“So, Doug, you’ve got what, another year on your contract?”
He nodded. “Then we renegotiate, I guess.”
“They’re sending my character off to college at the end of the season.”
He looked up, surprised. “They’re writing you out of the show?”
“I’m thirty and I’ve been playing a teenager for five years. It was bound to happen at some point. They might give me a couple of guest appearances, but that’s it.”
He sat back, looking disgusted. “You’re the best one on this stupid show.”
I shrugged. The new girl was pretty good. She was tiny, but awesome at martial arts. Better than me. There was no point in being bitter about it.
“So, what are you going to do?” he asked.
“Something else. I’m developing a reality TV concept called Triple Threat. It’ll be a talent competition for singing, dancing and acting. The contestants have to be great at all three, and the winner will be crowned the ultimate triple threat and star in a TV movie musical.”
I expected him to be impressed, but he stared at me, looking confused. “So, you’d be a judge on it?”
“No, I’m going to be a producer and host it. Every episode will open with a musical or dance number, maybe a comedy sketch. I’ll be in those with the contestants or one of the judges.”
He made swirls on the table with his finger. “Have you shopped it around yet?” I got the feeling he was trying to be supportive, but thought I had no chance.
“Doug, I’ve already sold it. And I want you to be a judge. I checked your contract. You’re allowed to do outside projects, but just to be safe, you’ll have to be the harsh judge, the one who doesn’t like anyone and tells them so, keeping your bad guy persona. What do you think?”
He balled up his foil wrapper and stood. “I’ll miss you, Willa. I have no doubt you’ll be successful. But I don’t want to be a judge on a talent competition.”
My mouth dropped open. I didn’t understand why he was upset, why he was leaving, looking like I’d just asked him to sell his soul. I guess my research wasn’t as thorough as I thought.
