“How long do you think this will take?” Cam asked, his lips moving against her skin.
“A lot longer if you don’t sit down and do as the director tells you,” Mia said, biting down a smile. Trying to wrangle the brothers was like trying to tame a herd of lions. They talked over each other, laughed loudly, and kept looking at the camera when they weren’t supposed to. The only one they listened to was Becca.
Mia had to bite down a smile when the whirlwind of a woman let her brothers have it about twenty minutes earlier.
“If you don’t stop goofing around, I’m gonna whoop all of your asses,” she’d hissed, when Tanner had started tickling her. “I’m serious.”
That’s when the director had called a break. And now they were all back again, ready for another take.
“Go sit down and stop winding Becca up,” Mia said, turning her head to smile at Cam. She’d been grinning all day. Thank goodness she’d thought ahead and booked the crew for two days.
She knew this family well.
“We can’t help it. It’s in our blood.” Cam gave her a grin. “Anyway, she gives as good as she gets.”
“Just remember she’ll be doing the voiceover,” Mia reminded him. “So she’ll have the last word.”
“But we get approval, right?” Two tiny lines formed in Cam’s brow. “I swear it said that in the contract.”
“You get to see it. Not approve it.” Mia wanted to laugh at his expression. “It’s okay. I won’t let you come across as a complete asshole.”
It had been her idea to film the Hartson siblings without a script. Give them topics to talk about while being filmed, that could be cut to make both a long form movie advertisement, as well as a shorter one for television. They all held a glass of the international blend as they spoke, occasionally sipping it, which she was certain wasn’t helping their general behavior.
Once this part was filmed, it would be interspersed with shots of the distilleries here in Virginia, Scotland, and Tokyo. Then Becca would record the voice over, explaining that G. Scott Carter’s blend was about family, international cooperation, and being yourself in a world where too much could be expected of you. She’d talk about her own family, as well as her experience of creating the blend. Mia was excited to see how it would turn out.
“Okay, we’re ready for the next take,” the assistant director called out. “Can you all take your seats?”
Cam gave her a quick squeeze, then ambled over to the group of chairs.
From the corner of her eye, Mia could see Becca come out of the house. She looked beautiful, her long hair shining in the spring sun, her skin glowing from a fresh application of make up. She was wearing a blue and white dress that brought out the color of her eyes, the soft fabric clinging to her curves in a way that made her brothers’ eyes narrow.
“You sure you’re not cold?” Gray asked as she sat down with them. “Maybe you should put a sweater on.”
Mia had to cover her mouth to stop a giggle from exploding. Poor Becca. No wonder she never brought guys home. Or barely dated. Having four growling older brothers had to be such a pain.
“Okay. So now we’re going to talk about your individual families,” the director reminded them. “Gray, maybe you can start off by talking about your twins. We’ll go on from there.”
When the assistant called for the cameras to run, Gray leaned back on the chair and took a sip of whiskey. “I guess things have changed, huh? We’re all grown up now.”
“It’s not often we get to talk without being surrounded by kids,” Tanner agreed. He looked at his wife, Van, who was standing with Courtney out of the camera’s range. Van had a hand on her swollen stomach. Their first child was due in three months.
Maddie was inside the house with her boys. They’d watched the recording for a while, but the rambunctious twins kept tugging at her arms, desperate to join their dad and uncles. In the end, she’d taken them back to the kitchen and put on a TV show to keep them quiet.
“Now you’re gonna be a dad,” Logan said to his youngest brother. “You want any words of advice?”
“Not really.” Tanner grinned. “I think I’ve got this.”
All three of his brothers started laughing.
“What?” Tanner asked. “How hard can a baby be?”
“Come talk to me in four months,” Gray suggested. “You can tell me then.”
“How about you?” Tanner asked, turning to Cam. “You’re kind of a dad already, right?”
“I’m a friend. That’s better than being a dad.” Cam grinned, his eyes glancing at Mia. “But yeah, I’d like to think I’m a parent figure, too. Or I will be.”
“When will you be?” Gray asked, his eyes dancing with interest.