Page 124 of Out of the Gold

Sitting next to me, she leans her head against my shoulder. “I had a lovely time tonight, Chase. Thanks for thinking of me.”

“You’re welcome. I enjoyed tonight with you as well.”

She bites her lip. My stomach flips. We’ve been here before but now all I want to do is forestall her offer. “I’m exhausted, though. Jet lag this time has really been a bitch.”

Her eyes drop to her lap. “I understand all about jet lag. Directors expect us to be some sort of machines and disregard all the crazy time changes.”

“Yeah. At leastDoctor Manipul8filmed all in Italy, so once we got started, we didn’t have to worry.” Except for the one day I flew back to New York City to audition.

“You’re lucky! In my last shoot, we went from Vancouver to Miami without a break in shooting.”

“That must’ve been rough.”

She laughs. “You have no idea. I had coffee inserted via IV.”

I chuckle at her exasperated tone, and shortly we arrive at her house. I tuck some stray hair behind her ear. “Please let me know what you decide about the Marilyn Monroe film. Make sure it’s the decision that’s right for you.”

She nods and leans forward, kissing me gently. “Thanks for the advice. I’ll see you around, Chase.”

When she leaves, a twinge of guilt at not accompanying her into her home hits me. I shake my head. No. First, I don’t need any photos posted of us, and the concomitant issues they would bring. Second, I’m no longer interested in her beyond friendship. Third, Melody—I cut my thought process off and instruct the driver to take me home.

The next day, Mark’s in town for some business meetings so I hook up with him in a small café in Malibu, overlooking the water. We scored a private room, thanks to Thomas, who stops by.

“Appreciate your setting this up for us, man,” I say to my PA.

He gives me a salute. “Just doing my job. Do you need anything else from me before I head out?”

Mark speaks up, “Do you have a brother? I need someone like you in my life.”

Thomas preens under Mark’s compliment. “Sorry, just a sister.”

“She married?”

Thomas punches Mark in the shoulder. “I’d never let you near her, you slut!” He turns his attention to me. “Remember, you’re meeting with Sam in his office next Tuesday. The other stuff can wait.”

“Thanks, Thomas.”

He clicks his pen.

The slut next to me offers, “Give your sister a big wet kiss from me.”

“Asshole,” he mutters and excuses himself.

When I order a personal pizza, Mark’s eyebrows lift to his hairline. “Nice to be on break, huh?”

“Definitely,” I reply, drinking my pinot noir. “Although, I still hit the gym three times a week and swim in my pool daily.”

Soon, our meals come, and I dig into the pizza. Since the end of filming, I’ve been allowing myself to enjoy carb-laden foods. I’m starting to feel human again, but know my strict regimen will be picked back up as soon as Sam and I settle on my next role.

I’m in the middle of swallowing the crust when my phone rings. Wiping my hands on my napkin, I raise my finger to Mark and check the screen. It’s a New York City number. Could this be about my audition? My heart rate picks up. Turning to face the windows, I answer, “Chase Wright.”

“Hello, Mr. Wright. This is Athena Davis withHamlet 2.0. I don’t normally make personal calls to the actors who auditioned for us, but I wanted to make an exception for you.”

I can’t catch my breath. They wouldn’t call me unless they had positive news. “Thanks for calling, Ms. Davis.”

“You see, your audition was excellent. You had the lines down, but more than that, you nailed the character.”

I can’t keep still, so I stand and walk to the side of the room.

---