Hailey felt her enthusiasm weaken even further.
The politics of the entertainment industry, the way business concerns beat creative vision, still felt foreign and somewhat disappointing to her.
"I don't want to be in the middle of that mess," she said honestly. "Especially...now."
The word 'now' carried more weight than she had intended, referring not just to the general workplace drama but to whatever complicated situation existed between Eric and Victoria.
Walter reached across the table and patted her hand gently.
"Hey now, Hailey," he said in his fatherly tone. "You're an actress. You don't have to manage these trivial behind-the-scenes politics. That's what producers like me are for."
"But what if—" Hailey started to protest.
"No 'what ifs,'" Walter interrupted, squeezing her hand. "That's my job to worry about. Your job is to act."
He gestured broadly toward the restaurant full of celebrating crew members.
