Page 36 of One Last Time

“I’m not sure they’re going to want me,” I admit, I haven’t told Jerald about the baby, and I hadn’t planned on, but this job opportunity is amazing, and I doubt they’ll want a pregnant woman filming.

He frowns. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m pregnant, Jerald.”

His eyes light up, and he smiles widely. “Congratulations,” he whispers, his hand coming across the table and squeezing my hand. “Now it all makes sense. You’ve been so tired lately, I had thought you were staying up late talking to your boyfriend.”

I blush because that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. “I’m not sure they’ll want a pregnant woman in the movie,” I tell him and instantly feel crushed. I haven’t got the job, never thought about having it, and yet I feel as though I’ve lost something.

“I’ll talk to Kelvin, but I’d still go for the audition. How far along are you?”

I shake my head. “Not even six weeks yet.”

His eyes glint. “Then no one needs to know yet.”

I sigh, God, he’s giving me hope when there really shouldn’t be any.

“Pay, I suggest flying back to Seattle and auditioning. The movie is actually being shot in Seattle, so you’ll be close to your family and Silas. There’s no harm in trying it, if you don’t like it, then no harm, no foul. But you may just surprise yourself.”

He’s right. Jerald has never steered me wrong before, and I trust him. “When is the audition?”

He smiles. “You have three days to prepare.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “You don’t give me much time, do you?”

He smiles. “No, but you’re extremely talented, Payton. You’re going to knock their socks off. Just try to have fun.”

I nod. “Thank you.” I still can’t believe the confidence the man has in me, he’s always believed in me.

“Now, go find Bee and make sure she’s not bankrupting herself. I’ll talk to you soon, and take it easy.”

I laugh, “Easy, I’m flying to Seattle, then to France. How is that taking it easy?”

He smiles wider. “You could be going somewhere new each week.”

I get to my feet as I shake my head, I quickly bend and kiss his cheek. “See you soon, Jerald. Make sure you get some downtime, you’re always so busy.” I don’t think the man’s had a vacation in years.

“Go,” he tells me as he waves his hand. I’m dismissed, but his voice is soft, and I know that he’s happy for me.

Kelvin Matthews is even hotter in real life. The man is sexy as hell but also really sweet. He put me at ease instantly. I was star-struck when I arrived and shook his hand, but thankfully, I pulled out of that quickly and managed to have a normal conversation with him without looking like a simpering fool.

“Payton, this is Darryl, he’s auditioning for the male lead,” Ethan tells me, he’s the assistant producer. “Don’t be nervous, you’re going to do fine.”

I smile at him, he thinks this look is due to nerves. It’s not. I’ve thrown up three times since I’ve been here, and it’s nothing to do with nerves. This baby is killing me right now. I’m just glad that I grabbed some ginger ale before coming here. It’s managed to finally settle my stomach.

Darryl and I go through our lines, I try to get them down perfectly. I’ve got the same feeling I had when I first started modelling. The excitement, the nerves, the hopefulness. It’s funny that you never know what you want until you push yourself to it.

When it’s time to finally audition, I’m a bag of nerves.

“Payton, relax, we just want to see what you’ve got, okay?” Kelvin says softly, and I nod, his voice is calming, and I start to lose the fear that creeped up inside.

I go through the scenes that they had us audition for, and it’s exhilarating. I’ve never felt a rush like it before. The more we run through the scenes, the more I realize just how much I enjoy doing this.

“Payton?” Kelvin calls just as I’m about to leave. I turn at his voice and see that we’re alone. I start to worry, did I mess up somehow? “You did a great job.”

Relief washes through me, “Thank you.”

He nods, “I’d take your agent up on his proposal, it’ll be good for you and your career,” he says cryptically with a smile as he turns and leaves.

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