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“She’s gone back to Hollywood.” Dean kept his composure far better than I could have. He checked his watch. “Probably already on the plane.”
Preston’s nostrils flared. He pulled out his phone and paced away from us, speaking indistinctly. He returned a few moments later, removed his glasses, and rubbed his temple.
“That’s it then. We’re fucked. We might as well pack up the set now.”
Alarm bells went off in my head. If I lost this role, I might never get another one.
“We could recast Daisy…”
Preston pinched the bridge of his nose and echoed my thoughts from earlier.
“We’d have to go through the casting process and fly another actress over here. It would push back the filming schedule by at least two weeks.”
Dean looked equally worried.
“Two wee— Preston, I can’t do that. I’ve got another role lined up.”
“So do I.” Wyatt stepped up next to me. “I’ve already signed the contract. I can’t break it now.”
I stayed quiet. So far, I had nothing lined up.
Preston gave us a flat look.
“The only other option is to cancel the movie altogether.”
I looked around desperately. We couldn’t do that — there were so many people relying on us for income. In this room alone, there were at least fifty — plus there were so many more behind the scenes and in Hollywood, who were involved in pre- and post-production.
The blonde extra caught my eye. I’d watched her the day before as she’d mouthed Brooke’s lines — she was hot. Old-school movie star hot. And she obviously had a good memory. Could she take over Brooke’s role?
I shook away the thought. There was no way that was a good idea — even if she was an actress, she’d never starred in a movie before. Community theater or high school plays wouldn’t have given her enough experience to handle the pressures of Hollywood. It wasn’t just the movie itself: there would be publicity, interviews, paparazzi intrusion… hell, half a lifetime in the entertainment industry hadn’t preparedme.
“What about that extra over there?” Dean asked, pointing to her, apparently not thinking the idea through as much as I had. “She seems to know all the lines. If you hire her, you’ll lose two days instead of three weeks.”
I could see the cogs in Preston’s brain turning.
“I don’t know…”
“We should give her a chance,” Wyatt said. “How do we know what she’s capable of if we don’t?”
“I suppose it doesn’t matter who we cast,” Preston said, thinking aloud. “As long as she’s pretty. The lead actress is just eye candy, after all.”
The tightness in my throat returned. What were they doing to the poor woman? It was like they were poachers and she was an animal, about to wander into a trap.
“This is a terrible idea,” I protested, but it was too late.
“Blonde extra!” Preston barked.
The woman stood up from her cafe chair nervously. Her pale blue eyes were wide and scared.
“Do you know all of Brooke’s lines?” Preston sounded calm, but I knew her heart must be pounding, because mine sure was.
“Yes,” she said.
He tilted his head and gave a smile that would have looked friendly if it reached his eyes.
“How would you like to star in a movie?”
9
