Chapter Ten
Sloan
For the first time since arriving in Wyoming, I was feeling good about the movie. Ever since I’d been told that I’d be the leading lady, I’d been worried that they had chosen the wrong person for it. Not just that, but I’d been worried that they would realize they had chosen the wrong person. From the moment I stepped out of that car, I’d felt like I didn’t belong. Most of all, I felt like a complete fraud. I wanted to be able to take on any role. I wanted to be an amazing actress whom the whole world admired. But I was scared this movie was going to be the one that showed me for the fraud that I was. I’d never truly felt comfortable, but I’d managed to hide it because everyone kept telling me I was great. But today, all that changed.
I put my heart and soul into words, and every time I spoke, I thought about what Brady had told me. I put aside all thoughts of material good. I stopped thinking about my loft. I stopped thinking about my king-sized bed. Instead, I thought about what it would be like to be a down-to-earth cowgirl leading a happy life in a small town she never wanted to leave. And as I spoke, I felt the authenticity ooze out of me.
As we worked, I kept wondering if Brady was watching me and what he would think about my performance. I knew I still didn’t have the western accent down right, but I was better than I had been when he’d stumbled upon me practicing. I had stopped trying so hard, and it seemed to be working. Every now and again I would catch sight of Brady. He never seemed to be watching the scenes. Instead, he seemed to be absorbed in his work, his head down and the sweat running down his face. Harold had been right: he really was the hardest working person I had ever seen. I found myself wondering more about him. He was a mystery, to say the least.
“Okay, I think that’s it for the day,” the director said as he gathered us all in together. I was surprised at how quickly the day had gone. If he had told me that there was still another two hours to go, I would’ve believed him.
“Thanks to everyone for all the hard work today. I think we’re finally finding our feet here, and the movie is coming along just as I had imagined it. A couple of pointers, though,” he said, and he started to rattle off a long list of things that some of the actors had done wrong. He as a great director, and a bit of a perfectionist, so while he was annoying to work with, he also always got the best work out of his actors. I waited patiently to hear what I had done wrong, but he never once mentioned me.
Afterward, as we were all packing up, he came to talk to me.
“Sloan, I’m glad you haven’t left yet. I wanted to talk to you about your performance today. I was hoping to catch up with you without anyone around.”
I groaned. I’d been on cloud nine when I didn’t hear him say my name, but maybe I had just done so badly that he didn’t want to say anything in front of the others. But he laughed when he saw the look on my face.
“Why do you look so worried?” he asked.
“Did I do a bad job?” I asked. “Let me know, and I’ll make sure to work on it. I’m doing my best, but I’m sure I have areas that could use improvement.”
“Are you kidding me? I pulled you aside because I wanted to tell you how amazing you were out there today.”
“Really?”
“Of course. You really shouldn’t doubt yourself so much. I just didn’t say anything earlier because I didn’t want them to think I was taking sides or anything. You know how touchy some of these people are. But I was so impressed with you today. I knew that we had chosen the right person when we chose you. You did great. I don’t know how you managed to go from this famous New Yorker to a ranch-hand girl in Wyoming, but you managed to channel it beautifully. Maybe just work on the accent a bit more. But other than that, I’m so happy with you.”
I grinned. “Thank you. I honestly wasn’t sure I could pull it off,” I said honestly. “So, I’m happy to hear that. It’s going to be a great movie. And I’ll definitely work on the accent.”
“Just try talking like that every day. You’ll see. Eventually it will come naturally. Hang out with the locals a bit more,” he suggested.
I grinned at the thought of Brady. “Great idea.”
“But don’t forget tomorrow is our day off. So, put your feet up and enjoy yourself. Might be a great time to immerse yourself in the culture here.”
“I think I’m going to do just that. Hey, thanks for the kind words. I appreciate it.”
“Well, thanks for the good acting. You’re making my job a lot easier.”
I grinned as he walked off. I couldn’t believe that I’d managed to pull something like this off. And it was only week one. I was surely going to get better. And after the busy day that I’d had today, I was more than ready for a day off. Although, I wasn’t sure what I was more excited about: my day off or my dinner with Brady. For some reason, he wasn’t getting on my nerves so much anymore. And I wanted to know what made this man tick. He might still irritate me, but I couldn’t help but find him interesting.
I made my way over to the barn to see him, and was glad to find him sitting there, talking to Betty.
