Between takes, p.9
Between Takes, page 9
“Gruesome. How can you read that? It would give me nightmares.”
Evie shrugged and hugged her knees closer. “I find it fascinating how broken some people are. This guy would hide what they called ‘kill kits’ all around the country, with money, weapons, and tools for disposing of bodies. Think about the foresight it would take to set all that up. Most people have at least one hobby, and I find it fascinating to think that some people’s hobbies are killing and hiding people.”
“That’s a really fucked up way of looking at it.”
“But not to them. That’s how they get their enjoyment. They’re broken, and I love reading about all the theories of how people think they became broken in the first place.”
Ian shuddered. “Hard pass.”
“What did you bring to read?”
Ian held up a photography book called On Second Glance: Midwest Photographs.
“You brought a picture book. How cute.”
Ian swatted her hand away from his book. “There’s some really great inspiration in here. I want to see if I can capture some of that while I’m down here. If I have time.”
“I didn’t know you were into photography.”
“Big time. My gramps got me into it when I was a kid. Gave me my first camera. Nothing special. Just a Polaroid camera from the 80s. He used to develop his own film in a darkroom he’d made in his basement. I spent a lot of time there in my teens. Now everything’s digital, which kind of ruins the fun.”
Evie smiled. “I’m glad to know your hobby is much more wholesome than killing and hiding people.”
“Does it mean we can stay friends?”
“Only if you promise not to take pictures of me.”
Ian stuck out his hand, and Evie shook it. “Done. I take only landscapes so you’re in no danger of ending up on my darkroom wall.”
“And you just made it creepy,” she said as she nudged him with her shoulder, smiling. She’d missed this banter. Ian hadn’t joined the cast until the fourth episode last year, but they became fast friends almost as soon as he had. As Ian had pointed out after they’d gotten to know each other a little better, she didn’t share her true self with many people. He said he could relate. It was sometimes hard to trust people in this business.
Amid a rustle of bodies and murmurs, Jess finally exited the manager’s office with a small box and her trusty tablet. “Okay, listen up, ladies and gentlemen.” She began listing names, two at a time. The majority of the cast and crew would be doubling up. The only people who had their own rooms were Evie, Ian, Will, and the director. It was the only way to fit everyone into the motel. Apparently, Watershed was not a huge tourist destination.
Ian helped her up from the ground, and they ambled over toward Jess. “It’ll be good to get out of this heat,” Ian said.
“I can’t wait to change these clothes. I hate flying.” At that moment Evie looked over at the nearest SUV as the back door opened and a pair of long, shapely legs gracefully stepped out. Evie scrolled up, locking eyes with Simone, who didn’t appear to be fazed by the heat one bit. A bright blue sundress that stopped mid-thigh and was held up by two thin straps encased her torso. Try as she might, Evie couldn’t maintain eye contact. Her gaze roved back down Simone’s body, stopping at her strappy heels, but not before pausing at the bodice for several seconds.
Ian leaned over and whispered, “You’re such a lech.”
“Shut up.” Evie had to physically turn herself around to pull her gaze from Simone. It was strange because it wasn’t like she hadn’t noticed Simone was pretty before. Okay, pretty was the wrong word. Beautiful was more appropriate. It was hard not to notice someone like Simone. Today, however, was the first time Evie had felt an attraction, an intense attraction that had her insides thrumming.
Thankfully, Jess called Evie’s name before she started drooling and making an absolute ass of herself. “You’re in room two-eleven.”
Evie accepted the key—not keycard, that’s how far in the boonies they were—and hitched her purse higher on her shoulder. She willed herself not to turn back around and instead beelined for the stairs to the second floor at the end of the building.
She was on the very end, and from her vantage point on the second floor, the view of the countryside appeared impressive, which wasn’t saying much. The production team had chosen Watershed because of the quaint one-strip downtown that looked straight out of a movie from the 50s. The storyline for this episode had the family travelling for Abby’s eldest daughter Sophia’s soccer.
