Page 68 of No Place Like Home
The crowd began to clap. Rosalyn’s eyes grew big and Elisa pressed her hands to her cheeks. “Was that the script from Pretty Woman?”
Delia and Trish took a quick bow. With an uncertain laugh, the well-dressed stranger started a slow retreat. A tight smile spanned his silver-sprinkled goatee. “Um, very nice, ladies.”
Cade flinched. Surely that wasn’t…
Then the man removed his sunglasses, revealing a tanned face Cade had recently seen on social media.
The scout had come early.
fifteen
“What do you mean that handsome man isn’t a talent scout?” Madame Paulette crossed her arms over her ample chest and glared at Cade. The noon sunlight cutting through windows caught the bangles on her wrists and nearly blinded everyone gathered in the dance studio. “That’s what Trish said!”
“Yeah, he’s clearly from Hollywood.” Owen, still holding his tightrope and umbrella, gestured to his own head. “You can tell by his hair.”
Madame’s studio had been turned into a temporary town hall, since the number of scorned potential actors wouldn’t fit in Cade’s office and Sheriff Rubart had kicked them off the street. People lined the walls on both sides of the crowded space, earning muttered reprimands from Madame for leaning on the mirrors.
Cade pinched the bridge of his nose. Janie, the movie studio exec., had sent Trent Lawson to scout as promised—almost a week early. After recognizing the man, Cade had sprinted toward him, hoping to usher Trent out of the chaos somewhere private where they could talk. He couldn’t tell at first if Trent had been amused or irritated by the bombardment.
Two sentences into the conversation, it became clear.
“Yeah, it’s totally him! Why are you lying to us?” A voice he couldn’t identify shouted from the back of the room.
Cade hurried to find his “politician’s smile,” which he offered to the rows of people both standing and sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor. “If you’ll all quiet down for a moment, I’d be happy to explain.” Well,happymight not be the most accurate word.
Not that it mattered, as the noise—and accusations—continued. The hyped-up teenagers chatted loudly among themselves, while Sadie and Delia talked over each other to identify all the reasons they believed Cade was wrong about the man. Elisa and Noah spoke quietly to each other, gesturing around the room, while Zoey stood beside Linc, arms crossed and rolling her eyes at whatever he said.
Trish pointed her baton at Cade and shouted something he couldn’t make out. Even Farmer Branson joined the melee, pacing the back of the room with thumbs hitched in his overall straps, and he hadn’t even been part of the impulsive talent show.
Rosalyn was nowhere to be seen.
And somehow, her absence felt even more overwhelming than the presence of the mob.
“Um, guys?” Cade tried to keep his tone pleasant, despite his desire to run out of the building, down Bayou Boulevard, and straight into the nearest pothole. His stomach twisted at the thought of his father hearing about how Cade couldn’t command a room.
He wasn’t mayor potential, and this further proved it.
Cade’s anxiety grew in direct proportion to the din around him. He tried again, louder this time. At this point, he’d give a month’s worth of his drawer snacks for a microphone. “Guys?”
Linc slipped two fingers into his mouth and whistled. The sudden blast echoed off the walls and the entire room was instantly blanketed in silence.
“Thanks.” Cade rubbed his ear. “I think.”
The annoyed voices morphed into annoyed expressions. But at least they were quiet. Cade cleared his throat. “To clarify, Trent—Mr. Lawson—isa scout.”
“See!” Owen shouted triumphantly.
Cade shot him a look. “I asked the film company that shot here a few years ago to consider coming back to the area, and they agreed. So they sent alocationscout.”
Owen winced. “Oh.”
“Yeah,oh.” Cade pointed behind him to the street outside the studio. “Mr. Lawson has nothing to do with hiring actors.”
Delia’s gray brows furrowed. “Then why did he watch us so carefully?”
Elisa snorted. “What would you do if the entire town put on an impromptu show right in your face?”
“Exactly.” Sadie nodded briskly. “He’s polite.”
