Cowboy Daddy

by Hannah McBride

  It was true. As much as she loved being a personal trainer, her heart had always been in the movies, ever since she was a kid. It was her passion, and her dream.

  Ashleigh grinned and happily leaned into it. “Aww, thank you. That’s really sweet of you, Treens…but y’know…like I said, it’s a long shot anyway.”

  “Try and think positive, yeah?” Trina murmured near her ear, then gave her a squeeze and pulled back from the embrace. “And in the meantime, I’ll see you on Monday.”

  “Yeah, see you on Monday,” Ashleigh gave Trina a final little wave as she headed to the electronic double doors and the exit, to her car waiting outside.

  The cool evening air was refreshing and welcome, and the encouragement from her friend filled her heart the whole ride home.

  ‘Think positive.’ Well, she would certainly try.

  Chapter Two

  Thinking positive was hard, especially when she was checking her e-mails every single day to see whether she’d received any kind of response from the film company. And her mailbox, and her voicemail. She was trying her best not to get her hopes up, and also not to give up completely, but with each passing day she was walking a fine balance between the two and it seemed her mind was starting to lean more towards the negative. After all, what possible reason could they have to employ her out of everyone else who had applied?

  In the meantime, she got on with her everyday life as a trainer, going to the gym three times a week for her regular sessions, and sometimes a little extra for her one-to-ones, which were more irregular and sporadic, based on when her clients were available.

  In between working, she often had time to pursue her other hobbies, which was one of the things she appreciated the most about her schedule and the freedoms it allowed her. She volunteered at an animal shelter once per week, helping out with the stray and abandoned dogs and cats. She’d always wanted a pet of her own, but the small apartment she lived in didn’t allow them. This was her way of being able to interact with animals without actually owning them, and it always made her happy to see a dog or cat she had cared for get re-homed with good, kind owners.

  She also loved singing, and that was another of her weekly activities. There was an open mic night down at one of the local bars on a Wednesday evening, and Ashleigh could nearly always be found there, wearing a pretty dress with her hair and makeup done nice – looking totally different to her usual sporty appearance at work. She loved to dress up and feel attractive when she went out. Sometimes she’d even curl her hair or style it differently. That was part of the fun for her: dressing up, feeling like someone else for the night. It was like acting. And when she had those clothes on, and that makeup, and that hair, she could be anything or anyone she wanted to be, and it gave her the confidence to get up on stage and sing, because she was pretending. She would close her eyes and imagine she was Marilyn Monroe or Grace Kelly, all her heroes from the old movies who had such beautiful, pretty voices.

  And Ashleigh had one too.

  She knew she did. She’d been told that her whole life, and when she was younger, she always got the best parts in musicals at school. It was just her confidence that was the problem sometimes.

  The people she knew and talked to at the open mic night were a completely different set of friends to the ones she knew from work and the animal shelter. It was like she led three separate lives, and the three of them rarely met or clashed, which was a relief to her. Her ‘musician friends’ were, of course, encouraging of her ambition in film, and one of them had even suggested she submit an MP3 of her singing along with her application to be a runner; that she should be open and honest with the film company and let them know she was ambitious and keen to go further in the industry and break into acting. Although she was nervous of that idea at first, she was eventually talked into it and she did it. Now though, she was beginning to wonder if that was the reason they hadn’t got back to her. Maybe they thought she was too arrogant and big-headed, or maybe they hated her singing. Was she even that good? Negative thoughts plagued her mind more often than the positive ones, and it was getting harder to concentrate on her work at the gym.

  Trina must’ve noticed the change in her, and chatted her up about it one lunchtime after her spinning class, when the two of them were both on a break at the same time and getting a sandwich together from the gym canteen.

  “You shouldn’t beat yourself up over this whole thing, y’know?” she said gently as they sat down and began to eat.

  It had been over three weeks since Ashleigh first applied, so at this point, they had both pretty much accepted that she hadn’t been chosen for the position.

  “There’ll be loads more opportunities like this,” continued Trina encouragingly. “Think about it. Movies are being shot all the time, which means they probably need runners all the time too. You should look out for adverts more often, maybe join a few websites that send you job alerts for that type of thing, or join an agency that can find work like that for you. There’s all kinds of proactive things you could be doing to increase your chances of breaking into that industry. Maybe you’ve just never considered them before because you thought this was all a pipedream, but now you’ve actually put yourself out there and done it, maybe you won’t hold yourself back anymore.”

  Ashleigh thought about what her friend was saying. Those were all really good points, and deep down she knew she was right. Maybe this was just the start.

  “I guess so…”

  “I know so,” Trina smiled and nudged her gently. “Don’t give up yet. This is only the first hurdle. You’re not a quitter, are you?”

  “No…”

  “Exactly. I’ve seen how hard you push your clients in their workouts, so maybe you should start pushing yourself a little more too. Mentally, I mean, not physically. You’re fit enough.” She laughed, and Ashleigh joined in, feeling much more relaxed about the whole issue, and amazed at Trina’s ability to make her feel good about herself just by saying the smallest things.

