“It was a pleasure serving you all. Don’t be shy the next time you’re in town.”
“Are you kidding? Your place is my first stop,” Audra announced and gave the woman a hug. Tam was feeling pretty pleased with herself. She’d done this. Brought them together. She wasn’t a betting woman, but she’d lay odds that Charmagne’s business was about to pick up drastically.
Charmagne spotted her and pulled Tam into a hug. “These last few days have been a blast. Even Edgar is coming around. Thank you.”
Tam chuckled. “No more carrots?”
“No more carrots,” Charmagne agreed then slid her phone from her pocket when it started chiming like crazy. She checked the screen. “Oh my.”
“Everything okay?” Evan asked.
“Your fans are heading to my place right now. I should get there to serve them.” She hugged Evan. “Thanks to all of you. Don’t be strangers.”
“We won’t,” they said almost in unison and waved while she hurried away. Tam fought a smirk. She’d been right about the cast’s Twitter power. She was glad it had been used for good instead of to call out the hotel for letting Gavin in her room.
“I think I gained seven pounds in the last couple of days,” Marc lamented. “Every ounce is worth it.” He grinned and Evan caught him in a playful headlock.
“You should’ve asked for her low fat options.” Audra had no sympathy for him. As a group, the four of them started making their way toward the door. Neither Marc nor Audra seemed like they had anywhere to be at the moment and Tam felt far too awkward to say to Evan what she really wanted to with them around.
Marc frowned and looked scandalized. “She had low fat options?”
Audra groaned. “I’m going to sleep for like a week when I get home.”
“Uh. No you’re not,” Evan said. “We start the finale in like three days.”
Audra rolled her eyes and heaved a super dramatic sigh. “Fine. I’ll sleep for three days then. Buzzkill.”
“What about you, Tam?” Marc asked. “What’s next?”
She shrugged. She really didn’t want to think about it. The most fun she’d ever had in her life was about to end. She had no idea when she’d ever get another opportunity like this again. If Gavin had his way, the day after never would be about right. To get her mind off things, she teased, “I think I will sleep for that week.”
Audra wrinkled her nose at Tam. “Sure. Rub it in.”
“If anybody deserves the rest, it’s you,” Evan commented. “You saved our asses this week.”
Tam met his gaze and smiled. Why wouldn’t Audra and Marc just disappear for a minute? “Couldn’t have done it without you.” She meant the praise for Evan, but included the other two because it was just downright rude not to. She got no hint from either of them that they understood exactly how much of a hand Evan had had in keeping the train from derailing.
They reached the soundstage’s exit. Marc held the door for everyone. Once outside, Tam paused, bringing the group to a halt when it seemed like they weren’t heading for the parking lot which was where she needed to go. Her flight was leaving soon.
She hugged Audra. “It was an absolute pleasure working with you all.”
She hugged Marc. “I enjoyed every minute. Almost.” They shared a laugh.
She moved on to hug Evan. “No one I’d rather be in the trenches with.” She gave his hand an extra squeeze and hoped the gesture conveyed the depth of her gratitude even though she knew it wouldn’t.
“Like Charmagne said, don’t be strangers.” Tam smiled. With a few final pleasantries, the trio headed off while she walked to her rental car and tried not to read too much into the fact that Evan hardly spared her another look.
chapter eleven
Tam stared at herself in the full length mirror hanging on her bedroom wall and wondered for umpteenth time if she were dressed appropriately. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table and had to make a conscious effort to ignore the piles of clothes now tossed on her bed. She needed to leave if she were going to successfully navigate the Los Angeles traffic to arrive on time. She checked out her black jeans and peasant blouse once again. Maybe she should go for the black dress after all.
She moved toward her bed for yet another wardrobe change, but stopped herself. No. That would be too dressy. She frowned. Maybe. Grrr! Tam wanted to scream. What the hell did one wear to a wrap party anyway?
