“Besides yourself? Not a one.” Except she won’t meet my eyes. Hmm…maybe Ashlyn can keep a secret after all.
I lean forward and plant my elbows on my knees. “Here’s the thing. My parents pushed me into the acting gig. I wanted to go in another direction.”
“Let me guess. You wanted to be a rockstar.”
“Not a rockstar. A singer.”
“Can you sing?”
“I sang the theme song for the movie Romancing the Writer.”
“You did? Not bad, Rickie. Not bad.” She snorts a laugh. “Now, I get the Ricky Ricardo reference. Good thinking.”
I actually hadn’t realized the connection myself. I’m just a big I Love Lucy fan. When you end up homeschooled because you’re on set four out of five days of the week, you don’t have many friends, and television soon becomes your best friend.
“My parents let me continue to follow music lessons as they thought music abilities might come in handy as an actor.”
“What instruments do you play?”
“The guitar and the piano.”
“We have keyboards available. You’re on your own for a guitar, though. Apparently, guitars are similar to vibrators. Musicians are very picky about them.”
I cough. Does this woman have no filter at all before words fly out of her mouth? It’s refreshing being around someone so obviously genuine.
“I have a few of my guitars here.”
“Do you need me to hook you up with a songwriter?”
“You have songwriters on retainer?”
“Not on retainer, but I’ve made a few friends in the biz.”
“And, I hear you have connections with quite a few of my contemporaries.”
Ashlyn went to a drama school famous for producing Hollywood stars. From what Juniper’s mentioned, she knows quite a few actors.
She waves away my comment. “Not really. Me and Hollywood stars don’t have much in common. Except my sister, of course.” She picks up a tablet from the table. “Now, let me see when we have openings in the studios. And, then, you can tell me why I need to keep this a secret.”
“I never promised to tell you why I want this kept a secret.”
“Bummer. I was hoping for some wild story about needing a creative outlet after Juniper scared you by placing a snake in your bed.”
I shiver. “You’re crazy.”
“Thank you.”
I book a few hours of booth time before leaving. I’m nearly vibrating in excitement at the idea of spending actual time in a recording studio. When Juniper asked me if I always wanted to be an actor, I didn’t have an answer. No one’s asked me what I wanted in such a long time, I forgot I have a say in the matter. Plus, I’ve spent the past years suppressing my desire to sing.
There’s no reason to continue hiding what I really want. I’ve made my money. I have no excuse for not exploring other artistic avenues. And I wouldn’t be the first Hollywood star to cross over to singing. I can’t wait to tell Juniper.
Except. Maybe I’ll wait and keep this secret for a bit longer. I don’t want her to get her hopes up I’m quitting acting.