Page 13 of Playing With My Heart Strings

Who the fuck was Morgan?

“I’m not sure I remember her,” I admit.

The producers nod, and one of them picks up a remote to snap on the television. The camera angle cuts off Morgan so I can’t see what she looks like even now, but I don’t think I really need to. Her voice—the tone and pitch—doesn’t appeal to me.

Before I can even open my mouth, George gets his two cents in. “Our team likes her. And from the interviews we’ve seen of her, we think she’ll fit right in.”

Gotta give a little to get a little, Dusty, I tell myself. There’s clearly going to be no debate, especially after what just happened with Abigail, so I’m going to have to compromise. If that’s what it takes to get them to loosen the reins on me, I’ll do it, but I’m not exactly happy about it.

Too much time passes before our deliberations conclude and final decisions are made. I had to fight for some of the singers, and, unfortunately, I did lose some of those battles. At the end of the day, though, I won the most important ones. And I showed the producers I’m not some puppet they can control for entertainment. I’m still going to do this my way.

Now, as long as this mystery girl—the one chosen by America—doesn’t ruin it all, everything should be smooth sailing.

the confessionals

Producer:How are you feeling after hearing thirty women perform?

Dusty:Honestly? Overwhelmed. But I think I have an idea of who I want to move forward.

Producer:Do you think this process is working so far?

Dusty:I mean, it’s definitely working in the musical aspect. I can see myself working professionally with some of these women for sure.

Kelsie:I’m nervous. Relying solely on someone else’s perception of my talent is terrifying. It’s…humbling, for sure.

Producer:You’re the mystery woman of the season. The world knows who you are, but Dusty doesn’t. How does that feel?

Baylor:Fine, I guess? It’s not like I planned to be on the show. I didn’t even know about the video until after it went viral.

Baylor hesitates.

Baylor:That’s not going to be in the final cut is that?

Producer:No, you’re fine.

6

baylor

Camera Shy

“Baylor,we’ll need you on the set today,” Alex says through the phone.

Fucking finally.It’s been the longest week of my life. Who knew I was such a workaholic? I mean, I did, I always have been, but that’s beside the point.

“Great. What time?”

“In about an hour. Dusty’s making his final decisions for who he wants on the show, and then we’ll do some quick filming with the girls who were chosen and do some clips of you, too. Tomorrow, the first episode will air for everyone who didn’t get to watch the auditions live, and Thursday is when the fun will begin,” he explains.

My heart hammers in my chest as the reality of my circumstances sinks in. It’s all very overwhelming. I shut my eyes and try to steady my breathing.

“Baylor? Are you all right over there?” Alex’s tone has a twinge of concern in it.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be fine.” I downplay my emotions as much as possible. No one needs to know I’m actually terrified of beingin frontof the camera.

“All right. Well, get to the set in an hour and go straight to hair and makeup,” he instructs then hangs up.

I love Alex, truthfully. He, Daniella, and I have been friends since I started working at Sparks Studio Productions. But sometimes he can be blunt andtoostraight-to-the-point.

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