The Director's Cut (3 page)

Then again, how would I ever marry and have kids of my own if I couldn't even handle the ones I had to direct?

As little Joey made his way across the stage, he turned to holler something to Ethan, the cast's youngest. The cup of chocolate milk in his hand shot up in the air and landed on the sofa. Candy let out a squeal. So did their teacher.

Jason ran toward them. I half expected him to throttle Joey, but instead, he gave him a hug and helped clean up the mess. Before long, Scott, our show's male star, joined him. Between the three of them, they got the sofa and floor cleaned just as the janitor arrived. Crisis averted.

“Kids up to tricks again?”

I turned as I heard Kat's voice, taking in her wider-than-ever midsection. Wow. I couldn't even imagine being that pregnant and still smiling. Yet she managed to do both, and her contented expression looked genuine. Crazy.

“Mm-hmm.” I looked at Jason, watching as he wrestled with one of the little boys. “All the kids.”

Kat chuckled and rubbed her belly. “Heaven help me when this baby girl arrives. I know very little about children.”

“After working here for so long?” I turned back to face her. “You of all people should be ready to raise a child.” I pointed to the children of the
Stars Collide
cast, who had now gathered around Jason and Scott like chicks around a mother hen. “Look what a great job you and Scott have done raising all of them.”

Kat laughed. “They're our cast members, not our children.”

“Still, they've looked up to you as parental figures for several seasons now.” I gave her a smile. “Don't worry, Kat,” I said. “You're going to be a great mom.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Erin in the hallway, loaded down with scripts. She glanced Jason's way. He rose and gave her a nod.

The feelings that swept over me were swift and sudden. Jealousy snaked its way around my heart. Still, it made no sense—especially in light of the fact that Jason and I had started out as mortal enemies. He'd made my first few months in this position a nightmare, in fact. Until a month or so ago, we rarely spoke to each other beyond what was necessary on the set. Now we seemed drawn together by some crazy, invisible force. Well, at least in my imagination.

Still, the idea that feelings could be stirring inside of me terrified me.

And excited me.

Now, to see where those feelings would take me . . .

Minutes after the fiasco with the spilled chocolate milk, I headed into the conference room to wait on the others. Erin arrived in the room, her arms loaded with scripts and her eyes filled with tears.

“Sorry.” She sniffled. “I just came from the writers' room. It took me longer than expected.”

“Everyone okay?” I asked. Surely she hadn't gotten her feelings wounded this early in the game. If so, then we needed to have a “stiffen that backbone” talk right away. I couldn't abide a weak, teary-eyed assistant.

“Oh, yes, sorry.” The cutest grin turned up the edges of her lips as she put the scripts on the table. “I just met our fabulous scriptwriters. Paul and Bob are a hoot. And Athena and Stephen are so . . .”

“Talented?”

She sighed. “Romantic.”

“Ah, well, they're newlyweds, just back from their honeymoon.” With a wave of my hand, I dismissed her silliness.

“I know.” Her eyes took on a dreamy, far-off look. “To Greece. They went to the Acropolis and saw the Parthenon. They even went to Santorini. Can you imagine?”

“Not really, no.” Frankly, I couldn't imagine traveling anywhere right now, not with such a critical season in full throttle. Maybe one day I'd get to see the world like other people, but for now I'd have to be content viewing it from my director's chair.

“They also saw Mount Olympus and the ruins at Delphi.” Erin's eyes fluttered closed, and she clasped her hands at her chest. “I heard all about it.” Her eyes popped open, and she leaned over and whispered, “Did you know Athena brought baklava today? They have a whole tray of it in the writers' room. And gyros. And some kind of yummy lamb dish that I've never even heard of before.”

“Yes, it's Monday. Athena always brings leftovers from her parents' restaurant on Mondays.”

Erin kissed her fingertips, looked skyward, and whispered, “I'm going to love Mondays!” She grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. “And I'm going to love working with you. Could life get any better?”

“That all depends on your point of view.” Jason entered the room and took a seat at the table. “If you're an optimist, then the best is always yet to come.”

“Ooo, I am an optimist.” Erin giggled. “So I guess life really will get better and better from here.” Off she went, talking about how great life was going to be. I paused to think about her words. They were free-flowing, sure, but laced with passion. Not the Hollywood version of passion either. The real deal.

“I like that attitude.” Jason's smile let me know that he really meant his words. “We need more people like you around here. Things have been way too serious, and pessimism seems to rule the day. A cheerful disposition will go a long way to change all that.”

