The Director's Cut Read Online Free PDF Page B

with A&B Talent, which is short for Above & Beyond. Your character will pull actors away from Stars Collide by claiming that you can take them above and beyond where they’ve been in their careers. You’ll be sort of a Pied Piper character, playing a mesmerizing tune.”
    â€œVery devious of me.” Brock scrunched his eyebrows in a devilish fashion and Erin stared at him, clearly ready to follow this handsome Pied Piper anywhere he might lead.
    â€œYour sole purpose will be to woo people away,” I added. “And like your pirate character, you’ll be the bad guy we love to hate. The one everyone ends up falling in love with.”
    He rubbed his hands together. “Now that’s a role I can get into.”
    â€œIt’s perfect,” I agreed. “Just the thing we need to keep the momentum going.”
    â€œAnd keeping the momentum going is what we’re all about, right?”
    I turned Jason’s way, wondering at the hint of sarcasm in his voice. Why would he say such a thing, at least publicly? Of course we had to keep the momentum going. What else could we do?
    Just about the time I gave myself over to the feelings of frustration rising inside of me, I noticed someone humming a familiar melody. I glanced across the table at Erin, who clamped a hand over her mouth. “Oops, sorry.” She giggled. “I hum all the time. Can’t help it. Mama says I was born with a song in my heart, and it’s hard to stop it.”
    â€œDon’t ever try to stop it.” Brock patted her shoulder. “And if I do say so myself, we could all stand a little song now and again.”
    As I dismissed the crew, Jason lingered. I rose, albeit reluctantly, and reached for my copy of the script, still puzzled by his words. Maybe he would stick around long enough to explain.
    Erin drew near, her face glowing with excitement. “That was great, Tia. I just know that the show is going to take off like a rocket, especially if you keep Brock Benson on. He’s so . . . yummy.”
    Jason rolled his eyes.
    I offered a little shrug. “I see great things ahead, and I think it all went well today. It’s a rare day when everyone catches the vision.”
    â€œOh, I don’t know.” Jason stood and stretched. “I think half the battle is sharing the vision in a way that makes people want to latch on.”
    â€œI’m just saying that whenever Athena and Stephen and the other writers come up with their ideas, they can see it all on paper. They tell those characters what to do and they do it. But then they pass the script off to actors who don’t always see the vision as clearly.” I paused, ready to admit the truth. “I’m not saying I always catch their vision either. But this is a team effort. I spend a lot of time every week talking things through with the writing team. And with Rex.”
    â€œWell, anyway, I think it went great too.” Erin’s face lit into the cutest grin, and then she began to hum again. She made her way out of the room, which left me alone with Jason.
    â€œI owe you an apology.” He sighed. “What I said was rude.”
    Yeah, it was.
    â€œWell, I guess we just have different ways of looking at things,” I said. “But we’re on the same team . . . right?”
    â€œRight.” He nodded, his gaze lingering on me. Out in the hallway, someone called his name and he turned to leave. As he reached the door, he looked back and shrugged. “Forgive me?”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œI think I’m just used to bantering with you. It’s a hard habit to break.”
    Interesting.
    The smile that followed his words pulled me in, like the Pied Piper playing his merry tune. Still, I couldn’t figure out why Jason had embarrassed me in front of the group. The apology was a nice touch—and so was that line about liking to banter with me. Still, his initial words hit