Method - Kate Stewart Page 0,18

like Wes don’t ever age out of Hollywood. It’s a supreme edge. Not to mention his wife dresses him in a wardrobe that keeps him looking sharp. I like his wife better than I like him, but we have a mutual respect for each other after our last film together. Two more hits to add to his long ass reel, pun intended.

“I was sorry to hear about Blake.”

I nod because words don’t mean shit. Wes’s certainly don’t. My silence intimates the subject isn’t up for discussion and it’s dropped.

He orders us both a beer and turns back to me with the twelve million-dollar question. “What did you think of the script?”

I lean forward. “I fucking loved it.”

He gives me a sincere smile. “You up for it?”

“Definitely. I’m good with the terms, but I’m more interested in how you want to film it.”

For the next two hours, we shoot ideas back and forth, both visibly becoming more enthusiastic as the minutes pass, recognizing what he’s envisioned is the same as the picture I drew while reading the script.

It only takes another few minutes of details to seal it.

The part is mine. It will be my sixteenth movie, my tenth lead, and it’s going to be the most grueling role of my career.

As I walk back to the valet, I can’t help but smile at the memory of my mentor and hope she’d be proud.

“I’ve hit my stride, Maddie.” Somewhere in the back of my mind, I can hear her distant voice.

“Good job, boy.”

Mila

I flip between stations as another news anchor discloses more grim details of the scene at Blake’s apartment the day he took his life. The autopsy report was released earlier this morning revealing Blake didn’t have a trace of drugs or alcohol in his system and speculation has run rampant.

“Police say there was no note and his wedding ring was found sitting on the edge of his desk. Blake is survived by his estranged mother, Jennifer Helms, who was present at the funeral along with his ex-wife Amanda George, a former co-star who played Katrina Dobbs in the sitcom, Buzzed. The two former child actors rekindled their friendship at West’s movie premiere seven years ago, and they were married just three months later at a small ceremony in Carmel. Lucas Walker had been in attendance with his girlfriend at the time, Laura Lee.”

Though they paint Lucas and me as a glorious picture, Entertainment News is always quick to remind me that I’m not the high-profile actress that Lucas was supposed to marry. The longer the report goes on, the more I know they’re reaching for reasoning.

“Lucas Walker has yet to make a statement on the death of his longtime friend.”

Clicking off the TV with the remote, I find myself thankful Lucas is preoccupied. At the same time, I dread his reaction to the news. I can only imagine how Amanda must be feeling. We spent a lot of time with them when Lucas and I first got together. They’d been married for a little over a year and seemed smitten. I didn’t get a chance to talk to Amanda during his funeral. Picking up my cell, I make my way to our bedroom terrace. The call goes to voice mail, and as I start to leave a message, I see her name light up on the screen returning my call and accept it.

I forgo a typical greeting. “Amanda, I’m so sorry.”

“We were happy, weren’t we? When we were together? We were happy?” she asks tearfully.

“Yes, you were.”

“I thought so. And then he just…”

“What?” I prompt out of curiosity. When they divorced a year ago, I’d never gotten the real story from either of them, and I hadn’t pressed for it. I’d tried on several occasions to reach Amanda, but she’d withdrawn, completely heartbroken. She and Blake had that in common.

“What happened?”

“He just…changed. I think he got depressed. He was so busy worrying about keeping up…” she cuts herself off.

“Keeping up with Lucas?”

“I think so. He never said it, but I know he was embarrassed about the way things turned out. Eventually, it got to the point where he had to stop making excuses. I could never say that out loud, until now.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“I just don’t understand why he would do this. We were in the midst of working things out.”

This shocks me. “You were thinking about getting back together?”

“Yes, no, I don’t know, maybe,” she sobs. “Things were turning around for him, I think. He was up for