She could only hope Luke was right. But her thoughts weighed heavily in her gut. As much as she loved spending time with him, having him in her life and exploring their sexual relationship, she worried they were on two very different paths. The path Luke was on led to fame, fortune, and women fawning at his feet while photographers sold pictures of him and said women to the highest bidder. The path she was on was pointed in the exact opposite direction. Only time would tell if those paths would merge or eventually split in two.
Elle, there’s a call for you on line one.”
Elle snapped her swollen eyes from her computer, wiping them with a tissue. She was in the process of writing Nolan’s last lines on the show. It was an emotional scene. After all, she was, for all intents and purposes, saying good-bye to the character of Desmond to make way for David. She’d accepted this inevitable event on her show, but knowing what Desmond represented made her especially vulnerable to carrying it out.
“Elle Riley.”
“Elle, Sebastian Crane.”
Elle inhaled deeply at the squeaky voice of Gina’s loathsome agent. Sebastian Crane was a hotshot agent who represented several big television stars. Infamous for his Napoleon complex, Sebastian had no problem hoisting his ego around town on behalf of his clients. Sebastian Crane represented everything Elle despised about the industry. He was ostentatious, pushy, and greedy as hell.
“Sebastian, what a pleasure.” Elle did her best to hide her displeasure at receiving his call. “What can I do for you?” Elle hated the facade she was forced to hide behind when dealing with Hollywood players like Sebastian. But she’d learned it was a necessary evil for the sake of her career and the show she loved so much.
“We need to discuss Gina and her future on your show.”
Elle’s gut dropped, anxiety flooding her abdomen. First Nolan, now Gina?
“I don’t understand.”
“She’s feeling a little frustrated, Elle. A little neglected. Catch my drift?”
“Umm, not at all. What seems to be the problem?” She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. In what way could Gina possibly be neglected?
“Her screen time. It’s down twenty percent since last season. My assistant ran the numbers.”
“We’ve only shot the first twelve episodes. I assure you she’ll have plenty of screen time.”
Irritation spread through every cell of her body. If Gina was feeling frustrated, why didn’t she talk to Elle directly rather than sending her guard dog?
“I certainly hope so. If not, we may have a problem.”
“Slow down, Sebastian. The thing is, we’ve introduced a new character.”
“I understand that—”
“I don’t think you do. There are three main characters right now. But by the end of the season, Nolan will be gone. It’ll all work out fine. Tell your client to relax.”
“We won’t relax until after contract negotiations.”
No he did not! He did not just threaten me.
Elle took a deep breath, popped open her candy stash drawer, and pulled out a bag of Twizzlers. She took a bite, closed her eyes, and prepared to let Sebastian’s idle threat remain just that—idle.
“Gina is the star of the show. It will all work out fine, I assure you.”
“Great. So we have an understanding.”
“Yes, we do.” Elle snarled silently at the receiver, wanting to claw Sebastian’s little eyes out. Instead, she took a bite of the sweet strawberry candy. “You take care now.”
She heard the click on the other end and placed the receiver in the cradle. Sebastian never said good-bye; it was his way of maintaining control. Elle nibbled on the candy, pondering their conversation and what to do next. Confronting Gina was probably not the best avenue to take, but she was tired of the actress and her attitude.
They had never been besties, but Gina had been especially distant with Elle since that first awkward table read with Nolan. She was embarrassed Elle knew about Nolan and her personal relationship, but in Elle’s opinion, she had taken it too far. Their professional relationship was suffering because of it and she wasn’t quite sure how to fix it if Gina was determined to remain prickly.
Ignoring her better judgment, Elle texted Gina, asking her to join her in her office for a chat.
When Gina didn’t reply, Elle resumed writing Nolan’s final scene. Just as her eyes were filling with fresh tears, Nicole buzzed in.
“Gina is here to see you.”
Dammit.
The last thing she wanted was for Gina to think her tears had anything to do with Sebastian’s call. She grabbed new tissues, dabbing her eyes gently so as not to cause splotchy skin. She waved her hands rapidly for fresh air to hit her cheeks, but it was no use. She couldn’t stall any longer.
“Send her in.”
Gina opened the door, daggers in her eyes, and sat opposite Elle, saying nothing. Her arms crossed defiantly across her chest set the tone perfectly for how the conversation would go.
“Nice to see you, Gina. Twizzler?”
“No, thanks. I’m off sugar.”
One thing Elle did admire about Gina was her willpower. She was one of those actresses who could lose twenty pounds for a role with no difficulty, no matter the time constraints. Elle could never give up carbs. Ever. Her candy stash helped her get through any crisis, personal or professional, and she had accepted the extra five pounds because of it.
“Listen, I just spoke to Sebastian.”
Gina looked at the floor, her chin dipping to her chest. Even though Gina liked to act tough, Elle knew she valued her role on the show and didn’t want to jeopardize it by allowing Sebastian to go too far off the cuff.
When the actress said nothing, Elle continued. “I hope you know that balancing Luke and Nolan is the reason for the dip in your screen time, and that I’ll do whatever I can to fix it when the story permits.”
Gina pressed her hands to the arms of her chair, pushing up to her feet. “Is that all?”
“Whoa, hold on,” Elle said, standing to confront the actress’ abrupt behavior. “What’s going on with you?”
Once again, Gina crossed her arms, her eyes boring into Elle’s. “I know you’re pissed. About the photos. You’re punishing me because I went out with Luke.”
“Went out with? We’re not in middle school. You two went out for drinks, a photographer found you. It’s not the end of the world and I’m not punishing you. You know me better than that. I’d never jeopardize my show over petty jealousy.”
Gina shifted her weight back and forth, her jaw clenched. “Fine, whatever. Are we done?”
“Listen, I know things have been weird between us since the table read.”
“You mean when I found out your best friend slept with Nolan?”
Elle cringed, took a deep breath, and continued. “Yes. But that has nothing to do with me, Gina. You and I—”
“Did you know?”
Elle had quite the poker face. She could keep it together in almost any given situation without tipping her hand. But she felt Gina deserved the truth.
“Yes. But not when it happened. I found out shortly before you did. And at the time, I had no idea you and Nolan were even involved.”
“Seriously?” The daggers remained in Gina’s eyes, but skepticism climbed onto her face as well. “I find that hard to believe.”
“I’m dead serious, Gina. In fact, I feel pretty silly I couldn’t tell. I just thought you had amazing chemistry. I still think you do.”
“Well, we’re over. So . . .” Her eyes moistened and Elle contemplated handing her the tissue box, but she decided against it, afraid Gina might storm off. Gina took a deep breath, raised an eyebrow, and flipped her hair behind her shoulder. “I’m on to bigger and better things.”