My Apologies So You Have This Connection After All
Avery stared at the bulky document bag, completely baffled. She'd already texted with Dexter Reed and knew the company had lined up a few roles for her, quite a few, actually, but this was ridiculous. Even a handful of featured roles couldn't possibly require this many scripts.
Thankfully, Leo Foster didn't leave her hanging for long.
He dragged the suitcase over with a grunt.
"The parts my uncle Dexter found for you are all solid featured roles. They shoot back-to-back, so you'll be done in two or three days. You should pick them out yourself. I don't understand any of this stuff, anyway."
"If you don't know what you're doing, then why did Dexter put you in charge of me?" Avery had been holding the question in the entire ride over, but she couldn't stop it from slipping out.
Leo shot her a sidelong glance. "Why do you think? Who else could get you into these kinds of roles?"
Before he'd come over, his uncle had already laid it all out for him.
Even for minor speaking parts, not just anyone could walk onto a major film set.
Avery was a total newcomer. She was gorgeous, sure, but she had zero acting experience.
When it came down to it, most big productions would rather hire a seasoned extra than a rookie who was just a pretty face.
While Stellar Media could pull some strings to get the scripts, they weren't about to burn through favors just to force a crew to hire an unknown for a bit part.
It just wasn't worth the political capital.
But that's where an idle, rich kid like him came in.
He was technically signed with Stellar, and even though he hadn't officially debuted, most people in the industry knew who he was.
More importantly, they knew he was Dexter Reed's favorite nephew.
For a small featured role, what was the harm in doing the kid a favor? He was the perfect person for the job.
"So you *are* useful for something after all. My mistake." Avery wasn't dumb. One look at Leo's smug expression and she got the whole picture. So that's why Dexter had him babysit her, his connections. She knew Dexter couldn't be that flaky.
"I've been slammed the last few days, running around getting this and that signed," Leo started rambling, suddenly looking exhausted.
"My dad was right, making money is a real grind. I've been so focused on it I haven't slept in or even had time to play any video games. Find me after you've picked out the scripts. Other than that, don't call me unless it's an emergency."
With that dead-serious look on his face, Avery might have actually believed he was busy if she didn't know any better. She didn't even have the energy to pretend to listen. She just stuck the key in the lock, slipped inside, and kicked the door shut behind her, cutting him off mid-sentence.
Finally, some peace and quiet.
Avery set the suitcase aside and took a look around the apartment.
Zachary Bell was definitely loaded. The condos at Summit Ridge were two units per floor, and he'd bought them both.
He'd left the load-bearing walls but had knocked down everything else, completely redesigning the space.
Just as Leo had said, the place was huge, you could easily fit a few more people in here.
The last person who lived here must have been an actor, too.
The massive living room was fully equipped, right down to a floor-to-ceiling mirror for dance practice.
Avery did a quick walkthrough, claimed the bedroom with the balcony, and hauled her luggage inside. After unpacking, she rolled up her sleeves and started cleaning. Someone obviously came by regularly, because the place was already tidy. In less than an hour, she had it sparkling.
It was still early, so Avery changed into some comfortable clothes, found a yoga mat in a storage closet, and unrolled it in the middle of the living room.
She sat cross-legged, opened her tablet, and pulled up videos on line delivery.
Until her acting coach, Alden Pierce, arrived, online tutorials were the best she could do.
It was the one thing she felt she could get a handle on by herself.
As a lawyer, she'd had to train herself to control her speech and expressions in court; it was just part of the job.
But that was purely professional. This was a whole different level of performance.
She kept a small notebook by her side, jotting down notes as she watched. Whenever she heard a good point, she'd look up, recite a few lines to her reflection in the mirror, and practice controlling her expression and the force of her delivery.
She studied like that for over two hours, only stopping when Leo texted her to come down for dinner.
He was a rich kid, so you couldn't expect him to cook.
Honestly, it was a small miracle he even remembered she was upstairs when he ordered takeout.
Avery wasn't picky, though. She ate what he ordered, and as soon as she was done, she went back upstairs to her tablet.
She didn't call it a night until her head felt heavy and her eyes started to cross.
The next morning, a light drizzle fell over Hollywood, bringing a damp, late-fall chill with it.
Thankfully, Avery had packed some warmer clothes.
She threw on a loose, oatmeal-colored chunky-knit sweater that made her look cozy and warm, and headed to Maya Laurent's film set without any makeup on.
The casting director had told her to be there before eight, and Avery was always on time.
By the time she arrived, the set was already a whirlwind of activity.
The casting director immediately took her to check in with the executive director.
The handoff was so quick she didn't even get a chance to say hello to Maya before she was whisked away by the costume, makeup, and props departments.
Forty minutes later, sitting in the makeup chair, Avery stared at her reflection, stunned.
The face in the mirror was still hers, but the makeup artist had completely transformed her.
The cool, serious shield she usually wore was gone, softened and reshaped by foundation and contour.
Her eyebrows were expertly shaped, and her eyes, now subtly lined and shadowed, held a heavy-lidded, captivating allure.
She didn't have to glare; a simple sidelong glance was enough to stop you in your tracks.
Avery had always known she was pretty, but she'd never realized her face could have this kind of impact with just a little bit of makeup. *Is film makeup always this intense?* she wondered.
She wasn't the only one in shock. The young woman who'd done her makeup was staring at her own work, equally stunned. She had only slightly enhanced Avery's features, but the result was breathtaking. A simple touch-up, and she looked like *that*.
The makeup artist suddenly felt a pang of regret. Oh, no. With a face that striking, she was going to completely upstage the leads. What was she supposed to do? Maybe she should wash it all off and start over.