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“What about pets? Do you have any?” he asks, ignoring her question.
“No.”
“What about hobbies? What do you like to do in your free time?”
“I read, watch TV, play board games,” she says with a shrug. “Normal stuff, I guess.”
“Okay, Ms. Myers. We’re done with the interview. If you could go back to the waiting room, we’ll discuss the audition and get back to you shortly,” Max says, closing his blue folder on the table.
“Wait, you’ll have an answer for us today?” She looks as stunned as the others were before her.
“Yes,” Max says. “We’re working with time constraints, and we don’t want to lose any time.”
“Okay. Don’t you want me to read a scene or act some more?” she asks, frowning.
Max shakes his head. “We’ve got everything we need. More than acting skills, it’s a certain personality we’re looking for.”
She bites her bottom lip, then glances at the tinted window. “Okay, then.”
Once she exits through the door, Max joins me in the back room.
“What did you think?” He drops the folder on the round table in the middle of the room before taking a seat.
“I liked the last girl, Jane. She seems the least complicated of the lot, and her background check was the cleanest, right?”
Max nods, polishing his square glasses with a microfiber cloth.
We completed basic background checks on all the candidates before we invited them here today. We couldn’t risk any skeletons resurfacing later on. The media would be all over that.
“Plus,” I add, “she has no family, no friends, no job, and she seems to like the simple life.” And, she’s incredibly stunning—but I keep that last thought to myself, because that has nothing to do with this.
“Agreed. She’s the most logical choice. But I think we should still shortlist two more girls in case she’s not interested once she finds out exactly what the job is.”
I scratch the beard on my jaw. “Right.” I didn’t even think of that. There is a major possibility that she won’t be interested. After all, this isn’t your typical acting job.
This morning, I didn’t want to do any of this, but now, making sure that Jane Myers agrees to marry me has become a necessity.
4
The Only Choice
Jane
This has been the most bizarre audition I’ve ever been to. And that’s saying something. First, it’s way after hours. Then, Max, the guy who interviewed me—not exactly sure who he was, the director, maybe?—barely even saw me act. I know he has my resumé, but still, this is an acting job, after all. Or is it? The truth is, I still don’t really know what this is about. And it’s a live-in situation? Again, I’ve never heard of that before, but maybe it’s commonplace for high-paying gigs? This is the first time I’ve auditioned for a job with a life-changing salary.
It’s also the first time I’ve seen such a diverse group of women auditioning for the same role. Usually, I’m in the waiting room with brunettes of my height and weight, but today, there are women of every ethnicity, morphology, and hair color. This only makes me more curious about the part. Goodness, what did I get myself into? I hope I don’t end up in the Playboy mansion.
After what seems like an hour, Jennifer, the redhead who’s coordinating the casting, enters the waiting room with a clipboard in hand. My heartbeat picks up its pace. This is it. Even though I still know nothing about the part, and this audition was the weirdest of my life, I want this. I really, really want this. Not to mention if I don’t get it, I’ll be on the streets in a couple of days.
“Hello again, everyone. Sorry to keep you waiting. We’ve made our final cut. Numbers six, eight, and thirty, please stay behind. The rest of you, I’m sorry, but you weren’t a good fit. We wish you the best in your careers. Have a great night.”
Wait. What’s my number again? Looking down at the sticker on my blouse, I let out a little squeal. Thirty. I’m staying behind. I made the cut! My heart is doing cartwheels in my chest, and I wish I could do a happy dance right now.
“Can you please follow me?” Jennifer asks, her eyes on me.
Nodding, I follow her back into the audition room.
Three chairs now surround the table Max was sitting behind earlier. Seated in one of them is a tall guy in a dark-blue suit. His brown hair is styled in a handsome brush-up, and he’s scratching the perfectly groomed beard on his jaw as he stares at his phone. Probably hearing us enter, he raises his eyes to me, and I feel like I’ve been hit in the chest. I guessed he was good-looking from his figure, but his eyes are his best feature. Gray like stone, they seem to pierce right through my skull, forcing me to look away.