  She went home that afternoon in a better mood and had put thoughts of Hollywood out of her mind. She didn’t even bother checking her e-mails. She just made herself a coffee and curled up on the couch to watch one of her favorite, old time movies. She loved the classics. There was just something about that era that was so…romantic. Especially in black and white.

  It wasn’t until later on in the evening when she was feeling peckish and got up from her position in front of the TV to make herself something to eat did she decide to check her messages.

  Her heart nearly leapt through the ceiling.

  She’d received a message from a film company.

  “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,” Ashleigh muttered to herself out loud, pacing up and down her small kitchen and just staring at the unopened e-mail, hardly daring to open it.

  It was probably just a rejection letter, she told herself. Just a polite ‘no,’ ‘not this time,’ ‘better luck next time,’ something along those lines.

  Don’t get your hopes up. Don’t get your hopes up.

  She clicked the e-mail.

  And her heart skipped a couple more beats, her stomach churning over and twisting into knots, her palms already lined with the cold sweat of excitement.

  Her eyes quickly scanned through the content of the message, widening in surprise and disbelief, then further excitement.

  Dear Miss Thomas,

  Thank you very much for your application. We have studied your resume –and the attached MP3!– and think you would be a perfect candidate to come on board our fun, quirky, and hardworking team here at Romero Films. We welcome fresh talent from all walks of life, and your unique application definitely stood out.

  Our apologies for the delay in getting back to you, but we did have a number of applications to sort through, and things have been busy with pre-production. If you’re still interested in the position, please get back to us ASAP.

  Filming for Dangerous Existence starts this Friday at 9am at Sandyla
ne Studios in Hollywood, LA.

  Further details, including address and contact information will be sent to you upon your confirmation of taking on the role.

  Kind regards,

  Sally Hunter

  3rd Assistant Director

  Having read through the entire e-mail several times, Ashleigh could still hardly believe this was happening. She put her phone down, then did a little victory dance through the kitchen, literally jumping up and down and screeching with happiness.

  Of course, she replied to the e-mail almost immediately, letting them know she was most definitely still interested.

  The first thing she did after that was call Trina to let her know what had happened.

  Despite knowing this meant she would be quitting the gym –at the very least for the next few months– her friend was over the moon for her. She’d seen how much Ashleigh wanted this, and how not hearing from the studio had affected her over recent weeks.

  Next, she called the animal shelter, and let them know too. She hadn’t really told anyone there about her plans, or the application, so it was a total surprise to her boss, Alan, but he was happy for her too, and told her to make the most of the opportunity. She would be sad to leave all the animals, but hopefully it wouldn’t be forever.

  Next on the list were her three closest friends who attended the open mic night, the three of whom she talked to most often. They were all incredibly excited and happy for her too, especially Ellie, who had been the one to encourage her to send the MP3 of her singing.

  And finally, her parents. She didn’t see them very often, because they lived in a different state, and Ashleigh had moved out when she was nineteen, but they still met up for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and other special occasions, so she felt it was only right to let them know she’d be going away for a while and where she would be staying. She promised she would forward them the address details as soon as she had them.

  Once all that was done –and her evening meal almost completely forgotten about– she got on the laptop and booked herself a flight to Los Angeles for the very next day, her head spinning with excitement, imagining what it was going to be like.

  She did manage to eat something, eventually, but then she spent the rest of her night packing, wondering what kind of clothes she should take with her, and as she lay in bed tossing and turning, barely able to sleep, she smiled to herself.

  This was it. This was finally her chance. Her shot at doing something different with her life. Something new, fresh and exciting. A chance at fulfilling her dreams.

  Chapter Three

  The very next morning, Ashleigh could barely believe she was sitting on a flight to Los Angeles sipping on a complementary glass of wine and gazing out the small, oval window at the fluffy clouds as the plane glided on through them.

  She’d only taken a small suitcase and an overnight bag, so it didn’t take long to collect her luggage at the other side, and soon enough she was sitting in an Uber on her way to the hotel that the film company had booked for her. That was one of the other cool things: she didn’t have to pay for anything! Sally had even said to bring her receipt for the flight booking and she’d be reimbursed.

  She’d never been to LA before, and she was immediately struck by the glamour and glitz of the city as she rode out of the airport zone and towards the center, her heart racing a little faster as they drove past some familiar sights she had only ever seen on TV screens and pictures before. She couldn’t wait to get out and explore once she’d checked into her hotel and dumped all her stuff. Thankfully, she was staying right in the heart of central LA, so everything was within walking distance.

  Her hotel was small, and not glamorous at all, but it was all she could really expect for a runner. The salary for the job wasn’t great, and she could probably earn more in a week if she had a lot of clients doing personal training, but she wasn’t here for the money. It was all about the experience and getting that first step on the first rung of the ladder that was the entertainment industry.

