The Critic (18 page)

I needed to get out of my apartment and my own head. I splashed some cold water on my face and went downstairs to grab a cab.

Once I was inside my brother’s club, Carly, a beautiful blonde I’d had a one-night stand with, greeted me. I should’ve known better than to dip my pen in company ink, but since she worked for my brother and not me, I’d figured why not? But according to Brett, she’d asked about me once or twice, and I wasn’t in the mood for any come-ons today.

“Hey there, handsome. How are you?” She undressed me with her soft brown eyes before licking her lips. “Your brother will be here in just a minute. He’s on a call, but he told me to take care of you until he gets here.”

“Thank you, Carly.” I didn’t want to give her the wrong impression, so I stayed impassive.

Her long blond waves bounced as I followed her through the club. The White Orchid was expanding their restaurant business, and from the look of it, they were doing well.

She led me to a private table, and rather than leaving, she sat down. “So how have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while.” Her chest rose, making my eyes gravitate toward the swell of her breasts.

“I’ve been good, ya know. Busy but good.” Hopefully that sounded believable. I was anything but good.

“Why don’t I get you a drink? Whiskey on the rocks?”

“Yeah, that’d be great.”

She gracefully rose, giving me ample time to study her. Where the hell was Brett?

Before I could ask Carly, he appeared, looking exhausted. “Hey, man, sorry I’m late. I needed to take a call.” He turned toward her. “Scotch, neat.”

She nodded and left.

“It’s fine. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, ya know, same shit, different day,” he said. “I swear, you’re lucky you have a normal woman because what I’m dealing with is insane.”

My heart clenched. I wondered if Andi was thinking about me. Brett leaned back in his chair as Carly set our drinks down.

“Would you two like a menu?” She addressed both of us but stared at me.

“I’ll have my usual, and bring the same for Bentley,” Brett said.

Carly nodded before she walked away.

He chuckled. “She still wants your ass.”

“Yeah, well, I’ll pass. Right now I just need to get my head on straight. I had a bit of a thing with Andi last night.”

“By the look on your face, it wasn’t a good thing. Care to elaborate?”

I sat back and fiddled with the small drink napkin on the table. “Andi lost her role in the show yesterday. The understudy, Lucy, read for the part alongside Andi, and she got it.”

“Okay, and Andi’s mad at you why?”

“Because after the audition, Lucy thanked me, with a hug, for helping her.” I shook my head. “Andi thinks I slept with her when all I did was call an acting coach friend for her. I met Lucy when she played in a different show sponsored by the guild, and when she didn’t get this role, she reached out and asked if I knew this coach she wanted to work with and if I could get her in. That’s all I did. This is un-fucking-believable.” I took a long sip of my drink, relishing the slow burn.

“So Andi totally misunderstood the situation, and you didn’t try to correct her?” Brett’s expression changed to disbelief.

“Yeah, that’s half right. Except I did try to correct her, but she wouldn’t listen. I don’t know. Maybe we’re better off apart.” I stared at the ice in my glass.

“I’m not one to dole out advice, but if you care about this chick, then do something about it.”

“Yeah, maybe. I haven’t cared this much about anyone ever. From day one, I knew she was the one, and before we could find out where we were headed, we ended.” I looked at Brett. “So what else is going on with you?”

Our food arrived, and Brett shifted our discussion to sports. I couldn’t believe we’d both rather be talking about the Yankees’ lineup than the women in our lives.

After lunch, I went to the office to talk to Scott. He’d sent me a message about an opportunity that was right up my alley. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but nonetheless, I was intrigued. I’d welcome anything that would get my mind off Andi. The office was buzzing with reporters talking to editors, advertising sales people setting up boards at their desks, and layout designers doing their thing. I smiled at my coworkers and waved to Vanessa, who was on the phone, as I made my way to Scott’s office. I knocked on the open door.

“Hey, there’s my main man. Come on in.” Scott rose from behind his desk and shook my hand. “I’ve missed you around here. Did you have a good week off?”

My mind quickly replayed my week. “Yeah, for the most part. Ya know, it’s Jersey.”

I chuckled, and Scott glared at me. He’s a Jersey boy, so Jersey-bashing had been our joke for years. From the first review I’d written, Scott told me I had the potential to achieve big things. He’d taken me under his wing, and I just soared. I couldn’t have done it if he hadn’t believed in me. I thought of Andi. That was all I wanted for her to know—that I believed in her. I shook my head to clear my mind.

Scott motioned to the chair in front of his metal desk as he sat behind it. “Have a seat. I have a proposition for you.”

“So what’s up?” I asked. Scott looked excited, and I couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say. I could use some good news.

“Well, our owners, Chatfield Unlimited, have been looking at starting a paper in the UK.”

Chatfield Unlimited was a huge newspaper holding company, and they had various papers under their umbrella, the
Edge
being one of them. Since they’d taken over the
Edge
about two years earlier, the periodical had become one of the largest selling trade publications in the city. Our online presence had also grown.

“I remember hearing about that at the last all-hands meeting. What does that have to do with me?”

“Well, their expansion is going to include an arts section, and your name was brought up to run it.”

I was stunned silent.

“Bentley? Buddy, you okay?” Scott chortled. “Isn’t that great? Mr. Chatfield personally asked for you.”

I leaned forward. “He wants me? Why not you? I mean, you’re the editor. You know the ins and outs of this business better than I do. I just review shows.”

