“You look beautiful, darling. Absolutely beautiful.”

Standing off to the side, I had to agree with the director.

Florence looked absolutely stunning. The movie they were filming was called Unsung, a wartime flick I didn’t really remember hearing about, and she was playing the part of a widow. Somehow, she even managed to make the plain gingham dress she wore look pretty.

Or maybe the dress accentuated how pretty she was.

Rumors were flying around the set. People were saying the romantic lead had been fired, and they were bringing a new person to play opposite her. I could tell she was nervous. Now, as the director spoke with Florence, I worried at the chain of my necklace and wondered if I’d heard the truth.

If it was true, I was torn between elation and sickness, and I had a bad feeling that I knew exactly who they were waiting to come in to save the day.

How else were they supposed to spend time together? In her diary, she’d written about scenes she’d shot with Glenn, and times he’d held her and kissed her, and even though it had only been for a scene, it had felt real.

But when I’d asked her about movies they’d done together, she’d laughed and told me they’d never been in a movie before—she just wished it would happen.

It was him. I knew it in my gut.

“Maya!”

I looked up to see Florence flagging me down, and I crossed over to her, an inquisitive smile plastered on my face. So far, the only jobs I’d completed for her included taking some mail to her, and grabbing her some coffee. Once or twice, I had gone to pick up something she had forgotten from her dressing room. It was an insanely easy job. I think I was there more for her to have somebody to talk to than anything else.

She caught my hand and squeezed. “You’re not going to believe what Thomas just told me.”

“What?”

“Well…” She cast a conspiratorial look around, then focused back on me, grinning. “I don’t know if you have heard people talking, but the actor who was going to be playing opposite me was fired. I don’t know why, nobody will say. But they have to bring in somebody new. And guess who is coming in to do a line reading?”

Without thinking, I quipped, “Johnny Depp?”

“Johnny…who?” She blinked, looking caught off-guard.

“Oh, nobody. I’m just being silly. So, who are they bringing in?” I could have kicked myself.

“Glenn!” She clapped her hands, looking like she wanted to dance. “He’s coming in to do a line reading, and if the director and producers like him, he’ll get the part. And they will like him, I know it. He’s one of the best actors in Hollywood right now!”

She clutched her hands to her chest and bounced a little on her toes, looking more like a schoolgirl than a grown woman.

“That’s wonderful!” I said. But I felt a little sick. Guilty, too, because my heart leaped at the thought of seeing him again. Yet at the same time, I was scared. If they were going to be shooting a film together, then maybe that was the movie she’d been referring to in her diary.

It had to be.

It was June 1962.

She died in the summer of 1962.

She wouldn’t have a chance to do another movie this summer, would she?

So this had to be when they started having problems.

“I bet you’re excited, aren’t you?” I said, forcing myself to keep on smiling.

“Oh, yes.” She sighed dramatically. “I’ve wanted to be in a movie with him ever since I met him. Now we can spend more time together. Maybe...No. Never mind.” Then she shook her head, smiling. “I’ll just be happy that we’ve got this chance.”

“Maybe what?” I tried. I needed to know more. Okay, I wanted to know more, but I also needed to know more about her—and about Glenn. I hardly knew anything about him or their relationship, and I had to figure out what it was he did that would eventually lead to her ending her life.

“Nothing.” She shook her head, giving me a sad smile. “It’s nothing.”

“Florence!”

The director waved at her from across the set, and she nodded at me before turning away.

“See you in a bit,” she called over her shoulder.

I watched her go, and a moment later, I jolted in surprise when the director swatted her on the butt.

“Let’s get to work, gorgeous,” he said.

She just continued on to the set, taking her place, completely ignoring what he’d done.

“What the hell?” I muttered, looking around. Hadn’t anybody else seen that? If they did, nobody looked bothered.

