In Development

by Rachel Spangler

  “Maybe, maybe not, but my body, my career, my choice. We agreed on that.”

  “We also agreed to get back to being professionals. We agreed to focus on work, and I know I contributed to getting off track, but can’t you see I’m trying to fix that? Why can’t you let me get back to what I know?”

  The anguish in the last question cut through Cobie’s wall of self-righteousness. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m trying, Cobie.” Lila’s voice caught, and she looked away. “I’m trying to right the ship. I’m trying to do what we set out to do.”

  Cobie blinked away the remaining red tinge of anger from her gaze, and for the first time, she noticed how pale and tired Lila looked. Something in her chest tightened as the memories of Toronto came rushing back. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, damn it, I’m fine. I know you saw me in a moment of awful weakness, but I’m not shattered or broken.”

  “Lila, no. I don’t think of you that way.”

  “Well, I do,” she snapped, “and I’ll own that. My slip, my fault, but I’m also going to take responsibility for pulling us back on track. Just because I had a rough night doesn’t change anything about my drive to succeed, to win.”

  “I never thought it did,” Cobie said, reaching out to soothe her, but Lila took a step back.

  “You didn’t? Because you’ve sure backed off lately. You’re handling me with kid gloves, and that’s nice, but it’s not how business works. You either go all out for the win, or you’re not really playing at all,” Lila said matter-of-factly. “And we’re running out of time.”

  Cobie’s jaw twitched as she ground her teeth together. Had she really backed off? She knew she had, but not because she saw Lila as weak. If anything, she’d been frightened by the strength of the emotions she’d seen in her, and the ones she experienced in herself, but how could she explain that to Lila? Being angry was so much easier than being afraid.

  “So, which is it, Cobie?” Lila pressed, her blue eyes sharp and focused once more. “Are you sitting in the stands, or are you in the game to win?”

  Cobie opened her mouth, intending to say nothing felt like a game to her anymore. She wanted to grab Lila and shake her, to beg her to tell her something, anything real, but she knew better. Lila had made it clear from their first date that the cardinal sin was forgetting nothing was ever real. If she fell apart and broke the fourth wall now, she’d only reveal herself to be the same kind of fool as all the others who’d come before her. Trying to appeal to Lila on some emotional level, or even a personal one, was about as useful as trying to remove a viral video from the Internet at this point. At least they could agree on one thing though: Their days together were numbered, and Lila would walk away a winner. Cobie could either join her or get left in the dust. She didn’t like the choice, but she clearly knew which was the better option.

  “Yes.” She rubbed her face. “I’m still in the game to win.”

  “Really?” Lila pushed, the challenge gone from her voice as her pretty features twisted in a frown.

  “Sure.” Cobie shrugged. “If it’s all just a game, might as well win.”

  Lila pursed her lips for a second, then nodded resolutely. “Fine. Then we’ve both got a lot of work left to do.”

  She abruptly shut the door in Cobie’s face.

  Dismissed, Cobie walked back to her room, trying not to think about the emotions that had flashed fast and jumbled across Lila’s features in the seconds between Cobie’s answer and Lila’s response. Surprise? Disappointment? Sadness? Or resignation? Cobie would never understand this woman, and she needed to stop exerting so much energy while trying to.

  She closed the door softly behind her and was just about to flop on the bed when she noticed a bundle of black clothes on her pillow. She approached them tentatively, as though they might explode in her face, but as she got closer, she recognized the top layer as the piece she’d seen Lila working on earlier. All the questions faded as she held up the jacket.

  “Vale,” she whispered. Running her fingers over the leather, she sighed again. The costume was perfect. She had no other word for it. The concept, the design, the detail work, was all flawless. Cobie doubted even Talia could have brought this vision to life so seamlessly. How long had Lila worked on this? How much time and energy and forethought had she spent? Cobie had just screamed at her for being thoughtless and careless and self-centered. And yet she was those things too. She was so many things all at once, and Cobie never could tell which attributes were genuine and which ones were carefully calculated. Or were they all contrived? Then again, could they all be genuine?

