Unofficially, there are only two of us in contention for the role.
Who were these other women? Had Jules’s agent been mistaken? Or was something else going on? Sophie checked in with the receptionist and took a seat along the back wall, one foot tapping restlessly as she hummed the song under her breath.
One by one, the other women were called, until Sophie was the last person in the waiting room. Why wasn’t Jules here? An uncomfortable feeling took hold in the pit of Sophie’s stomach. Something wasn’t right.
As soon as she stepped into the audition room, her fear came to fruition.
“Sophie Rindell,” the casting director called out, announcing her, “performing for a role in the ensemble.”
And there it was. She hadn’t been called back to audition as Bianca at all. Now she was fighting for a position in the ensemble, one of the nameless dancers who would support the main cast. This was something her agent should have communicated to her but hadn’t, and it wasn’t the first time Estelle had let her down.
Sophie pushed past her disappointment, plastering a bright smile on her face as the music began to play. She could roll with the punches with the best of them, and she gave her all to this performance, laying every ounce of her talent on that black-tiled floor.
Afterward, she thanked the casting team for the opportunity, gathered her bag, and left. Like she’d done on Wednesday, she headed next door for a coffee. Today, though, she had to be at work in an hour, ready for a long afternoon of waiting tables for demanding tourists.
Where was Jules? Had she actually gotten a callback for Bianca? Probably. It didn’t seem likely that both of their agents would have screwed up. Sophie scuffed her foot against the dusty floor as she poured cream into her coffee.Dammit. She’d worked so hard for this. She shouldn’t be disappointed, not when she still had a chance at being cast in the production.
But still, as she left the coffee shop, she felt an all too familiar bitterness rising up inside her. After ten years, she couldn’t believe she was still clutching at the fringes of her dream, that success kept slipping through her fingertips. She stomped on a leaf on the sidewalk, producing a satisfying crunch.
The truly ridiculous thing was that if she hadn’t initially been up for the role of Bianca, Sophie would beso freaking thrilledthat she’d received a callback at all. So what if she was a member of the ensemble? At least she’d be on stage. Yes, it was off-Broadway, but the Sapphire Theater had a reputation for housing quality productions, and the production company was renowned as well.
It’s in Her Kisshad all the markings of a critically acclaimed new production, and Sophie would be lucky to be associated with it in any capacity. If only they’d seen her potential as Bianca…
She took an overenthusiastic sip of her coffee, scorching her tongue in the process. Hot coffee seared its way down her esophagus, burning through her disappointment. She hated feeling like this. Lately, it had been happening more and more often, and frankly, it scared her. If she let herself get consumed by bitterness, it would ruin her joy for performing.
She went home, changed, and headed to work at the diner. As was her usual audition protocol, she did her best to put it out of her mind. It was out of her hands now. In all likelihood, she would never hear another word aboutIt’s in Her Kiss. That had been the theme of her year, anyway.
When her phone rang with a call from Estelle the following Monday, Sophie wasn’t sure whether that meant good news, or if her agent was merely calling about a new audition. Either way, she answered with bated breath.
“Congratulations,” Estelle announced. “You’ve been cast as a member of the ensemble inIt’s in Her Kiss.”
“Really?” Sophie found herself grinning despite her earlier frustration about the audition misunderstanding.
“Yes,” Estelle told her. “And they’ve also selected you as the understudy for the two female leads—Bianca and Melissa.”
“No way,” Sophie breathed, a ripple of excitement spreading through her. An understudy was a step up from the ensemble. It meant she might get a chance to play the lead, a chance to prove herself in a way that might open more doors for her in the future. And it also came with a much nicer paycheck than she would have received for the ensemble alone.
“Rehearsals will begin next week, with previews opening just after the new year,” Estelle told her.
Sophie did a little happy dance in the privacy of her living room. She’d landed her first acting gig in over a year, and while it wasn’t the role she’d wanted, it was still better than she’d expected to receive.
It wasn’t until after she’d gotten off the call that she thought to wonder who had been cast as Bianca. Had the role gone to Jules? Had Sophie been cast as her understudy?
* * *
Jules pulledleggings and her favorite fleece-lined hoodie over her leotard, muscles comfortably sore after her hour-long dance lesson. She gulped what remained of her bottle of water as she packed her bag to head home, noticing a voicemail on her phone. A shiver slid down her spine. It was probably her mom. After all, she called every day, and Jules hadn’t talked to her yet today.
But when she checked the call log and saw her agent’s name there, that shiver turned into a full-out tingle, coursing through her system to land in a nervous ball of energy lodged in her stomach. Unlike her first audition forIt’s in Her Kiss, she felt like she’d nailed her callback. Did she dare hope? Not bothering to listen to the message, she pressed the icon next to Pierce’s name and dialed.
“Hello, Julia,” he answered, his standard greeting. Somehow, he’d never managed to embrace her nickname. His tone gave nothing away, but it never did.
“Hi, Pierce. You called?”
“I did,” he confirmed. “I was hoping to congratulate the new Bianca Scott in person.”
“What?” Her voice sounded embarrassingly like a squeak, and she pressed her free hand against her lips. Her knees went soft, and she dropped onto the bench behind her.
“You heard me,” Pierce said, sounding genuinely pleased, which was a lot, coming from him. “You got the part.”
