Megs put the car in reverse. “What was?”
“You telling me to get in the car. Usually I was the one telling you and Bobbi to get your shoes on and get in your seats.”
Megs backed into the cul-de-sac. “Which side is it better to be on?”
Her mom laughed. “The one giving the commands, definitely.”
Megs shot her mom a look and smiled. It wasn’t that she didn’t want her here, it just made it a bit harder for her to remember what charactershe was supposed to be playing. "Alright.” Megs pulled out her phone at the stop sign and opened the apartment listings she had saved. "First stop is on Pine."
She handed her phone over and let her mom give her directions. The trees had fully dropped into their autumn transformation, and the street was alive with reds, oranges, and golds.
When they arrived at the first apartment building, Megs couldn't help but feel a flutter of disappointment in her chest. She’d seen this building plenty of times growing up, but hadn’t purposely driven by it in years, and it didn’t look like time had been good to it. The exterior was worn and faded, with peeling paint and cracked siding.
Megs pretended to ignore the forced smile on her mother’s face and walked to the stairwell where a thin, harried-looking man was waiting.
“Megs?” He looked down at his clipboard.
She nodded, and the man led them down the shadowed hall to an apartment on the lower level.
“This is our basic unit. I have two available at the moment, and of course you’d be welcome to get a roommate, but we don’t match people for obvious reasons.”
He opened the door and motioned for them to go inside. The apartment was small, cramped, and dimly lit. The air felt thick with dust and a faint musty odor permeated the space.
"Cozy, isn't it?" Sylvia’s voice dripped with sarcasm. Megs elbowed her. They walked through the combined kitchen and living area, briefly looking at the bathroom and bedroom, then hurried back to the hall.
This apartment was on the cheap end, but only a little cheaper than the others they were going to look at. Megs crossed her fingers they’d be better. “Thank you so much,” she said as they passed the landlord.
“Let me know if you want it. I’ve got a couple of other people interested.”
Megs looked back. “I’ll email you. Thanks again.” She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Haley.
You weren’t kidding. Pine Apartments = Breaking Bad ??
Haley commenteda laugh and sent anI told you soGIF.
Against all odds,the second apartment was even worse than the first, but this time because of the people rather than the bone structure. The two girls who already lived there were loud, messy, and didn't seem particularly interested in keeping the shared spaces clean. The bathroom was a disaster, with mildew between the shower tiles and a mysterious puddle forming in one corner. The dishes piled high in the sink made the kitchen equally unappealing.
They were driving to the third apartment—the one Megs was most excited about—when her mom brought up the acting competition. Megs had been wondering how long it would take and was surprised she’d been able to keep it bottled up for over an hour.
"Tell me more about this audiobook thing, Megs.” Sylvia kept her eyes fixed on the road.
“There’s not much to tell.”
“Have you met Oscar Calloway yet?”
Of course that was her first question. Megs gave her a sidelong glance. “Is that what this is about? You want to meet a famous author?”
Her mom blushed. “No, I was only curious. Since he moved back to the area, I’ve heard rumors.”
“What kind of rumors?”
“That he’s charming. Funny.Single.”
“Mom, seriously?” Sylvia wasn’t the kind of mother who taught her daughters they needed to be in a relationship to be successful, but since she and Frank had gotten more serious, she’d become a bit of a love and relationship advocate. Megs was glad she was happy, but was sick of the preaching that her mother surely thought of as encouragement.
Her mom winked. “I just thought it was an interesting opportunity.”
Megs gripped the wheel tighter. “Itisan interesting opportunity.” Sixty thousand dollars over the course of a book series. That would be more than a year’s salary doing something she loved. Or theoretically loved. She adored acting, but who knew what it would be like to record multiple books.
