Page 71 of Breaking Hollywood

“You okay?”

“Yeah, standing just gets uncomfortable.”

I look around, but there’s nowhere to sit, except the grass. “What do you want to do?”

“There’s a fold-up chair and blanket in the trunk of my car. Would you mind grabbing them? Then, we can sit up here, and you can run lines with me.”

I jog over to the car, Gucci trotting alongside me, and I get the chair and blanket out of the trunk.

I grab my bag from the backseat, as I’ve got a couple of bottles of water and Gucci’s water bottle, built-in tray, and some cut-up vegetables in a sandwich bag ready for her.

I head back over to Gabe and set the chair up. He sits in it, putting his crutches on the ground. I hook Gucci’s lead to the chair and extend it, so she’s got plenty of space to roam around. Then, I lay the blanket out in front of Gabe and sit down on it, tucking my legs under me.

He removes the bag and pulls out what I think are a couple of scripts.

He hands one to me.

Yep, it’s a script.

On the front, it reads, Insanity Calling by Jonah Pickle and Catarina Wiseman, Second Draft.

“Insanity Calling. That’s a cool name for a movie,” I muse.

“Yeah. It’s a really great script,” he tells me.

“When do you start filming?”

“Couple of months’ time.”

“So, your foot will be healed in time. That’s good news. Where will you be filming?”

“Mostly in the studio. Some on location in New York.”

“The asshole studio that fired me?” I playfully narrow my eyes.

“Yep. That asshole studio.”

He’s quiet a moment, and then he says, “I can talk to someone, get you your job back. Or get you a job on this movie.”

“No, it’s fine. But thank you. I appreciate the offer.” I open to the first page of the script. “So, who’s in this movie with you?”

“Desmond Hooper.”

“Ooh, I love him.”

“Right?” He grins.

Desmond Hooper is old-school Hollywood. He’s done so many films, ranging from Westerns to comedies to love stories. He’s a veteran in the movie business and a twice Oscar winner.

“Who else is in it? Who’s playing your love interest?” There’s always a love interest.

“She’s not been cast yet.”

That’s not unusual for a studio to not have the full cast, even at this point.

“They did have Harriett Jenkins at one point, but…” He trails off, scratching his chin. He still hasn’t shaved, and he’s getting the definite signs of a beard growing.

“But what?”