The Cast

by Danielle Steel

  “I’m afraid to fly,” she said mournfully, and Kait almost laughed.

  “Becca, do you want to do this or not?” Zack asked her directly, almost as he would a child, and she nodded.

  “Yes, I do,” she said in a small voice.

  “Then go home, work your ass off, respect the bible we gave you, and come back when you have something to show us.”

  “How long have I got?” she asked nervously.

  “As little time as possible, because if this doesn’t work, we have to attach someone else to the project, and the writer is key.”

  “I get it. I’ll be back,” she said, stood up, stuffed her laptop into her backpack, saluted both of them, and left the room with the laces of her Dr. Martens trailing behind her.

  Kait stared at Zack in dismay. “You can’t let her write this script,” she said anxiously. The meeting had been a disaster, and Becca appeared to be completely incapable of relating to the story or writing the screenplay for the show.

  “Trust me, she does this. She’s a complete mess in the beginning, and just when you’re about to give up on her, she pulls the rabbit out of the hat. I’ve seen her do it several times.”

  “We’re wasting time. And she acts like a spoiled teenager. How is she going to write the kind of emotional content we need? And I’m not writing out Hannabel because she reminds Becca of the aunt she hates.”

  “Of course not. Just give her a chance. I know she’ll be back in two days with something we like better. Maybe not the final script yet, but if she gets a grip, she can do it.” He sounded sure.

  Kait thought he was crazy, and wondered if he was in love with her or sleeping with her. She couldn’t think of any other reason to put up with Becca. In Kait’s opinion, she was unprofessional and a mess. “She looks like she needs a month in rehab and a bath.” Kait had no patience for girls like her, who partied and couldn’t do their jobs. And she was convinced Zack was overestimating her, whatever his reasons.

  “Just wait,” Zack said, and they went to lunch together to go over the casting again. They were having trouble casting the two boys. They had one strong possibility for Bill, the oldest son, and he was a big name, but he had a terrible reputation on set and was known to screw anything that moved and cause dramas and jealous scenes among his costars, a headache they didn’t want. With him and Charlotte Manning on the same set, Zack was afraid their bad behavior would slow them down. And the best option they had for Maggie was still the total unknown, and he wanted a name for that part, but the girl was very, very good. They had watched her screen test several times, and she impressed them each time they did.

  True to Zack’s prediction, Becca was back two days later, with a totally different take on the script. This one didn’t work either, but she was closer to the concept and had stopped trying to get rid of the grandmother and turn it into a show about gay rights. But this time, the script was dull, and Kait was bored out of her wits by page five.

  “We’re getting there,” Zack encouraged Becca, not wanting to beat her up. “You need to try to relate to the characters more, and we need some fire in it. It’s too flat.” He gave her examples of the scenes that didn’t work and those that were better, and she loped off again, promising him a third version after the weekend. Kait had been there for almost a week by then, and she’d had a nice email from Maeve wanting to know how the casting was going, and if they were considering Agnes White.

  They had live casting calls over the weekend, and none of them could deny that Dan Delaney, Hollywood’s latest Casanova, was the best man for the role of Bill. They agreed to give him the job, with severe warnings to his agent that he couldn’t misbehave on set. It was a great opportunity for him, and his agent swore he would tell him to be good and hold him to it. He would die during the first season, so they only had to get through one season with him and didn’t have to worry about him long term. And they picked Brad Evers, a young actor who had done a few good shows, to play Greg.

  They didn’t have an actor to play Anne Wilder’s war hero lover, but they didn’t need him till late in the first season, possibly not till the Christmas special, so there was no rush to choose an actor for the part. The role of Maggie was still up for grabs and that of her boyfriend, Johnny West, but at least the roles of Bill and Chrystal had been filled with young talent with big names, and the actor to play Greg was solid too. They had gotten nowhere with an actress to play Hannabel. Their negotiations with the actress Zack wanted kept falling apart.

  On Saturday night, Zack and Kait had dinner with the director he was hoping for, Nancy Haskell, who had done two successful series and many important feature films, and had an Oscar to her credit. Maeve knew they were talking to her and said she’d be thrilled to work with her. She had no objection so far to the young talent they had hired. They had also signed Phillip Green, a big film star, to play Loch, and had been pleased to find he would be free between films he was doing for the four episodes they needed him in. Nancy had worked with him before and liked him. He was professional and reliable and another big name associated with the show.

  They met Nancy Haskell at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, near Malibu, where she lived. The food was fabulous, and the conversation lively. She was a talented, experienced, serious director in her sixties, and was excited about the show. She and Kait had a long conversation over dinner about the characters, and then Nancy talked about her recent travels in Asia, her passion for art, and her latest film. She was a fascinating woman, had never married and had no children, and had an insatiable curiosity about the world and people. She was currently studying Mandarin before her next trip, and planned to spend a month in India before the show started. She liked all their casting choices so far, particularly Maeve, who was almost certain to carry the show and make it a success. She wasn’t as sure about Becca as the screenwriter, and Kait shot a dark look at Zack. And then Kait brought up Maeve’s suggestion of Agnes White in the role of Hannabel.

