consider,” Derek said. “This was a dream you once had.”
She was pretty sure her jaw dropped. She could find no words. Her brain and vocabulary didn’t connect. “Dumbfounded” was the only word that came to mind to describe the feeling. She turned and faced Derek, finally regaining some composure. She placed her hands on his knees and leaned in close to him. “You know, this is a bit overwhelming and, um, probably not something I want to commit to in a matter of minutes, or even in an hour. Maybe we could discuss this alone ?”
Kane stood up, Nathan following. The producer said, “Sure, yeah, no problem. I can see that. But look, we have to have an answer either by sometime tonight or, at the latest, early in the morning. I’d prefer you called me tonight.” He handed her his card. “Call the cell number there. I’m up late, so let me know ASAP. It’ll cost me way too much to keep everything up and running without us going forward. If we have to can this thing, then I have to know as soon as possible.”
“Fine. I’ll get you an answer ASAP .”
“Amazing,” Derek said after they left.
“Um, yeah, amazing. What the hell was that about?”
“What do you mean?” Derek asked, shifting in his chair.
“First of all that entire situation was completely bizarre. Two Hollywood bigwigs practically beg me to star in their epic in which the former leading lady has recently passed away. Then you invite them for drinks so I can hear them out, and you suggest that I take their offer. Why? What the hell is up with you?”
He sighed. “When we met, when you first took the job at Malveaux, you had been trying to make it as an actress. Like I said, this was a dream for you.”
“No, Derek, I’d stalled out. I left the dream behind.”
He shook his head. “I know you don’t think you had what it takes to be a great actress. But I disagree. I always have. What you don’t know is that not long after we met, I got ahold of all of the episodes you’d done as Sydney Martini, and I have to tell you that I thought you were real good.”
“Oh my God! You watched those? Why didn’t you tell me? I am so embarrassed.”
“That’s why I didn’t tell you. I knew you’d react like this, but you’re wrong. You have no need to be embarrassed, because you really are good. And, I know there are other people who think so, too. I believe what happened with your acting is what happens to so many people out there chasing a dream. They give up just a little too soon. They don’t stick it out.”
She wasn’t sure how to take that. “Wait a minute, I had to pay the bills. You know, I’m no spring chicken.”
“You’re what, thirty-two?”
She laughed. “You know how old I am.” She was nearing her thirty-seventh birthday.
“Well, you look twenty-five.”
“Sweet talker.” For a minute she almost forgot they were arguing. “But I did, you know. I had to make ends meet, and the TV thing wasn’t doing it for me. It was cable after all and I took the rock bottom fee, thinking it was my big break. What it turned out to be was my big demise, with no money to continue acting classes or to maintain the look and the whatever it takes to be all Hollywooded out.”
“But you do have it, and you don’t need classes or a look, because you’re beautiful just the way you are.”
Oh God, melting like butter, practically falling off the chair. Brain connect. “Thank you, but honestly, don’t you think this is too weird? And, I don’t know that even if this situation had fallen into my lap in a different way that I would have accepted it. My life is so different now. I mean, I manage a winery. Your winery. I have friends in Napa and I love what I do. I really love it. And, then there’s . . .” She looked down at her hands and then back up at him. “There’s us. Now, there’s us.”
“And you think because you star in this movie that it will change anything?”
“I, well . . .”
He took her hand. “I
She was pretty sure her jaw dropped. She could find no words. Her brain and vocabulary didn’t connect. “Dumbfounded” was the only word that came to mind to describe the feeling. She turned and faced Derek, finally regaining some composure. She placed her hands on his knees and leaned in close to him. “You know, this is a bit overwhelming and, um, probably not something I want to commit to in a matter of minutes, or even in an hour. Maybe we could discuss this alone ?”
Kane stood up, Nathan following. The producer said, “Sure, yeah, no problem. I can see that. But look, we have to have an answer either by sometime tonight or, at the latest, early in the morning. I’d prefer you called me tonight.” He handed her his card. “Call the cell number there. I’m up late, so let me know ASAP. It’ll cost me way too much to keep everything up and running without us going forward. If we have to can this thing, then I have to know as soon as possible.”
“Fine. I’ll get you an answer ASAP .”
“Amazing,” Derek said after they left.
“Um, yeah, amazing. What the hell was that about?”
“What do you mean?” Derek asked, shifting in his chair.
“First of all that entire situation was completely bizarre. Two Hollywood bigwigs practically beg me to star in their epic in which the former leading lady has recently passed away. Then you invite them for drinks so I can hear them out, and you suggest that I take their offer. Why? What the hell is up with you?”
He sighed. “When we met, when you first took the job at Malveaux, you had been trying to make it as an actress. Like I said, this was a dream for you.”
“No, Derek, I’d stalled out. I left the dream behind.”
He shook his head. “I know you don’t think you had what it takes to be a great actress. But I disagree. I always have. What you don’t know is that not long after we met, I got ahold of all of the episodes you’d done as Sydney Martini, and I have to tell you that I thought you were real good.”
“Oh my God! You watched those? Why didn’t you tell me? I am so embarrassed.”
“That’s why I didn’t tell you. I knew you’d react like this, but you’re wrong. You have no need to be embarrassed, because you really are good. And, I know there are other people who think so, too. I believe what happened with your acting is what happens to so many people out there chasing a dream. They give up just a little too soon. They don’t stick it out.”
She wasn’t sure how to take that. “Wait a minute, I had to pay the bills. You know, I’m no spring chicken.”
“You’re what, thirty-two?”
She laughed. “You know how old I am.” She was nearing her thirty-seventh birthday.
“Well, you look twenty-five.”
“Sweet talker.” For a minute she almost forgot they were arguing. “But I did, you know. I had to make ends meet, and the TV thing wasn’t doing it for me. It was cable after all and I took the rock bottom fee, thinking it was my big break. What it turned out to be was my big demise, with no money to continue acting classes or to maintain the look and the whatever it takes to be all Hollywooded out.”
“But you do have it, and you don’t need classes or a look, because you’re beautiful just the way you are.”
Oh God, melting like butter, practically falling off the chair. Brain connect. “Thank you, but honestly, don’t you think this is too weird? And, I don’t know that even if this situation had fallen into my lap in a different way that I would have accepted it. My life is so different now. I mean, I manage a winery. Your winery. I have friends in Napa and I love what I do. I really love it. And, then there’s . . .” She looked down at her hands and then back up at him. “There’s us. Now, there’s us.”
“And you think because you star in this movie that it will change anything?”
“I, well . . .”
He took her hand. “I
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