  She’d drive herself crazy with those questions, and she’d never have her answer. All she had was a few more weeks with a woman who would keep her head spinning, and she could only take every moment as it came. Now if only she could sort out her own feelings, she might make it out unscathed. But as she sat back on the bed holding the jacket to her chest, she doubted her ability to know her own heart when it came to Lila Wilder.

  Chapter Ten

  “Whoa,” Cobie said, and Lila turned to see her decked out in full costume.

  “Whoa indeed.” Her eyes raked over Cobie’s body in the ensemble. It almost didn’t look like a costume but a piece Cobie was born to wear. The pants were made of ripped leather over black denim and tucked into black lace-up Doc Marten boots. The cut wasn’t tight, but the ragged lines hinted at a strength in her legs Lila wished she didn’t have firsthand knowledge of. The jacket, on the other hand, fit more snugly, with a subtle curve at Cobie’s narrow waist arcing gracefully up to broad shoulders. She’d darkened her facial features as well by wearing the hood up so it cast shadows over her big dark eyes ringed in black eyeliner. Lila had seen the look in all its various stages, but no amount of peeking behind the curtain prepared her for the thrill of seeing the final product. Raw, powerful, commanding, sexy. “You’re Vale.”

  “Huh?” Cobie asked, her mouth hanging slightly open.

  “The part. You nailed it. Cobie, you’re her. No one is ever again going to say you don’t have the look for the role. You are the role.”

  Cobie blushed slightly.

  “What?” Lila asked.

  “Your dress.”

  Lila glanced down at the little red-sequined flapper get-up. “I’m Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby.”

  “Yeah you are. You’ll drive more than a few men toward bootleg liquor and jazz tonight.”

  “Thank you,” Lila said politely, but she knew which of them people would be talking about tomorrow, and she didn’t blame them. Cobie was a showstopper. She didn’t just wear the costume. She inhabited it in a way that sent Lila’s senses into overdrive.

  “Can I help with anything?” Cobie asked. “Food? Drinks? Help with the waiters? What do you need from me?”

  A kiss? A ravishing? To be thrown up against the wall and taken before the guests arrived? She shook the haze of arousal from her mind and glanced out across the room. “I’m good, thanks.”

  “You look better than good. You’re stunning.”

  Lila turned in time to catch her eyes take a path over her body that she wished Cobie would follow with her hands.

  She had to stop thinking like that if she was ever going to get through tonight, much less the trials to follow. She had to focus.

  “Ms. Wilder?” A young woman in a navy suit and a headset peeked in the door. “Your guests are arriving.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “Keep them on the main floor with the drinks flowing until Ms. Galloway and I make our entrance, then open up the rest of the museum, including the terrace. Circulate the waiters indoors only.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” The woman ducked out again, and Cobie gave a low whistle.

  “You’re super commanding in work mode.”

  “Anything worth doing is worth doing well,” Lila said, hoping some of her confidence would return soon. She’d been on edge all week since her fight with Cobie, and while they’d both
doubled down on their resolve to make the most of their remaining time together, things at home had remained tense. Cobie had avoided her, or maybe it had been the other way around. They’d both been busy, with Cobie shooting day and night, and Lila absorbed in finer points of party planning. Mimi had hired a top-notch event planner, and Lila had insisted on triple checking everything from the menu to the guest list in a vain attempt to exert control over at least one area of her life, but she worried in doing so she’d allowed the chasm between her and Cobie to become uncrossable. Now, standing there, warmed by the familiar smolder in Cobie’s eyes, she suspected that bridge hadn’t burned completely.

  Maybe it should have though, because she suddenly wanted to chuck all her carefully laid plans off the balcony and into the Hudson River, then follow this woman wherever she led.

  “You want to run through the plans one more time before we go down?”

  “Yes!” she exclaimed, entirely too excitedly. “I mean, yes, the plan is good. The plan is important. Let’s stick to it, okay?”

  The corners of Cobie’s mouth quirked up. “I intend to.”

  “Good,” Lila said quickly. “So, we go down together— down the stairs, I mean. Make a glamorous entrance.”

  “It’d be hard to not be glamorous during an exclusive evening at the Whitney with you on my arm.”

  Not helpful, Cobie. Sexy, but not helpful. “Then we’ll make the rounds and greet the guests. You don’t have to mingle with everyone though. You’re an aloof celebrity tonight, not a Midwestern farmer’s daughter.”

