“Excellent. I sent your preliminary schedule to your email. Did you get it?”
The truth was I hadn’t even looked at my email in the airport or on the plane. I had been too busy imagining what Bryce was doing and pretending to read the script. “I’ll look right now.”
With the phone on speaker, I scrolled through the schedule. This weekend was mostly time with wardrobe and some script work with my costar and my fictional daughter. Filming started in just four days.
“Looks busy,” I commented.
“Isn’t it great? I know you’re ready to get to work, so I’ll let you go.”
“Okay, thanks, Priscilla. I’ll keep you posted.”
Her signature kissing noises let me know she was hanging up.
I went back to the top of the schedule and reviewed it again.
Four days of prep work. Three days of filming with me and James Lauer. I knew from watching closely last year that Ronny preferred to film scenes in roughly the same order they would end up in the final film, so the chemistry between the characters could grow naturally.
My first appointment wasn’t for a few more hours, so I grabbed the script from my bag and started again. From what I’d read, it was going to be a cute movie–all the classic elements: I was a single mom with an adorable, precocious daughter who calls 911 and catalyzes the reluctant romance between myself and a local firefighter.
I tried to visualize the scene playing out as I read the script, but it was no surprise that I kept seeing Bryce in the role opposite me, in his firefighting gear and cracking jokes of exaggerated arrogance, instead of the sickly-sweet lines my co-star would read.
Ugh. I grabbed my phone to text him. Then set it down.
What could I even say? Sorry for not choosing you? Again.
The thing was, I didn’t know if I’d made the right choice. The conversation with my mom played over and over again in my mind.
She claimed she had no regrets about her choice. And looking back, I certainly couldn’t see any in her actions. Maybe I could finish this movie and then go back to Minden and beg Bryce to take me back.
But then I’d miss out on the next one. Then there was the second session filming later in the summer. I didn’t want to miss out on those movies. But I was missing Bryce and Minden more than I thought possible.
I needed to pray about it. A lot.
I grabbed the script again. Whatever I decided, I had to see this first movie through. And the more I prepared, the faster shooting would go. And perhaps, the sooner I could go back home.
* * *
I schooledmy features as my co-star fumbled his lines–again.
“Cut!” The director came rushing toward us. “James, you’re supposed to be good with the kid. That’s the entire point of the movie. Right now, you’re acting like you’d send her off to boarding school if you got together with her mom.”
James rolled his eyes. “Fine. But can she stop touching me so much?”
My eyes moved toward Lola, the seven-year-old actress who was playing my daughter in the film. Thankfully, she wasn’t listening to the conversation of the adults around her. I glared at James.
“You’re going to be her new daddy. Just do your job andactlike you like her. You are an actor, right?”
I found I really liked Ronny. James, on the other hand? He was kind of terrible.
We started the scene from the top.
“I’m so sorry…” I trailed off, silently asking for the correct way to address him.
“Mark,” he supplied with a charming smile. Amazing how he could flip it on and off. Dating an actor would be horrible.
“Mark. Thank you so much for coming. I’ll be sure to have a talk with her about what 911 is for,” I wrapped my arm around Lola’s shoulder. Here was her line.
“Mommy was having a nightmare and she wouldn’t wake up,” Lola said in her sweet voice.