  “If you can get her,” Nancy said skeptically. “I don’t think she’s done anything for at least ten years, since Roberto died. That hit her very hard, and Agnes hated getting older. I don’t have the feeling she wants to work anymore, or to play someone that old, although she’s got the character for the part. She’s a brilliant actress, she can play anything. But she’s never done TV.”

  Zack told her who else they were talking to for the part, and said she’d been difficult and their negotiations with her had stalled. Nancy promised to think about it, and then at the end of dinner, she brought up Agnes White again. “You know, I think Maeve’s idea isn’t so crazy after all. But I doubt Agnes will do it. It would take a lot to drag her out of her cave. She had some pretty tough breaks for a while.”

  Nancy didn’t go into specifics, but whatever the reason, Agnes White had gone into retirement, and most of her old fans, and they were legion, thought she was dead by now. She was one of the old greats of Hollywood films. “She never won an Oscar, but she should have. She must have been nominated a dozen times. Her best films were the ones Roberto directed. I’m not sure she’d even be willing to work without him. He was a staunch Italian Catholic, so he never got divorced and married her. They had a child at some point, which they never talked about. She’s a very private person and always was, now she’s more of a recluse.”

  “How does she look?” Zack asked with mild interest.

  “I have no idea,” Nancy said honestly. “I haven’t seen her myself in twelve or fourteen years. That’s a long time. But she can act like no one else I know, even Maeve. I’d love to work with her, if you can talk her into it. I’m sure she hasn’t lost her touch. Talent like that doesn’t fade. It just gets better with time.” Her words weren’t lost on Zack, and he brought it up with Kait on their way back to Beverly Hills, after they agreed on how amazing Nancy was. Kait wanted her to direct the show, and so did Zack, more than ever.

 
“Do you think she’ll take the job?” Kait asked, loving her new universe and the people she had met, Nancy Haskell at the top of that list, after Maeve.

  “I think so,” Zack said confidently. “And she’s got me intrigued about Agnes White. Maybe you should try to see her when you go back to New York. I looked her up and she has no current agent, and you said Maeve has an in to her through Ian. It might be worth a shot. You certainly worked your magic with Maeve better than I could have. Maybe you can convince Agnes White to take the part.” He was tired of their battles with the actress they’d been talking to, he was ready to give up on her.

  “I’ll try,” Kait said with enthusiasm, and when they got back to the hotel, Zack suggested a drink to sum things up. Kait was tired but enjoying every minute of what they were doing, putting the show together. He consulted her about everything, and they were spending almost every waking minute working side by side, although he had additional meetings as well for other projects. And his respect for Kait was obvious. He kept their relationship on a professional level, but he enjoyed her company too. In other circumstances, if they weren’t involved in a project, Kait had the feeling he would have asked her out. But the show was so important to both of them that neither of them wanted to muddy the waters with a casual romance, and a serious one would have been even harder. Without even discussing it, they both had opted to be friends and working partners, and stay clear of any emotional involvement. He was an attractive man, but Kait was relieved. She didn’t want to spoil what they had, and neither did he. They had a drink at the bar, and half an hour later he was on his way home, and she was in her room at the hotel.

  The next day, she and Zack agreed that the best woman for the part of Maggie, Anne Wilder’s oldest daughter, was their unknown, Abaya Jones. Maeve had seen Abaya Jones’s screen test and thought she was fabulous, and predicted Abaya would become a big star. And Zack was sure she would. The network endorsed it on Monday morning, and an hour later, Nancy Haskell’s agent called Zack and told him that Nancy had agreed to accept their offer to direct their show, and was excited about it.

  “We’re on a roll,” he told Kait, grinning broadly as they walked into his conference room to meet with Becca for the third time. They got along perfectly, except where Becca was concerned. Kait wasn’t hopeful, but Zack stubbornly insisted that she wouldn’t let them down. She was everything Kait didn’t want: unreliable, scattered, disorganized, immature, and off the mark.

  She seemed more serious this time as she handed them each a short script for most of the first episode.

  “I got my printer working,” she said proudly, “but this is still pretty rough. I did it over the weekend. I worked all night Saturday and last night, and I think I’m in the right place with it now. I read the bible about ten more times.”

  Kait glanced at the first few pages, prepared to hate it again, and was surprised to find that what Becca had written this time closely reflected what Kait had tried to convey, and showed a deep understanding of the characters. The elfin screenwriter was terrified.

  “This is good, Becca,” Kait said, stunned, and then relaxed into a smile.

  “Thank you. I just had to clear my head and get into it. I did a juice cleanse this weekend, that always helps me think. I can’t write when I eat a lot of crap,” she said seriously, and Kait refrained from comment. But whatever it took, the script was infinitely better than what Becca had done before. “I’m working on the second episode. I like that one better. I can email it to you both tomorrow. I think I’ve got it now. And the grandmother is a bitch we wind up liking, and love to hate. It took me a while to get that, and the 1940s thing, and women’s rights. And what they do with the old planes is very cool, and three women running the business. I like it a lot.”

