by Liwen Ho
Evan decided the best thing for this moment would be to end this conversation. The less he had to listen to Margot, the better. He also wanted to reassure Emma who hadn’t been able to take her eyes off him since he answered the call. The uncertainty on her face—from the line between her brows to the downward curve of her mouth—made his heart twinge.
Speaking into the phone, Evan sounded more gracious than he felt. “Thanks for the info about Comic Con, Margot. I need to go now. Good night.”
“Wait!” she called out as he was pulling the phone from his ear. “There’s more I didn’t tell you about.”
Holding back a groan, Evan asked, “Yes?” His patience was running low—fast. If Margot didn’t have something worthwhile to say, he’d have no qualms hanging up on her. “What is it?”
Margot sighed dramatically. “I don’t know why you’re making it seem like I dislike Emma. I’m glad she’s on the show. In fact, I was talking to Daddy tonight and telling him what an awesome job she’s doing. I suggested giving her more lines, and maybe even making her one of the regulars on Edenvale. Not one of the main cast, mind you, but a regular member. He seemed interested in the idea.”
The wheels in Evan’s mind were spinning a mile a minute. Why was Margot being so nice? There had to be a hidden agenda. “What’s in it for you, Margot? Why would you do this?”
“You don’t have to be so suspicious.” Margot’s voice shook with hurt. “I’m your colleague, Evan, your friend. And as your friend, I care about what you care about, including the people you care about. I’m just trying to do you a favor.”
A favor? Favors didn’t have strings attached, but Evan had a feeling Margot’s did. Still, he knew the influence Margot had over her father. Mr. Everly had obviously agreed to the script change she had wanted. If it was possible for Margot to put in a good word for Emma, Evan would take it. After all, he wanted to support Emma in her career as much as she supported him in his. Lightening his tone, he thanked Margot. “I appreciate it, Margot. I’m sure Emma appreciates the favor, too. She really enjoys being on Edenvale. The fans love her character.”
“All one million of them, right? I gave a special shout-out to her on Instagram last night, and told all of my ten million followers to show her some love. I guess plenty of them did. I hope that was okay of me to do that.”
Evan blinked in surprise. “You did that for her? That’s awesome. Thank you.”
“It wasn’t a big deal, but you’re welcome. I’m all for supporting my cast mates, especially the up-and-coming ones. I remember what it was like to be a small fry in Hollywood.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you do.” He rolled his eyes. Somehow Margot had conveniently forgotten the fact that with her dad in the business, she had been in the limelight since she was in diapers. “Thanks again, Margot.”
“Of course.” She cleared her throat before adding, “There is one thing I should mention though, before I let you go.”
Alarms immediately went off in Evan’s head. His body cringed at her mysterious tone. He should’ve known there was more to the story than she had let on. “Yes? What is it?”
“So, Daddy and I were talking tonight and he agrees that we should play it up for the fans when we’re at Comic Con. You know how people always dress up as their favorite characters? We’d do the same, but without the costumes. We could talk and act like our characters do on the show. Doesn’t that sound like a spectacular idea?”
Evan paused, waiting for Margot to say the punchline to a bad joke. What she was suggesting actually sounded reasonable, even fun. He was sure the fans would love it if he talked and behaved like Jaxon. “That does sound cool. Are you talking about staying in character throughout the whole event? Or just during the panel discussion?”
“Just the panel. I don’t know if any cast has done this before, so it would be amazing to really go all out for it.”
“Yeah, sure, let’s do it.”
Margot squealed, her voice reaching two octaves higher than usual. “I’m so glad you’re in agreement. I’ll let Daddy know then. He’ll tell the rest of the cast tomorrow.”
“Great. See you then. Good night, Margot.”
“Good night, Evan.”
Evan set his phone down and immediately connected gazes with Emma. “That was interesting.”
“What did Margot say?” The fear in her voice was evident.
