Page 98 of State of Grace

“Dallas, Denver, same thing when all you’re seeing is the inside of a stuffy convention center for three days.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “I’ll only be gone a few days, but I would really like it if you called me every day just to check in, ok?” Alexis nodded. “And I’ve asked Emily to check in on you here. It’s not that I don’t trust you when you say that you’re ok. I just need someone to have a visual on you.”

Alexis turned around and wrapped her arms around Sophia’s neck. “Fair enough.”

As the day gave way to the night, Alexis sat on the couch with Harper and Tucker flanking her on either side. Both were sound asleep and she took the moment to contemplate calling Blake. She stared at the phone in her hand as her thumb hovered over the Call option.

There were many things Alexis wanted to tell Blake. She wanted to tell her she was sorry and that she loved her and that she wanted to make their relationship work. She wanted to tell Blake that she missed her every morning when she woke up alone; how she looked for Blake across the room when Harper said something silly that would have made them both laugh. Alexis might not have the details figured out but she knew they would remain a mystery until she got over her fear of the unknown and did something about it.

Opening an app on her phone, Alexis bought a plane ticket without hesitation.

Chapter 33

“And cut!” The director’s words were music to Blake’s ears. She was exhausted. After nearly three full weeks of fourteen plus hour days on the set, Blake was beginning to wonder why she’d ever liked the job in the first place. But, of course, before Blake had nothing to go home to and nothing else to do other than work. Although she still didn’t have anything or anyone to go home to, things just felt different.

Her time with Alexis in Moonflower Cove had been eye-opening. She’d realized there was a life outside of the limelight, which she desperately wanted to have sooner rather than later. She had missed Alexis and Harper and her mom terribly in the past few weeks. Every night on her way home from work, she called Isla and talked to her about the day and how she couldn’t wait to get back home.

Because that’s what the Cove was to Blake now.

Home.

Grabbing a bottle of water off the snack table, Blake made a beeline for the director.

“Mike, have you all decided when you’re going to release the trailer for the movie?” As he had for the last few days, Mike responded to her by sighing loudly. His annoyed look told her he wasn’t in the mood to discuss it, but Blake didn’t back down. “I know you said you wanted to wait, but we’re almost done filming, and after that…”

“You’re getting the hell out of Vancouver, I remember.” His frustration was evident.

“So, when is it going to drop?”

Mike sighed again. “Thursday.”

“This Thursday?”

“Yes.”

“The Thursday in two days, Thursday?”

“How many ways can I say it’s this Thursday.” Taking off his headset, Mike hung it off one of the camera stands before walking over to the snack bar. He picked up a glazed donut and took a large bite before he spoke again. “It’s just a preview trailer, but yes, it’s dropping on Thursday. You all will be able to view it tomorrow at the cast party.”

Blake had been on the fence about going to the cast party since she’d heard about it. Most of the cast members staying with the show had been giving her grief for wanting to quit. They kept trying to tell her that she had a great thing going – something Blake knew – and that she shouldn’t give it up so easily. But Blake knew the truth. Giving up her career as Captain Avery Romano wasn’t an easy decision.

But it was the absolute right decision for her.

She’d known that from the moment she’d won her case to have Avery and Harper finally admit their feelings for each other in the movie. Blake had been hesitant to let Salem in on the meeting, but in the end, she needed her support more than anything. Even if Salem didn’t fully understand why Blake wanted to quit, she wanted Blake happy, and Blake appreciated that much. Thinking back on that meeting, Blake couldn’t help but smile as the words replayed in her mind once more.

“Why should we do this?” James, one of the head writers, had asked the question everyone in the room but Blake and Salem were wondering.

“Because it’s the right thing to do.” Blake leaned her arms onto the large oak table as she sat on the edge of her seat. “Avery and Harper have way more chemistry than Avery and Bryan ever thought about having. If you just let them stay friends and never explore their relationship, then you’re just like every other network show that’s too afraid to have two women fall in love. This show is supposed to be better than that. I thought you were better than that.”

“Blake, our two main leads are lesbian parents. Avery’s parents, in fact.” Mike was on the defense, although his voice was anything but angry. “Why does Avery have to be gay too?”

“Because she is!” Blake forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down. She knew yelling wasn’t going to help get her point across. “Even unintentionally, that’s how Avery is written. She’s bisexual. And sticking her with Bryan, who has proven time and time again that he chooses his career over her, is complete and total bullshit when both Harper and Avery have risked their lives to save the other.”

“Multiple times,” Salem chimed in with a nod.

“Multiple times.” Blake waited for a beat, but no one said a word. Pairs of eyes slowly looked down at their scripts in front of them and a handful nodded. “You all are standing in the way of something great here. You have the chance to be better than all the shows that kill their gay characters or queerbaited their viewers, or failed to have any representation at all.”

“Isn’t it a little late in the game for Blake to come out?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Sometimes a person doesn’t know who they are or what they truly want until they fear losing something they never thought would go away.” Blake had tried not to let the thoughts of Alexis’s gorgeous eyes cloud her mind. It had failed. “Harper is sacrificing herself for Avery by agreeing to leave the colony, the only home she’s ever known, and take the fall for the mistake Avery made. Avery isn’t going to let her just do it. No. Avery will fight to show Harper that she loves her and appreciates her.”

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