“Yes. The other two judges are in place. I was just waiting on you. Otherwise we go with a backup.”
I really wanted to know who the other two judges were and who the backup was, but I didn’t want to get sidetracked. “If I agree to it, when is this happening?”
“They want it ready to air in April, and that means we begin the coast-to-coast talent search in January. They’ll need time to edit the first few episodes and vet the final contestants before we start airing.”
Two months from now. How long had she been quietly working on this? “Willa, who says you get to pick the judges? I’m a nobody. And I’m not looking for you to try to placate me on that. I’m being honest.”
“I’m a nobody too, Doug. But they were intrigued when I mentioned bringing someone with me from Strength Warriors. They’re always looking for angles, you know that. They loved the idea of the villain and hero together on a new show. However, you’re partially right. I didn’t get to pick the other two judges. Just you.”
“You said ‘they’ were intrigued. Who’s in charge of this thing?”
“There’s a whole team in place, but Alan Alders is the one with the money. Everything comes back to him.”
Willa
Yes, I’d get producer credit. Yes, this was my concept, and I’d made sure my percentage was enough to make me very rich if this went well, but that didn’t mean I didn’t answer to someone. And that someone was Alan Alders.
He was the one with the money and clout backing my project. He had a formula for success, and part of that included stupid promotional gimmicks viewers should never buy into, and yet they always do. We’d have personal sob stories from the contestants, antagonistic, yet flirty, banter between the judges, and worst of all, the classic leaked relationship. As the beautiful host, he wanted me to be involved with someone to keep people watching week after week. Obviously, I couldn’t date a contestant, but that left me with secretly, yet not so secretly, dating one of the judges. That was why I insisted on getting to pick one.
There was no one else in Hollywood I was willing to pretend to fall in love with. I had to get Doug to sign onto this thing. I had a feeling fake dating me was not something he’d jump at the chance to do, and yet I’d have to tell him about that part. I would not deceive him into falling for me. That was Alan’s idea—keeping it a secret between Alan and me. Everyone else, including Doug, was supposed to think it was real. Alan was the devil. And I’d signed on to work with him. I needed his money and his reputation for pulling out TV hits.
Doug pressed me for more details and I told him everything I could, from which cities we’d be visiting to how I’d found Alan and got him excited about the show. Unfortunately, Doug kept circling back to why I wanted him. He was humble and smart enough not to take my flattery at face value.
“Tell me the truth, Willa. Does Alan really want me or is this something you talked him into?”
I stared into Doug’s eyes, trying to convey sincerity and honesty, neither of which would fully apply to my answer. He couldn’t know the real reason why I needed him yet or he’d flat out say no. “What does it matter? Alan let me pick you. And yes, he did suggest some other people, but he’s okay with it. Besides, we need a little sanity, considering who the other two judges are.”
Doug put his head in his hands. “I should have asked that first.”
“Come on.” I laughed. “Did you expect any different?”
“So, who are they?”
“Victoria Laurens and Justin Justice.”
Doug picked up a rock under the bench and chucked it into the pond.
I couldn’t say I blamed him. Victoria Laurens was a former soap star who managed to turn her propensity for collecting husbands into a reality show. She was on her seventh divorce from a guy twenty years her junior. But she was also a former ballroom dancer and had starred on Broadway, so she knew her stuff. I would have been excited to work with her if she wasn’t known for her odd habits and diva tantrums.
Justin Justice was the one Alan was hoping I’d date. Despite having the stupidest name ever, the guy had the biggest ego known to mankind. He felt he’d single-handedly brought back the era of boy bands. And maybe he had, but that wasn’t exactly something to brag about. When we met, he did a full spin before bending down and kissing my hand. It was like he never stepped out of music video mode.
Doug shook his head. “Justin Justice? I hate that guy.”
“Have you seen the video where Justin Justice and Justin Timberlake have a dance-off on late-night TV? Come on, he’s perfect and you know it.”
“Still hate him.”
“Hate is a strong word, Doug. Especially in our business.”
Doug turned and looked me in the eyes. “Justin and I were on a sitcom together when I was ten. The show got cancelled after the first three episodes, but it was long enough for him to torture me. He’d shove his gum in my hair after takes, steal things out of my dressing room, called me Ugly Doug enough times the name stuck with the rest of the cast and crew. So yeah, I still hate the guy.”
I let out a long breath. “Maybe this won’t work.”
“I’ll still do it.”
“You will?”
Doug grinned. “A few years ago, I got a long letter from Justin. An actual letter with a stamp. He apologized for everything he did to me, saying that apologizing to me was part of his restitution after rehab. I’m a little curious to see if it was something he was forced to do or if he’s actually changed. Besides, I’m not ten anymore. I’d handle things a little differently this time around.”
I’d been worrying my bottom lip, and I forced myself to stop. We’d have enough drama with Victoria Laurens stalking around in her silk bathrobe like she did on her show. Maybe I was swapping one bad situation for a new one. But this was my chance to eventually get behind the camera instead of in front of it. Doug said he’d do it. I was not about to talk him out of it.
“Great, I’ll set up a meeting with Alan.”
