Page 1 of Between Takes
Chapter One
“Mona? Are you there?” An American voice asked, desperation leaking into her cheery tone.
I couldn’t have heard her right.
She couldn’t have actually offered me a job as an actor’s assistant. Because why would she do that? I’m not even remotely qualified. My sister was an agent too, and I’d learnt plenty from her drunken rants when one client or another got a bit out of hand. But that didn’t equal experience.
But what if I hadn’t misheard?
“So I’m clear: you want me to babysit an off-the-rails actor for six months?” My light Scottish accent deepened with my confusion.
Sherry chuckled. “That about sums it up. But if he asks, you’re his assistant.”
Fuck! She was serious.
I let my head fall back against the sterile white wall behind me. The jolt of my scalp lightly scraping against the brick stung, but it did nothing to ease my racing heart.
“And my sister thought I was qualified?”
“I know this would be your first assistant job, but Isla was certain you were my girl, and frankly, based on the tales she’s told me, I agree with her.” Her words ran at a mile a minute, stressed but still cheery as she tried to reassure me.
Isla, my talent agent sister, had abandoned both me and Edinburgh for rival Glasgow almost six months before. Why would she think I could wrangle difficult stars? It still didn’t make sense.
My background was in marketing. Although, I must have sucked at it because no way should I still be struggling to enjoy the job after two years and three attempts with different companies. I didn’t know the first thing about managing an actor.
Logically, I knew that was a huge issue here. And yet a stupid thrill continued working its way into my brain.
It would be something different, something challenging.
“What tales?” I asked, remembering Sherry was still there.
“She told me how you got MJ Harris on the stage during your college Freshers Week.”
My eyes fell shut, trying to suppress the memory of an itchy rapper who wanted to do nothing but snort his freshly delivered coke and skip out on a room full of drunk first years screaming his name.
He didn’t get the coke, and he didn’t skip out.
Only because I snapped a photo of him with the bag before snatching it and racing into the bathroom with it. He hadn’t been prepared for a fresh-faced second-year Fresher’s Helper stepping in and swiping his precious drugs. I’d dangled that tiny bag over the toilet with my phone in my other hand, poised to post it all over social media. His eyes had bugged out, but he gave in.
When the show ended, I was there, waiting at the side of the stage to return his prize. I didn’t care if he destroyed his brain cells with it. My job had been to get him on that damn stage. After that, he was someone else’s problem.
“I really need a repeat, Mona. Shaun is trying to dig himself into a hole. I’ve spent too much time making that man, and I won’t let his sorry attempt at self-destruction ruin it now.”
Okay, but a drug-addict rapper wasn’t the same as an award-winning TV star. Falling from grace or not, he was a big fish, and I was a tiny minnow. He’d stomp me into the ground without breaking a sweat.
“I need you, Mona. I’m desperate,” Sherry whispered, the words strangled with disgust. “He’s going to tank Mystery Lines, his latest TV project, and destroy my reputation. There’s an eye-watering amount of money riding on him getting to wrap, and I need a badass who won’t take his shit.”
Silence fell between us as I let her words sink in.
I’m a badass? Funny, I didn’t feel like one these days. I felt like a floundering failure who couldn’t figure out which way was up half the time.
“Please say you’re in on this!”
Despite myself, I grinned. Someone thought I could whip the golden boy of television into shape. Who cared if that person was my sister? Someone believed in me.
“Did I mention that I’m desperate and there’s a hefty pay cheque waiting for you?”
“How hefty?” I asked, pursing my lips to hold in any rash responses.