The decision probably would’ve been much easier if she’d still been hanging around with the writers or even the crew for the past few weeks. As it was, other than a quick “thank you” email from Schenecki, she hadn’t heard a thing from any of them since they’d wrapped her episode and left location.
True, she hadn’t expected to hear much from any of them. Except maybe Evan. After all the time they’d spent together, she thought maybe he’d at least text her despite how weird their parting had been. Something. Instead, other than a friend request on Facebook, everything had been freakishly quiet.
She kept up with what was going on with them in the trades or on Twitter, but otherwise, she was back to being an outsider. Still, she couldn’t help but be excited for them that they’d been picked up for a third season. She liked to think that she’d played some small part in keeping them afloat. Her episode had aired and it had been phenomenal. If she did say so herself.
As for Gavin, she couldn’t help but notice that the favor Tancradi owed him had gone unpaid. She’d scoured the trades for mention of his pilot and had found none. She could only surmise that it was dead. So much for Gavin’s plan to save Schenecki from himself.
Since returning from Atlanta, Tam had gone back to business as usual. It was beyond frustrating that even though she now had a produced episode under her belt, she still couldn’t find an agent or manager to sign her. She was waiting for the show to wrap before reaching out to Schenecki. Maybe he could refer her to someone. Before she could, Nona had emailed her an invite for the wrap party. Perfect. She’d corner him there.
Before she could drive herself crazy with any more second guessing, Tam strode out to her car to head to the venue.
Naturally, traffic did not cooperate and made her later than she’d planned. She tried not to panic. It was a party. Not a job interview. Except in this business the two were often the same thing.
She parked her car where directed and spotted Tanzi heading toward the building. Relieved to see a familiar face, Tam hurried to catch up with her.
“Tanzi!”
The other woman’s smile was huge when she saw Tam heading toward her. “Hey girl. I heard you were coming tonight.” She gave her big hug then linked arms with her while they walked the rest of the way inside.
“Did you hear? We’re free and clear of that little incident at the bar.”
“How do you know?”
“Audra hired a PI. He kept tabs on the guy. Apparently, he was too embarrassed to go to the police. It’s a non-event.”
Tam sighed. That was great news. To be honest, she’d wondered more than once if this was why she hadn’t heard from anyone. She figured they’d been distancing themselves from her. She was relieved to learn that wasn’t the case.
“Does anyone else know what happened?”
Tanzi shrugged. “We filled Schenecki in. Otherwise, it’s still just us.”
Tam kept the smile on her face. Great. Schenecki knew she’d almost gotten one of his stars tossed in jail. Well, if he didn’t bring it up, she wouldn’t either. She was going to treat it as the non-event Tanzi claimed it was and stick with her plan. She’d ask him for a referral to a rep the first chance she got.
Once they’d joined the party, Tam felt in her element. There were so many familiar faces and welcoming smiles that she no longer felt out of place in the least. It was like coming home in a way. Except that the one face she wanted to see was nowhere to be found.
Tam was determined to not let that put a damper on her evening. She’d see him soon enough. Or not. She wasn’t going to w
aste some precious party time fretting over it or keeping an eye on the door to catch his arrival.
But that was exactly what happened. Evan walked in and was greeted with handshakes and hugs from everyone nearby. Tam was happy that she managed to restrain herself enough that she didn’t immediately race across the room and throw herself at him. Her dignity remained intact.
“Tam. Glad you could make it.” She whirled to see Schenecki approaching her. He gave her a big hug.
“Oh. Hey! Thanks for inviting me. I’m so honored.”
“I’ve been meaning to call you, but things have gotten crazy.”
“I completely understand. The finale was amazing.”
“Thanks for handling that Ivy issue. It wouldn’t have been the same if we’d been stuck with Ceely.”
“Glad it worked out. I was afraid I was overstepping. The whole time, actually. It was a pretty nerve-wracking week.”
“I can imagine. Say. You mind if we find a quiet corner to chat for a minute?”