  “Technically I’m both.”

  “You’re at an audition tonight, a job interview, not a Good Housekeeping hostess convention.”

  “I know,” Cobie said, a low thrum of confidence in her voice that made Lila believe her. “I’ll own the room.”

  “With me. We stick close early on. I dote on you.”

  “And I show you off.”

  “Yes, you’re proud, but also possessive. You keep your hands on me.” Lila realized she’d added the last statement for her own benefit, but Cobie didn’t argue. “Until you introduce me at the piano.”

  Cobie glanced at the white baby grand set atop a small riser behind them. “Piano, third floor, new album, you in all your glory. Consider it done.”

  “Then the real show begins.”

  “Then after you play, we play?”

  Lila nodded solemnly. “Do you need a script?”

  Cobie shook her head. “You play you. I’ll play me. Sparks will undoubtedly fly.”

  Lila didn’t doubt the truth of the statement. “Just make sure they fly in front of some cameras.”

  Cobie took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth, then rolled her shoulders, signifying her personality swap. Then extending her elbow for Lila to take hold, she flashed her one of the dashing smiles Lila always fell for even though she knew it wasn’t really for her. “Break a leg.”

  Lila sighed and threaded her arm through Cobie’s, wrapping her fingers around a muscle that made its presence known even under the thick case of leather, and they headed for the stairs. Still, she couldn’t quite bring herself to echo Cobie’s call to action, because she feared that if anything got broken tonight, it would be hearts rather than legs.

  She still felt slightly off balance and unexpectedly wary as she and Cobie continued to make the rounds almost an hour later. Nothing had gone wrong. On the contrary, early reports seemed to suggest this would be one of the highlights of New York’s spring social season. Drinks flowed freely at the bar, and waiters in black ties wove nimbly through a mixed crowd of celebrities. Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker were dressed as Romeo and Juliet as they talked to Justin Bieber and his girl du jour, who’d come as Peta and Katniss. Across the room, Adele wore a Scarlett O’Hara dress in a fun contrast to Cobie’s usual costar, Jeremy, who’d chosen to come as a beefed-up version of the Cat in the Hat.

  “Do you think he’s vying for a roll in some sort of animated feature?” Lila had asked when he walked in with the drawn-on whiskers and cat suit cut so low it showed a little bit of his chest hair.

  “No,” Cobie said, failing to stifle a laugh. “He probably just hasn’t read any books since kindergarten.”

  “It’s fun to see who shows up as what and try to infer their reading levels from there.”

  “If we’re extrapolating, I’d say the Broadway set is a lot smarter than the Hollywood bunch. No surprises there.”

  “Oh, cattiness about other actresses?” Lila squeezed Cobie’s arm. “I like it.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s not like musicians aren’t a mixed bag. Jay-Z showed up as Odysseus, but Katy Perry is some sort of sexy Winnie the Pooh.”

  “And Cordelia Esme . . .” Lila drew out the name as she tried to process and then compartmentalize her surprise, “just walked in wearing wizard robes?”

  Cobie’s eyes scanned the crowd, then lit up as they fell on a woman with honey and amber locks spilling over onto a dark cloak. “Her? She’s Hermione Granger!”

  “She’s Cordelia Esme,” Lila said flatly.

  “She’s a pop singer, right?”

  “Sort of, I suppose, but she’s very folksy, sort of sultry. She doesn’t have a wide market, and she’s terrible with the press.”

  Cobie eyed her suspiciously. “So not a contemporary of yours?”

  “Hardly. I wouldn’t say she’s B-list. She’s got talent and a certain kind of appeal, but she keeps a low profile. I’m kind of shocked she’s here.”

  “Introduce me?”

  “To her?” Lila asked, trying to sound bored despite the nervous clench of her stomach.

  “Sure, why not? I love Harry Potter.”

  “You know she’s not actually from Hogwarts, right?” Lila stalled.

  Cobie placed her hand on Lila’s back, brushing her fingers against bare skin from the low-cut dress. “Come on.”

  Lila shivered from the touch, breaking her pout and melting easily to Cobie’s will. They crossed the room side-by-side, turning more than a few heads as they went.

