skyward as if imagining a highly enjoyable daydream.
“Can the apron at least be designer?”
“I’m willing to compromise on this one detail for the sake of harmony.”
“Then consider it a done deal.”
The sound of a vibrating phone stole Carly’s attention. Lauren’s danced on the outdoor glass end table. “Yours.”
Lauren checked the readout and picked up the phone. “My agent,” she said, with a curious look to Carly. “Hi, Jim.” Carly looked on, impressed with how busy they’d managed to keep Lauren while she was in town. She imagined that they’d lined up yet another group of auditions. “Oh, just sitting by the pool, drinking a cup of joe.” A pause. “Yeah, I thought it went well. I’m glad they agreed.” Another pause. “Are you sure?” Carly sipped and listened, intrigued by whatever had pulled Lauren up short. “No. I’m just surprised…Okay, sure. We can talk about it later. Thanks for calling, Jim.” A pause. “Yes, all of that. I’ll wait to hear from you.”
Lauren clicked off the call but kept her gaze on the screen.
“What was that about?” Carly asked. “You seem confused.”
Lauren finally raised her eyes to Carly again, and her expression could only be described as regretful.
“What?” Carly said. Concern flared, as a chill off the pool smacked her flat in the face. She snuggled into her hoodie and waited for Lauren to say something.
“The Hennessy film. They offered it to me.”
“Oh.” She paused, taking that in. “They did? Wow.” The information hovered. She wasn’t quite able to absorb the parameters of what it all meant. “That’s fantastic, Lauren.”
Lauren shook her head. “No. It’s not. I just feel like it has to be some kind of mistake.”
Carly sat up straight, forcing herself to rise to this damn occasion and handle it with as much grace as she possibly could. Sure, it felt like the one thing she’d pinned all her hopes on in desperation had just collapsed all around her in grand fashion like one of those buildings they implode on purpose. Step one, however, was to be happy for Lauren.
“It absolutely was not. You’re good at this whole acting thing, and people are taking notice. Celebrate that.”
Lauren had gone white. “But this was supposed to be yours.” She stood as if needing to take some kind of action, yet not sure what. “I’ll tell them I don’t want it. I think that’s what needs to happen. I don’t need any of this, Carly. In fact, I’m not even sure that it’s me.”
Carly balked and stood with Lauren, taking her hands. “That would be insane. You get that, right? Of course you want it. The film could open doors for you.”
“Do I even want doors open? I’m happy as I am. I like my life.”
“I think you owe it to yourself.”
At the same time, Carly was aware of what this meant for herself. They were outside in the open, yet it still felt like the world was closing in on her. Her sense of self drifted farther away by the minute, and grapple as she might, she couldn’t quite get her stomach under control. It pitched and roiled.
“Carly,” Lauren said, as Carly dropped her hands. “I don’t know what to say here.”
“Don’t say anything,” Carly said and kissed her cheek. She was wildly aware of the ticking clock, and the fact that she didn’t have a lot of time before this holding-it-together thing was going to expire. An uncomfortable lump had already formed in her throat, and she needed to get the hell out of there. She retrieved her coffee and inclined her head toward her home. “I’m gonna go do some reading. I think the new Variety came yesterday. Congratulations, Lauren.” She turned her back and headed toward the back door. She didn’t get more than ten feet before the tears pooled in her eyes.
As long as Carly had known her, Lauren had been sensitive when it came to other people’s emotions, and to her credit, she let Carly go.
Carly let herself into her office, her favorite place to sit and learn her lines. Well, back when she had lines to learn. In place of the work she wished she was doing, she spent the next hour watching the trees rustle back and forth. She felt unimportant and embarrassed.
“You okay in here?” Lauren asked from the doorway sometime later. She’d changed into pants, a black pullover, and short boots with a low heel. She looked fantastic, like she was ready to take on the world, which likely meant