The Sheikh's Virgin Bride(36)

“I’m pretty sure I haven’t been facing the world very well with or without sleep.”

Jessa hesitated, as if she didn’t know what to say. Kaye would have felt bad about it if she wasn’t so caught up in her own misery.

“Look, I wasn’t going to bring this up, but there’s an audition happening tomorrow.”

Kaye’s head lifted and she held the phone a little closer to her ear.

“What audition?” she asked, trying not to sound too desperate.

“It’s nothing big…I don’t think. The truth is, I haven’t been getting many bites either, so the other day, I took a risk…and I went on Craigslist to see if they might have something there.”

“Seriously, Jessa?” Kaye asked.

“We all have to pay our rent, Kaye. Anyway, the ad seemed a little sketchy. They didn’t say what the position is for, only that they’re looking for actresses in our age range… I don’t know, I thought it might be worth checking out. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“We could be murdered?” Kaye offered.

“Or we could be discovered! Worth the risk? Will you come with me? You don’t have to audition, but even just having you there as support would mean the world.”

Kaye thought about going to a dead-end audition instead of spending more time looking for lucrative work. Then, she glanced at her computer screen and the pages and pages of ads looking for blondes, and she reconsidered.

“I suppose there is strength in numbers. I’ll meet you there. Can you send me the post so I know where to go?”

“Of course! You’re the best, Kaye. Even in the face of adversity, you’re still willing to be there for a friend.”

Her voice was elated, and it was almost enough to draw Kaye out of her funk.

Almost.

“I’m glad I can help. And hey, maybe we’ll get discovered there and then this nightmare life in the doldrums can finally come to an end.”

“You always did have a way with words,” Jessa chuckled. “Maybe you should look into screenwriting instead.”

“No, this is what I’m meant to do. It has to be.”

“Of course it is. I’ll text you that link now and meet you there tomorrow. Let’s make this happen, Kaye!”

“Okay. And Jessa?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for giving me hope when I’m down. Your timing is perfect as ever.”

Jessa laughed.

“We may not get to see one another all that often anymore, but I’m still looking out for my number one L.A. girl! Until tomorrow, hon.”

“Until then,” Kaye said, ending the call.

A moment later, Jessa sent the link over, and Kaye read it through. She wasn’t wrong. The ad was terribly vague, with the address listed at the bottom.

Was Kaye really so desperate? Just hours before, she had been prepped to headline her own cop show, and now she was following sketchy leads from internet ads?

Setting her phone down, Kaye resolved to follow Jessa’s advice, and plopped face-down on her twin bed before going blissfully unconscious.

Perhaps the next day would bring better news.





Chapter Two





Kaye applied her makeup, taking care to select the eyeliner that brought out the golden flecks in her eyes. It was the one claim to fame she might have, being a pretty but unremarkable-looking brunette in Los Angeles. She had to find a way to stand out, to be unique. Clearly, what she was doing wasn’t enough.

When she finished her morning regime, she grabbed her car keys and headed out the door, typing the address into her phone. As usual, her car took a little coaxing to get started.

“Come on, girl,” Kaye coached, rubbing her hands along the steering wheel as though that would help. “Today is not the day to crap out on me.”

After a few more tries, the car spluttered to life, and Kaye cheered.

“We got this, girl! Today could be our day.”

She blasted one of her favorite songs on a homemade CD, rolling down her windows and singing at the top of her lungs as she drove. While the air quality didn’t exactly match that of the Indiana countryside where she’d grown up, L.A. smog was one of Kaye’s favorite scents. It was the smell of hope, of success, of dreams being fulfilled. She knew that when she breathed it in, she was taking a chance on living her best life, rather than letting life just happen to her.

Turning off the freeway, she headed down a road that led far outside of town. Warehouses dotted the thinning landscape as buildings became fewer and farther between. Finally, her phone told her that she had reached her destination, and she pulled into a nearly vacant parking lot, in front of a dilapidated gray building.

“Okay, so this one probably does end in murder,” Kaye mused as she rolled up her windows and locked her doors.

She stared around, looking for signs of other people—for Jessa, at the very least. Not seeing her friend’s car, she pulled out her phone and typed out a text.

I’m here. Where are you? Hoping not dead.

She sent the message and waited, staring out the windshield just in case anyone felt like jumping out and carjacking her while she sat in the eerily quiet parking lot. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Jessa texted back.

OMG so sorry! Another audition came up just now and I have to jump on it. You get it, girl. Let’s touch base later—would love to hear how that one goes! Good luck!