Maybe that wasn’t unusual here and now. There were so many things going on here that would never happen in my time, but nobody thought twice about them. Shaking my head, I retreated to a corner and settled in to watch her run lines again. They were supposed to start filming soon, but with a new lead coming on, would they have to start over?

I didn’t know enough about movie making to say. I watched as Florence went through receiving the news that her husband had been killed, then watched as the director gave her some pointers on how to cry better.

How to cry better. I almost laughed, but suspected it wouldn’t be received well, so I swallowed my amusement and hid my smile behind my hand.

“I think a woman would know how to cry like a woman better than he would.”

I jumped at the sound of the low voice coming from right over my shoulder.

Spinning around, I found myself face-to-face with Glenn.

He angled his chin toward the set and slanted a look at me. “What do you think? You figure Florence already knows how to cry?”

I had to laugh. “I think she can figure it out.” The tears had looked real enough to me. “I guess the director doesn’t want anybody telling him how to do his job, though.”

Glenn snorted. “Watch this.”

I wasn’t so sure I wanted to, but I rested my elbow against the wall as he strolled past me to the center of the set, waiting until one by one, people took notice.

When Florence went still, a blush coloring her pretty face, he nodded at her and said, “I think you’re doing amazing, Florence. I’m choking up just watching you.”

“Thank you, Glenn.”

The director saw him and beamed. “Glenn! I can’t tell you how happy we are to have you on board here.” He came toward the other man, hand outstretched.

“I still haven’t read any lines. Don’t go pouring any champagne yet.” Glenn gave the director a quick handshake, then nodded at Florence. “I think she’s got it nailed. Too much more and it’s going to look forced. Maybe try it again and see?”

A few minutes later the director was nodding slowly. “Yes, yes…I think you’re right. We don’t want anybody thinking she’s overacting.” He chuckled and added, “It’s drama, of course, but we don’t want it overdramatic.”

“Right.” Glenn nodded at Florence then came back to stand by me.

“What was that supposed to prove? That a guy can get another guy to listen, but a woman can’t?” I asked, eying him narrowly.

He looked caught off-guard. “That…I wasn’t…” He scowled. “I was trying to get him to see that she already had it nailed.”

I felt foolish and wrapped my arms around myself. I was looking at him, at Florence, at this entire world through the lenses of a woman who’d been born in a whole other time. We’d had a black president. Women were in the House and in the Senate. We had equal rights. Gay people could marry.

But that was another century. Another millennium.

Right now…?

I looked around and didn’t see a single black person around me.

The only person who had any color to their skin was me, and I could easily pass for somebody who’d just gotten some sun at the beach—and right now, that was probably a good thing.

I suddenly wished I’d paid more attention in history class when we’d covered the Civil Rights movement. And Women’s Lib. And, well, anything, really.

“What’s wrong?” he asked softly.

“Nothing.” I shook my head and focused on Florence. There was no way to tell him how out of place I felt, how strange everything was.

“Glenn!”

The sound of Florence’s voice had me stiffening. I forcibly relaxed my spine and put a smile in place as Florence came rushing over.

She gave me a quick hug, then turned to Glenn. “I’m so happy that you’ll be working on the movie with me.”

He nodded at her, his eyes slipping past her to roam over the set. “You’re perfect for the part, Florence. It’s going to be a good movie.”

“I know…I think this is going to take both of us to new places.” She waited a second to see if he’d say something, but he just offered a short nod, so she turned to me. The smile in her eyes had dimmed, but I could tell she was trying not to show what she was feeling. “How are you enjoying your first day on set?”

“Well…” I drew it out, giving her a weak smile.

“I told you.” She shook her head in commiseration, then turned back to Glenn. The smile on her face was determined. “Glenn, why don’t we go talk to the director and go over some things?”

He looked like he wanted to do anything but that, but the director caught sight of them and called their names.

As they walked off, I turned away. A door marked exit caught my eye, and I headed toward it. I wanted a breath of fresh air, and I wanted to get out of here—even if it was only for a few minutes.