“Do you always talk to her?” I asked as I walked in.
He turned around, surprised to see me standing there, and grinned. “Like I said, she’s like a human. So yeah, I talk to her all the time.”
“Hey, Betty,” I said as I walked up to say hello. I reached out to stroke her and then chuckled. “I cannot believe that I’m saying hello to a horse. I never thought I’d do something like that. You’re right; she is like a human. A very beautiful human.”
He laughed too. “Yeah, I never thought I’d see you do that, either. Good day?”
I nodded. “Wonderful day.” I wanted to tell him about what the director had said about me, but I knew that Brady wouldn’t take too kindly to me boasting. So I said nothing more.
“Good,” he said. I waited for him to say something else, but he didn’t. I’d never met a man who seemed so comfortable with silence before.
“So, still on for dinner tomorrow?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said and looked at me. “Do you know the two houses down the road, as you’re coming into the ranch?”
“Yeah, I’ve seen them.”
“Well, mine is the one on the left. Be there at six, and I’ll start dinner then.”
That wasn’t what I had expected at all. I thought he was going to take me out for dinner. The last thing I had expected was for him to actually make me dinner at his house. I was surprised to find that it thrilled me. What was it about this man that intrigued me so much? And why did he suddenly look so sexy to me? Was one week away from New York all it took for me to forget myself?
“I’ll be there,” I said and walked away before he could see me smiling.
The moment I got back to the hotel, I got a call from Victoria, and even though I hadn’t been away for a long time, it was strange to hear her voice. Her New York accent seemed very strong to me now suddenly. Something I had never really noticed before.
“Hey, Vic,” I said. “Good to hear from you.”
“You’re still alive!” she said.
I laughed. “I’m still alive. Alive and kicking.”
“Wow, you don’t sound nearly as depressed as I thought you’d be.”
“Depressed? Why would I be depressed?”
“Uh, because you’re all the way over there and away from this amazing city. So, how is the shoot going?”
“Actually, it’s not too bad. I’ll be honest, I battled for the first few days, but I think I’m finally figuring things out. It’s actually a very pretty little town. Better than I thought it was going to look. And the shoot is going well. I got some big compliments from the director today. I mean, the guy pretty much trashed everyone else, but he only complimented me. It was quite an ego boost. I just need to work on my accent, but hopefully that will come in time.”
“Wow, I’m impressed. I honestly thought that you’d be miserable over there.”
“It’s not so bad. But obviously, I’m not loving it or anything,” I said. “I mean, it’s not New York.”
She laughed. “I’m sure it’s not. I don’t even want to know how different it is from the city. So, how much longer do you have there?”
“I think roughly about three weeks or so.”
“Three weeks! Oh, that’s like forever.”
I chuckled. “Nah, it’s not so bad. This first week went by so quickly, and they’re keeping us very busy. I have a feel the time is just going to fly here. I thought a month was going to drag, but I don’t think so anymore.”
“Okay, well that’s a good thing at least. And how about the locals? Are they as backwards and weird and we thought they would be?”
I thought about the sweet Harold and how he had gone out of his way to make us all feel comfortable in his farm. I thought about Brady and wondered if I should tell her all about the dinner we had tomorrow night. But for some reason, I decided not to.
“Some of them are. And some of them are actually really nice.” I almost pointed out that there were both wonderful and awful people in New York too, but I didn’t.
“Well, you better come back soon.”
“It will go quickly. How are you?”
“Oh, you know me. Nothing much is going on, except the usual. I have so much to tell you about Keren, though.”
“You do? Why, what happened?” I asked. Keren was another friend of ours that we sometimes went out for cocktails with. She was more Victoria’s friend than mine, though. I generally only saw her when she saw her.
“Oh, she’s broken up with Brandon and is now hooking up with Pete. The whole thing is a big mess. But I’d rather tell you in person. It’s a long story, and we need cocktails while I tell it to you. I miss you here. And I hate the thought of you in that small town with nothing to do. I want you back in New York so we can go shopping together. Keren wants to go with me, but it’s not the same. Hurry up, will you.?
I laughed. “I’ll hurry up.”
“And I’ll make sure I have a delicious skinny latte waiting for you.”
“Thanks, Vic,” I said and smiled.
I thought about the coffee that Brady had given me the other day, and I suddenly lost all craving for the skinny latte. In fact, even the thought of shopping didn’t seem as great to me as it used to.