“What do you do here, darling?”
The girl started, then blinked as she spun around, as if there were someone else sitting here the woman could’ve been talking to.
Leyla Isles let a coy smile curl her lips. “I meant you, sweetie.”
The girl fluttered her lashes a second time; then she ducked her head, watching her legs swing underneath the seat. “M-my mama brought me here. They’re looking for dancers for that new show, ’n she wants me to be in it.”
The actress arched a brow. “That’s lofty.” She propped a hand upon her hip. “So dancing’s your talent?”
The girl nodded. She bit down on her lip as she worked her fingers along the edges of her seat. “Mama says I could be better at it…”
Leyla blocked her frown under the faint purse of her lips. So she’s one of those mamas… “Mama takes you out for this, but then says you’re not very good at it?” The woman brushed at her faux fur stole with a tsk. “I say Mama needs to make up her mind.”
The girl shook her head. “No—Mama’s right. Mama’s always right. That’s why she’s Mama.”
“Still.” Leyla flicked her gaze up and down her young companion. “I bet you dance just fine.”
The girl blushed. “Thank you, miss.”
Leyla cocked her head. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
The little girl shifted in her seat again. “Brynn.”
“Ooh, that’s a pretty name.” Leyla nodded in approval. “I always liked a Brynn.”
Her young friend smiled. “Thank you, miss.”
“Leyla is fine.” Leyla frowned, then reached down to her purse, unclasping it to finger inside for a small golden card. “They’ll be calling me back to set soon—but if you ever wanna give your new friend Leyla Isles a call, or drop me a note…”
Brynn accepted the card.
“You keep that safe, now,” the woman cautioned. “I don’t give these out to just anyone.”
The girl studied the piece of paper, then tucked it away in her pocket. “I will, miss. Leyla.”
The actress smiled, smoothing along the girl’s hair. “Good luck with your audition, Brynn.”
* * *
Ten years later, the doorbell rang.
It wasn’t an hour the doorbell should’ve been ringing. Leyla woke Harold first, who headed down to the gate to see who it could’ve been.
He returned with a thin, shivering teen tucked under his arm. She trembled, her face pale, her gaze bloodshot.
Leyla held back her gasp.
She’d heard the rumors, and she’d seen the tabloids. She knew Brynn’s mother wasn’t the most easygoing of show parents, but…
The woman reached out to pull Brynn into her side. “I don’t care what you took, and I don’t care how or why. I have supplies to get us through the night.” Though Leyla herself had been lucky enough to avoid the grimier underbelly of showbusiness, she always kept something on hand for her less fortunate friends. “Unless you think you need a doctor right now?”
Brynn shook her head. “I, I can make it through the night.”
Leyla nodded, guiding the girl towards the staircase.
The teen nuzzled deeper into the woman’s embrace. Her whisper was barely audible. “Thank you.”
Leyla swallowed back her horror, keeping a calm demeanor fixed for the child. She rubbed up the girl’s arm. “Of course, sweetie. Anything for you.”
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