Rendezvous (Renegades 5)

the last six months since Tammy had discovered the project and Brooke had taken over management of the paperwork. Brooke and Lydia talked so often, Lydia felt like a friend now. “I was so excited when his name was chosen that I took a bathroom break just to go out in the hall and jump up and down.”

Brooke laughed, and tears burned her eyes. Tears of joy. Tears of fear. “You’ve been so sweet to us, Lydia. I honestly don’t know what we would have done without you through this process. You should be the poster girl for patience.”

“Awww, thank you. I really haven’t done anything but monitor the process, but I’m happy I could help. So where are you now? You’re always in some exotic location, doing something exciting.”

Not with Jillian. But she knew her life looked glamorous from the outside. “Not this time. Austin, Texas.”

“Hey, almost out our back door.” The research team was based in Oklahoma. “If you ever get up my way, you have to call. I’ll take you out to lunch or dinner. I’d love to meet you in person.”

Brooke smiled, and some of the chill Jillian had produced earlier in the day melted away. “I will absolutely do that. I’d love to meet you too. I feel like I already know you.”

“Right?”

They laughed.

Brooke sighed, closed her eyes, and took the uncomfortable plunge. “Lydia, I have a hypothetical for you.”

“Sure.”

“Now that Justin’s been admitted to the program, what would happen if, say, worst case scenario, I lost my job?”

A little gasp sounded over the phone, and Brooke’s stomach fell.

“Are you afraid that might happen?” Lydia asked, her voice filled with concern.

“Oh, you know. These actors can be pretty temperamental. No matter how much you do for them, sometimes it’s never enough.”

“Oh, Brooke, I’m so sorry.”

“Well, it hasn’t happened yet. And I’m going to do everything in my power to keep it from happening, but I was hoping there would be a way to keep Justin in the program if my worst nightmare were realized.”

“To be honest, it would be a real problem. The guidelines require payment in full or half the payment upon entrance to the program and a solid credit background and sufficient income to provide payments for the remaining half. That requires a solid work history and a current job that’s secure.”

Brooke winced. “What would be considered secure?”

“Employment with the same company for three years. If it’s less, you’ll need to have a letter from the employer stating that your employment is secure for the coming year.”

Her stomach sank a little lower, and desperation released into her system. The thought of borrowing more money from Ellie made Brooke sick. She opened her eyes and found the sun gone, the night as dark as she felt inside. “I see.”

“Let’s take things one step at a time,” Lydia said, her voice gentle. “Maybe things with your boss aren’t as bad as you think.”

Oh yes. They are.

“Sure. You’re probably right.” Brooke pressed fingers to her watering eyes. “I’m just tossing around what-ifs. I like to have all my bases covered, you know?”

“Of course.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to you soon then. And I will definitely call you the next time I get close to Oklahoma so we can meet.”

They said good-bye, Brooke disconnected and pressed her free hand to the railing of her balcony. She took a deep breath, exhaled and accepted her reality. She just had to learn to live with Jillian treating her like dirt. And she’d have to keep a bigger distance between herself and Keaton.

Brooke had never been as mortified as she’d been earlier when Jillian had called her trailer trash in front of Keaton. The rest of the crew too, but Keaton…

She pressed her hand to her face, burning with shame. The memory still made humiliation swirl in her gut and rise in her throat. She wanted to get mad. She wanted to get spitting angry. She fantasized about telling Jillian exactly what she thought of her, about what Jillian could do with this miserable job—

Her phone vibrated in her hand.

Brooke pried her eyes open, took a steadying breath and looked at her screen, hoping it wasn’t another apology from Keaton. Or another plea for a phone call. She couldn’t even bring herself to talk to him. Not yet. Not until she faced Jillian again to get a feel for where she stood.