Page 6 of Take It Till You Make It
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you, Belly. I am here for you.”
I want to correct my name, because…Belly? But I’m so touched by the sincerity of the offer that I finally swallow and thank him. I get my driver’s license back but can’t proceed through the door because Crispin Moore is still propping it open and blocking my way. He shifted his stance so he faces me more directly, thereby blocking more of the opening, and he’s studying me like he’s trying to determine my species.
I make a production of looking around him into the dark interior of the building. I have to stand on my tiptoes to get a peek past him. “I think we’re late.”
Just then, someone walks up behind me who captures Crispin’s attention. A huge grin transforms his face, almost blinding me with the brilliance of his handsomeness. Reaching over me, he shakes hands with the person behind me. “Hey, great to see you, man.”
I take the opportunity to duck under his arm to squeeze past him and scurry down the hall. Pulling up Jenny’s instructions on my phone, I speed walk while I look for the room. When I find it, I swing the door open and stroll inside. Whatever had been happening before I entered stops suddenly, and I know immediately that I just made an unintended dramatic entrance.
Reluctantly, I look up from tucking my phone into my bag to find a room full of people staring at me. A bunch of tables have been pushed together in the center of the room to form a large rectangle, with people seated shoulder to shoulder around it. There’s standing room only around the rest of the room. I recognize our director, Hank Subtle, whom I met when I came for a reading. So, he wasn’t late after all. He’s the only one at the table who is standing. I suspect all eyes had previously been on him.
The door opens behind me, and I feel Crispin enter the room. It might be the noticeable collective inhale from so many of the women in the room. It might be that the superior air he seems to breathe tried to sweep me out of the way as he walked in. Somehow, I know it’s him.
“Ah,” Hank says. “We can start now. The dynamic duo is here.”
Crispin walks past me, followed by an older gentleman.
Hank deadpans. “It’s ironic that Crispin and Trent are both the same amount of late.”
“Like father, like son,” a man standing behind the director says. Chuckles rumble around the room.
“Oh,” Hank says. “And everybody, this is Arabelle Quill. She’s our comedic relief in this dramedy.”
Well, I don’t love that introduction.
A chorus of half-hearted greetings makes me feel like an idiot for being late. As I scan for a place to sit or stand, I make eye contact with a pretty blonde who pats the table next to her where there’s an open chair. I see Crispin head toward it, so I put on some speed and slip into the chair first. She invited me, bucko.
A gal with headphones and an electronic tablet slides a script onto the table in front of me with my name in fancy font on the front page. I smile and nod at her.
“It’s great to meet you, Arabelle. I’m Sally Garza. I’m playing your big sister.”
Kill. Me. Now.
She’s gorgeous. Drop dead gorgeous. And though she doesn’t actually speak with a southern accent, that’s what I hear. Maybe some bluebirds chirping around her head, as well. She could carry a revival of Gone with the Wind on her own by bringing sweet Melanie Hamilton back to life. How did that talent scout think I looked like her?
“Call me Ari. It’s great to meet you, Sally Garza.”
She erupts into a peal of overly pleased giggles that makes me shift away from her a little. Then she looks around as if to make sure no one is listening and leans toward me. “That’s one of my big dreams. To become so famous that everyone refers to me as SallyGarza. You know, like it’s one name.”
Dang it. She’s adorable too. I’m going tohaveto like her, and she’s probably going to make me feel like crap about myself the whole time without even meaning to.
“Crispin,” Hank says. “I was just telling everybody how you did us a huge favor by stepping in last minute.”
There is a chorus of enthusiastic appreciation from around the room as some guy vacates his seat for Crispin. The other guy who walked in with him – Trent, I guess – he does look familiar – slides into a seat next to Chandra Miracle.
Oh my gosh. There she is in the flesh. Wait a minute. I look between her and SallyGarza. They could be mother and daughter. Oh, duh. Those are the roles they’ll be playing. Wait! I’ll be Chandra Miracle’s other daughter. Why did I not put that all together? She’s so famous, I figured I’d be a nothing character compared to her, but I’ll be her youngest daughter. What on Earth have I gotten myself into?
“Hey, are you okay?” Sally asks. “You look a little green all of a sudden.”
My gaze floats to her, and I want to let all my thoughts spill. About how I’m just realizing I’ve made a humongous mistake. I’m not cut out to do this. I act out five-minute scenes that Dad and I rewrote, not a full part in a motion picture. How am I supposed to remember all my lines and cues and direction? How can they expect the world to accept me as Chandra Miracle’s daughter? And Sally Garza’s sister?
I hear Dad in my head say, “We’ll take it till you make it, baby girl,” while he claps his hands together like he’s a Hollywood clapboard. It makes me swallow my panic and blink away my terror. I roll my eyes and laugh. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little starstruck sitting here with all these people.”
“Oh, my goodness, I know!” Sally whispers. “Trent Darby! Wasn’t he amazing inWhen the Sun Rises? I can’t believe he didn’t get a nomination from that. I wonder what happened to Daniel Harlen. But Crispin Moore is a good substitute. I can’t believe he has the time. He’s always working.”
“I heard him say he had to work it in between projects.” I look over at him, talking to the man next to him. I have no idea if the man is in the movie, on the crew, or some important executive. All I know is that Crispin strikes me as a total poser. Like he knows he’s always being looked at, so he makes sure to always present his best side.
“Okay, people,” Hank says. “Let’s get this going.”