“A lot of different things, but the gist of it was positive.” He shared with Emma what Margot had said, with an emphasis on the good parts. He didn’t want to worry Emma more than needed, but honestly, the call had gone better than he’d thought. Sure, Margot had denied any part in the scheming over the weekend and today, but Evan hadn’t expected her to come clean. That wasn’t Margot’s style. Neither was supporting her colleagues, but Evan tried not to dwell on that thought. “Maybe she’s coming around and realizing she can’t only watch out for herself all the time.”
“Really? It’s kind of strange though, don’t you think? She went from wanting to fire me last week to helping me get a regular role on the show.” Emma frowned. “People don’t change that fast.”
“I know what you’re thinking. I have my doubts, too.” He placed a hand on hers. “But think of it this way. God can use anything He chooses—good or bad—to accomplish His purpose. It’s like Joseph in the Bible. His brothers sold him into slavery, but he ended up becoming one of the most powerful rulers of Egypt. Maybe Margot doesn’t have the purest of intentions, but she does have a lot of influence on her dad. This could be the break you need, Em. Think about it—a role as a regular on Edenvale! You’d be set. No more long days waiting tables. You’d be a full-time actress doing what you love.”
Emma nodded eagerly. “That would be a dream come true. And an answer to prayer. I hope this works out.”
“It will. We just need to trust the Lord.” He squeezed her hand gently. “I wish you didn’t have to work, so you could go to the convention, too. It won’t be as much fun without you there.”
“It’s okay. Maybe I’ll get to go next year.” She smiled hopefully. “Anyway, Abby and Aiden are still in Fiji, so I wouldn’t be able to see them even if I got to go home. You’ll just need to send me lots of pictures and let me know what other stars you run into. You’re going to have a great time, I know it.”
“Thank you, babe.” Bringing her hand to his mouth, he placed a kiss on her palm. “I know tonight didn’t go like we planned. I’ll make it up to you though. We’ll do something special when I get back this weekend.”
Evan knew exactly what that special date would entail. It was time to pop the question and make things official with Emma.
Chapter Twelve
Emma
Emma couldn’t believe her eyes as she glanced over her new script Tuesday afternoon. She had arrived on set that morning to learn that she had an extra scene for the following day. Margot had really worked her magic. Thanks to Margot’s persuasive powers with her father, Emma had been promoted as a regular on Edenvale. Beginning today, Emma would take on the role of girlfriend to one of the football players.
A tingle of excitement ran down Emma’s back at the thought of what this meant for her. She’d have a minimum of one scene per episode and her name in the credits. The extra air time would also translate to a regular income, one she could more than survive on. She couldn’t wait for her agent to work out the details of her new contract. Once it was signed off on, she could quit her waitressing job and focus all her time and energy doing what she loved best.
She didn’t have enough words to express how grateful she was. In fact, the only three words she’d been praying over and over the whole day were, Thank You, Lord! She trusted that God understood the heartfelt emotions behind them, even the ones she couldn’t verbalize. Evan had been right; God could take any situation—even one that involved Margot—and turn it around. She needed to push aside her lingering doubts and trust Him to work things out. A giddy feeling overcame her and a smile spread across her
face.
“Someone’s excited about their promotion,” teased Cassie, who was standing beside her on set. They were currently on the sidelines of the school’s football field, waiting for the next scene—Emma’s scene—to rehearse. “I’m so happy for you, girl. You deserve it.”
“I keep wanting to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming,” Emma admitted shyly. “I actually haven’t told my mom or sister yet, only Evan. I want to have the contract in my hands before I do.”
“Why? You have nothing to be worried about. You’ve already been given the verbal offer.” Cassie pointed to the script in Emma’s hands. “And the new script. Believe me, once the writers have a scene finalized, there’s not much we can do to change it.”