  She figured the actors and producers were probably staying somewhere much more fancy, as she got out the car and wheeled her suitcase into the lobby of the small and dirty-looking motel. Still, it was very convenient. The promenade, the beach, and the Walk of Fame were literally just around the corner.

  “Hi there,” she smiled to the man behind the desk, shyly giving her name and explaining that a booking had been made for her.

  He did some typing on his computer and checked the records.

  It took a while for him to find it, and for one awful moment Ashleigh imagined there’d been some terrible mistake and she wasn’t booked in after all; that this whole thing had been a practical joke or something. She knew it was a crazy, irrational fear, but she still found it hard to believe that this was actually happening to her, just ordinary Ashleigh Thomas.

  But then he smiled and handed over the key, along with her check-in documents, and the room was hers.

  The elevator wasn’t working, so she took the stairs, and by the time she got up to her room she was all puffed out and sweaty. LA was hot, and she felt a little overdressed.

  She hit the air-conditioning in her tiny, single room and stripped off a couple of layers straight away, getting down to just her T-shirt.

  Then she threw her case onto the bed, opened it up, and began to unpack.

  That didn’t last for very long though.

  She was anxious to get out and explore, and unpacking seemed so…boring. She could finish that off later. Right now, she wanted to see LA, or at least, what parts of it she could see within walking distance.

  She grabbed herself a map from the lobby and headed out, her oversized Marilyn Monroe sunglasses fixed firmly over her eyes, feeling on top of the world.

  She took a moment on the sidewalk to study the map, then folded it up and put it in her pocket once she figured out which way to go, not wanting to look like a tourist wandering around with a map open. She wanted to look as if she owned the place, as if she had a right to be there, as if she was born to be there, which she’d always felt she had. And now her moment had come.

  It didn’t take long to find the Walk of Fame; it was roughly a twenty-minute walk, during which she glanced around in awe and took in all the other sights and sounds of the city, making a note of the nearest store to her hotel in case she needed to buy drinks and snacks. She imagined that eating out in LA would be very expensive and outside of her budget, but at least she’d likely be fed on set.

  When she arrived, she had to take a moment to just stand there and gape, her mouth slightly open in awe. At this point, she probably did look like a tourist; definitely someone who wasn’t used to it and hadn’t been there before. The whole place was heaving, the sidewalk teaming with people bustling around, walking this way and that, stopping and talking, taking photographs, pointing, chatting excitedly, crouching down and studying all the different stars. It was incredible, and she didn’t know which way to turn, which way to explore first.

  She looked left and right, trying to make a decision about which way to approach this, although obviously she wanted to see it all. She’d just have to walk back and forth and look at every single star. She took out her phone so she could take pictures of the ones she liked the best, then something caught her attention further down the street.

  It was a big crowd of people, surrounding something, or someone, with dozens of reporters and photographers around the outside, scrambling to get closer, snapping pictures, flashes going off everywhere.

  Was a new star being unveiled? Was someone giving an interview?

  She rushed over in that direction, as did several other people, the crowd around that area growing as more tourists and passers-by realized something was going on.

  As she got a little nearer, standing on tip toes and peering around people’s heads to see what was going on, she realized with a gasp that it was Rico Fernandez himself, being photographed crouched down alongside his brand new star on the pavement.<
br />
  He was all perfect Hollywood sparkling smiles, grinning and giving his thumbs up, looking around and trying to provide a good angle for every single photographer, giving them all a chance to get their shot. Some of the reporters shouted out questions and he tried his best to answer them over the general din and mayhem.

  Rico was one of the biggest stars of the moment, and everyone wanted a piece of him.

  “How long are you going to be in LA for, Rico?”

  “Well, I’m actually filming something here at the moment,” he admitted with a small, coy smile. “I can’t reveal what it is just yet, but I’m very excited about the project and I’ll be in town for a while.”

  Ashleigh nearly squealed with internal excitement. It felt great to have some insider knowledge. She’d seen the cast and crew list for Dangerous Existence, and knew full well that Rico Fernandez was the leading male actor.

  She didn’t know how closely she’d personally be working with him in her role as runner, but she hoped she’d at least get to bring him a cup of coffee or a magazine or something. Regardless, it still felt amazing to be working with someone so famous.

  And so good-looking.

  She’d never really thought about it too much before, but he was gorgeous. One of those pinup actors that all the girls dreamed about. Swarthy, handsome, smooth; a real dreamboat.

  She stayed and watched the whole scene for a little while longer, until a car arrived to pick him up and he waved goodbye to everyone. There were clearly some of his fans there too, as a general scream of excitement went up as he jumped into the car, people calling out, “goodbye, Rico!” and “we love you, Rico!”

  Ashleigh bit her lip and smiled to herself, then turned and headed off in the opposite direction, wandering along the Walk of Fame for the next half an hour, taking pictures of some of the stars.