“Your job?” the guy prompts.
“Right, yeah. I have three actually.” I laugh, though no oneelse in the room laughs with me. Forcing my smile away, I shrug. “In this economy, a girl’s gotta eat.”
That raises one chuckle from the back before the guy murmurs something to the cameraman.
“Alright. We’re gonna redo this. This time, I want you to use that same kind of attitude the whole time. Think of this like an acting gig. You want the camera to fall in love with you; you want the audience to love you. Play into your whole quirky, broke-girl vibe. They’ll eat it up.”
I laugh. “Wow, honestly don’t know how I should take that.”
“Take it however you’d like. This is your job now, so do your fucking job,” he snarks.
Okayyy then.
Part of me wants to stand up and walk out right this second. I don’t belong here, and everyone fucking knows it. This was a mistake.
Lily’s face pops into my head, and it has me pausing for a moment. She was so excited for me to do this. Imagine how happy she’d be to actually watch me on TV. And if I could win this? I mean, it’s a long shot. The furthest shot based on the gorgeous men and women here, but still. If I could… I have to fight for it. As hard as I’ve fought to keep a roof over our heads, food in our bellies and medicine in Lily. I’ve been fighting almost my whole life. I can fight for this too.
Straightening up a little more, I create a persona in my head. A relatable girl who’s just getting by. One that’s hoping she can find Mr. Right, or at least someone fun for a night.
Oh shit, that’s good.
I nod, signaling that I’m ready before I screw on the fakest smile of my life.
“Hey, everyone! My name is Courtney. I’m from Seattle, which means, yes, I’m always wet and I spend way too much oncoffee.”
Oh my God. I can’t believe I just said that.
Really committing to this disaster of a personality I’m making up as I go, I laugh softly and roll my shoulders back slightly, allowing my underboob to show in all of its glory.
Fuck it.
“I’m twenty-eight years old, working three jobs because, in this economy, a girl’s gotta eat!”
The room fills with laughter, and even the jackass that was bossing me around before is chuckling.
“That’s great. And what are your ideal traits in a partner?”
I think about that for a second. The answers that spring to my mind are boring and not sexy at all, which I know isn’t what they’re looking for. So I do my best to turn up the charm and make the sexiest eyes possible at the camera.
“I really love a man that can cook. He can cook the meal, and I’ll bring the dessert,” I say with a dramatic wink.
Cringing for a moment, I don’t know how I forgot that I can’t wink very well. Oh well, mouth open and all, we’re going for it.
More laughter. Fuck yes, I’m nailing this.
A sharp clap startles me from the back, and Alex steps forward with a smirk.
“Golden! We’ll film some more snips in here over the next few days for your intro, but this is awesome.”
“Happy to please!” I smile enthusiastically, still not quite dropping the role I’ve adapted.
Maybe I shouldn’t drop it at all. The cameras will be on us 24/7 soon. I won’t have a choice, I guess.
“Just what we like to hear,” he replies before gesturing for me to head out.
I walk past everyone and head for the door before slipping out of it. Damn. I’m actually kind of proud of myself. I didn’t think I’d be able to pull that off, but I did. I think they reallyliked it too. Maybe America will like it and decide I deserve five million dollars.
One can only hope.
