“Nate said, did he?” Jess interrupted Laney’s verbal diarrhoea and lifted her eyebrows. Another item to add to the list of things to discuss with Nate later. First, the cottage. Now, putting her name down for acting?
“Please say yes. We really need you.” Laney released her poor harassed hair and clasped her hands, prayer-like, in front of her lips, waiting for a response. A circle of hopeful faces surrounded her. How could she say no?
“I guess I can give it a try.”
The director clapped her hands, beaming. “Life saver! Come on then. Let’s get into it.”
She led Jess by the shoulders out of the writer’s room and towards hair and makeup, the team trailing behind them. As they walked, Laney bombarded her with acting tips.
“Don’t look directly at the camera. Did you do school plays or anything? You don’t need to raise your voice or make exaggerated expressions. It’s different to theatre.
“Small movements. Feel it, think it, and it will show on camera.
“Calm the mother, help deliver the baby, that sort of thing. Easy-peasy.”
“I don’t—” Jess started, a sudden bout of nerves hitting as Laney handed her over to Frankie. He guided her into a chair, swivelling her towards a large, brightly lit mirror.
In the reflection, she could see Laney’s back as she raced out of the room, most likely running away before Jess could protest.
The makeup artist placed his hands lightly on her shoulders, and they stared at each other in the mirror.
“Mm-hmm. The cameras are going to love you.”
She couldn’t help feeling cheered up by the delighted look on his face.
“But will I love the camera?”
Frankie tipped his head to the side, examining her again. “I don’t buy it. You strike me as someone who’s always up for an adventure.”
She widened her eyes in mock offense, but he wasn’t wrong. Her best friend Poppy would confirm that. Poppy was the responsible planner. Jess was the risk taker. The spontaneous one. The free spirit. Maybe she’d inherited that from her birth father? Although she liked to think she was more loyal to the people she loved than he’d been. Another reason she was so careful who she gave her heart to.
“Fine, I wouldn’t have said no,” she admitted. “But who wouldn’t get nervous? It’s not like I have cameras watching my every move in my usual job.”
“But you should. Look at you! Everyone loves a hot nurse delivering cute babies.”
“Stop it.” Jess smiled at him in the mirror, and Frankie shrugged.
“What? It makes complete sense. I’ll pitch it as a reality show.”
“Tell them I don’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day,” Jess said.
“You and me both, darling girl.”
Having a laugh made her feel slightly better, but she still wanted to know exactly what Laney was expecting from her.
“Can you fill me in on the details of what I’ve signed up for?” she asked.
Frankie ran a wet brush through the top of her hair, smoothing it into a ponytail as he explained the schedule for the day.
“They’re filming a birth scene. Sarah, I don’t think you’ve met her, was meant to be the nurse, but she’s come down with a stomach bug. A nasty one by the sounds of it. They’ll pull you in as a side character. It doesn’t really matter who the nurse is. It’s not a major role. Just need someone there and it can’t be any of the main characters.”
“Don’t you have extras for this sort of thing?”
Frankie rolled his eyes. “No, sweet girl, that’s not how it works. Anyway, most of them booked for today are pregnant or old men. You’re here on set already. We need a nurse and voila. Problem solved.”
She held her breath while Frankie surrounded her in a haze of hairspray. When the air cleared, she examined her reflection in the mirror. As the style she wore every day to work, the no-nonsense ponytail comforted her nerves. How hard could it be to pretend to do what she does all the time? Surely, easier than an actual birth?
Frankie smoothed a layer of foundation above her brow and down her nose, winking mischievously at her. “And handsome Nate will be right there next to you.”
