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“You’re not dating her!” Tim exclaims from his seat, his hands thrown in the air in exasperation. “You’re literally spending a couple of months in Vancouver filming a fucking film, Cade. Get over yourself.”
“We have one more,” Sydney sighs. “But she’s going to be a difficult one.”
She leans forward to move into the last audition and I can’t help but wonder if she feels the woman will be “difficult” because of my previous distaste of the actresses.
The moment the screen opens though, revealing a pretty blonde, I’m entranced.
It’s not because she’s blonde—Blake’s blonde.
It’s not that she’s got a pretty voice—although it is melodic; not too high, not too low.
It’s something that I can’t pick out. Maybe it’s in her body language. Her eyes.
They speak more than her words do, and you can see that her acting extends past her ability to throw lines. This girl puts her entire soul into her performance.
“That’s her.” I point to the laptop. “What’s her name?” I don’t recognize her. Is she new to the scene? Newer than me?
Sydney sighs heavily. “I was afraid you’d like her.”
“Why?”
“This actress is Tatum O’Malley,” Sydney says as she closes her laptop. “She’s been MIA for a couple of months. We actually did reach out to her agent when Blake started talking about leaving the project, but all her agent will say is that she’s currently on a break, and that he will not be relaying the message to her.”
“How long do we have?”
“When are you able to get back on set? You realize how expensive it is to hold an international location?” Sydney counters.
“Soon,” I answer, my eyes moving toward my agent briefly.
Sydney doesn’t even bother to look back at Tim. “Your accident was what, six months ago?”
I nod.
“I have great experience with broken bones,” she says. Her voice isn’t accusing, nor is it placating. She doesn’t sound like she’s trying to push the matter, but more like she’s on to what I’ve been avoiding. “My guess is, if you’re not on set in the next two weeks, they’ll scrap the movie. On that note, we don’t have time to find Tatum. Who’s your next choice?”
I shake my head, feeling like I’m being a stubborn twat, but there is not a single actress on that list that I like.
“Look, Cade,” Sydney cuts in, standing to gather her laptop and put it back in her leather bag. “It’s a job. You’re not always going to like your co-stars. Don’t become that actor no one wants to work with because he’s being a diva.”
I stand—far quicker than I should—and grimace slightly at the residual pain. “I’m not a diva.”
“Then I will choose the next best candidate.” Sydney doesn’t even look at me, instead turning to Tim. “You need to have better communication with your clients, Tim. Cade’s probably been given the go-ahead for light work for the last week, minimum. He’s not even wearing a brace anymore. That means he can run lines. Start rehearsal.” Then, she turns to me. “If you want to make it in this field, you need to act like it. It’s one movie. But it’s one movie that could easily break your career if you keep on this path. If you’d rather be on the back of a dirt bike, hey, I’m not going to tell you not to. I live with athletes. But you need to figure out what you want to do.”
Tim stands and walks Sydney to the door. “I’m sorry we wasted your time.”
Sydney just smiles at him and shakes her head. “No time wasted. My house is currently a zoo, and my husband had the audacity to invite people over. I was only too happy to say I was needed on a plane.” She leans around Tim and gives me a pointed look. “I expect to see you in two weeks.”
