times now, but she’d read that scene more than ten. She loved everything about the play and thought Heather Kim deserved the Pulitzer.
The lively discussion went on like that for another forty-five minutes, until Kevin Jacobs, the lead producer, turned to her. “Listen, are you interested? Because I can safely say we are.” Everyone around the table nodded.
Carly didn’t hesitate. She raised her shoulders. “When do we start?”
Jeanine, the director, clapped her hands. “Quickly. We have two more roles to cast, and fast.”
“Can I ask which two?”
Jeanine listed them on her fingers. “The detective at the police department, which as you know is fairly significant in this journey, and will take the right actress, and a young actor to play Reagan’s son.”
Carly smiled at her. “You said you saw me in Starry Nights?”
“I did. It’s why I wanted to work with you.”
“Can I make a suggestion on who you might look into for that detective role? There’s just someone I couldn’t get out of my head when I read that character.”
Jeanine leaned in with a smile. “I think I know where you’re going with this, and I’ll be honest, it had occurred to me.”
Carly grinned. “Just a thought. Totally up to you.”
Later that night, alone her hotel room in the theater district, Carly sent Lauren one of her routine texts. She rarely heard back but that wasn’t the point of them. It’s me, game show queen, saying hello.
This time, she got a response. Hey, there, GSQ. How are you?
She fell back against the pillow in delight. Every part of her went warm. She sat up again, invigorated. Lay back again and sat back up, ready to type. Good. I feel like I hit a reset button on some big items in my life. I moved. She hit send, feeling nervous and energetic about the fact that she was conversing with Lauren, who she missed so very much. To her amazement, the phone in her hand buzzed, signaling not just a text, but an incoming call from Lauren.
She didn’t hesitate and slid onto the call. “Hi.”
“Hey, you.” God, that voice. “Tell me about these changes.”
Carly did. She told Lauren about the new home, the unexpected fun she was having on the celebrity game show circuit, and how she saw a new path for herself that surprisingly made her much happier than the old one. “I would never have guessed that I’d be happier once I focused less on status, but I am. I’m choosing things for myself that make me smile.”
“What’s one of them?”
God, it felt good to talk about daily life things with Lauren again, like the most cleansing of breaths. “There’s an adorable café near my new house that I’d love to take you to one day. I eat lunch there twice a week and either take a book or a play to read, or just people watch.”
Lauren was quiet for a minute. “That makes me really happy. All of it. You have no idea.” There was a wistful quality in the way she said it that had Carly unnerved.
“What about you?”
“The play is over and I’m taking a little time for myself. Sleeping in. Taking Rocky for long walks.”
“Enjoying it?”
Lauren hesitated. “It’s been an interesting time. My crossroads, I guess.”
“I miss you.” The words were so automatic. That’s how Carly knew how deeply she meant them.
Lauren’s voice was quiet. “I miss you, too.”
“Good night, Lauren.”
“Sweet dreams, Carly.”
They hadn’t spoken about their romance or a possible future, but Carly knew without a doubt that their connection remained very much intact. She smiled and slid beneath her sheets. She just had to stay the course. Patience was a virtue, right?
* * *
New York City in winter was something to behold. Lauren exited the crowded subway station and found herself in Times Square. It was getting dark out, even though it was only four p.m., but the streets were illuminated by omnipresent neon. She gave herself a small hug as she walked, inhaling the sweet scent of roasted nuts from a street vendor on the corner. In just a few hours, audiences would take to the streets, heading out in their nice clothes for the theater, a concept that always left Lauren feeling invigorated.
The trip was entirely unexpected. She’d surprised even herself when she’d agreed to the audition her agent sent her way. She wasn’t entirely sure about the future of her career, but there was no way she was passing up a shot at a new Heather Kim play. She’d