Page 68 of I’d Be Honored

Maddie snorted.

“Meanwhile,” Sandy continued, “Maddie, your role is nursing a broken heart after your fiancée called off the wedding the day before, forcing you to learn who you are all over again. Caitlin, you decide to return to the South of France to look for the woman you met in college, and Maddie tags along, starting her own Eat, Pray, Love journey beside you.”

Maddie glanced at Caitlin, searching her face for a reaction. Meeting her gaze, Caitlin raised her eyebrows, a silent question passing between them.

“The best part—” Sandy looked at Caitlin, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. “McKenzie Ryan wants Gemma to play Caitlin’s long-lost lover. Eve plans on calling her tomorrow to talk about it.”

“Let me talk to Gemma too, but if we all like the script, I’m definitely game. Will it be filmed in France?” Caitlin asked.

“Yes,” Sandy confirmed. “They think it will take about nine weeks, maybe more, depending on travel and shooting staying on schedule. I’m told the script takes the women from the South of France to Spain and ends in Portugal.”

“Mads, what do you think?” Caitlin asked. Both women turned their focus onto her, waiting to hear her answer.

Excitement flickered through her chest, but a tight knot of anxiety settled deep in her gut. Maddie traced slow circles on the side of her glass with her thumb, lost in thought. What about Hayley? Would she come with them to Europe, or would they have to be apart for months? Would they even still be together by the time filming began?

“When would we leave?” Maddie’s hesitation was obvious.

“Not for at least six months. They’re working on getting permits, the rest of the cast and crew, and all the other logistics into place. They don’t want to move forward with planning until the three of you have officially signed on, though.”

Maddie’s shoulders relaxed. Six months. Plenty of time for her to figure out how to approach Hayley about it.

“Read the script. Let me know what you think,” Sandy concluded.

“We will,” Caitlin promised, while Maddie offered a quiet nod of agreement.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Sandy polished off her beer and rose from the table with a coy grin. “I have to get going. I’m taking Eve out for drinks tonight.”

“Eve!?” Caitlin and Maddie gasped in unison.

Sandy shot them a wink and then was gone.

“Wow.” Maddie shook her head in disbelief. “Eve and Sandy. I did not see that one coming.”

When Caitlin didn’t reply, Maddie turned to face her.

Caitlin studied her in silence for a moment before dropping her playful tone. “What’s up with you?” she asked, sliding into Sandy’s vacated side of the booth.

“What do you mean?”

Caitlin squinted at her. “The Madison Crane I know would have signed a napkin right here to secure a role like that.”

“So? Maybe I’m trying to be more responsible.” She took a sip of her dirty martini. It burned on the way down, and Maddie appreciated how it dulled her sudden fear of the unknown.

“Mads, we’ve been best friends for over a decade now. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“Can we keep this conversation between us?” Maddie narrowed her eyes. Then, cut Caitlin off as she went to speak. “That means not running home and telling Gemma,” she emphasized, holding out her pinky.

Caitlin wrapped her pinky around Maddie’s. “Fine, I won’t. I promise.”

Pinky swearing had become a sacred covenant between the friends since their early years on set, and neither of them had ever broken one. It might have seemed childish to someone else, but it meant everything to Maddie and Caitlin. Whenever one of them called for a pinky swear, the other knew it was serious.

“I was thinking about Hayley,” Maddie admitted. “She claims she’s done running, but we haven’t talked about what that means, exactly. Or what’s going to happen after the wedding. I feel like she already has one foot out the door. I’m afraid moving to Europe for a few months might scare her off.”

“Listen,” Caitlin measured, “I’ve known Hayley a long time. Yes, she can get scared, and yes, she has a history of bolting. But Mads, she has never been like this with anyone. Any amount of commitment from her is huge progress.”

“I’m falling for her,” Maddie confessed quietly. Even that was probably a bit of an understatement, honestly.

“Oh. Wow. I didn’t know it had gotten that serious.” Caitlin took a sip of her scotch. “Have you told her?”