Page 25 of Cast to be Mine

“Any tips on how to help her dig in?”

She smiled. “That’s up to the two of you to figure out. I once did a film, oh goodness, it must have been after Callum was born. The director took all of us to an amusement park. We spent the day terrified together on roller coasters. Eating junk food. Getting to know each other. Getting used to being around one another.”

“You think I should take them all to Disneyland?”

She laughed. “No. I’m saying it’s your job to figure out what will work for your actress. Maybe it isn’t her that has the problem. Maybe it’s the others.”

I thought about it and decided it was definitely Grace. The others had the experience. They knew how to meld with the rest of the cast. Grace was the one that needed the extra help to find her lane.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” She picked up her script again. “Now go fix your movie. I’m already working with Cleo on a dress for the premiere.”

I laughed. “You might be jumping the gun.”

“Not at all. I know you’ll get it there.”

I drove home with a clearer head than I’d had in twenty-four hours. By the time I pulled into my driveway, I knew what I needed to do.

I grabbed my phone and pulled up Grace’s contact information I put in after the debacle yesterday. It wasn’t weird for me to have her number in my phone. I had Jack’s and plenty of other actors.

It rang three times before she answered, sounding like I’d woken her up.

“Hello?” Her voice was cautious, probably because she didn’t recognize the number.

“Grace, it’s Micah. Micah Blackwell.”

A pause. “Oh. Hi.”

I could hear the nervousness in those two syllables. She probably thought I was calling to fire her.

“Listen, I know yesterday was rough,” I said. “But I think I know how we can fix it. Can you meet me at the studio in a couple hours? There’s something I want to try.”

Another pause, longer this time. “The studio?”

“Yeah. Just you and me. No pressure, no audience. I want to work through some of the scenes with you, help you find what you had in the audition.”

“You want to… work with me? Personally?”

“That’s what directors do,” I said, keeping my tone light. “Look, I cast you because I believed in you. I still believe in you. But I also recognize that I threw you into a situation that was overwhelming. So let’s take a step back and build your confidence before we get on set.”

Silence. I could almost hear her thinking, weighing whether this was a genuine offer or some kind of test.

“Okay,” she finally said. “What time?”

“Two o’clock. I’ll text you the address.”

“Okay. Thank you, Micah.”

“See you at two.”

I ended the call and sent up a silent prayer to the film gods. This could work. It had to work.

Because if it didn’t, I had no idea what Plan B looked like.

9

GRACE