Page 27 of He's The Reason Why

She smiled gratefully at her friend. “Thanks.”

Neil gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I have to run. I’m taking Rupert to Safari tonight to celebrate. He got that promotion I told you about. He’s now CFO of Fun Times, Inc. The next time you need an event hosted, he’ll hook you up.”

“Oh, that’s awesome! Tell him congratulations for me.” She crossed to the wine fridge and hunted for a particular gold label that indicated a short run. “Here, give him this. Tell him it’s Mark’s signature. He only puts out a few hundred of them.”

“Thanks, sweetie.” Neil tucked a bottle under each arm. “Get some sleep. Maybe Blake will visit your dreams and teach you something else.”

She knew he was teasing, but an image of Blake flashed through her mind. He stared into her eyes and a slow smile lit his face and she didn’t want to look away.

Then she heard Blake say, “You look hot in those leggings.” She shoved his face out of her thoughts.

“Oh God, I hope not. I need a break.” She escorted Neil to the door. “If you keep harping I’ll tell Romi to up the price of admission to two dozen cookies.”

“I’d bring her ten dozen if she asked me to. She’s a gem.”

After Neil left, she tried to remember how Blake had managed to get her into the right mindset during the read. That transition had been fun, despite the irritations. For the first time, she’d experienced something so foreign to what she was used to that it had boggled her mind.

Her childhood had been spent pretending to be a singer until that first day on stage, and then it simply became who she was.

Today, though…today, she’d been Princess Jewel, and being someone else for a room full of people who did that for a living was life-changing.

Blake had told her to relate her character’s journey to something in her own life.

“Okay, if I were Princess Jewel trying to cross the raging river, how would I feel?” she asked the empty room.

She paced while she worked the problem out loud.

“What if that raging river was my life. On this side, I’m a singer. If I make it across, I get to be an actor too. But the river is fast and deep and filled with piranhas, and I don’t know how to swim.”

She stopped pacing. “We’re both facing an impossible task with no background and no tools but our wits.”

Something clicked into place. She knew exactly how her character felt. “Jewel’s intimidated by the challenge of the river. Determined to face it anyway. Worried that she won’t do a good job. Terrified that she’ll fail. Hoping the guy next to her won’t do something to screw it all up. Excited to see things and do things she’s never done before, and secretly relieved to finally be taking control of her own destiny. Now all we both have to do is figure out how to cross the damn river.”

Chapter Six

Blake belted out the last note of “We Can Do This Together” with his arms spread wide and his head thrown back, completely immersed in his character. He projected all the bravado and confidence Jesse felt as he tried to convince the woman next to him that he was the right man for the job.

When he finished, he looked around for the approval he felt sure would be on Piper’s face this time. Jeanette, the studio engineer with black-rimmed glasses that reminded him of Harry Potter, waved at him from the other side of the glass. She gave him a sunny smile and a thumbs-up. She’d been with them all day, every day, for five days straight, no matter how late they stayed, and now she was stuck here on a Saturday. Despite all that, her attitude never dimmed.

Jeanette deserved a raise.

Piper rubbed the back of her neck. “Okay, let’s start over from the top.”

He stared across the ten feet of space between them with ahint of you’ve-got-to-be-fucking-kidding-me. “What do you mean, start over?”

His nemesis gave him a don’t-bullshit-me glare. “You have two perfectly healthy ears. You know when it’s pitchy or weak or over the top.”

After doing the same song over and over and over, he really thought they’d finally nailed it. “It was damn near perfect. Jeanette gave it two thumbs up.”

“Your idea of perfect and mine aren’t even on the same planet.” Piper waved at the girl behind the glass. “Let’s take a break. Ten minutes?”

Jeanette clicked a button, so her voice could be heard inside the recording booth. “Sure thing. Want me to order dinner?”

“No,” Blake said at the same time Piper said, “Yes.”

They glared at each other.

“Ohh-kay, then. You two, um, chill, and I’ll check back in a bit.” Jeanette clicked off and hurried out the door.

---