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Darla quickly tried to catch up with Lana and Allison. To say that she was frazzled was an understatement. She was pretty sure Lana believed that she and Blake had a thing going on. But even if she didn’t, Darla’s gut warned her that Lana would use the possibility as a publicity stunt. Maybe not now, but at some point. Darla had put herself in this spot, starting something with Blake, against her usual good sense. Worse, though, was the out-of-character fact that where Blake was concerned, Darla wasn’t sure she had any good sense left to draw on. If she had the chance to hop right back in his arms, regardless of outcome, she all but knew she’d do it. Which made the fact that he was leaving tonight very good. Right. It was a good thing. Her insurance that she would stay out of trouble—the sexy, tempting, really wonderful trouble also known as Blake Nelson.
* * *
THE DRIVE TO THE AUDITION location should have been short, but a road was shut off to accommodate the mixture of contestants waiting to perform and fans hoping to see the celebrity judges. The delay gave Blake time to replay that moment when Darla had stumbled in the hallway, then laughed at herself with him. She’d charmed him then—and ten times over. Charmed him, and taken her sex appeal up yet another notch. That every single thing she did was sexy to him told him this wasn’t about sex at all. He was pretty sure she could have the flu and be red-nosed and he’d think she was sexy.
The car rounded a corner and Blake couldn’t believe his eyes. He sat up, taking in the sight before him. “Holy smokes,” he murmured. There were people and cars everywhere. It was pure mayhem, just as Meagan had said it had been the prior day. He was about to be out there in that mess, interviewing people. Adrenaline pumped through him. He loved everything about the scene—the wild crowds, the energy. That’s why he enjoyed red carpet events. It wasn’t about the stars. It was about the people who came to see them. His studio audiences were important to him. They were what was real, what made him enjoy his work—not the cameras. Like Darla, he thought. She was real. No fluff and stuff. Ambitious, but determined to build a strong career with talent and hard work. Not some get-rich-and-famous publicity scheme. That was rare in this biz. Rare indeed.
A few minutes later, Blake stepped out of the car in the private garage to find Meagan waiting for him. “We have a problem. Or I have a problem. Rick broke his arm in the charity baseball game.”
“And?”
“As in broke it to the point of emergency surgery that didn’t go well.”
“That’s awful.”
“He’ll be all right, but in the meantime we want you to fill in for Rick on the next few shows, until we figure out what comes next. Do this for me, and I’ll make sure the job is yours, if you want it.”
Blake was stunned. “My agent—”
“Is waiting for your call. I faxed him the contract. I know this is short notice. We’ll accommodate footage for your show now and as needed, and we’ll get you a flight home in between this audition show and the one we film Wednesday to take care of whatever you need to take care of.”
Blake had always believed that things that fell in your lap were meant to be—just as he was beginning to believe that the lady who had fallen into his arms was meant to be, as well.
A slow smile slid onto Blake’s lips. “Count me in.”
9
ALL THREE OF THE FEMALE JUDGES, Darla included, sat in chairs lined up inside a small changing room. And all three female judges were receiving the same beautifying treatment. Jason leaned against the wall, one boot pressed to the wall, looking biker bad-boy hot in a way that assured him female audience approval. He’d proven that as a season one judge, but she doubted he cared. He was a famous director. This show wouldn’t make or break him. But it could her. Which only made Darla worry about her own audience approval. She forced the thought away and went back to thinking about Blake, which was better than thinking about how important her performance was today. She didn’t know where they stood. What if Blake left before she got a chance to say goodbye? Alone, that was. If that happened, would that mean that they were officially “off” or that they were still maybe “on”? She’d told him they were off, so surely that would mean they were off. The entire thing between them felt in limbo and incomplete. “Okay, folks,” Jimmy said, rushing into the room. “Let’s review our schedule.”
