4

At the Marshall Playhouse, Penny was placed in the back of the room twelve rows behind Mark Harmon and actor Dale Midkiff and busy pretending to be an audience-goer for a scene of the TV series about Navy investigators. Mostly trying to memorize her surroundings to find herself when the episode aired, she also showed up at the Spenser Mansion to play a wedding guest for an episode of "The Mentalist," but then Marcy discovered Penny had experience as a waitress, and the senior casting director gave her the non-speaking role as one of the caterers. All she had to do was walk past Simon Baker and Robin Tunney as they took hors d'oeuvres off her plate. It took about seven takes. She held it too high once, she stumbled once and then once she got it right, she had to do it exactly that same way for different camera angles, but she never once got to meet the actors. The important part was that she got on the extras list for Tandamount Studios, and had to watch her e-mail for days of shooting that came up that called upon extras. The rest of the time, she'd still be working as a waitress.

"Hey…" Leonard found Penny coming home from the Cheesecake Factory in her restaurant uniform. She was tiredly dragging herself up on the railing of the stairwell to the fourth floor. "I missed you the other night. I was wondering if you'd like to see a movie."

"A movie…" Penny had her purse over her right shoulder and was carrying her shoes in her left hand. "Sweetie, I'm just really tired. I've been working every day and working as an extra in the evenings. I just really need one night to relax and catch my breath."

"Okay," Leonard found his plans deflated. "How about if I bring us some take-out?"

"I already ate."

"I don't think I like dating an actress." Leonard commented.

"Sweetie…" She tiredly came up and kissed him. "I'm sorry… Not every night is going to be like this. I will be available for my boyfriend." She turned to unlock her apartment door.

"Can you call my your boyfriend again?" Leonard liked the sound of it.

"My boyfriend…" She mustered enough energy to grin at him. At that moment, her cell phone rang.

"Oh no…" She groaned. Sighing softly, her lips parting into a yawn, Penny checked her caller ID and read the letters TANDAM in big letters on her phone. That's how Tandamount Studios appeared on her tiny screen. Blinking a bit tiredly, she entered her apartment, tossed her purse on to her sofa and accepted the call before placing her phone to her ear.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Penny," It was Marcy. "How would you like to do a movie?"

Penny's eyes widened with a sudden new vigor, and she lifted her head at attention.

"I'm listening…" She answered.

"Tawni Hart had a scheduling conflict, and we got a sudden opening for an attractive blonde in a movie to start filming this month." Marcy was looking straight at Penny's black and white actress portrait. "We're in a scramble to hurriedly replace her. We're auditioning tomorrow at the Roosevelt; are you interested?'

Penny was still in shock.

"Yes." She somehow forced herself to chirp out a response.

"Perfect." Marcy placed Penny's photo and resume from one stack of portfolios to her potential stack. "Auditions start at nine in the morning. Good luck!"

Penny sat posed in her seat for a few seconds more after Marcy hung up. Calmly turning off her phone, she looked up to Leonard still a bit subdued and slowly broke a smile. Her feet were still hurting her.

"I got a movie!" She stood up slowly and screaming her head off. Lifting her arm to cheer, she started dancing and swaying her hips to party and celebrate her big break.

"Really?" Leonard watched her second wind. "What's it about?"

"I don't know."

"What are you playing?"

"I don't know."

"Well, what do you know?"

"They're rushing to replace an actress for a movie that is about to start shooting." Penny was shining. "You know, forget take-out. I'm taking you out to eat to celebrate!"

"I can do that…" Leonard grinned for her. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know." Penny realized she was still wearing her waitress uniform and went to change into something else. "Can I borrow twenty dollars from you?"