and I’ve been insulated from a lot of the bullshit that others have to fend off. And a lot of them don’t. So many either succumb to it or are victims of it."

"Well, I have to say," I interjected, "that you seem to have a good head on your shoulders. I’ve always been impressed by how unpretentious you are."

"You’re sweet, John," she said. "I’ve been lucky. Ver