A Humble Heart (Hollywood Hearts 1)

“Amy, is Dana free tonight?” he asked.

She took out her palm pilot. “No, she has a book signing today.”

“Oh, I forgot.” Dana winced. “What time?”

“Oh, you have one hour before you have to be there and then you’re booked until ten tonight,” Amy said.

Dana looked at Edward. “Sorry, I have to do this.”

He shrugged. “It’s okay. I’ll pick you up at ten?”

“Are you sure?” Dana asked, trying to suppress a smile.

“Yes, I want to see you tonight.”

“Actually, you can arrive at seven if you want. She needs a date to the dinner,” Amy said.

“Perfect,” Edward said, smiling warmly at her.

“Is this the open mic dinner?” Dana asked, hoping it wasn't.

“Yup, that would be the one,” Amy said, grinning wickedly.

“What does that mean?” Edward asked. He was quite amused with Dana’s reaction. It was cute to see her pouting.

“I have to stand in front of everyone and do a Q & A session,” she mumbled unhappily.

“I’m definitely going then.”

Rick walked over with Eleanor. “If you guys are all set, we need to start our meetings now.”

Dana reluctantly nodded.

“I have to go do a scene. I’ll see you later.” Edward pulled her into his arms and kissed her. When he pulled back he saw dozens of cameras pointed their way and nearly groaned.

Just great.

********

Dana followed Rick to a black stretch limo. Eleanor, Amy, and three men were already inside. One of the men was Eric, the head of Rascal Productions. He gave her a pleasant smile. “How are you, Dana?”

“I’m fine, Eric, thank you. How are you?”

“Good, actually better than good. I have a proposal for you. Well, several in fact,” Eric said.

“Okay, I’m listening,” she said cautiously. After twenty phones calls from  p**n  companies over the weekend describing in detail what they wanted her to do, she found herself a bit wary when someone uttered the word “proposal.”

“Well, after talking to Amy we sent Hustler, Playboy and several other seedier magazines away. We would however appreciate it if you would consider doing a spread for Maxim magazine,” Eric said.

Dana’s mouth dropped. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Dana, it would be good for you. I’ve talked to them and they’ve agreed to keep it clean, a bathing suit is a must. They are going to go for the single mother who got her life back together angle. They’ve agreed to run the article by you before they put it to print. Anything you don’t want to talk about is off limits. They’ve offered a sizeable amount for this interview and pictures. I think it would be worth it if it inspired even one woman,” Amy explained in a professional tone.

Dana studied the young woman for a long moment. Amy always went above and beyond the call of an assistant. She researched everything instead of merely taking a message and handing it to her. She was always on top of everything and knew the business inside and out.

“Hmm, interesting. Amy?”

“Yes?”

“You’re fired,” Dana said.

Amy’s face crumbled. Eleanor looked horrified and the men stared shocked. “You’re no longer my assistant. You’re my representative. Come up with a figure you find reasonable and give it to me later. You’re too good to stay an assistant, Amy. I want you to help handle these deals. Do you want the job?”

Amy was practically jumping in her seat. Eleanor had to put her arm around her daughter to hold her down. “Yes, I’ll accept it.” She tried to sound casual, but failed. The men chuckled.

“Good. What else should I know about this offer?” Dana asked.

“It has a time limit on it,” Amy said after taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

“Do you think I should accept?”

“Yes, I do,” Amy said without any hesitation.

“Okay, let them know,” Dana said slowly. She felt nervous in an excited way. This was a new step. She looked at Eric. “What’s next?”

He smiled. “Well, I talked to Amy about several possible roles for you. We would like you to try your hand at acting.”

“I’ve never acted a day in my life,” Dana said uneasily.

“Dana, I’ve looked over several of the scripts and I think I've found the perfect role for you. It’s an action-adventure romance. The story line is great. The plot revolves around a history professor who goes to do research in New York only to get caught up with an FBI agent after she witnesses a murder. I think it would be perfect for you.”

“Who’s the male lead?” she asked nervously.

“Lucas James,” Amy said.

“He’s a good actor. I guess if I messed up he would be strong enough to help me,” she said more to herself than anyone.

“It starts shooting in one week. They’re all set. I think it would be a good experience for you,” Amy said.

Dana looked at Rick. “I’m almost done with my own book, and Edward and I are a little more than halfway done with our book.”

“That’s fine. The deadline isn’t for four months. I think you should do it, Dana. It might be fun,” Rick said encouragingly.

She looked at Eric who waited patiently. Her eyes went back to Amy. “I’ll try it.”

“Good,” Eric said approvingly.

“Send the contracts to my office for both agreements by the end of the day, gentlemen, so I can go over them,” Eleanor said, giving Dana a wink.

“Here we are,” Rick said. “Let’s go, we have a long day ahead of us.” The door opened and Dana stepped out of the limo to see a long line of screaming people extending from the Barnes and Noble all the way down the street.

Several officers walked up and down the line of people keeping them from running towards her. “It’s really going to be a long day,” she sighed.

Amy and Rick walked her inside where she was greeted by the manager. She was set up at a table with a life-size cut out of her book cover. She sat down and prepared herself for the long day ahead.

“I’m ready,” she said, taking a deep breath.

A young woman was first in line. “I am such a huge fan!”

“It’s very nice to meet you...,” she prompted.

“Jen,” she said, pushing a book towards Dana. She opened it and addressed it to Jen and signed it.