Free Slow Burn by Nina Perez Page B

shower,” Kelly said, turning off the treadmill. “I’ll meet you at the juice bar.”
     
    Way to go, Patrick.
     
    Taking her cue, I also went to shower. I hoped that by the time we were both done she’d be in a better mood or else it would be a long day. Kelly was coming over to help me rehearse lines for an audition I had in the next few days. Thanks to her contacts, I’d landed an audition for Shining Moments and was reading for the part of a good guy turned bad boy after a motorcycle accident leaves him brain damaged. It’s not like I had high hopes; after all, the part was being vacated by a fan favorite and the buzz was that the producers were looking to replace him with someone recognizable. They wanted to cast someone who’d done soaps before. I wasn’t going into the auditions expecting much, but I was looking forward to the opportunity to get my face and name out there. It was common knowledge that if the casting personnel of one soap really liked you, they’d keep you in mind for future roles. 
     
    When we got to the apartment, Kelly wasted no time in getting to work. This was fine with me. I would rather she were already gone when Chloe got home.
     
    “Which scene do you want to do first?” Kelly asked, kicking off her shoes and taking a seat on the sofa.
     
    “Let’s go with the diagnosis. It’s the one I think I have the best handle on.”
     
    We had two scenes to practice with. One involved the character, Drake Burton, being told that his condition was irreversible. The second was a scene between Drake and his longtime love, Carly. Drake is trying to gently let Carly down by explaining that, due to his brain injury, he no longer had feelings for her. The scene ends with Carly planting a passionate kiss on Drake and Drake remaining unresponsive.
     
    Kelly and I went through the first scene a few times until I felt comfortable with it. After reading through the second scene nearly a dozen times I still felt as if I wasn’t getting it. I wasn’t sure of my chances of getting the gig, but I wanted to make sure they remembered me.
     
    “Try to find something to draw from, Patrick. Although Drake no longer has romantic feelings for Carly, he still cares for her as a person. He’s trying to be both stern and unwavering as he lets her down, but he also wants to be compassionate without getting her hopes up. Haven’t you ever had to do something like that?”
     
    I thought of my relationship with Kelly, but I couldn’t tell her that. I hoped my eyes didn’t betray me, but as I searched Kelly’s face I knew she was thinking the same thing. Her face turned a bright red and she cleared her throat.
     
    “Well, good. This should be easy then.”
     
    We read through the scene again and, although there was some improvement, I still wasn’t satisfied.
     
    “Once more?”
     
    “Sure.” Kelly shrugged.
     
    We recited the lines again, complete with moving about the living room as if we were in Carly Buchanan’s small cottage. At the end of the scene Kelly did something she hadn’t done previously. She leaned in to plant the seductive, yet pleading, kiss on me that Carly hoped would sway Drake.
     
    At that exact moment Chloe entered the apartment. And she wasn’t alone.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Two
A Tale of Two Men
Chloe
     
    If I have one flaw—and yes, I am aware that I have more than one, but if I had to pick one that seemed to annoy people, and even myself sometimes—it would be my habit of writing letters to those I’d rather not have an uncomfortable conversation with.
     
    When we were kids, Crystal had a birthday party at Uncle Troy’s restaurant. I felt that she was completely ignoring me to hang out with her friends from school. When she asked me what was up with my funky attitude, instead of being honest I waited until she wasn’t looking and slipped a note written on a napkin into her dress pocket.
     
    She never found it, but that’s not the point. The