Emma shrugged. She knew she shouldn’t be so worried, but it was Hollywood they were talking about. People didn’t always play fair, a lesson she’d learned all too well. “It seems Margot has a lot of say in things around here. She’s supposedly the one who got me this promotion. And she could just as easily have it taken away,” she added with a soft sigh. Emma chided herself for her change of heart. Her emotions were all over the place today. One minute she was on top of the world; the next, she was buried under a mountain of doubt. “It’s so hard to have faith sometimes.”
“But you are Faith.” Cassie grinned. “Playing a character with that name should remind you that anything’s possible.”
Emma couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ve got a point there. I can’t believe Faith will be going to the homecoming dance with Zach,” she stated, referring to her character’s new storyline. “Since when does one of the jocks ask a bookworm out? That is proof that anything’s possible.”
Cassie tugged her white baseball cap down to shield her eyes from the noon day sun. Her lips twisted to the side as she faced Emma. “Um, sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s not what you think. I heard from my writer friend that Zach is only asking Faith out because the so-called mean girls dared him to. That’s going to come out in an episode later on.”
“Oh!” Emma cringed. “That’s horrible. Why would the writers do that? It’s not fair to all the young girls who watch the show who see themselves in Faith. It’s almost cliché for the bookworm to get picked on.”
“Unfortunately, it’s reality. Believe me, that’s why I hated high school. It’s irony at its finest that I have a job that makes me relive some of the worst years of my life.” Cassie placed a comforting hand on Emma’s shoulder. “Let’s hope the writers have some heart and turn things around for Faith. But for now, you’re gonna have to pretend like you have no idea what’s coming.”
“Pretend—right.” Emma nodded. She could certainly pretend; after all, that’s what the show was paying her to do. But her heart hurt for what her character would be going through. She knew personally what it was like to not be able to trust people fully. She supposed she could use the information Cassie had shared with her to better portray Faith’s internal struggle. It wouldn’t be hard when she had her own “mean girl”—A.K.A. Margot—to stand up against. “I should’ve known this role wasn’t going to be all roses and sunshine.”
“It may not be what you pictured, but I’m still glad Margot got you on the show as a regular. This will look great on your resume. But work aside, I like being able to hang out with you more on set.”
Emma returned Cassie’s smile. “Same here. This whole experience has been amazing, from making new friends like you to working with all these talented people. Speaking of, do you know the guy who’ll be playing my soon-to-be boyfriend? What’s he like?”
“Well, his name is Zach, just like his character’s. He’s a cool guy, not to mention, tall, dark and handsome. He kind of looks like Evan from the back. There’s been a few times when people have mistaken them for each other.”
“Oh yeah?”
“But that should make it easier for you to pretend to like him.”
Cassie’s joke made Emma pause. She had some reservations about playing someone’s girlfriend, partly because she’d never played one before, but mostly because of her relationship with Evan. She would never want to do anything that would make him uncomfortable. It was good she had her “no kissing clause” to fall back on.
“Speaking of, there’s Zach.” Cassie nodded toward a guy leaving the field where half a dozen actors dressed as football players were taking a break from rehearsing a scene. “He’s coming over.”
Zach approached them, wearing a green jersey with white football pants. He took his helmet off and shook out his head of dark brown hair. Emma could understand how people might mistake Zach for Evan. They were of a similar height with the same broad shoulders and charming smile. The only major differences were in the eyes and nose; Zach’s were blue compared to Evan’s brown, and his nose more prominent. He strode up to Emma with an outstretched hand. “Hi, Emma, is it? I’m Zach. I hear we’ll be working together a lot.”
Emma shook his large hand and gave him a friendly smile. “Yes, that’s me. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m sure I won’t have any problems imagining you as my girlfriend. You’re definitely Zach’s type.”
“Uh, that’s good to know.” Was he flirting with her? His playful tone made Emma wonder if he meant Zach, the fictional character, or himself. “I appreciate you coming over to introduce yourself. I wasn’t sure who you were from looking at the script. It’s nice to have a face to go with the name.”
“You betcha. Hey, if you like, I’d be happy to grab a bite with you after we wrap up, or maybe some coffee. It’ll give us a chance to break the ice with each other so it won’t be so awkward when we act out our scenes. What do you say?”
