Page 1 of In His Skates

1 LEIGH

“… a

nd you should be done with the commercial by two o’clock, so you can do the interview with Trina Tucker at three,” Bobbi, my assistant, continues while he keeps his gaze glued to his tablet.

I cringe. “Do I have to do the interview?”

“Gene arranged it… I can cancel, but…”

I hear him loud and clear. If I cancel, Gene will be pissed. He’s been my agent since I moved to LA four years ago, and I owe my career to him.

It’s been a gruesome week of endless meetings and interviews. I haven’t done any acting in a month, and it’s starting to get to me. My next movie project was postponed and won’t start for a couple of weeks. At first, I didn’t want to do the commercial. It’s for a soda drink, and I don’t like soda. But Gene convinced me to do it, saying it’d be good for my brand—and his wallet. Now I’m thankful for the gig and the much-needed break from things I hate doing, such as interviews with snakes like Trina Tucker.

It gets dark inside the car when we enter the garage at the Merchant Arena, where I’m shooting the commercial. This is the home of the LA Royals hockey team. I love hockey, but I can’t say I’m a fan of the Royals. I’m a Minnesota Menace fan through and through, and the Royals have eliminated us from the playoffs too many times. To say there’s a rivalry between the two teams is an understatement.

Plus, there’s another reason to loathe the Royals. Keanu Santori, hotshot center, first overall NHL draft pick four years ago, and my next-door neighbor growing up, is their star. We’re from a small town in Minnesota where hockey players are treated like gods, and Keanu acted accordingly like a cocky asshole.

I haven’t seen him since he moved to play for a Canadian team. He signed with the Royals last year, and the only reason I know so much about his career is because I’m best friends with his younger sister, Mia. She’s studying oceanography in Australia, but we still talk often.

Even though we’re inside the building now, I keep my sunglasses on. Set lights irritate my eyes after prolonged exposure, so I protect them from the glare of any light for as long as I can.

Bobbi does all the talking as we move from the garage to the dressing room, which is just a converted meeting room. The big rectangular table has been pushed against the wall to allow more space for the dressing tables with mirrors that have been brought in. The team of hairdressers and makeup artists are already here, half of them working on Celine Rockwell, a new-to-the-scene actor. She has the lead role in a new TV show adapted from a popular young-adult book series.

“Good morning,” I say to everyone, then take my chair in front of the mirror and remove my sunglasses.

“Hi, Leigh. I’m Celine,” my neighbor says.

“Hi. Nice to meet you.”

“I can’t believe I’m in the same commercial as Leigh Matthews. Someone pinch me. I’m a huge fan.”

I smile from ear to ear. “Thank you! I can’t wait to see your new show.”

“Oh my God. I’m so excited about it. The cast is amazing.”

“Yes, so many talented people are involved in that project. You’ll rock it.”

Her face flushes. “Thank you so much. Do you mind if I take a selfie with you?”

“Oh, I don’t mind at all.”

She jumps from her chair and stands next to mine, angling her body so our faces are together. “Say cheese!”

I smile for the camera, and she takes several photos. Then she checks them out. “Oh, these turned out great. Do you want to pick your favorite? I want to post to my Instagram account.”

From the corner of my eye, I see Bobbi’s green eyes widen, and then he shakes his head. Gene doesn’t like when I go rogue on social media and post stuff without his team’s approval. He’ll like it even less if Celine posts on hers. But I’m still annoyed that he booked an interview with the snake of Hollywood, so this is my act of rebellion.

“Let me see them.”

Celine hands over her phone, and after a quick browse, I make my selection. “This one is fire.”

“Oh, you’re right. What should I write on the post?”

“We can’t say that we’re shooting a commercial. I’m sure the marketing team for Pop Soda Pop has their own plans, and we don’t want to mess that up.”

“Oh, that’s right. I didn’t think about that.”

Bobbi approaches my chair, sporting a nervous smile. “How about we don’t post anything just yet and check with the folks of Pop Soda Pop first?”