Page 78 of The Small-Town Seduction Plan

He laughs. “You always were a straight shooter. OK, here it is: Jennifer Grace has dropped out of Annihilation 3, and they want you for the lead.”

My jaw drops. “What?”

“Turns out, she had a bad reaction to her weight-loss drugs, and now she’s off them, she’s ballooned twenty pounds and can’t get it off in time to shoot.” Max whoops tastelessly. “They need someone ASAP, the producers just called. What do you say about that?”

“I… I don’t know.” I try to wrap my head around it. Annihilation 3 is a big action movie sequel that I thought I’d booked back in the spring. They went with someone else at the last minute, and I was devastated. “When do they want me to start?”

“Soon. You’ll need to get started with the stunt training now – once the director signs off,” he adds. “But that’s a formality. He’ll love you, everybody does.”

“What about Madeline’s movie?” I ask, pausing.

“What?” Max sounds confused. “Oh, yeah, that indie thing. They’ve been radio silent. But don’t get distracted,” he adds. “This is what we’ve been waiting for, right? You don’t even die in the script! Who knows how many more movies they might want you back for? A big juicy franchise, front and center. I told you we could make it happen.”

Actually, he advised me to buckle up and take the slasher flick while I still had a chance. But then the news sinks in. A leading role, in a blockbuster movie… it’s everything I’ve been hoping for.

I’m back.

“When does the director want to meet?” I ask excitedly.

“See, that’s the catch,” Max says. “He’s about to fly to Europe to scout locations, he’s in New York right now. I know you can just video call, but he’s all about chemistry. Can you make it there tonight to meet?”

“Sure!” I blurt. If he needed me to meet him on a barge in the middle of the Atlantic, I’d find a way. “I’ll be there.”

“Great. I’ll send you the info. This is it,” Max adds. “I knew we could do it. It’s time for the big time, babe.”

I hang up, racing back to the others in a panic. “How long is the drive to New York?” I demand, arriving back at the picnic.

Duke gets to his feet. “Six hours, maybe more depending on traffic. What’s going on?”

“I have a meeting about a role, a big one.”

“But that’s great,” he exclaims, and everyone else chimes in with cheers and congratulations too.

“It would be great, but I’m not going to make it in time!” I check my phone and bite back a wail. It’s already past 2 p.m. “The director can only see me tonight, before he leaves the country, and I said I’d be there, but?—”

“You’ll make it,” Duke says immediately, pulling me into a hug. “Breathe.”

“There’s a direct flight from Provincetown to JFK,” Tessa speaks up. “It’s a puddle-jumper, but it’ll get you there. Grandpa, doesn’t your buddy work at the airfield?”

“Mike. I’ll call him now,” Artie agrees, pulling out his phone.

“I can drive you by the cottage to grab a bag, then get you on the next flight,” Duke tells me, reassuring. “You’ll be there with time to spare.”

“I’ll need it,” I gulp, clutching his hand. I’ve been running around all day, and my sweaty cut-offs and a tank-top aren’t exactly the version of Avery Lawrence that’s going to stroll into this meeting and blow everyone away.

My nerves grow. It feels so long since I’ve been back in Hollywood, playing the carefree starlet. I’m going to have to dazzle them – if I can even remember how.

“Would you come with me?” I ask Duke impulsively. I look up at him, somehow calmed just by the warmth of his arms around me. “I know it’ll just be boring schmoozing, and you hate all this Hollywood stuff, but?—”

“I’ll be there.” He cuts me off with a brief kiss. “Whatever you need.”

“Mike’s going to hold the next flight for you,” Artie reports, hanging up. “You two might be sitting in the co-pilot’s lap, but they’ll make space.”

“Oh my God, thank you!” I rush over to hug him. “All of you!”

“Thank us later,” Tessa laughs. “For now, go. And knock ‘em dead!”

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