“She’s got some minor swelling but there’s no fracture. I wouldn’t even call it a sprain,” Lila assured them all. “She’s got her full weight on it. If it hurts, I’d advise her to ice it. Otherwise, she’s fine. If you need a second opinion, Houma is that way.” Lila pointed to the west. “I’ll send you my bill.”
Lila turned and started to walk away.
“Thank you.”
Lila turned back, and her expression warmed. “You’re welcome, Brynn. And if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to call me. But don’t give my card to anyone else, please.”
She didn’t want her mom to call at all hours. “Understood.”
“And if you’re going to the station house, maybe you should spend the afternoon listening. Take it easy. Tomorrow is soon enough for a ride-along. I know it seems quiet out here, but sometimes things get crazy. Give it a day before you test that ankle out again,” Lila said before heading back down the hall.
Brynn looked around the small waiting room, wondering where Major had gotten to. The only people left were her mom and Ally. Had Major taken Gavin back to the station house? She was surprised Gavin had left. He usually hung around during times of crisis. Gavin tended to show up whenever he was needed. Sometimes it was like the man had psychic abilities when it came to her family.
“Why would you go to the station house?” Her mother had crossed her arms over her chest. “You’ve had a day. You need to be resting.”
“I came out here early so I could do some research. I can’t do that if I’m lying around the B and B.” The truth was she hadn’t really thought about going in. She’d rather dreaded it because it meant she would be around Major, and he would behave in one of two ways. He would be courteous and ignore her as much as possible. That would hurt, but what might hurt more was him being his normal nice-guy self and reminding her how much she missed him.
Now it seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing to do since all her interviews were over. They were out of crisis mode, and her mom would go right back to trying to get her to decide on a new project. This morning, her mother had announced that she’d gotten two new scripts from the agency and Brynn could tape her initial auditions right there at the B and B.
So getting her heart broken seemed like the better bet.
Her mom huffed and looked over the paperwork Mabel had handed her before Lila had walked her out. “I don’t understand why. Don’t you think the screenwriters know what they’re doing? I will never forgive Gavin for putting these thoughts in your head. You don’t need to research. The writers have already done it all for you.”
Ally snorted. “Yeah, because no screenwriter was ever lazy about research.”
“Not everything needs to be realistic,” her mom shot back. “After all, we’re selling fantasy. I assure you there are no hookers working Hollywood who look like Julia Roberts, and yet everyone loved Pretty Woman. Also, does anyone actually believe most of those sitcom men could get wives like that? Of course not.”
“Did you read this script, Mom?” She glanced around again, trying to figure out if Major was perhaps getting a snack or something. “It’s not a fantasy. It’s a gritty drama about a father and daughter trying to solve a mystery. Their whole lives revolve around their jobs. I’d like to get it right.”
“Yes, and you and Gavin were cast in the roles. How many—” Her mom seemed to rethink. “All right, the deputy aside, how many police officers look like Gavin? Again, we’re selling the fantasy that a man with that face would be stuck in a small town. Well, the sheriff is very attractive, too. It’s odd. It’s almost like they didn’t know how attractive they were so they didn’t realize they could get better jobs. It’s a shame.”
“You know it takes more than a pretty face to act,” Ally tried to point out.
Her mom shrugged. “Of course, darling. You’re extremely talented. And so is Brynn. We should get back to the B and B. I’ll call our driver to come get us. I wish he’d stayed around, but he said something about having to pick up a child.”
“Luc has school.” Her mom wasn’t great about getting to know people who weren’t directly involved in the industry. She genuinely preferred dogs. She already knew Harry’s German shepherd’s habits but had no idea how old his children were. “And he’s not our driver. Taking us here was a favor.”
“Ooooh, I’ll call Greg. I think we can keep him on retainer for pretty cheap,” Ally offered.
“I’m not riding in something called a Guber,” her mom said between clenched teeth, as though they’d already had this argument.