“Yes, well . . .” I cleared my throat and brushed a loose hair behind my ear. “Erin, the others will be joining us in a few minutes for the roundtable reading. Let me go ahead and fill you in on how the week runs so you'll be prepared. Things are very structured around here, especially so late in the season, so you might as well get used to it.”

“Oh, I know your production schedule already,” Erin said. “Rex told me. Roundtable reading on Monday. For the cast and crew, anyway. The writers are already working on next week's script. Is that right?”

“Yes.”

She tapped her finger over her lips as if in thought. Then she snapped to attention. “Oh, I remember now. Tuesdays you do a run-through with the actors and crew. The writers fine-tune their script for the following week.”

“You've got it!” Jason flashed a smile.

She grinned. “Then on Wednesday, you have a dress rehearsal. Only, you don't call it a dress rehearsal. You call it the final run-through, which I love. The words
dress rehearsal
always strike such fear in the hearts of the actors, right?”

“Never really thought about it. I—”

“That same day wardrobe and makeup folks work their magic. You've switched your filming day to Thursday. Used to be Friday. Thursday night after filming you watch the dailies. Friday you leave open to clean up anything that didn't work on Thursday. Have I missed anything?”

“You left out two turtledoves and a partridge in a pear tree.” Jason leaned back in his chair and grinned.

“Oh.” Erin giggled and then did the strangest thing I'd seen in ages. She clasped her hands together and belted out, “Five actors acting, four writers writing, three cameras rolling, two producers smiling . . . and a partridge in a pear tree!” The whole thing came out in overdramatic flair but with perfect pitch. One more thing to keep in mind: the girl could sing. But her enthusiasm was starting to wear on me.

Good grief, Tia. Are you really that jaded? Don't you remember being new to the industry?

Jason applauded and she took a little bow, her cheeks now rosy. “Sorry. Sometimes I get carried away.”

“Don't ever apologize for being cheerful,” Jason said. “You're just what the doctor ordered.”

Hmm. Better keep moving. I offered Erin a smile. “Sounds like you've pretty much got everything memorized,” I told her. “But just be aware that things don't always go as planned. Sometimes people get sick. Sometimes our guest stars don't show. Sometimes the kids are temperamental. All sorts of things go wrong.”

“But mostly all sorts of things go right . . . right?” Her blue eyes sparkled with a youthful merriment that I almost found contagious. Almost.

“Yep. She's an optimist.” Jason chuckled.

I took my seat and pulled one of the scripts close. Thumbing through it, I added, “This week we need everything to go right. This episode is more important than any we've ever filmed because it's Kat Murphy's last show before she goes on break to have the baby. I'd like to see her go out in style. Perfect timing, since we're nearing the end of this season anyway.”

“It's just so sad that she's going to step away for a while. She's my all-time favorite actress.”

“She'll be back at the beginning of next season, hopefully. But for now, we're going to have to do without her. I want her last show to be memorable, for her sake and the sake of the viewers.”

Erin's eyes sparkled. “I hear ya. Athena said this week's episode has a Greek flair. Sounds like lots of fun.”

“Yes, just what the doctor ordered. We're sending Kat out on a high note.”

“Someone talking about me?” Our leading lady waddled into the room and eased herself down into a chair, a look of bliss settling over her. “Ah, that feels good.”

“Just telling Erin here that you'll be out on maternity leave for the next few months.”

Erin's eyes brimmed with tears as she reached out to touch Kat's hand. “Oh, sorry. I just had to touch you to make sure you're real. I've seen you on television, but in person . . . wow.”

Kat chuckled. “I like you already. But don't make too big a fuss over me. Tia here is the real brains behind this operation. And Athena and the rest of the writing team, of course.”

“We were just talking about them.” Erin's eyes widened. “Athena and Stephen went to Greece on their honeymoon.”

“I know.”

“I want to go to Greece on my honeymoon someday. Or maybe Italy. Or maybe France. I can't make up my mind.” Erin giggled and her cheeks turned red. “I'm barely twenty-two, but I've been planning my wedding since I was seven.”

Just a baby.

On the other hand, I was thirty and had hardly given a moment's thought to my wedding.

Kat's words interrupted my thoughts. “Scott and I went to Mexico for our honeymoon. I hear the beach is lovely there.” She giggled. “We didn't actually see it.”

Awkward.

“Oh, I know all about your trip to Mexico.” Erin waved a hand. “Trust me, I did my research on all of you before coming to work here. I could tell you pretty much anything you want to know about anyone in the cast or crew of
Stars Collide
. I've committed it all to memory.”

