“He got the other two, so it all evens out.” She laughs, running a hand through the disorderly hair flopping into her eyes. “Thank you again, on behalf of all the working moms, for the on-set daycare. I wish more directors did it. I mean, Sin’s just out of school today, but for the moms in the cast and crew with babies, it’s a lifesaver.”
“Not a big deal.”
“If it wasn’t, everyone would do it. Don’t get me started on the things that hold women back in this business. You adopting French hours for this film is huge, and I hope more directors follow suit.”
“Well, not perfectly. Some folks are still here fourteen hours a day, sometimes more, but I hope the ten-hour workday for most has helped.”
“So much. There are a lot of really talented women who give up on this business because they can’t disappear for literally sixteen or eighteen hours a day, and can’t afford care for their kids that long.”
“The adjustments haven’t actually been that hard. I’d do whatever it took to get you on set. You’re my secret weapon.”
I’m not exaggerating. She is, which is why I use her whenever I can. The only projects she’s missed were when she was having a baby.
“Well, the ladies say thanks.”
“Hey, my mom was a working photographer. A single mom at that. I know how hard it can be.”
“Are you spending Thanksgiving with her family? Sienna’s right,” Jill says, licking the forgotten popsicle, grimacing and tossing it into the trash can beside the table. “I don’t want to think of you alone.”
“Nah. I’ll do Christmas with them. I want to be alone. I want one meal that isn’t shoved down my throat between takes or in front of a laptop, and I’d like to eat it in peace.”
“You’ll swing by on Friday?” Her worried frown remains unmoved by my explanation.
“Sure.”
“But what will you eat on Thanksgiving?”
I shrug. “Takeout.”
“No. So I have this great place my agent told me about. I’ll give you the info.”
“Okay.”
“I’m just concerned.”
“I think you’re spelling smothering wrong.”
“And I think,” she says, turning back to my laptop and pinging a knowing smile between me and Neevah onscreen, “she’s fantastic.”
So much for keeping anything secret around here.