Page 23 of Wrapped in You

I have to do something, she thought.

And then she shook her head.

Don't be silly, Sophie. There's nothing you can do!

Suddenly, Derek erupted from his trailer. There was a smug smile on his face, one that translated just how proud of himself he was. A shiver ran down Sophie's spine.

"Places, everyone," Derek ordered. "I want to rehearse a brand-new scene. Scene forty-two. It involves Natalie’s and Brent's characters having a dispute in front of the ice cream shop after another unsuccessful date. We've all had those, haven't we? If life does anything, it disappoints you!"

Sophie's stomach curdled. She watched as Natalie limped to her place outside the ice cream shop, gripping her script. Brent came up behind her and touched her shoulder.

"I don't really get my motivation in this scene, Derek," Natalie said. Her voice wavered, as though she was on the brink of crying.

Derek clapped his hands. "Okay. We can talk about that. You probably remember the first kiss scene?"

Brent and Natalie nodded glumly.

Beside Sophie, Mike muttered, "They basically fell in love during that scene—in real life. Doesn't Derek see that?"

"He's too entrenched in his own misery," Sophie breathed.

And then she wondered,Where's Cara?Normally, she was on set by now.

Suddenly, Sophie had a bad feeling. Not only did Derek want to tank the film and Natalie and Brent's future careers, but she sensed that he'd cut Cara loose. Maybe Cara had tried too hard to draw him out of his foul mood. Maybe she'd "overstepped" whatever invisible boundary he'd drawn.

Natalie and Brent began to recite the new lines that Derek had written. They were alienating and hate-filled. More than that, they didn't make any sense, given what had alreadyhappened in the film. Was Derek going to throw away all their hard work?

Sophie turned to Randy. "Can you watch the stand for a sec?"

Randy nodded. Sophie thanked him and hurried behind the line of trailers to look for Cara's number on the call sheet. With shivering fingers, she dialed her and waited as the phone rang and rang and rang. It wasn't like a Hollywood elite not to answer her phone on the first ring.

What was going on?

Finally, Cara answered. She sounded groggy and weak. "Hello?"

"Cara, it's Sophie from catering," Sophie said. "Are you all right?"

Cara groaned again. "Sophie from catering. It's nice of you to call."

Alarm bells grew louder in Sophie's ears. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the cabin," Cara said, then burst into a yawn. It sounded as though she hadn't slept in years. Maybe that was what a career in Hollywood involved.

"Should I drive out to get you?" Sophie asked.

"No need," Cara said. "The angry Christmas Grinch fired me last night."

Sophie's heart pumped with sorrow and anger. "Oh, Cara. That's awful."

Cara laughed darkly. "It's probably for the best. Like I said, it's been three years since Georgia died. I've worked so hard for him since then. Sending him scripts. Setting up meetings. Making excuses for him. And why? Because I thought he was a genius? Maybe. But maybe he lost all his genius when Georgia died. Maybe Georgia was the only true genius. Who knows?" Cara sighed. "I'm headed back to Los Angeles. I don't want to seeSilver Bellscrash and burn. It was supposed to relaunchhis career! It was supposed to relaunch my career. Maybe I'm a fool."

"You're not a fool, Cara," Sophie breathed. "What happened?"

"He showed me that heinous new script," Cara said ruefully. "And I told him exactly what would happen if he brought it to set today. That's why you're calling, isn't it?"

Sophie closed her eyes.Why do I care so much? Come on, Sophie. Just go back to the catering stand. Make coffee. Make lunch. Feed everyone as theSilver Bellsship goes under.

"Good luck, Sophie," Cara said. "He's a ticking time bomb. I hope he doesn't bring everyone down with him."