3. Audition Day

Colton

This has been the worst night of my life. Yes, night. We were forced to come in after hours since the whole thing isn't exactly legit. Jennifer is helping us run this ordeal. Right now, I'm slumped in my chair behind a tinted window, watching a flock of girls saunter in and answer Max's questions. You'd think a guy would love gawking at women parading in front of him for hours. Well, not this guy. I'm a businessman. I have bigger fish to fry. But at the same time, I can't let Max decide who I'm going to marry. So here we are. I still can't believe this is what my life has come to.

Thanks to a microphone installed in the audition room, I can hear what's happening behind the glass. They all look nice enough, most of them are pleasing to the eye, and some are even my type. But do I want to marry any of them? Absolutely not. Nothing against these women. I just don't want this. The whole marriage thing is completely against my will. Well, almost. But I have a right to be dramatic today. It's not every day I have to choose a wife to grow my business.

We spent all of yesterday and this morning scouring endless applications and pictures, and we selected only thirty women. Yet it already feels like hundreds. Jennifer lets them in one at a time, and they each introduce themselves and talk about their acting background. Max then asks them about their personal lives. Whether they have another job they're willing to quit, if they're free to travel, what their hobbies are, et cetera. Not that I really want to be compatible with my wife—goodness, this is ridiculous—but it'd be nice if we had something in common. We'll have to go on a few dates together, after all. Finally, Max asks them to act. Pretending to greet people at a charity event, for example.

I'm yawning and reading a long report on my phone when a nervous laugh grabs my attention. It belongs to a brunette with blond highlights and striking light-blue eyes. Or are they gray, like mine? Standing up, I walk to the window to get a better look. Definitely blue, but almost gray. She's average height—maybe five-seven—and she's not wearing heels. I'm surprised to see she's dressed simply in a stylish sky-blue blouse and a pair of skinny jeans. Most of the other girls wore heels, skirts, and dresses, so her casual outfit is oddly refreshing. It's down-to-earth and doesn't scream for attention. Max did ask that they dress like they do every day. For once, I think someone actually followed the rule.

"So, Jane." Max studies a sheet of paper in front of him. "Can you tell me about yourself? Where are you from? Do you have another job? If so, would you be willing to quit it? What about your friends and family, are you close to them?"

She wrings her hands in front of her. "I'm twenty-eight, and I'm originally from Arizona, though I've been living in LA for five years now. I used to be a waitress at Sonoma on Sunset, but they recently made budget cuts. Since I was the most recent hire, I was let go. So, um, I don't have a job at the moment." Her eyes rove to where I stand, and I instantly look away. Then, I remember she can't see me. Or can she? It feels like her icy stare is piercing right through the tinted glass. That's impossible, of course. But she's the first to glance this way. Maybe she's the first to notice the glass or care about it. She clears her throat and returns her focus to Max. "What was the other question?"

"Your family. Are you close to them? Do you have many friends? We're asking because the job requires a lot of discretion, and you might have to reduce the time you spend with them."

I inch closer to the window, my nose almost touching the glass. This point is crucial. With the fake marriage we'll have going on, we can't risk family members meddling, figuring the whole thing out, and blowing the operation. I would look like a fraud, and my business would suffer—permanently.

"Oh, no," she says with a nervous laugh. "I don't really have family around, so that won't be a problem."

"Really?" Max leans forward, trying to dig deeper. This is a tricky topic, and we've had several answers similar to hers today. They brush off the question like it's no big deal, but when you delve deeper, you realize they see their parents twice a week or have a planned vacation with their siblings this summer. One even lives with her sister.

"That's right. I don't have any friends or family in Los Angeles," she says, biting her lip.

"Are they in Arizona?"

Her body tenses, and a red tint rises to her cheeks. Darting glances left and right, she hesitates.

"You have to be honest, Ms. Myers. This is fundamental." Max fixes his deep brown eyes on her.

She swallows hard and stares at the floor. "I am being honest. I don't have any family in Los Angeles, or Arizona, for that matter," she says, looking up. "As for friends, I, um, don't make friends easily. I have a few acquaintances here, but that's it."

"Okay." Max nods. I can tell he believes her, and so do I. I don"t see an ounce of deception in this girl, even though it blows my mind that a woman like her isn"t surrounded by friends—and a boyfriend.

As if reading my mind, Max asks, "You'd be comfortable with a live-in situation?"

We can't ask them straight-out if they're single, so we thought this would be the best option.

She twists her mouth. "I guess so. But what kind—"

"What about pets? Do you have any?" he asks, ignoring her question.

"No."

"What about hobbies? What do you like to do in your free time?"

"I read, watch TV, play board games," she says with a shrug. "Normal stuff, I guess."

"Okay, Ms. Myers. We're done with the interview. If you could go back to the waiting room, we'll discuss the audition and get back to you shortly," Max says, closing his blue folder on the table.

"Wait, you'll have an answer for us today?" She looks as stunned as the others were before her.

"Yes," Max says. "We're working with time constraints, and we don't want to lose any time."

"Okay. Don't you want me to read a scene or act some more?" she asks, frowning.

Max shakes his head. "We've got everything we need. More than acting skills, it's a certain personality we're looking for."

She bites her bottom lip, then glances at the tinted window. "Okay, then."

Once she exits through the door, Max joins me in the back room.

"What did you think?" He drops the folder on the round table in the middle of the room before taking a seat.

"I liked the last girl, Jane. She seems the least complicated of the lot, and her background check was the cleanest, right?"

Max nods, polishing his square glasses with a microfiber cloth.

We completed basic background checks on all the candidates before we invited them here today. We couldn't risk any skeletons resurfacing later on. The media would be all over that.

"Plus," I add, "she has no family, no friends, no job, and she seems to like the simple life." And, she's incredibly stunning—but I keep that last thought to myself, because that has nothing to do with this.

"Agreed. She's the most logical choice. But I think we should still shortlist two more girls in case she's not interested once she finds out exactly what the job is."

I scratch the beard on my jaw. "Right." I didn't even think of that. There is a major possibility that she won't be interested. After all, this isn't your typical acting job.

This morning, I didn't want to do any of this, but now, making sure that Jane Myers agrees to marry me has become a necessity.