He shook his head. “They want you there and me here. You’ve made a name for yourself, my friend, and it’s high time people outside the theater industry acknowledge that.”

“I’d be leaving the city? What about my job here?” My heart raced as I thought about leaving my home behind. Not to mention my family. Brett needed me, and the thought of leaving him wasn’t a pleasant one. Then Andi came to mind. Maybe this wasn’t a bad idea.

“Let me clarify.” Scott reached in his drawer and pulled out a manila folder. “It’s a temporary position. You’d set up the arts section and stay until you found someone there worthy of handing the reins to. It could be three months or longer, that’s up to you. They’re only requiring a minimum of three months in England. Once you got back, you’d have to maintain an online presence as well as make periodic visits, which of course they’d take care of.”

I opened the folder and saw the salary they were willing to pay me. Although I tried to remain impassive, I knew my eyes widened.

“Nice paycheck, right?” Scott smacked his hands on his desk and stood. “I know you love your job here, and it’ll be yours when you come back. You aren’t leaving the company, you’re just—”

“Leaving here.” I stood and looked at the folder.

“Think about it, but they need an answer soon. They want you there within the next six to eight weeks. They realize you’ll need to tie things up here and make the necessary arrangements. They’re setting you up with an apartment in London, so your housing is taken care of.”

I nodded as my heart raced with excitement. Something in my gut told me to go for it, so I did. “You know what, Scott, I think this is perfect timing.” I thought of Brett, but I could be back before anything happened with the baby. “Okay, I’ll do it. I need to review the contract, but you can tell Mr. Chatfield he has a tentative yes.”

“Fabulous.” Scott shook my hand. “I’ll miss your ugly mug around here, as I’m sure most of the women will, but this is a great opportunity.”

I laughed. “Thanks, Scott.”

As I left the office, I couldn’t believe what had just happened. Oddly, I was excited about this change. London boasted big name shows, and the actors usually received rave reviews.
Yeah, this is perfect.

Waking up refreshed and nervous was better than the way I’d woken up yesterday. My audition for
Acceptance
was scheduled for four in the afternoon. The director had e-mailed me the script and told me I’d be auditioning for the role of Victoria, a small, but nevertheless important part.

Gina had decided that if I got the role, we’d go out and celebrate. Actually, she said no matter what happened, since we were going to the city, we were going to party. I could use a drink and some fun, so game on!

I met Gina at the train station, and I was surprised to see Seth waiting on the platform. “Hey there, handsome.” I wrapped my arms around him.

He tightened his arms around me before releasing me. “I’ve been so worried about you. Then Gina called and said you had an audition in the city today and that we were all going out afterward. I’m so happy for you.”

“Well, let’s not get our hopes up quite yet, but I’m glad you’re here. I may need a shoulder to cry on.” I nudged him, and he laughed.

“You won’t need a shoulder, but mine is yours if you want it.” He nudged me back, and we made a game of elbowing each other while chuckling.

“Okay, you two weirdoes, our train is here. Let’s do this!” Gina laughed and handed me my bag.

In what seemed like no time at all, we were at our stop. As we walked through the streets, I took in everything. People either loved or hated New York, and I loved it, all of it. I didn’t care that the man on the corner just ate something out of the garbage, street performers at every corner wanted money, or a man in nothing but his underwear and a cowboy hat was playing a guitar in Times Square. I turned the corner, and there it was—Broadway. Calm determination washed over me. That was where I needed and wanted to be.

I turned and realized Seth and Gina weren’t behind me. I scanned the street and saw Gina standing next to half-naked guitar dude, getting her picture taken by Seth. I snickered at her antics. That was a total G move. She was in the Square all the time, and each time she got her picture taken with someone or something.

She ran up to me, holding her phone. “Look! I finally got my picture with him!” Gina giggled as Seth stood next to her, shaking his head.

“I’m very happy you got your Kodak moment, but I need to get to the theater,” I said. “You can hang out here if you’d like.”

“Nope, we’re coming in. I have to check out the makeup area. Rehearsals start on Monday, and I need to check out all the actors’ skin tones so I bring the right items with me.”

Walking into the theater made my skin prickle with excitement. Small crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and I ran my hand over the red velvet seats as I walked down the sloped aisle. My eyes lifted toward the stage, and I was engulfed by nerves and anticipation of what this audition could mean for me. I tried not to think about the future and just live in the present, but it was difficult. A single spotlight shown on center stage, and I stopped in my tracks to look at it.
Wow. Just wow.

The auditorium was empty except for the three of us, and it almost felt like the calm before the storm.

“I’m going to check out the back and see who’s there. Okay, Andi?” Gina said.

I nodded as I walked to the stage. Seth went with Gina to check things out behind the scenes. Six black steps led me to where I’d always wanted to be—on a Broadway stage. It didn’t matter that it was small; it was Broadway. As usual, the worn stage floor had tape markings for the actors. I stood on the X directly under the spotlight. As I looked out to where the audience would be, I flung out my arms and spun. I wrapped my arms around my middle and spoke the lines the director had e-mailed me. My voice echoed as I imagined other actors saying their lines.
Acceptance
was heartfelt but not passion-filled. It was the story of a family that was brought together by adoption, and it spread the message that family was who you shared your heart with, not just your genetics. I was auditioning for the role of a social worker who brought families together.