“Sure.” Tam was puzzled by the request, but was going to take advantage of it. She followed Schenecki to a forgotten table and they sat.
“I can’t remember who your agent is.”
Great. She wouldn’t have to be the one to bring it up. “Actually, I was going to touch base with you for a referral since cold contacting folks is getting me nowhere.”
“This is perfect! I thought I was just losing my mind. Neither Nona nor I could remember who your reps were to offer you a contract.”
Tam blinked in surprise. A contract? “Wait. You’re staffing me?”
Schenecki smiled. “You saved our collective asses. You didn’t really think I’d let you get away, did you?”
Tam was speechless. He wanted to staff her. She had just landed her first writing gig. She smiled and tried her very best not to burst into tears in front of him and make him rethink his decision. After all the years of hard work, her dream was finally coming true.
“What do you say? Wanna help us with season three?” She took a breath to calm herself enough to answer. That was when she noticed that his hand was shaking just a tiny bit. Did he have as much riding on this as she did? Was he afraid she’d say, “no?” Not bloody likely.
“Absolutely! This is amazing. Thank you.”
Schenecki fumbled his phone from his pocket. “I’m texting you the name of my agent so you know who is calling you tomorrow.” He looked up from the phone to meet her gaze. “I think he’s great, but don’t feel like you have to stay with him long term if you don’t like him. I just want to get everything in place before I leave for Italy.”
“You’re going to Italy?” That so wasn’t the point right now, but it was all that Tam could think to say without dissolving into a puddle of excited tears.
“The early pick up for next season killed my excuses for sticking around here and Margo jumped on it. I have a feeling she’s thinking second honeymoon. Rome is all I’ve heard about for the past six years.”
Tam chuckled, glad to have something else to focus on for the moment. “Well, it’s about time for you guys to visit there. She’s probably already done the research, but I cannot recommend the Roma Pass highly enough. You’ll need one for each of you, but it’ll allow you to take any public transit around the city for the three days the pass is active. It also admits you to two attractions free and the rest at a discount. And you get to skip the lines.”
Schenecki gave her a teasing glare. “Are you already on their payroll?”
“Ha! Not hardly. It’s just that thing saved my life when I was there a few years ago. Took lots of hassle out of the trip and made it more affordable.”
“What’s it called again?”
Tam pulled out her phone. “Let me text it to you.” She did an admirable job of ignoring the text he’d just sent her with the name of her new agent and sent the text.
“There. All set.”
He checked his phone. “Roma Pass. Got it. Margo is going to think I’m a hero when I bring this up to her.” Schenecki grinned. “This might not be so bad after all.”
“Yeah. Just go with it. You’ll enjoy yourself. If you’re hiring staff writers like me, you’re done, right? Everything is taken care of so you won’t even have to give us a second thought.”
“Staff—? No, Tam. I’m so sorry. I should’ve clarified. You’re not coming in as a staff writer.”
And just like that, her heart sank. Staff writer was the lowest man on the writer totem pole. Was he bringing her in as the writers’ assistant? It would be disappointing, but she’d take it. This was her favorite show and she’d do whatever was necessary to make it a success.
“You’re coming on as co-producer. My God, I haven’t even given any thought to my story editors and staff writers.” He looked pensive and Tam was freaking out all over again. She’d just jumped three staff levels. “I’m thinking I should just bump everyone up to story editor and have no staff writers this year. Now that I’ve let Gavin go, my budget will support that move.”
And the surprises just kept on coming. He’d fired Gavin. Wow. She could only imagine how hard that decision had been. She didn’t envy him for having to make it, but she respected him for doing what had to be done.
She squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry. I know you were friends from way back.”
He patted her hand. “After everything, I just couldn’t have him back.” He smiled and shook off the morose. “But I traded up and got you. Welcome aboard.”
“Thank you. If you’ll excuse me, I think I need to find a ladies’ room. I’ve held off screaming and hyperventilating for as long as humanly possible.”
