She took only a moment to think on her answer. “For me, it’s always been about off-book day, where the scripts are tossed away, and the actors face each other fully. That magical connection from one character to another is established for the first time and…I don’t know. You can feel it in the room.” She shook her head and lifted her shoulders. “I just don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that.”

“That’s a pro answer. That earns you big points.” Ethan ran his hand through his sandy blond hair. He had it short on the sides but longer on top, which allowed the curl to take hold. She had him pegged in his late forties. Maybe the type who’d been married a couple of times, but who really knew? “You’re somebody who gets it, then, Lauren.”

“You say that now,” she said, playfully.

“Ever done any acting?” he asked, casually. “You have that look about you. You look like an actress.”

She had no idea what that meant but answered honestly. “Back in the day, sure. I auditioned full-time for a year, ate ramen, and pounded the pavement.”

“And what happened?”

She shrugged, feeling the pang all over again. “The time limit I gave myself before moving on finally arrived. My acting career hadn’t gone anywhere, and I’m a realist.”

“Ouch. You just gave up? How is that possible?” he asked, with a challenging smile.

“I don’t think of it as giving up. I evaluated the situation and made the best call. I’m type A. What can I say?” She shrugged.

“Do you miss it?”

God, did she ever. “Once in a while,” she said, downplaying the reality. “But I found my calling in a stage manager’s booth one night and never looked back. It’s a better fit for me anyway. My refrigerator is in alphabetical order.”

“Fuck me.”

“Yeah. I’m a bit much when it comes to processes and procedures. They get my fur up.”

“I guess that’s good for me, right?”

“You just hit the lottery. I keep it all together, so you don’t have to,” Lauren said, with a proud grin.

“A former actress turned stage manager on crack. What the hell will they think of next?”

“You ready to do this thing?” She gathered her belongings as he did the same.

“More than you know. See you soon.”

“I’ll be there. Early.”

“I had a feeling.” Ethan smiled, picked up a second coffee to go, and headed out. She had a feeling this professional relationship was going to be a valuable one. If this was the guy Wilks wanted to keep happy, she didn’t think it was going to be too terribly difficult.