In the first season it was established that Sophia was a gifted athlete, so even though she was only eight on the show, she played with girls who were much older. Ian played Colton Jefferies, Sophia’s coach. In this particular episode, Abby and Ben get into a fight about how much of their lives Abby is sharing on social media—she’s turned the trip into a sponsor event for a number of things—and for once Ben has had enough. He’s worried that Sophia won’t enjoy the game as much if she sees it as a way to make money. Once Ben’s left, Colton finds an interesting way to ease her loneliness.
From the second story of the motel, Evie could see the strip, which was within walking distance. The tip of the movie theatre was the most noticeable, as it was the tallest thing in the small town. Evie fumbled with her key, once again seeking out the bright blue below. When she did finally spot her, Simone was watching Evie from within the crowd. Her breath caught. There was something powerful, something magnetic about the pull she felt deep within her. She shook it off and turned away. As several people had pointed out to her recently, it had been a while since she’d indulged in some of the more fun aspects of being a single adult. She chalked her reaction up to her longer-than-usual abstinence, putting it out of her mind so she could focus on the days ahead.
* * *
Evie groaned as she flipped through the absurdly large menu. The Cedar’s Inn didn’t have a restaurant but was conveniently located next to a Cracker Barrel. Fifteen minutes earlier she’d heard a knock on her door, only to open it and find Ian leaning against the door frame holding two vouchers he’d gotten from Jess. “Let’s get fat together.” He smirked.
He hadn’t been joking. Travelling outside of Canada had not featured large in her upbringing or even early adulthood. Evie’s parents’ idea of a vacation was stuffing her brothers and her into a minivan and driving to the east coast to visit family at their cottage in PEI. And until this summer—which she’d spent in Estonia—her most ambitious trip abroad had been to Cuba one Christmas for one of those all-inclusive vacations with an ex.
Evie leaned over and whispered, “They have one salad on the entire menu.”
“Welcome to the midwest.” Ian devolved into an almost evil laugh. “Oh, just wait.”
They were soon joined by Will, who for some reason had dressed up for dinner. Instead of the jeans and T-shirt he’d been wearing earlier, he was now in what Evie’s dad liked to call frumpy casual—dark dress pants and a button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to just below his elbows.
“Oh, my Lord. Well, isn’t this excitin’.” Their server, a pregnant woman with large hair and pale pink lips, stepped up to their table with several menus under her arm and a pitcher of water. “We’ve all been watchin’ your show. We’ve never had famous people here before.”
Will grinned. Evie knew from earlier encounters that this was his favourite part of being an actor. “We’re honoured to be the first,” he smarmed. Evie and Ian exchanged looks.
Their server tittered as she handed Will a menu. “My name is Pam, and I’ll be your server today.”
“Pam. Did you know that’s my favourite name?” Will looked over at them. “Right, guys? I’ve mentioned this before.”
Ian held up his menu to hide his face from the rest of the table and mimed barfing onto his lap. Pam, meanwhile, had practically melted into Will’s. Evie suspected Will might’ve had a chance with her. The wedding band and the very noticeable baby in her belly said differently.
Pam swooned as she took their drink orders, then pranced off to fetch them as if they were the only table in the restaurant.
“Stop flirting with the server,” whispered Evie.
Will waved her off. “It’s harmless.”
“I’ve seen what harmless looks like to you. Enough.”
Ian poked his head over his menu. “We still have five more days here. Let’s not alienate everyone just yet.”
Evie banged her head against her menu at that thought. She’d have to find somewhere else to eat if she was going to survive five days here.
“Can we join you?” Evie glanced up from her menu to see Jess and Simone, who was still wearing the blue sundress from earlier. Evie smiled and willed herself not to let her eyes drift downward. She focused back on the menu instead.
“Of course.” Ian pointed to the two empty seats beside him and Evie. “We just ordered drinks.” He handed Jess his menu. “I already know what I’m having. I don’t even know why I look at the menu. It’s always the same thing.”
“You’ve been here before?” Jess asked.
