Take Four by Karen Kingsbury Page B

Keith?”
    Bailey summoned her courage. “Yes, ma’am. My name’s Bailey Flanigan.” She turned to her mom. “Is it okay if my mom waits for me?”
    “Definitely.” She nodded to a row of chairs against the wall. “It shouldn’t take too long. Half an hour, maybe.” The woman looked over a list, and when she found Bailey’s name she smiled and checked it off. Then she handed Bailey a clipboard with a few sheets of paperwork to fill out. “We’ll need your agent’s information as well. On the last page.”
    “Agent?” Bailey took hold of the clipboard and blinked. Shelooked at her mom and then back at the woman behind the desk. “I don’t have an agent.”
    “Really?” The woman frowned at the list of names in front of her. “You’re reading for a lead. Most of you have agents at this level.”
    A lead? Bailey’s heart fluttered wildly in her chest. “There must be a mistake…” She stared at the woman’s clipboard, trying to see if her name could possibly be there. “No one said anything about a lead.”
    “Hmmm…Bailey Flanigan?” The woman found her name again. “That’s you, right?”
    “Yes, ma’am.” Bailey felt dizzy. She didn’t dare look at her mother or she might scream from the thrill working its way through her. A lead? Could this really be happening?
    The woman smiled again. “According to the producers, you’re here to read for a lead.”
    Bailey almost dropped the clipboard. Instead she remembered to smile and give a quick nod. “Okay, thank you. I’ll fill out the form, but yeah, no agent. Is that okay?”
    “I’m pretty sure.” The woman shrugged. “I guess you can talk to the producers about it. They’ll be ready for you in a few minutes.” She directed them to the chairs.
    Once they were there, and when the woman left her desk and disappeared down a hallway, Bailey grabbed hold of her mother’s arm. “Did you hear that?”
    “A lead part!” Her mom kept her voice to a whisper. “No one told us.”
    “I know. Now I’m freaking out.” She stood, walked to the door and back again, shaking out her arms and exhaling in short bursts. “A lead part? Seriously, Mom? That has to be a mistake, right?”
    “Bailey,” her mom laughed quietly. “Get a grip, sweetheart. Sit down and fill out the paperwork.”
    “Okay, okay.” Bailey squealed, but she did as she was told. But she could barely draw a full breath, barely remember her address. She was reading for a lead part? Was this really happening? And was this why God had shut the door on her Broadway dreams the first time around? Another thought hit her. What if the woman at the desk was wrong, what if she had Bailey confused with someone else?
    Dear God, if this is real, give me the ability. I can’t do something this big, not without your help…please, God, be with me.
    I am with you always, Daughter…Do not be afraid or terrified, for I will go with you.
    The truth echoed through her and brought a sense of peace and certainty. God wouldn’t take her into a situation where He wouldn’t also provide. He’d walked with her through the Broadway audition, but clearly that hadn’t been His plan for her. At least not then. So maybe this was where He wanted her to be. She filled out the forms, handed them back to the woman, and in a blur of confusion and quiet prayer, Dayne Matthews stepped into the waiting area and grinned at them. “Hey, guys…come on back.”
    “Me, too?” Her mom looked surprised.
    “Sure.” Dayne’s smile lit the room. It was easy to see how he’d been America’s top leading man for so many years. “You won’t get in the way.”
    Both Bailey and her mother stood, and Dayne led them down a hallway to a boxy room. Andi’s father and a middle-aged woman were sitting at a long table, with photos and notes spread out before them. They stood when they saw Bailey and her mom enter the room. “Hi…thanks for coming.”
    “Thanks for having me.” Bailey wasn’t sure where to go