time anyway.”
“It won’t be the same thing at all.” He gave her his sexiest grin. Zeni was a smart cookie. She wouldn’t walk into the kind of open-ended personal danger he was half-threatening.
Or would she?
She studied him for long moments while the autumn sunlight bouncing from the street outside filtered through her hair, giving it the appearance of spun filaments of grape candy. It touched her eyes and shone on the burgundy red gloss on her lips. Unbidden thoughts of hot chocolate sundaes drenched in cherry syrup swirled in his head.
Her lashes came down, concealing her thoughts. When she answered, he felt the force of it like a sucker punch.
“If that’s the way you want it.”
She didn’t intend to lose the bet; that much was clear. But if she did, then yes, he did indeed want a whole day of telling her what to do. He wanted to say so, but the possibilities of his inevitable win stunned him into mute stupidity.
“Well?” she demanded.
He cleared his throat, gave a jerky nod. “You’re on.”
“Yeah?”
He met her gaze, absorbing the surprise there while a fierce brand of exhilaration rose inside him. “Yeah,” he answered. “Oh, yeah.”
Chapter 2
The gathering place for the cattle call was in the largest exhibit building at the old fairgrounds, the site of the annual agricultural fair that had fallen to the wayside in recent years. Much of the area had been allotted to the movie company for the duration, though a portion was reserved for the medieval fair.
When Zeni walked into the cavernous building, people were milling around, visiting, waiting for things to get started. Their voices bounced from the polished floor to the high ceiling and back again; some were high-pitched with excitement, while others were laden with half-humorous curiosity. Though a few might have visions of movie stardom, most were on hand simply to see what was going on. No one seemed to have any idea of how these try-outs were supposed to work, when they would get started, or how long they would last.
The day was warm, even if it was October. Although the big double doors of the old building stood open, the ever-increasing crowd compounded the heat. Zeni fanned herself with the event brochure that she’d picked up just inside the door and looked around, smiling and nodding at Watering Hole customers she recognized here and there. There were quite a few, actually; it was a constant amazement, the number of people she met at the coffee shop, all of whom seemed to remember her.
She still wasn’t used to being memorable in a physical sense, although she’d gone to great lengths over the past couple of years to stand out, even getting a large tattoo across her back. It was infinitely better than being a bore, remembered only for a freaky ability with numbers and Trivial Pursuit.
“Hi, girlfriend! That slave-driver of a boss let you off for a change?”
That greeting came from Mandy Benedict, wife of Tunica Parish’s sheriff. A quick hug came with it; Mandy was still in the honeymoon phase after just over a year of marriage, so she loved everybody.
Zeni returned the hug with gusto. She adored Mandy and her husband. That she’d had a role in bringing the two of them together was a source of quirky pride.
“So, are you trying out as an extra?” she asked.
“Why not?” Mandy asked with laughter sparkling in the sea blue of her eyes and a shake of her head that made gold-brown curls dance around an expressive face. “What else do I have to do? Not that it’s a make-or-break deal in my life, but I figure I can walk across the street as well as anybody.”
“Exactly, and better than most.” Zeni paused. “You have any idea what the movie is supposed to be about?”
“An oddball thing full of Southern angst, weird dream sequences and football as far as I can tell.”
“You’re kidding. I heard it was a comedy.”
“Well, sort of. It’s billed as Superman meets She , if you can believe it. The
“It won’t be the same thing at all.” He gave her his sexiest grin. Zeni was a smart cookie. She wouldn’t walk into the kind of open-ended personal danger he was half-threatening.
Or would she?
She studied him for long moments while the autumn sunlight bouncing from the street outside filtered through her hair, giving it the appearance of spun filaments of grape candy. It touched her eyes and shone on the burgundy red gloss on her lips. Unbidden thoughts of hot chocolate sundaes drenched in cherry syrup swirled in his head.
Her lashes came down, concealing her thoughts. When she answered, he felt the force of it like a sucker punch.
“If that’s the way you want it.”
She didn’t intend to lose the bet; that much was clear. But if she did, then yes, he did indeed want a whole day of telling her what to do. He wanted to say so, but the possibilities of his inevitable win stunned him into mute stupidity.
“Well?” she demanded.
He cleared his throat, gave a jerky nod. “You’re on.”
“Yeah?”
He met her gaze, absorbing the surprise there while a fierce brand of exhilaration rose inside him. “Yeah,” he answered. “Oh, yeah.”
Chapter 2
The gathering place for the cattle call was in the largest exhibit building at the old fairgrounds, the site of the annual agricultural fair that had fallen to the wayside in recent years. Much of the area had been allotted to the movie company for the duration, though a portion was reserved for the medieval fair.
When Zeni walked into the cavernous building, people were milling around, visiting, waiting for things to get started. Their voices bounced from the polished floor to the high ceiling and back again; some were high-pitched with excitement, while others were laden with half-humorous curiosity. Though a few might have visions of movie stardom, most were on hand simply to see what was going on. No one seemed to have any idea of how these try-outs were supposed to work, when they would get started, or how long they would last.
The day was warm, even if it was October. Although the big double doors of the old building stood open, the ever-increasing crowd compounded the heat. Zeni fanned herself with the event brochure that she’d picked up just inside the door and looked around, smiling and nodding at Watering Hole customers she recognized here and there. There were quite a few, actually; it was a constant amazement, the number of people she met at the coffee shop, all of whom seemed to remember her.
She still wasn’t used to being memorable in a physical sense, although she’d gone to great lengths over the past couple of years to stand out, even getting a large tattoo across her back. It was infinitely better than being a bore, remembered only for a freaky ability with numbers and Trivial Pursuit.
“Hi, girlfriend! That slave-driver of a boss let you off for a change?”
That greeting came from Mandy Benedict, wife of Tunica Parish’s sheriff. A quick hug came with it; Mandy was still in the honeymoon phase after just over a year of marriage, so she loved everybody.
Zeni returned the hug with gusto. She adored Mandy and her husband. That she’d had a role in bringing the two of them together was a source of quirky pride.
“So, are you trying out as an extra?” she asked.
“Why not?” Mandy asked with laughter sparkling in the sea blue of her eyes and a shake of her head that made gold-brown curls dance around an expressive face. “What else do I have to do? Not that it’s a make-or-break deal in my life, but I figure I can walk across the street as well as anybody.”
“Exactly, and better than most.” Zeni paused. “You have any idea what the movie is supposed to be about?”
“An oddball thing full of Southern angst, weird dream sequences and football as far as I can tell.”
“You’re kidding. I heard it was a comedy.”
“Well, sort of. It’s billed as Superman meets She , if you can believe it. The
Similar Books
Red Rose
Mary Balogh
Crying for Help
Casey Watson
Indulge
Megan Duncan
Prince of Legend
Jack Ludlow
Lucky Break
Liliana Rhodes
PrimevalPassion
Cyna Kade
A red tainted Silence
Carolyn Gray
Nighttime at Willow Bay
Kasey Moone
Fencing You In
Cheyenne McCray