Page 51 of Not Exactly a Small-Town Romance

“‘I’m Just Ken’? No.”

She steals a glance at me, then turns back to the sweeping vista. Birds circle over an outcropping. We’re not on the desert side, but among the brushy trees that gradually slope down into the canyon. There’s no sign of human life anywhere. Nobody even drives by.

I stand beside her, trying to read her expression. Her gaze remains firmly on the view, but I’m not sure she sees it. The line of her mouth is tight. Her blond hair flies behind her like a veil.

“Kelsey?”

“Why did you play that song after mine?” Her tone is firm, like Desdemona’s when she wants an answer.

“I don’t know. I thought it was funny.”

She turns to me at that. “Funny? The woman longs for a man. Then you play ... that?”

Now I’m starting to wonder if she saw something in my choice that I didn’t. “What did you make of it?”

Her gaze locks on my face. “You don’t see any resemblance?”

“I’m not Ken.”

“The longing? The wanting to be more than you are? To getting stuck in a role you never asked for?”

Okay, I see it now.

“I’m okay, Kelsey. I know who I am.”

“I’m not sure you do. You’re magnificent.” She gestures toward me. “You can do anything you want.”

It’s not true, and she knows it. “I could make a list of all the doors that are closed to me.”

“When was the last time you tried to open one?”

Does she mean audition? I’m way beyond casting calls. Too proud, anyway. And I don’t need the money. “I stayed in Hollywood.”

“At a casting agency!”

“Desdemona is at the top of her game.” Or she was, when I first came on board.

“Your talent is so incredible. Do you know how many perfect pairs I could make with you?”

She’s thought about this?“It doesn’t matter. I’m typecast, and the type of movie I did is too offensive now. And there are real comics to play the legit roles in comedies.”

She sighs. “Actors do eventually age into a new type of role.”

She doesn’t have to remind me of how long it’s been. “Only the really good ones. Look, I did everything right. I didn’t piss anyone off. I didn’t throw any tantrums. I invested my money. I walk as many red carpets as any working actor.”

“But you’re not happy.”

How does she do that? See through me?

But I admit nothing. “I’m happy enough.” I’m ready to talk about something else, anything else. “What do you think about this hole in the ground?”

She stares at me a beat longer, but eventually turns back to the landscape. “Is this it? The Grand Canyon?”

“We’re on the northwest side, but yes. Not the most popular spot, but it gives you an idea of the scope.”

“The biggest hole in the world. Or is it? I don’t even know.”

“There’s a bigger one in Tibet.”

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