“I grew up here. Well, not here. I grew up in Portland, Maine. It was my dad’s favourite restaurant. Every year on his birthday, we’d go. He loves anything fried.”
Jess opened her menu, eyes wide as she scanned the pages. “Who doesn’t love fried stuff? What’s good here?” Evie couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or not.
“My dad always got some form of fried chicken. I can’t really say if it’s up to your standards though. My dad’s other favourite restaurant is Taco Bell. I think I was in my mid-twenties before I realized that Taco Bell is about as Mexican as a hot dog.”
Simone opened her menu, scanned the pages, and then quickly shut it and placed it next to her place setting.
“Why is the gravy white?” asked Evie.
“Beats the hell out of me.”
* * *
The restaurant had filled up quickly, mostly with crew members on the show. By the time Pam came back to grab their order, a small line had formed at the door. Simone was sorry Jess had talked her into coming, insisting this was part of the fun of going on location. She would’ve been happy to get out of her clothes and curl up in bed with a good book. Everyone else looked comfy in casual wear. Evie was in an oversized sweater, which had slipped, revealing the thin strap of a tank top underneath and yoga pants. She seemed determined to blend in as much as possible. Yet it was impossible. Even with minimal makeup she stood out. Her freckles and messy bun just made her more approachable.
When Pam came back to take their order, she appeared more harried than she had before. “Sorry ’bout the wait. We weren’t expecting so many people tonight. I think word’s gotten out.” She pulled a pen from somewhere in her large hair and said, “So what can I get you this evening? I’ll put a rush in to get it out here faster.”
“Please don’t go to any trouble on our behalf,” said Evie.
“It’s no trouble, Miss Harper.”
“Don’t mind Evie. She hates being fawned over.” Will grinned. “I, on the other hand, love it, as you may have been able to tell.”
Pam laughed, a big whooping laugh that got the attention of half the restaurant.
When Pam came to Evie she said, “I’ll just have the salad, please, without the bacon, and the dressing on the side.”
“That’s just her starter.” Ian grabbed Evie’s menu. “You can’t eat just a salad for dinner. That is so unhealthy.”
Evie’s eyes widened. “It’s a hell of a lot healthier than Grampa’s country-fried breakfast.”
“Pick something else.”
“Okay. I’ll also have the country vegetable plate.”
Pam plastered a smile on her face. “You get four sides with that. Which ones would you like?”
“What are my options?”
Pam began listing every side they offered, none of which were vegetables.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. She’ll have a burger with fries,” said Ian.
Evie took his chin between her thumb and forefinger and pulled his head toward her. “I am a grown woman, and you do not get to order for me.” She motioned toward herself. “This is my body, and I get to choose what goes in it. If I’d wanted a burger, I would’ve ordered one.” To Pam she said, “Please bring me a salad and a plate of vegetables. I don’t care what kind of vegetables they are, as long as they aren’t fried.”
Ian held his hands up in defeat. “I’m just trying to look out for you.”
Evie arched an eyebrow. “Apologize or stop talking.”
Ian nodded his head. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.”
Pam stood a moment longer, obviously undecided on what to do. “Is that all I can get for you? Anyone need a drink refill?’
Simone sat back, impressed. If you’d asked her yesterday or even earlier that day what she thought of Evie, she would’ve had a completely different opinion. At first she thought Evie was playing the game, letting people dictate to her. This Evie didn’t take shit from anyone, and if possible that made her even sexier.
Within a minute Evie and Ian were back to their old selves, teasing and laughing so much that when Pam came back, she made a comment about them being an old married couple.
Ian leaned his head on his hand and gave Evie an adoring look. “Sadly, I’m the wrong gender. Evie here only likes the—what did you call them?”
Evie swatted his arm.
“Babes. That was it.”
“I did not use that term.” Everyone looked over at Pam, forgetting for a moment that they were no longer in Toronto, where that comment would have been lost for its insignificance. Here, in a small town, it could land any number of reactions.
