Never Standing Still (The Never Duet #1)(8)

I mumbled an agreement, furiously measuring and notating.

“George is working on the male lead right now. So it’ll be like, a lot of kissing and touching, maybe some bedroom scenes, but basically just me singing a love song to a man who doesn’t want what I want.”

“Sounds lovely,” I commented, not sure what else to say.

“We had one guy lined up, but I wasn’t sure he was right for it. I want someone hot, but also someone who won’t overshadow me, ya know? I want someone who will make an impact, someone who makes the video better.” She paused for a moment and then said confidently, “I want people to watch my video and then call all their friends telling them they have to see it.”

“Wow, that’s quite a tall order. I hope George has good connections.” I silently berated myself; of course George Lebowitz had good connections. I was, undoubtedly, an idiot.

“George is the best,” Lexi said, with a somewhat dreamy look on her face. Suddenly it became clear to me why George Lebowitz was directing a music video; he was sleeping with Lexi. I tried not to let my realization show on my face; it wasn’t my place to judge. I needed to be professional, but she must have noticed the slight raise in my eyebrows.

“It’s not really public knowledge, Kalli. We’re just so in love and he wants to help me with my career. He’s the best man….”

Her voice trailed off as her eyes went soft and her face looked as if she were drugged. She was definitely floating on a love cloud.

“Hey,” I said as I stood, done taking measurements. “I’m not here to judge. He seems like a really nice guy. I’m sure he’ll get someone perfect for your leading man.” I put my tape measure back in my bag and started formulating a plan in my mind for everything I needed to accomplish in the next few hours. “Is there anything in particular you’re looking for in terms of your costume? Anything you’d really like for me to focus on?”

Lexi put some real thought into the question before answering.

“I want to look sexy, but not trashy. I don’t want people to talk about my body when they’re done watching the video. I want them to talk about how beautiful everything is.”

“Got it.” And I did; I could totally appreciate what she was going for. She wanted to be recognized for her art, not her body.

“I think I’ve got everything I need then.”

“Oh, give your number to my assistant so I can get a hold of you if I think of anything.”

I slid a business card with my phone number on it to her assistant who was on the phone with two different people. She gave me a sideways head bob, indicating she understood what it was, and I headed out.

I made it three steps from the trailer and stopped to take a deep breath. This was going to be a crazy day. I pulled my cell phone out and immediately called for reinforcements.

“Hello?” I heard an excited voice answer the phone.

“Hey, Ella. What are you doing? Feel like being my assistant for the day?”

“Oh, yes. Sounds exciting.” Ella’s voice was chipper and happy, making me smile.

“You at Poppy?”

“Yup. But I can leave, I’ve got all the girls here today.”

“Sweet. I’ll see you in ten.”



Ella and I spent the next four hours scouring every spot in the city that I thought would be beneficial, including raiding the wardrobe for a hit TV show that filmed in Portland whose costumes I thought would work for the shoot. Luckily for me, I left all my jobs with good contacts and felt comfortable reaching out to people who I hoped would help me.

We were just about to head to one more location when my phone rang.

“Kalli, it’s George.”

I freaked out for just a moment that George Lebowitz had called my phone, but then responded professionally.

“Hi, George.”

“Listen, we’ve got our lead male and he’s on a plane right now heading to Portland. Can you be back at the studio at six p.m. to fit him?”

“Of course,” I answered, looking at the clock and gauging how much time I had.

“Great,” he said, and then I heard the line go dead. I shrugged. George Lebowitz didn’t need to say goodbye to me; I was all right with that.

“Okay, we’ve got a few hours to get the rest of this wrapped up before I have to meet the male lead.”

Ella clapped her hands excitedly. “This is so much fun. I can’t believe this is your job, Kalli. You just get to go around and buy clothes and jewelry for people, then you get to dress them up.” She sighed. “We’ve both got really great jobs.”

Ella owned a boutique in downtown Portland. In fact, that was how we’d met. I’d seen a dress in the window display of her store that I wanted for a movie shoot.

“We are pretty lucky,” I said, giving her a smile. “And thanks for helping me today. This would have been impossible without some help.”

“Have you ever thought of getting a real assistant?” Ella asked. She looked over at me as I backed out of my parking space, sipping from the iced caramel mocha she’d snagged from a Starbucks we happened to walk past.

“Not really. I travel so much and sometimes, as this job so clearly demonstrated, I don’t get a lot of notice. It’s not really a steady kind of job. I don’t think I could find someone who’d be willing to just up and leave town at a drop of a hat. People have lives.”