When we left off last week, Callie purposefully spilled vodka on a customer and set his shirt aflame. Here they meet again, in the most unlikely of places.
“All right, you’re up,” one of the ladies from casting told me. The other two at the table had their heads bent over their notes and didn’t even bother to look up. “We cast the role of Richard yesterday, so he’s going to read with you, OK?”
“Oh.” I hadn’t prepared to perform with anyone, but I knew I’d have to make it work. “All right.”
“It’ll give us a better idea of your chemistry together,” she explained.
“Right. Of course.” I walked toward the stage, reminding myself to breathe. I walked up the stairs, my legs shaking. I placed myself directly in the center of the stage, trying to keep myself calm. I could see a man on stage, out of the corner of my eye, but his back was turned to me.
“Whenever you’re ready,” she prompted. I noticed that the other two directors still hadn’t looked up and it made my breath come in quick, short bursts. I tried to focus on what I had to do, to clear my mind of everything but the script.
“I’m sorry,” I began, faltering. Suddenly, I saw my reading partner turn toward me, and I caught my breath. It was Mr. Condescending, in the flesh.
When they meet again, he is determined to teach her a lesson she won't forget. Callie is drawn to the authority in his voice and the love in his eyes. Can he make her forget the past that haunts her? Can he love her enough to expel her demons?