He chuckled at her candor and pointed toward the back. “Have at it. That’s why I want you here. Because you want to be here.”
Tam managed to make it all the way to the restroom without embarrassing herself. She could not believe how much she wanted to cry at that moment. Alone in the stall, she did just that. The sacrifices she’d made over the years had been worth it.
All the bar meet-ups she’d endured after working crazy hours at her day job. All the cute guys she’d ignored because she wanted to spend her time breaking in, not breaking up. All the rough mornings she’d dragged herself to work after having just crawled into bed a few hours before because she’d spent the night writing. It had all been worth it.
Tam dabbed her eyes with a wad of toilet paper. She had a new appreciation for the value of waterproof mascara right then.
“Tam?” She jumped when she heard someone call her name. “Are you in here?”
It took her a moment, but she finally recognized Tanzi’s voice. Tam took another moment to get herself together.
“Yeah.” Her voice cracked. So she failed.
“What’s the matter? Did something happen?” Tam saw Tanzi’s shadow move closer until she was standing just outside the stall. “Is there anything I can do?”
Hearing the concern in the other woman’s voice almost sent her over the edge again. She pulled open the door and shook her head.
“Schenecki made me a co-producer. Can you believe it?” Tam let the squeal loose that had taken a back seat to the tears.
Tanzi gave her an unimpressed look. “Duh. He’s not stupid. Of course he did. Now come on. You’re missing a hell of a party.”
Tam laughed and allowed the other woman pull her from the bathroom. No sooner had they rejoined the party, than they ran dead smack into Evan.
“Did you hear? You’re looking at our newest producer,” Tanzi announced before Tam could even get her wits together.
Evan grinned. “That’s great. Congratulations.” He gave her a hug that was a lot more awkward and reserved than it should’ve been. She didn’t have any idea why.
She backed away. “Thanks.”
An uncomfortable silence stretched between them. She was grateful when Marc sneaked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned and gave him a hug, too.
“Hey. Good to see you.”
“Congratulations, Tam. I’m excited to keep working with you.”
“Aww. Me, too. We’re gonna have a lot of fun next season. Aren’t we, Evan?”
Evan gave a tight smile and nodded. A bald man she didn’t recognize joined them. Marc smiled in welcome. “Tam, this is Drake, one of our talented editors. Drake, Tam.”
“A pleasure to finally meet you.” He shook her hand.
“Likewise. Maybe we’ll get an episode together next season.”
“I’d like that.”
She continued chatting with Marc and Drake. Evan didn’t contribute anything further to the conversation. Eventually, he wandered off. She didn’t know what to think of the cold shoulder. On location, she hadn’t been able to get rid of him. Now he was treating her like a stranger. She didn’t get it. Maybe his lack of contact had been on purpose instead of just an oversight.
After worrying about it for a few minutes, she gave up. The worry turned to annoyance. She was not going to let him ruin what was otherwise a super awesome evening for her. If he wanted to ignore her, she’d help him by staying out of his way.
The rest of the evening was a complete blur of laughs and tasty food and dancing and selfies and an all-around good time. Tam kept a smile firmly on her face the entire time. The surprises just seemed to keep rolling in when Audra gave her a particularly warm greeting. Her hug had been more familiar than Evan’s. Go figure.
Evan wasn’t the only odd duck of the evening. While she made the rounds to hang out with as many folk as possible, Drake seemed to never be more than a few feet from her at all times. He’d managed to be in every single group photo she was in. Even the one that was supposed to just be her, Tanzi and Susie. Since he seemed so fond of cameras, she wondered in passing why he wasn’t an actor himself.
Beyond those few random thoughts, she spared Drake no attention. When she felt like the party had begun to wind down, she headed home. She had a lot of logistics to take care of in the next couple of days. Like figuring out when she would quit her job. Tam’s smile was huge at the thought. She couldn’t wait.
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