Emma noticed Cassie’s brows shoot up in surprise. She herself was having a hard time keeping her composure. She and Evan had never talked about the logistics of what to do if she got asked out by another guy—something she’d never imagined happening. Perhaps she could decline his invitation without revealing too much. “That sounds nice, but I, uh, I’m kinda seeing someone.”
He cracked a smile. “This is for work purposes. I’m not asking you out on an official date, not right this minute.”
Her cheeks heated as she squirmed under the gaze of Zach’s baby blues. Great. She’d totally made herself look foolish. “O-of course,” she spluttered. “I knew that. Yeah, coffee would be fine.”
“Cool. I’ll find you later then.” Zach acknowledged Cassie with a nod before placing his helmet on and running back to the field.
Emma groaned as soon as Zach was out of earshot. She gave Cassie a pained look. “I don’t know why I jumped to conclusions like that. Please tell me that didn’t sound as bad as I think it did.”
Cassie chuckled. “It didn’t, really. It was a perfectly understandable response to give. It did sound like he was asking you out on a date, especially with the way he was checking you out.”
“He—what? He was not,” Emma protested. She tugged the hem of her crop top sweater down over her belly button, wishing today’s costume covered more skin. Both she and her character usually wore more conservative clothing, so she was feeling a bit out of her element. “It’s this outfit. It’s asking for attention.”
“Well, you got it. He was staring at you the whole time and barely acknowledged my existence. Can’t blame him though. My T-shirt and sweats don’t exactly scream, ‘Look at me!’.” She smirked. “It’s all good though. I make it a point to not date anyone from work. I like to keep my personal and professional lives separate. But hey, that’s just me. You and Evan have no problems mixing it up.”
“I wouldn’t say no problems, but I suppose we’ve been doing okay.” Emma was thankful the past year had been smooth sailing for her and Evan, but maybe it’d been too much so. Their honeymoon period had definitely ended recently. And it didn’t look like things would be calming down anytime soon.
Emma still couldn’t shake the worry that Margot’s call from last night had brought on. She wanted to trust that Margot had helpe
d her—both on social media and on the show—out of the kindness of her heart, but she knew Margot’s heart was conflicted. Emma wouldn’t be surprised at all if she was still trying to win Evan over. And the thought of them going on a trip together for the rest of this week made Emma want to lose her lunch. Even the fact that there would be other people from Edenvale at the convention provided little comfort. Emma wished more than anything she could be at Comic Con with Evan.
“You okay?” Cassie looked at her with concern. “Do you need to sit down?”
Emma blinked and refocused her attention. She really needed to stop stressing out about things she couldn’t control. Let go, and let God, she repeated to herself. The heaviness in the pit of her stomach didn’t go away, but it eased a little. “I’m fine, just thinking too much. I haven’t heard from Evan all day since he landed in San Jose. He hasn’t returned any of my texts.”
“He’s probably super busy. Didn’t you say he has family up there?”
“Yeah, he does. All of his brothers live in the Bay Area. He has a nephew and a new niece, too, that he’s hoping to visit while he’s there.”
“Well, there you go. Between the convention and seeing his family, he’s got his hands full. I’m sure he’ll call when he gets the chance. You could always check Comic Con’s social media links. They usually give updates on each day’s agenda and post pictures of all the celebrity panels.”
“That’s a great idea!” Emma beamed at Cassie. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Well, they don’t pay me the big bucks around here for nothing.” Cassie winked, before her eyes went wide. “Oh man, I forgot to order a prop. I gotta run. See you later, Emma!”
Emma watched her friend run off toward one of the trailers. She said a quick prayer for Cassie, that she’d be able to accomplish her task, then fished her phone from her pocket. She was in the middle of opening her Instagram app when her phone rang. It was her agent calling, no doubt with details of her new contract. Her pulse picked up speed as she answered. “Hi Molly, how are you?”
