Julia gave him a look. “Yes, thank you, Jason. I was there. I remember.”
“No spoilers, please,” said Paige, her gaze fixed on Julia.
“So, no, I didn’t get the part. Shirley Jones was a full-fledged star, after all, and I was not. What can I say? I was crushed. My parents were begging me to come home to Iowa, help run the farm, and settle for community theater.”
“Good heavens,” said Nigel, appalled. “You never told me you had considered abandoning Hollywood for am-dram.”
“That’s because I never did. Maury believed in me, and when I told him I would take any respectable job if it meant I could pay my rent before my roommates threw me out, he found me a voice-over role for a documentary about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory disaster.”
“Threads and Ashes,” said Lindsay.
“Yes, that’s right.” Julia smiled wistfully, remembering. “I didn’t meet the director in person until recording had already begun. One afternoon, when I was reading my lines—headset on, microphone before me—Charles Bryson himself walked into the studio, sat down quietly, and just watched and listened. When we finished for the day, he rose, thanked me politely, and left. When we resumed the next morning, he came in, sat down, and listened again. His presence was rather unnerving. I assumed he didn’t like what he was hearing, but he didn’t offer any direction or criticism, so I just carried on.”
“Little did you know that he had fallen for you,” said Ellen, smiling.
“That honestly hadn’t occurred to me,” Julia admitted. “He was seven years older than I, and he was so much more successful and distinguished that I assumed he was, well, already married and settled. And he was a consummate professional. He didn’t ask me out until a full two weeks after production wrapped. By the time we attended the Oscars together the following year, andThreads and Asheswon for Best Documentary, I was head over heels in love. Two years after that, we were married, and we lived happily ever after—” Her voice caught in her throat. “For as long as we could.”
Paige smiled, and except for the tears lingering on her eyelashes, one would not have known she had been desperately unhappy only moments before. “So you’re telling me that by losing this role, I’ll get another one that will lead me to true love?”
Julia cleared her throat and managed a smile. “I can’t promise that, but one never knows.”
As a ripple of laughter passed through the company, Paige laughed too and dried her eyes. “I think you would’ve been fantastic inThe Music Man,” she said. “They really missed out.”
“So did whoever failed to get you on contract for this movie, Paige,” declared Olivia, planting a hand on her hip. “Whatever it is, I’ll refuse to see it on principle.”
“Well, that’s the thing,” said Paige, shaking her head, still bewildered. “Theydidsend my agent a contract. I was supposed to sign it on Monday, after we get back to LA.”
Julia gasped, and she was not alone. “They’d already sent you a contract?” asked Ellen. “And they, what, asked your agent to tear it up?”
“That’s not the only strange thing,” said Louis. “Before her agent called with the bad news, someone had already emailed Paige about arranging a shoot for publicity photos, and the head costumer asked to schedule her first fitting.”
Murmurs of surprise rose from the company and significant glances were exchanged. “That’s rather odd,” Julia managed to say.
“Very,” said Olivia, shaking her head. “Still, it doesn’t surprise me. We’ve all heard stories of actors who are fired after the first dailies come in, or who don’t find out they’ve been replaced in a role until their name is missing from the call sheet.”
“As a costumer myself,” said Edna, frowning, “I’m surprised by that costumer’s lazy mistake. We’re better than that.”
“That’s what I’m saying,” said Louis. “People other than Paige and her agent believed she had the role. Why would they?”
“Poor communication?” Julia suggested faintly.
Louis shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know. But something isn’t right.”
“Maybe you should talk to your agent again,” Ellen said to Paige. “She might not have any more information to share, but if you think it would make you feel better—”
“Sometimes it’s better not to know why you didn’t get a role,” Julia broke in hastily. “Sometimes it’s best to accept the loss and move on.”
“That’s a fair point,” said Nigel. “Why pour salt into a wound?”
Paige wiped her eyes and steeled herself with a deep breath. “I think I could move on more quickly if I understood what happened. I’ll call my agent. If I find out what went wrong, I can learn from it and do better next time.”
“That’s the spirit,” Nigel declared, but Julia sensed impending disaster.
“Sorry to interrupt, but is everything all right?”
The company turned to find Gretchen standing in the ballroom doorway, regarding them with concern.
“Oops,” said Edna. “What time is it?”
