“So you and Whi—I mean, this other person, was it a one-time thing?” Elle pressed, mostly out of curiosity. She hadn’t reacted so well when Whitney had mentioned their fling a few weeks earlier. She wasn’t sure if it had continued without Whitney sharing the details.
“Yes, of course. It was just . . . I don’t know, a drunken thing. No big deal. I’m still friends with her and everything.”
“But Gina . . . she found out.”
“Yes. And as you can see, she’s pissed.” He gestured toward the room.
“Well, obviously you two have some things to discuss.”
“Obviously.” Nolan leaned his hips against the wall, looking up to the ceiling in defeat.
“But here’s the thing. Right now, you’re on my watch and this can’t affect your work.”
“Believe me, I know. I’m doing my best.”
Elle glanced back inside the conference room. Gina was watching them through the tiny pane of glass in the solid wood door. Her eyes were glassy and her fingernails tapped against the top of the table.
“Come with me.”
Elle led Nolan back into the room, where he resumed his seat. She, however, stood tall in front of the two actors. “Everyone, except for our two leads, you can take a ten-minute break. Meet back here at nine forty-five, all right?”
Papers shuffled and chairs squeaked as the supporting cast gathered their things and left the room. Gina placed her phone in her purse and looked to Elle, her fingers continued to tap against the wooden table.
“I’m going to make this brief.” Elle paced behind the table, looking between the two actors holding up the workday. “Whatever drama is happening between you two, you can figure it out on your own time. Right now, you need to pull yourselves together and focus on the task at hand. I’ve been working like a maniac on this season and I will not watch my show go down in flames because you two are having some sort of ridiculous fight.”
Gina’s nose flared and her eyes widened. Her attention snapped to Nolan, daggers peaked from her brown eyes.
“You told her? I can’t believe you, Nolan. Seriously.” She stared down at the table, biting her lower lip as her cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson.
“He told me very little—the rest is blatantly obvious.”
“Right.”
“I really don’t have time for this. Now, get over yourself and get into character. For the next two hours, you’re Molly, not Gina. Have I made myself clear?” Her fingernail tapped the table as she pressed it down to make her point.
“Yes,” they said in unison.
“Thank you. I’m going to grab another cup of coffee. When I get back, I expect this cloud of tension to be gone.”
The two actors glared at one another and Elle knew she had to leave that room. If she didn’t she’d end up using the rest of the ten minutes lecturing them. Her cup was empty and she desperately needed a boost. She walked down the hall to the kitchen. A fresh pot of coffee filled the room with the bitter yet inviting scent she craved so deeply. Elle inhaled deeply while filling her cup to the brim. She resisted the urge to stop by Whitney’s office, knowing it would just fan the flames of drama. There was nothing Whitney could say or do to fix the situation Nolan had created with Gina. It just had to play itself out.
A text rang in: Just finished my costume measurements. Meet me for coffee before I head out?
Luke.
Disappointment swarmed her belly as she knew she had no time to see him. She had two minutes before she was needed back for the table read. There was no way for her to steal away with him for any amount of time before he would leave the building.
Table read, I’m sorry. I wish I could . . .
How about dinner?
Elle smiled, excited to see the man she couldn’t evict from her thoughts.
Sounds good. Pick me up?
You got it. Send me your address later.
Seven o’clock?
Perfect.
With a new air of confidence, Elle strolled back to the conference room, knowing even Gina Romano couldn’t spoil her good mood. That evening would be spent with Luke, and she could hardly wait.
Elle’s fingers were growing hot as they darted between the keys. Furiously the script for episode ten spilled from her brain and onto the screen of her laptop. She was satisfied with the way the storyline was building, and even though she’d promised Rob she’d allow the other writers to assist with this episode, she was determined to get the “bones” written before they gave their input. They had all reviewed the episodes she’d written thus far and had sent their approval and praise via e-mail, which made her feel all the more confident about building the David McKenzie storyline.
A knock on her office door brought her back to reality. Within seconds of the knock, Whitney slid herself inside Elle’s office, closing the door behind her. She closed her eyes and knocked the back of her head softly into the door. Obviously the conflict between Nolan and Gina had spread throughout the staff.
“Whit, I love you, but I really don’t have time—”
“Did you know they were a couple? Because I swear I didn’t!” Whitney took a seat facing Elle, who, realizing she would not be getting any more writing done, closed her laptop and focused her attention on her distraught best friend.
“Nolan told me today. Gina was pretty pissed during the table read.”
“Seriously, I never would have done that had I known. I’m not a home wrecker.”
Elle sat back in her chair, realizing just how upset Whitney was. “Of course you’re not. Nolan said it was casual.”
“Not according to Gina. She just bitched me out in my office!”
“How did she even find out?”
“Tabloid. I guess someone had a picture of us making out in his car after the wrap party. They’re trying to pass it off as recent.”
Whitney’s dark hair spilled down her arms as she pretended to bash her head slowly into Elle’s desk.
“Ugh, that happens all the time, though, right?”
“I know, but Gina’s not buying it. And I guess they started heating up this summer . . . way after Nolan and I hooked up.”
“I’m assuming you told her this?”
“Of course I did. But apparently they’ve been sleeping together off and on for months . . . like since we started filming last season.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. I had no clue.” Elle wondered how so much could be happening right under her nose. Was she oblivious? Or were they just talented at sneaking around?
“No one did. They were like ninjas. So stealth.”
“Stealth sex ninjas,” Elle added with a chuckle before diving into her drawer for reinforcements. Her hand dug through several stacked packages of candy.
“Please tell me you have Swedish Fish.”
Elle grabbed one of the yellow boxes with the signature red writing. It was their favorite, the very first thing that bonded them. Years earlier, during their first one-on-one meeting, Elle had offered Whitney some Swedish Fish. They’d bonded over sweets ever since. She poked a finger into the side of the box, tearing off the top and popping the inside bag to reveal the delectable smell of syrupy sugar in the form of little fish. She offered them to Whitney first, who grabbed the box and held them close to her chest as she scooped them in.
Elle rolled her eyes. “No worries, I’m not hungry or anything.”
“Oh.” Whitney glanced down at the candy box security blanket as she shoveled two more fish into her mouth. “Sowwy.”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, dork. Now listen, this is all going to blow over. Nolan and Gina will talk it through and she’ll calm down.”