  “Cordelia,” Lila called cheerfully, “what a wonderful surprise.”

  “Lila.” Cordelia smiled as they approached, then leaned in to kiss Lila lightly on each cheek. She smelled of honey and sandalwood, and Lila fleetingly wondered if Cobie would like the combination. “I know I don’t get out as much as you do, but I just couldn’t resist a book event.”

  Lila stepped back, “Have you met—”

  “Vale Ortanos!” Cordelia called enthusiastically.

  “Actually, this is Cobie Galloway.”

  Cordelia blushed. “Right, sorry. I knew that, but I’m such a fan of Vigilant. Vale is one of the best female characters I’ve read in ages, and you’re her. I mean not her, but you nailed the image. Oh, my God, are you going to play Vale in the movie?”

  Cobie laughed a deep, rich laugh that wasn’t at all consistent with the brooding character she’d played all night. “Cordelia Esme, right? Or should I call you Ms. Granger?”

  “Oh, I do like the sound of that so much better than what my friends call me.”

  “What’s that?”

  She blushed again, and Lila rolled her eyes. No one was seriously that modest. “Dilly.”

  “Dilly.” Cobie smiled and nodded. “Cute.”

  “Right, cute, but you, you’re so dark and ominous. Like people can’t tell if they’d hate to meet you in a dark alley or if they’d go in there looking for you. But I guess that’s the whole appeal of the character. Did I mention I loved Vigilant? I did, didn’t I?”

  “You did,” Lila confirmed.

  “Which is cool.” Cobie cut back in. “I’m a huge fan of Talia Stamos’s work.”

  “She’s a genius. Have you met her?”

  “I have,” Cobie said, a blush of her own creeping into her palely powdered cheeks.

  Lila needed to get her out of there before she blew her character completely, but she was too transfixed by the dre
amy look in her eyes.

  “Oh, God, what a dolt,” Cordelia said. “I forgot she did the script for one of your movies, or not the script, but the book it was based on, right?”

  Cobie’s blush turned crimson. “I’d rather not remember that movie, and I know she feels the same.”

  Cordelia grimaced. “I wasn’t going to mention that the book was better.”

  “No worries. I know it. You know it. Tal certainly knows it.”

  Tal? The name set off alarms in Lila’s brain, or maybe the tone in which it had been said, drenched in nostalgia and delivered with affection.

  “Vigilant will be so much better if I have my way,” Cobie said, a hint of steel to her voice.

  Cordelia put her hand on Cobie’s shoulder and looked her earnestly in the eye. “I don’t doubt it. None of us are who we were ten years ago.”

  What the hell was that supposed to mean? Lila would have laughed if not for the heavy sigh that shook Cobie’s shoulders. “Thank you, Cordelia. I really appreciate that.”

  “Yes, and we both appreciate your being here,” Lila said quickly, “but we’ve got to make the rounds before I warm up.”

  “Of course,” Cordelia said with a wholesome smile. “I’m so looking forward to hearing your new work.”

  “It was nice to meet you,” Cobie managed as Lila pulled her away.

  She wove back through the lobby, past the bar, and up to the stairs.

  “You okay?” Cobie finally asked as they were out of earshot of the general crowd.

  “Fine.”

  Cobie watched her out of the corner of her eye as their footsteps fell in tandem up the stairs, the dull thud of Cobie’s boots providing a baseline to the high click of Lila’s heels.

  “You sure?”

  “Just getting into work mode.”

  “Right,” Cobie said. “Are you nervous about debuting a new song in front of so many famous people?”

  She started to nod but then pursed her lips. Nervous? Is that what she felt? Not quite. There was a tightness in her stomach instead of butterflies, and while her mind did flit quickly from one topic to another, it didn’t ever land on her upcoming performance. Instead, her erratic thoughts all raced around Cobie’s interaction with Cordelia. Their easy connection over books, their shared geekdom, the complete lack of pretense, they’d all left Lila feeling like an outsider. And the talk about Talia, or Tal. Cobie knew the author of Vigilant. They had worked together, and from the wistful way Cobie called her Tal, they’d shared more than a script. A memory floated into the front of her mind. Emma had said she hadn’t met any of Cobie’s girlfriends since Tal.