  Zack shot an I-told-you-so look at Kait as they continued to read through it, and there was no denying the script was good. It was still in a rough state, but Becca had clearly understood the issues in the story now, and done a good job.

  “Give me two or three finished scripts by the end of the week, and if Kait approves them, I’ll send them to the network and see what they think.” Becca was the only screenwriter he knew who could write that fast. No one else would have done it, but he knew she could, if she stayed with it and worked hard.

  “I did what you said. I focused. And I think I channeled some of it. I really want this show, Zack.” The possibility of five or ten seasons had gotten her attention and woken her up.

  “Then write me the best scripts you’ve ever given me,” he told her with a serious expression.

  “I will,” she promised, and left a few minutes later as Zack smiled at Kait victoriously.

  “I think she’ll do it,” Zack said. She’d had him worried for a while, and his faith had been hard to justify to Kait.

  “I’m beginning to think you’re right,” Kait said, smiling. Zack had an amazing knack for assembling talent, and people who complemented each other. He was a master at what he did, and Kait had deep respect for him.

  “Let’s see how it looks when the scripts come in. I won’t hire her if they’re not good, I promise,” he said and Kait nodded, impressed all over again with what they were accomplishing and how far they had come in a short time. She loved working with him and his direct, no-nonsense style, but he was kind too, as he had been to Becca, and brought out the best in everyone. They wanted to do a great job for him.

  There were still more people to hire—a costume designer, production assistants, all the technical advisers, and a historical adviser—but they had come a long way on the talent. The only big pieces of the puzzle still missing were the young pilot who would become Maggie’s boyfriend, Johnny West; Anne Wilder’s lover; and Hannabel, the grandmother. All three were important parts.

  By the time Kait was ready to leave L.A., Becca had delivered three scripts, and they were great. Kait had promised to try to make contact with Agnes White when she got back to New York. It had been an incredibly productive two weeks. She and Zack had a last conversation before she left on Saturday, and they were both pleased with how everything had gone. He was involved in the money aspects now, their deal with the cable network, insurance for the show, and all the parts of the project that didn’t involve talent but took a huge amount of organizing and time. He thanked Kait for her input while she was there. She had loved all of it, and everything had fallen into place as they hoped.

  Kait sat quietly on the plane on the way back to New York, thinking about all the meetings and the people she had met. It was still hard to believe this was happening to her and she was part of it. But it was beginning to seem real. Her new agent was negotiating her deal with the cable network, as creator of the series and co-executive producer, and so far all was going well. Step by step, it was all falling into place. She’d been planning to watch a movie on the flight, and instead she read Becca’s rough scripts again for the first three episodes. With a satisfied smile, she closed her eyes for a minute, fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, and woke up when they landed in New York.

  She felt like Cinderella after the ball as she pulled her rolling cart behind her and headed for baggage claim to get her suitcase and try to find a taxi. She had to be at work at the magazine in the morning for a meeting, and was happy she had kept up with her column while she was gone.

  The reality of her quiet, solitary New York life hit her when she walked into her dark, empty apartment. It made her long for L.A., and all the discussions and adventures she’d had there. She had entered a whole new world.

  Chapter 8

  The office was hectic the next day after being gone for two weeks. She was up to date with her column, blog, Facebook, and Twitter feeds, but she had a stack of mail, and countless memos waiting for her by email, about editorial meetings she had to attend. Carmen stopped by to tell her how happy she was to see her back. She said she had missed her. But being at the magazine felt
strange now after her meetings in L.A. The magazine no longer felt like her life, but someone else’s. She still hadn’t told anyone about the show yet, although she planned to tell her children about it soon. And at the right time, she would have to tell the magazine. She didn’t want to tell them prematurely in case it fell apart. But that didn’t seem likely now.

  Once they started shooting in July, she would no longer have time to come into the office. She planned to continue writing her column, and updating her blogs and social media, if the magazine let her, but she’d have to do it in her spare time off-site. She hadn’t decided yet if she wanted to ask for a leave of absence for three or four months, while they shot the first season of The Wilder Women, or if she wanted to leave her time away open-ended. If the ratings were good, they’d start shooting again in late January after a four-month hiatus, and it might not even make sense, in that case, to continue writing her column. But she didn’t want to assume anything yet. The show might be an enormous bomb and get canceled, although with Maeve O’Hara in it, that seemed unlikely. Kait needed some time to figure out her plans. And until she did, she wanted to keep quiet about it.

  True to her word, Maeve had sent her Agnes White’s phone number and address. Kait had promised Zack she’d call her, but it was Wednesday night before she had a chance to do so. She had so much work on her desk, a stack of letters to read and respond to, and the column to work on at night, and she didn’t want to talk to her when she felt rushed or frazzled. She had a feeling that calling the old, reclusive actress was a delicate mission, and she didn’t want to blow it.

  Kait tried her phone number when she got home from the office, and she was just about to hang up after no one answered for a long time, when the famous actress picked up the phone, was silent for an instant, and then said “Yes?” in barely more than a whisper. It was more of a hoarse croak, as though she hadn’t talked to anyone in months, and didn’t want to. Kait felt her heart beat faster as she got ready to tell her about the series, and ask for an appointment with her.