The woman on the other end was a fast-talker. And a loud one. He could almost make out what she said even though Maddy hadn’t put her on speaker. He got, “...to dream.” And “...read it?”
“Myra, I told you. I’m not reading anything right now. I’m taking some much-needed family time.”
Myra took issue—vehemently. He understood enough of the words to get that the agent didn’t know Maddy had a family.
Maddy sucked in a tight breath through her nose. “Sorry. Figure of speech. Vacation, then. Youhaveheard of those?”
Myra snapped back with something sassy.
Maddy said, “I realize I don’t take vacations—not until now, anyway. And that is why I’m due one, wouldn’t you say?”
Myra didn’t sound like she would say that at all. She fired off a string of sentences, like the rat-tat-tat of a Gatling gun.
And Maddy replied, “Well, then tell them I understand. Thank them for thinking of me for the part. I’m not going to read it until I’m back in LA and I guess that means—no, wait.” Maddy drew herself up tall. “Myra, just turn it down for me. It’s as simple as that. Tell them it’s not for me.”
Myra squawked like an outraged duck.
“It’s a movie,” said Maddy. “Not world peace.”
Myra disagreed. At length.
“Well, that is my answer, so there’s nothing else to say right now. Anything else you need, reach out to Rudy. I’ll call you as soon as I get back. We’ll do lunch, talk about, um, the future...”
Myra started squawking again.
Maddy didn’t let her get rolling. “I have to go. Take care, Myra.”
The room seemed deathly quiet when she ended the call. She let out a long sigh.
Not really sure what to say, he asked, “You okay?”
Her slim shoulders were slumped. She rubbed the space between her eyebrows like she was getting a headache. “Just thinking about the people who depend on me for their livelihood. If I do walk away from acting, I’ll need to start considering how and when to tell them that I’m not taking on any more projects.”
“So, you’re Myra’s only client?”
That made her smile. “Hardly. She represents several big names. It’s not really Myra I’m worried about. It’s more, well, Rudy’s a treasure and so is my housekeeper. And they’re not the only great people who work for me. I’ll need to start talking to them about where they might go next.”
He shouldn’t even ask. But he did. “Would you leave LA, then?”
“I’m thinking about it. I’m mostly there because that’s where the film industry is. If I’m not in the industry, well, why not try somewhere else?”
Somewhere else like, say, a small town in Oregon where her newly discovered family lived?
Why was he even letting himself think it?
She went on, “Then again, it will be a while before I have to let anyone go. I’ve got those two projects I’m already signed on for. And the house in Bel Air isn’t my only property. I’ll still be needing staff for at least the next few years—maybe longer, depending on what I decide I want to do next.”
Staff?Last night, he’d had the best sex of his life with a gorgeous virgin—who had staff.
Talk about putting the situation in perspective.
And come on. He’d known her for two weeks. It was way too soon to be worrying about the future, anyway. They were having a great time and he needed to focus on that.
She seemed to have come to a similar conclusion. She asked brightly, “So what’s up for you today?”
“The usual. I’ll stop in to check on the progress at a house I’m flipping and then spend the afternoon at the Boatworks.”
She gave him that look, the one that made him forget his own damn name. “I would love to see your flip house and I’ve been dying to look around the family business. Take me with you.”
