The Critic (15 page)

“Yeah, okay,” I said.

Gina walked out. As soon as the door clicked, I looked at my cell phone’s blank screen. Unable to let it go, I sent him another message.

Andi:
Are you still going to be able to come over later?

Nothing. Maybe he was just in a meeting and couldn’t get back to me. At least, that was how I would rationalize it for now.

After a quick lunch, I headed to the theater. The air was warming up, and I loved that summer was just around the corner. At the stage door, I heard Bentley’s deep voice and stopped dead in my tracks. I strained to hear what he was saying and who he was talking to. Heading toward his voice, I stopped backstage when I saw him, looking extremely handsome in his crisp gray shirt, talking to Mack in the front row of the theater. What the hell was happening? Why was he talking to my director, and where was Justin?

“What’s going on?” Seth said from behind me and slung his arm around my shoulder, startling me.

“Not sure. I don’t know what they would be talking about.” My voice was barely above a whisper.

“Who is that with Mack?” he asked.

“That’s Bentley Chambers.” Just saying his name made my soul ache.

“Wait . . . that’s . . . ?”

I quietly said, “The critic who wrote a contemptuous review about my performance.”

We were acting like spies, peering around the curtain at the men in front of us.

“Huh. I figured he’d be older,” he said.

“Yeah, me too.”

Just then, Bentley’s eyes caught mine, but they didn’t light up. Rather, they glared at me.
Shit.
When they shifted to Seth, they really became stern.

“Oooh, I think you’re in trouble.” Seth nudged me with his elbow, and I let out an unenthusiastic laugh. “Wait, I thought you didn’t know what he looked like? Did I miss something?”

“We have some catching up to do. Let’s go to my dressing room and talk.” I wasn’t sure what details I would give Seth, but he’d get the gist without me having to tell him about my newfound sex life. I led us to the small room that had been set aside for me.

Seth shut the door and turned to me. “Okay, what’s the scoop?”

“The short of it is, after I met with Mack about the future of this production because of Bentley’s review, I decided I needed to meet the guy and give him a piece of my mind. But instead . . . let’s just say, he isn’t all bad.”

“Andrea Jordan, have you fallen for the big bad critic?” Seth chuckled, and I wanted to cry. “Wait, you did?”

“It’s really hard to explain. I don’t understand it myself. I’m so nervous. If I can’t pull off this audition, then I’m out of work, and who knows what will happen after that. So Bentley offered to work with me, and I accepted. One thing led to another and . . .” I shook my head. “It just got intense really fast. We went through the script together, and he evoked such emotion in me that even I could hear the difference in myself. How did I let this happen?”

Seth lowered his body so that we were face to face. “There isn’t anything wrong with that. Was he able to help?”

“Yeah, he really did.” The memory of our time rehearsing made me happy, but I was still so confused. What was he doing there? “I screwed it up, and now he’s here talking to Mack. What do you think they’re talking about? There’s no way he would tell him I still sucked, right?” My “do you have a girlfriend” text flashed in my head.

“Andi, you’re making me jumpy, and I’m not even acting in this play. Please just relax. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Pressure built in my eyes until tears slid down my cheeks. “What will I do if it isn’t fine? This isn’t a cheap place to live. I’ll have to move or get a roommate.” Pure panic was about to set in if I didn’t calm down. I wasn’t one to have panic attacks, but there was a first time for everything.

“If this dick does anything to hurt you, I’ll critique his ass back to where he came from. Mack has the final say, and you need to relax. If he tells Mack you suck, then that doesn’t say much about his teaching skills.”

Seth’s words made me feel better, but I still wished I hadn’t texted him that question. What if he was so upset that he was telling Mack I was hopeless? Seth pulled me into a hug and held my head close to his chest. The rhythm of his heart was calming and exactly what I needed. After a few deep breaths, I started to feel better about the entire situation. Before I could say anything, the door swung open. Bentley was standing there with Mack, and they both stared at Seth and me.

“Sorry to intrude. I did knock, but you mustn’t have heard it.” Bentley’s eyes darted between Seth and me. He walked toward us and whispered in my ear, “Maybe I should’ve asked about your boyfriend.” His words were curt and condescending.

My eyes widened, and I looked at his, which were dark and full of anger. He glared at us. What was going on? My stomach knotted, and beads of sweat trickled down my spine. My anxiety was nauseating. Adrenaline coursed through me, making my hands quiver. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was about to lose everything—my job and him.

Mack cleared his throat, drawing my attention to him. “Andi, I’ve agreed to allow Mr. Chambers to observe today’s audition. He won’t be reviewing the show again, but he has provided funding to produce it, so I felt it right for him to be here.”

My jaw dropped, and I shook my head. No . . . just no.
He’s going to use his money to fund the very show he thought sucked? Wait. He didn’t think the show sucked—just me. Does he think I can’t pull it off? I came to rehearse, and now I’ll be fighting for my job.
I stared at him for some indication of what he felt. Just a hint would have been sufficient, but he remained stoic.
Is he doing this for me or to have control of a situation?
I glanced at Seth, whose expression was full of disbelief. Seth placed his hand on my shoulder.

My thoughts rushed as my heart shattered. The pain in my chest was so intense I felt as if a thousand-pound boulder were resting on it and rendering me incapable of breathing. I straightened my spine, raised my head, and as proudly as I could, looked at Mack. “Is that so?”

I turned my focus to Bentley. He was leaning against my dressing table with his legs crossed at the ankles as if he had all the answers in the world. Asshole. How could he not know this would devastate me?

“I need to go check on the sets.” Seth turned and stood in front of Bentley, which made Bentley stand straight up. Seth was a couple inches taller, but Bentley didn’t look threatened. “Andi is one of my closest friends and one of the best actresses I’ve ever known.”

