Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 90598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“You’re supposed to be dating Candy.”
I roll my eyes again. “I don’t like Candy. Why would I date her?”
“Maybe because her dad is the producer of said romantic comedy?”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to get the job by dating his daughter, man, you know that.”
“Well, it may be your only option, and you’re screwing that up already.”
“Again, what are you talking about?”
“Have you really not opened a magazine yet this morning?”
“It’s eight.”
“You make it hard to manage you. I’m talking about the girl you were looking at like she’s a million bucks yesterday. It’s all over the cover of every magazine that ever gave you a scathing review. The only good thing about it is that some comments say maybe you’ve changed your ways since she seems wholesome.”
“Wait a second, what are you talking about? What picture?”
I quickly search for myself on Google, something I rarely do, and sure enough, there are pictures of Leila and me all over the place. It’s the moment when I brushed her hair from her face, and while I felt a connection with the sweet stranger, it was nothing compared to how these tabloids are talking about it.
“Has Spencer James Found His Soulmate?” I read aloud.
“Listen, this will be good for your reputation, but it won’t help anything when it comes to the movie. Getting in good with Candy is your only option. I don’t get why you won’t help me help you with this.”
“I don’t get why you’re pushing me to be with Candy so much.”
Aside from being the daughter of a huge Hollywood producer, Candy is also my leading lady in the Hallmark movie I’m currently working on. She has the acting chops of a drunk llama. The only reason she got this job, or any of the other movies she has done, is because of what Randy is talking about right now: sucking up to her powerful father. I don’t know if it’s because of her family or just because of who she is as a person, but Candy is a stuck-up, spoiled brat who stomps her feet until she gets her way. We’re behind on production by two weeks because of her outbursts.
Why would I ever want to date someone so high-maintenance and annoying?
“Think of your career, Spencer. Dating Candy will get you an automatic audition in any of Craig Seymour’s films.”
“I’d rather earn the position the old-fashioned way: being talented.”
“And you are talented, Spencer; there’s no denying that. The thing is it might not be enough to break you out of this slump. It’ll take more than one good magazine cover and a Hallmark movie to prove you haven’t lost your game.”
“I don’t like the sound of this, Randy. It doesn’t feel right.”
Randy blows out a breath. “Nothing feels right in Hollywood. You should know this by now. You grew up here, remember?”
I do remember, but Randy is wrong. One thing did feel right in Hollywood. Meeting Leila is the best thing to have happened to me in a long time. She was sweet and down-to-Earth, and she didn’t put her hands on her hips and tell me to go get her a glass of water even though she already had assistants (yes, multiple) to do that for her.
Candy, however, has done the water thing multiple times. I always listen because it’s easier to stay on Candy’s good side than to risk her wrath. I don’t think she’d ever do anything drastic, but I do try to please her when I can.
Except for dating her, something she has been begging me to do almost as much as Randy has over the last couple of months. Every time, I come up with an excuse, and I’m running out of good ones. I wonder if they’ll believe I have to take my cat to the vet next time she asks me out.
I laugh to myself, and Randy ignores it, still talking in my ear about what I’m doing wrong. He may be nagging, but he’s also been there for me through so much that I could never replace Randy. He stuck around when no one else would’ve. Honestly, Randy is the only reason I’m still in Hollywood, and he’ll be the only reason I get out of this rut I’m stuck in.
As long as dating Candy has nothing to do with it.
My mind starts to turn. Thinking about Leila and those pictures, an idea pops into my brain. I may be able to get Randy and Candy off my back and still land that movie role in the end.
“The truth is, Randy,” I say, cutting him off mid-sentence. “I’ve been dating Leila in secret for six months now. We kept it a secret, always staying out of sight of cameras, until yesterday when we got sloppy. I didn’t think anyone was around, but I guess they caught us.”