So, like, what if I wanted to do a show. Can I?
The words float across my screen. Yes! No! Holy hell! Anyway you slice it, I'm screwed.
As if my fingers are not connected to my brain, they type,Why?
I stare at my phone in disbelief. Why did I type that? What was I thinking? Why isn't there an undo feature on texts?
This time, she sends back the shrugging, I-don't-know emoji.
"HENDERSON!" Morgan's tone is sharp.
I look up at my irate assistant, totally clueless as to what's crawled up her bum. "Yeah?"
"That was the last one. You need to pick. You need to choose. We have to get this done. Put your damn phone away and tell me who is playing Jerry and who is playing Lise."
"Don't go all crook on me. Give me a second. I might be working on something big here. I'm about to land Tabitha Stetson for a role." Apparently my mouth is also working independently from my brain right now.
"Shut the front door. No way! She's really gonna do it? Are you really that good in bed? I bet you have secret moves."
I nearly drop my phone, shocked by Morgan's brazen words. I shouldn't be shocked. She's got a mouth—and mind—like a sailor. Usually, my behavior is above reproach. I make it my business to be nobody else's business. My phone pings again.
I know, stupid idea. Every year I vow I'll stop being so impulsive …
Shit. Shit. Shit. What do I say?
Not stupid at all. It'd be …
My finger hovers over the screen, unsure of what to type. Fun? Good? A big, huge, horrible mistake?
Before I can finish my thought, another text from Tabitha pops up.
I don't know what I'd do with Paisley anyway.
Right. She's got a tyke. That's a complication.
Don't you have a nanny? If not, I'm sure we can hire someone local to help you out. It's a great place for kids.
It's like my dick has taken over and is typing these answers. He's obviously sure that if we can convince Tabitha to come to Hicklam, he'd get a lot more action. Dumb fool.
Do you have an apartment there too?
There too. Like I'm made of money and can afford two places. On the other hand, she probably has multiple residences. She is made of money.
No, I sublet my place in the city. I stay in the cast dorms.
Dorms?
Christ, I sound like a child. Better for her to know now.Yep, like college. Or summer camp is more like it. It's a lot of fun and some nights I actually get three whole hours of sleep.
The older I get, the more this bothers me. The young kids in the cast like to party and fraternize. I'm the crotchety old man living at the end of the hall. Like an R.A. who never graduated.
Never went to camp or college. Went on tour instead. Maybe it'd be fun?
I try to picture Tabitha Stetson in the dorms. My first thought is thank God Grayson and Gloria renovated them last year. But no amount of paint and flooring will make up for the fact that it's still a low-end dormitory compared to the five-star digs Tabitha is used to.
You'd be better off in a house in town.
I wonder if Malachi Andrews would be able to set her up in something nice. His brother and sister own a lot of property in town. They've been working on rehabbing and renovating Hicklam, one old mill building at a time. Hopefully they have something suitable for pop music royalty. I quickly add to my text.