Seth leaned in and whispered something I didn’t hear. It must have irritated Bentley because his brows practically shot up to his hairline. I watched my friend leave, and I felt completely alone.

“It’s about that time.” Mack clapped. “Lucy is already on stage, so let’s do this.”

“I wasn’t aware the auditions were today.” My voice wavered.

“Andi, I said they’d be this week, and today is the day. You’ve rehearsed, just as Lucy has. She tells me she’s ready. Are you?”

I lifted my chin. “Yes, sir. I am.”

“Then let’s get this show on the road.” Mack walked out of the dressing room.

I looked at Bentley, who turned to follow. I needed to remind myself that I was good and the part was mine to lose. We followed Mack to the stage, where Lucy and I greeted each other with a hug. Mack and Bentley headed down into the house.

“Good luck, Andi.” Her words sounded sweet, but I knew she wanted the role just as much as I did.

I looked at her. “Thank you. Good luck to you too.”

Justin rushed up to me from the front stairs. “I’m so sorry, Andi. I got stuck in traffic.” He pulled me into a hug and whispered, “You got this. Knock ’em dead.” He turned to Lucy and gave her a small smile before he exited the stage.

We went through scenes from both act one and act two. I really let myself go and nailed it. Once we were done, Bentley and Mack spoke softly to each other. I felt totally vulnerable and a bit uneasy. I glanced at Lucy, who stood with a straight spine. Her still hands hung at her sides, and mine were beginning to tremble. Mack and Bentley came up on stage.

“Well, ladies, that was very good, and this was a difficult decision to make. One of you edged out the other by a small margin.” Mack looked between us and said, “Congratulations . . .”

My world stood still as I focused on Mack’s lips, watching their shape as I hoped he’d say my name.

“Lucy, you have earned the role of Katie.” Mack looked at me. “I’m very sorry, Andi. The understudy part is yours if you’d like it.”

My heart fell so hard I was sure he could hear it hit my feet. Before I could say “thank you for the opportunity,” Lucy shouted something that rendered me speechless.

“Thank you so much, Bentley. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without your help.” She embraced him, and his hands curled around her back.

“Congratulations, Lucy.” His voice didn’t falter, and his eyes never met mine.

I needed to get my shit together. I slowly went to Mack. “Thank you for everything, but I think it’s best that I bow out gracefully.” I shook his hand and turned to Lucy, who was standing next to Bentley. “Congratulations. I’ll have my stuff packed up in few minutes.”

There. I’d done it. I’d kept it together after finding out that the man I’d just given my heart to made a habit of helping actresses. I wondered if he thought she was better in bed than me. I couldn’t believe I’d fallen for his bullshit. I hurried to the small room that contained my belongings, ignoring Justin as I breezed past him. I tossed my stuff in my duffle bag and slammed the small locker shut.
Idiot.
That was all I could think. No, not Bentley. Me.
I’m the idiot.

I had to go home, make a few calls, and check the trades for upcoming auditions. I wasn’t going to back off my dream just because I’d fallen for the wrong guy. I tossed the duffle over my shoulder and left.

“Andi!” Bentley’s voice bellowed through the empty corridor.

My feet betrayed me, and I stopped in my tracks. I spun on my heel, and he was right in front of me.

“Don’t.” I didn’t have the energy to yell. I felt utterly defeated and let down . . . and alone.

“Please . . .” He reached for my arm, but I pulled away.

“How could you do what you did? I guess you believe in everyone, not just me. Was that just a line so you could fuck me? Or was I right and you have someone else? Maybe it’s Lucy? I really thought you cared.” I shook my head in disbelief.

“Really? I can’t believe you just said that.” His chest rose higher with each breath. “I do believe you can be great. I also believe this show could be great. That’s why I decided to help you and suggested that my mom’s theater guild provide the funding. It had nothing to do with us.”

“This has everything to do with us. I trusted you with more than my career, and you completely disregarded me and what we shared. But I suppose you share a lot of yourself. When you told me you had reach, I didn’t think you meant you reached into actresses’ pants.” A tear escaped, and I wiped it away.

“Andi, it wasn’t like that. It was different with Lucy.” He attempted to touch my arm again.

“Do not touch me!” I jerked back and stepped away. “You don’t get to touch me. Not anymore.” I couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “Lucy was different? Why? Because she’s younger? Better?” I raised my hand. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”

“So you’re going to give up on us because of this?” His eyes narrowed. “You are so off base.”

“You just don’t get it.” I shook my head. “I thought your written words were painful, but your actions are so much worse than anything you could have ever printed. You told me I controlled my slingshot, right?”

His eyes dropped as he nodded once in acknowledgement.

“Well, you’re right—I do. And I opt to pull it back as far as I can without your help. I know people in this industry too. The days of you helping me are over.” I jabbed his muscular chest with my finger. “And as far as we’re concerned, I’m done.”

His eyes softened as he looked at me. I crossed my arms in an effort to keep my heart in my chest.

“You should really go celebrate with Lucy. I’m sure she’d love to thank you in private.” I pushed open the metal door that led to the back lot. The thick, humid air made breathing more difficult than it already had been. It had taken everything I had not to completely fall apart in front of him.

Once I was tucked safely in my car, my tears flowed freely as I gasped for air. I did my best to regain my composure before I drove away from the theater. It dawned on me that I wasn’t sure if I was more upset about leaving my job or Bentley.

The drive home seemed to take longer than normal. My mind replayed the past thirty minutes over and over, and all I could do was shake my head. Usually in a situation like this, I’d need to talk to Gina, but I just wanted to be alone.

“Well, Mr. Chambers, I think we made the right decision.” Mack smiled and shook my hand. “I’m sorry to lose Andi, but she’ll land on her feet.” He walked into his office and shut the door.