Pam smiled. “Oh. My husband’s best friend’s sister-in-law is a lesbian. And I’m pretty sure my eighth-grade gym teacher was one. Watershed is a small town, but we’re very welcoming and open-minded.” The way she sounded out the word lesbian, over-pronouncing the B, made it sound like she didn’t use it much, even if she did claim to know a couple.
Simone didn’t catch what Evie did to Ian under the table after Pam left, but it made him jump a touch out of his seat. “It was fine. Her husband’s best friend’s sister-in-law is one. You’re in good company.” Evie gave him a look that could’ve been a novel only Ian could understand. This was going to be an interesting week, and Simone wasn’t sure she was ready for it.
Chapter Eleven
“Cut. Let’s do it again.” Scott Bloomgren stood under a giant umbrella, shaded from the unrelenting sun that for the past day had done nothing but cause problems. Two grips were in the emergency room because of heat stroke, at least a dozen extras had quit, and casting was replacing the actress meant to play the opposing team’s coach due to severe burns on her nose and shoulders.
As soon as Scott spoke, the stillness and quiet turned to controlled chaos as the scene was reset for another take.
“At least it’s not Michael. Could you imagine what he would do being a day and a half behind?” Ian whispered at Evie. Today they were filming the game sequence, which was bound to be the most difficult, as they were working with more than a dozen ten- and eleven-year-olds in the scorching heat.
Evie didn’t answer. Instead, she pulled a fan from where she’d stashed it in a prop bag by her feet. “Why is it so goddamned hot? I know we came south. But not that much south.”
A PA stopped by and handed both Ian and Evie a bottle of water. “Scott wants everyone to stay hydrated.”
Evie felt like she weighed twenty times more than she had this morning. “I like heat. I love it. In fact—”
“Nobody likes heat. Warm weather, sure. Not heat.” Will opened his bottle and chugged half of it. “This is what hell must feel like.”
“Okay. Ready on set.” Everyone quieted. Evie put the fan back in its hiding place. Will moved into position again on the bleachers behind them. “Roll sound.”
“Sound rolling.”
“Roll camera.”
“Camera rolling.”
“And action.”
A dozen girls in shorts and shin guards flew onto the field. One tripped unexpectedly, and Scott called cut again. He reminded Evie of one of those amusement-park billboards where you stuck your head through a hole to get a new torso. His face didn’t match his body. In Scott’s case, he had the round, plump one of an infant, but the face of a fifty-year-old man, and he spoke in a soft, almost high-pitched tone. Most of the time he used a bullhorn to get his voice to carry. Today, for some reason, he had decided to project, and it wasn’t working.
Perhaps it was because they’d gained spectators. At the edge of the field, out of view of the camera, stood dozens of them. Far more than yesterday. They’d been shooting at a hotel pool a few towns over. Today, word had gotten out, and since they’d begun setting up a little after nine in the morning, people had shown up to watch. Evie wasn’t sure if it was the same people since the beginning of the day, but if it was, didn’t they have jobs?
The sun was heading toward the tree line, and with every take they did, Evie worried they might have to cut for the day and continue tomorrow. It would put them behind another day. Evie wasn’t sure what they would do if that happened. They’d done only a few location shoots last year and none as far away as this. Michael had been the director for two of those episodes, and none of them had gone over time.
“You think they’ll cut a scene if they can’t get everything?” asked Evie.
“Possibly. Or extend us a day. No one’s going to like that because they can’t guarantee the rooms or locations. Honestly, I’m not worried about it.”
“Why not?”
“I’ve got other things to worry about.”
“Like what? Your dinner order?” Ian hadn’t been lying. They’d eaten at the Cracker Barrel three times now, and he’d ordered the same thing every time. Evie didn’t care to see if he was going to order it again tonight. According to Google maps they weren’t far from a Save-A-Lot, which Evie was hoping was a grocery store. She had a fridge in her room, so even if she had to live off fruit and veggie platters, it was way better than the alternative. The smell alone had invaded her senses, and every time she walked by, it flipped her stomach. And not in a good way.
