Page 22 of Home to Me

But when the red light came on? It was a repeat performance of the first time. Blank brain, sweaty palms, deer-in-headlights expression, and complete and utter silence.

She wasn't sure how any of the other candidates had done, but she would've bet good money that it was a hell of a lot better than she was managing to do so far.

She heard the director yell, “Cut!” again.

As soon as the light turned off, Lauren again returned to her body. She closed her eyes in regret, realizing that she was in the process of totally blowing this screen test. She was watching it happen, almost as a spectator, with no power to stop it.

She wasn’t sure how to salvage it at this point—or if there even was a way to salvage it. Her head was spinning and she felt faint, uncertain if it was from the lights, the fear, or the fact that all she ingested today was a strong cup of coffee.

Suddenly, Lauren felt a strong hand on her lower back supporting her. She glanced up to see Ben’s large, brown eyes staring down at her in concern.

He leaned in close. “Are you okay?” he asked, and it seemed that there was real concern there. No teasing, no self-aggrandizement, no sense of entitlement. Just pure concern.

This completely defied her image of Ben. In fact, it was so counter to what she would expect of him that it made her wonder, for a moment, if he was just teasing her.

Regardless, Lauren needed a little friendship right now, and even more than that, she needed someone to throw her a lifeline. Ben seemed to be offering both. She made a decision to just take his offered concern at face value.

She nodded yes. Of course, she was far from being okay, but the idea of showing weakness, even to someone who was showing friendship, made her supremely uncomfortable.

Ben winked at her and then, to her surprise, completely took charge of the room.

He turned and said, “Look, everybody, we're gonna do the co-host copy first. Okay?”

Without questioning him, the crew scrambled to get the right cue cards up.

Ben turned to face her, angling his body so that he was blocking out her entire view of the crew, of the cameras—of everything but him.

He looked straight into Lauren’s eyes. “Listen to me, Lauren. Here’s what you need to do. Take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.”

She did it once. Then again for good measure. She could feel solid footing returning. She did it yet again because it felt so good and she sensed herself regaining control.

Ben smiled. “Okay, good. That's working,” he said. “Your color's coming back. Now here's how you handle the camera. You need to pretend that it's Amanda or Karina or Sam in there. That you're just talking to a friend. That's the key. Don’t think about anything but your friend. Pick someone you know and connect with them and you’ll do fine.”

Lauren nodded, understanding the logic in that statement. She decided to go with Amanda since, of all the girls in the Fabulous Four, she was by far the most nurturing of the bunch—and Lauren could use a little tender, loving support right now.

This time, when Ben asked if she was ready, her nod was confident and self-assured. He, in turn, smiled that sexy smile Lauren was beginning to really like then turned and faced the crew.

He announced, “We’re ready.”

The countdown began again, and this time when the red light came on, Ben started talking. Lauren naturally looked up at him. When she heard the words that told her that her line was coming up, she turned her attention back to the camera, this time picturing Amanda on the other side. She recited the words she was supposed to say, pretending that she was saying them to her beloved friend, and she could hear the warmth and the smile showing through in her own voice.

It all happened so fast.

They did one more take with Ben, and when he moved off to the side, Lauren could still see him in her peripheral vision. He waited there, just out of frame, for Lauren to do two takes of the copy that was hers alone. This time, since the lines of dialogue had a bit of a sassy tone to them, she decided to switch things up. She pretended to be talking to Karina instead.

After she was done, she felt a rush unlike any she had ever experienced. That was completely unexpected. She had no idea she would feel anything at all after this audition, and she certainly never expected to feel an adrenaline rush.

Ben came over to her, beaming and grinning from ear to ear.

“Congratulations!” he said warmly.

She thanked him, extending her hand for a handshake. He laughed, shaking his head and giving her a big hug, one that was so enthusiastic that he actually picked her up off the ground.

“You nailed that,” he said happily. “Man I have never seen someone get over stage fright that fast and kill an audition the way you just did. That was amazing!”

There was such pride in his voice, and Lauren liked that a lot more than she thought she should. In fact, if she wasn't mistaken, she thought she might be blushing.

Lauren noticed the director gesturing for Ben to come over. She pointed, saying, “I think you're needed.”

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