Page 97 of Landon & Shay: Part Two

It sounded more like a threat than anything else.

I swallowed hard and took the screenplay from her. “Okay.”

She went back to her bubbly personality and clapped her hands together. “Oh, wonderful! I’m glad we’re all on the same page. I’m glad I was about to make myself clear.”

“Crystal.” I smiled through gritted teeth. I knew if I didn’t take that script, I probably would’ve been out a job by the end of the day. And my bills would’ve been so pissed off at me.

I headed over to Landon’s trailer, and knocked twice before Willow opened the door with a wide smile.

“Oh, hey, Shay. What’s up?” She grinned. Willow had been my saving grace over the past few days, coming off as a bit of a mentor around the set. It was clear she’d been working in the industry for a long time, based solely on how she moved as if she belonged.

I was still tripping over my feet, trying to act normal even though I felt like a clown with oversized shoes on at all times.

“Hey. Sarah said she was supposed to run lines with Landon, but she couldn’t make it over. So, she sent me to do it.”

Willow paused for a second, with a confused brow, but then she smiled again. “For sure, come on in. I was just going to head out for a while to go find some breakfast.” She hopped out of the trailer and made way for me to enter.

I walked up the steps of the trailer and was pleased when Landon’s space was the complete opposite of Sarah’s. There weren’t major signs of hippie mojo going around. Just calming music and a television on ESPN.

I could handle that.

Landon looked up from the couch, where he was comfortably seated scribbling down in a notebook, and he stood to his feet. “Shay. Hey.”

My fingers raked through my hair as butterflies settled into the pit of my stomach. “Hey. Sorry to bother you, but Sarah said you needed to run lines with her? But she’s too busy right now so, she sent me to do it with you.” He raised a curious brow, and I smiled. “I know it doesn’t make much sense, but I’m learning to just go with Sarah’s requests.”

“That’s probably a smart thing to do. She can be quite a handful if someone goes against her.”

“Something I’m learning daily.”

“Come in, take a seat. There’s only a few scenes I have to go over, but your help would be great.”

I did as he said and began flipping through the script. Holding someone’s actual script in my hands felt very surreal to me. I was holding another’s dreams against my fingertips, and secretly someday hoping that I’d do the same with my own on a set.

Landon didn’t pick up his script, but instructed me to go to page thirty-three, as if he knew each scene and page number by heart. It didn’t surprise me because when we were in Romeo and Juliet together, he was off script in a matter of days.

I flipped through to the location he recited, and the moment he began the screen, I was fully enamored by his persona.

Landon was a fantastic actor as a teenager, but as a grown man? He owned every word that came through his lips. He never overacted or underacted in a scene. He delivered the words with conviction and prose, and when he was meant to fall apart due to the words, he fell apart in such a way that it brought tears to my eyes.

Landon Harrison was meant to be an actor. He excelled at it, and it was a gift to watch his performance in the trailer that late morning. It felt like a secret gift that I wanted to keep solely for myself, but soon enough he’d find his way to the set, and everyone else would be able to take in the excellence that was him.

“You were amazing,” I bellowed, my breaths catching in my chest.

He frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I feel as if I can do better.”

“Says the perfectionist.”

“What can I say? I learned it from you. I remember how hard you used to be on yourself back in high school when you were acting.”

I laughed. “That’s because I didn’t have anywhere near the talent that you did. I swear, you have more talent in your pinky than I do in my whole body.”

“Liar,” he said so sincerely that it sent chills up and down my spine.

I shifted my feet around. “This script is beautifully written, though. I got chills reading the words. It’s powerful.”

His eyes widened with intrigue. “Your words are more powerful. You should really let me pass on one of your scripts,” he offered for the millionth time.

“Once again, hard pass. I want to try to do this on my own first, and it feels like I’m moving in the right direction.”

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