Page 15 of Broken Romeo

I can’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me upset.

I grit my teeth, willing away the flood of anger and humiliation burning in my sinuses. “Then why are you here? Why tell me I’m your ‘leading lady’ if my audition was only fine?”

“It was fine… until we read together. In that moment, I got a glimpse of the girl I once knew.” His expression softens, if only for a moment. A fleeting tenderness passes through his eyes but vanishes with a quick blink. He’s holding back. There’s something he’s not saying. “I know how great you can be. And as a new director, I want to make my mark with that. If I go with a famous Broadway actress, that’s what the articles will be about. The news will circulate around her.”

A familiar pain squeezes my heart. We’ve been here before, Holden and me. I shouldn’t be surprised by what I hear, but I am. “You want the spotlight all for yourself.”

“Reid already signed an actor to play the part of Zach before he left the project. Too many big names will clutter the Playbill. But with you—”

“With me you can control the narrative.” If I’m great, he gets credit for discovering me. If I suck, I become the scapegoat for a failing show.

I fall back in my chair. It shouldn’t bother me as much as it does. After all, does it really matter how I get my big break, as long as I get it?

“So why come here in person? Why not just have your casting director call my agent?”

“Because this isn’t a done deal yet. As I said, your audition was good… when you finally gave yourself over to me.”

The way he says that sends a fission of energy kissing up the back of my neck, and my body jerks with a shiver.

“The part is yours if you agree to deep, one-on-one character development sessions with me during the rehearsal process. And a two-week trial period to make sure we can work together after all this time.”

All this time. He says it like that’s all it was. A simple passing of time that fractured what we had spent the better part of a year building.

“I don’t need help with character development. I just… messed up. That’s all.” Because you were scowling at me. “It won’t happen again.”

“Those are my terms. If you don’t want the part, I can call Missy Howl. Her audition was great.” He leans back, his thighs still spread wider than the small, round bistro table. My gaze dips to his hands spinning his ring and twitching nervously.

His tick.

Is this a bluff? Calling Missy Howl? Regardless, I need this part. I need it more than he knows.

“You can say no, of course,” he says. “But the pay will be substantial. Union rates for a principal role. Plus, overtime with the extra character development hours we work. At the end of the two weeks, I’ll either offer you a contract, or we’ll fill your role with someone less green.”

I do some quick calculations in my head. Two weeks of equity pay and some extra overtime? That’s a good paycheck. Really good. Almost enough to pay back Ms. Greene for two months of rent… but not quite. Unlike the nanny gig, which will give me an advance. The problem is, after two weeks with Holden, there’s still no guarantee I’ll keep that job. I might end up right back where I began.

Maybe I can manage both gigs? Jill said the hours were flexible.

“Fine,” I say. “I’ll do it. When do we start?”

His smile is haughty as it sweeps over me, but his eyes betray that arrogance. He’s nervous, too. He has just as much riding on this show as I do. Or at least, he thinks he does.

“I’ll send the contracts to your agent this afternoon. We start Monday. One o’clock at New World Stage. Don’t be late. We dock your pay for each minute you run behind.”

One o’clock Monday. The Post-It note of the nanny interview Jill had set up flashes through my mind.

“Oh,” I say. “I can’t Monday. I have a thing—”

His gaze narrows dangerously. “You didn’t have Monday listed as a conflict on your audition sheet.”

“Well, it just came up today. It’s really important.”

“If you want this opportunity, you’ll be there Monday. At one and not a minute later.” His cold voice catches me off guard.

“Fine,” I hiss through gritted teeth. “I’ll be there.”

I’m fucked if after these two weeks, Holden decides I’m not his leading lady. Without the safety net of the nanny gig, I’ll be right back here searching Craigslist for roommate replacements.

I have no choice but to make this work. To show Holden and the rest of the producers that they’d be crazy not to cast me as Skyler.