“O-oh?” Just how much did this girl know about me?

“I don't know if you remember,” Erin said to Kat, “but you met my mama at a fund-raiser you did awhile back with Brock Benson.” Her eyes glazed over. “Have I mentioned he's my favorite actor in all of television and movie history?”

“Then it's your lucky day.” Kat glanced at the clock on the wall. “He should be here by now.”

“W-what?” For a moment, Erin looked as if she might faint. “Are you serious? You're just teasing me, right?”

“He's our guest star this week,” I said.

At this news, Erin promptly pulled out a compact and went to work adding lipstick and a touch of blush. “Sorry.” She giggled. “But if what you've just said is true, I have to be ready. A girl only gets to meet Brock Benson once in a lifetime . . . if she's lucky.” Tears covered her lashes again. “I must be the luckiest girl in all of America today.” She drew in a breath, wiped away her tears, and grinned. “Sorry. Couldn't help myself.”

“Understandable.”

“Brock filmed a movie in Texas a few years back, and I tried to get a bit part just so I could breathe the same air as him. But I wasn't able to, and it almost killed me. Seriously. I couldn't get out of bed for three days. I've always been such a fan.”

As if on cue, the room flooded with people. Scott entered first, followed by Rex and the cast of kids. Brock was close behind them, carrying little Ethan on his shoulders. I thought Erin might take a tumble out of her chair when she saw him. We'd been fortunate to get the megastar for this episode, and even more fortunate that he'd been willing to take on the role of a Greek talent scout—a role far removed from anything he'd ever played in the movies. Most of his fans knew him as Jean Luc Dumont, the pirate you loved to hate. Or would that be hated to love? Anyway, he'd never played a talent scout before—that I knew of, anyway. And certainly not one named Basil.

Erin hurried over to Brock, her face aglow with excitement. Not that I blamed the girl. The guy was pretty much the hottest thing in Hollywood—literally and figuratively. Even I was a little weak in the knees when he came around, and I'd met more than my share of stars over the years.

“C-can I get you anything?” she stammered.

He looked her way, eyes lighting up as he took in her enthusiasm. “Sure. I'll have a latte if you've got it.”

“If we don't, I'll drive to Starbucks and have one made for you. Or I'll go to culinary school and learn to make one from scratch.” She turned to me, a frantic look on her face.

“Down the hall on the right. We have one of those coffeemakers that uses individual premixed cups. You'll find a variety of them in the desk underneath. The latte's on the right.”

“There is a God and he loves me.” She whispered the words then giggled. After turning to leave the room, she looked back at me, nearly tripping over herself in the process. “You want anything?”

I nodded and said, “Coffee. Black.” Not that I really liked my coffee black, but drinking it that way in front of others made me feel tougher somehow . . . like I didn't need anything sweet to survive. At home I drank the real stuff—half coffee, half Italian sweet cream, two artificial sweeteners. Just the way I liked it.

Jason raised his hand, likely hoping to get Erin's attention. “I'll have a—”

Unfortunately, she didn't see him, her gaze never leaving Brock as she backed out of the room. She returned moments later with my coffee in hand, sloshing a bit of it on the script. “Oh, pooh.” She put the coffee down on the table, then reached for a napkin to dry my script. Her hands trembled so violently I reached out and touched them to calm her down.

“It's okay. Really.” I gave her an encouraging wink, and she moved on to give Brock his latte, then settled into the chair next to him. Convenient.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of Jason, who rose and left the room, whispering something about needing coffee.

Minutes later, everyone else joined us. Lenora sashayed in, wearing her white chiffon dress, and did a semi-arthritic spin to show it off.

“You look like a million bucks, kid,” Brock said with a wink.

“Seeing her in this dress makes
me
feel like a kid again,” Rex said as he pulled out Lenora's chair. “I was barely a teenager when
A Streetcar Named Desire
came out.”

“One of my favorite movies.” Brock nodded and flashed a broad, white-toothed smile.

“Oh, Vivien Leigh was beautiful, wasn't she?” Lenora released a contented sigh.

Rex ran the back of his hand across his wife's cheek. “Not half as beautiful as you are right at this very moment.”

The whole room seemed to come to a standstill at his proclamation. His words—and Lenora's teary reaction—held us spellbound. In fact, the scene they'd just inadvertently acted out in front of us was probably more emotional than any we'd filmed in weeks.