Never Tied Down (The Never Duet #2)(11)

“You have just been offered a permanent position as chief costume designer on a new sitcom which will begin filming in a month!”

“What?” There’s no way that was a true statement. I misheard her. Or she misspoke. Or I’d been drugged. I was high, obviously. “What did you say?”

“Full-time, long-term, permanent position as chief costume designer, Kalli. The holy grail of showbiz jobs. The triple crown. The giant belt thingy those wrestlers fake fight over.”

“Holy shit,” I whispered, breathing hard and rapidly.

“Holy shit is right, Kalli. You’ve been doing great work and the industry is noticing. If I were you, I’d try to negotiate the salary a little, but that’s up to you. I think they’ll budge a little.”

“What are the terms?”

“They’re offering full medical, pension, 401K, all that good stuff, $8,000 to cover relocation, and $100,000 a year salary. That $100,000 is contingent upon the show being picked up for a second season, and then in year two you’d be up for salary negotiations again. This is very common and straightforward. A good offer, Kal. But I think you can get one-twenty.”

“But, $100,000 is a lot of money.” Damn straight, it was a lot of money. I made a decent salary now. It was enough to cover the house and expenses. A trust Marcus had inherited when my parents died went a long way to cover the care Nancy provided, not all of it, but a good portion. Money had never been terribly tight. But $100,000 a year would be a vast pay increase. “Where is this job located?”

“LA.”

Fuck. Of course it was in LA. I’d avoided LA like the plague since Marcus passed. Even though LA is a huge town, show business made it smaller than it seemed. Sure, I could potentially go there and never see Riot, but the odds were against that.

“Oh, I don’t know about LA,” I said, my voice trailing off at the end.

“Kalli, you can’t avoid LA forever. Not with your job. Now, I believe in you and all that other supportive BS I’m supposed to say, but this is a job of a lifetime. If this show takes off, which it’s got a good chance of doing considering the cast, this could set you up for life, honey.”

I let her words sink in a little, thinking about how much my life would change if I moved to LA. I’d have to leave my friends behind, and that would suck, but there really wasn’t anything holding me back. The money would be great, obviously, but the job would be amazing. To be offered that job, without even so much as a conversation with the producers, was huge, and I couldn’t ignore the compliment. My agent was right; it could be the job that put me on the map. It could be the job that set me up for the rest of my life.

It could also be a huge flop—it was Hollywood after all.

But could I take all that goodness, all those pros, and weigh them against the con of possibly seeing Riot?

“When do they want an answer?”

“You’re lucky they’re even giving you time, which is another indication you should ask for more money. But you’ve got until Friday at 4:00 p.m.”

“Okay. I probably don’t need that much time, but I do need some. I’ll let you know.”

“Should I send them any kind of counteroffer? Ask for the one-twenty?”

“No. If I take the job, I’ll take it as is.”

I heard her sigh on the other end of the line. Sure, she wouldn’t mind another $2,000, which would be her cut of an extra $20,000, but being greedy was not the way to make yourself a good name in this business. If I was worth more than the $100,000 they were offering, then I’d get a bigger offer in a year. And it would feel better too.

“Okay, Kal. Let me know soon, all right? This is huge. Congrats.”

“Thanks, Lucy. I will.”

I hung up and immediately sent a text to Ella.

**I need some serious advice when I get home.**

I waited for her response. It came after just a few moments.

**Should I put a bottle of wine in the fridge now?**

I smiled at her response.

**I knew we were friends for a reason. Yes, please.**




Although our conversation was stalled until Mattie went down, the poor baby was teething and wouldn’t allow her mother and me a word—understandably. When Ella and I finally sat down on her big, comfortable couch, I was glad to have a glass of chilled white wine.

“Okay, now that we’ve got some silence,” Ella said with an eye roll, “tell me what’s up.”

“I got a call from my agent today and she told me I’ve been offered a job. A really good job. An amazing job, actually.”

“What? That’s great news, Kalli!” Ella reached forward and clanked her wine glass against mine, saying, “Cheers!”

I smiled and clinked my glass against hers in return, took a sip, and then continued.

“The only thing is, it would mean moving to LA permanently. Or at least for six months. If the show gets picked up for a second season, it would then become permanent.”

“Wait, a show? Like, a series?” Her eyes were wide and I could see the excitement building.

“Yeah, it’s a new sitcom, a romantic comedy. Some pretty big names are supposedly signed on. I’d be the head costume designer. It comes with a really huge paycheck. But it’s permanent. And in LA, of all places.”