So, I said, “I’ll help. I didn’t drink either. I’ll drive whoever you want.”
Her eyes found mine, at last. “Thank you. That would be a big help. Even getting them into the car. They’ll be way more likely to listen to you.”
I glanced toward the booth to see Candace slumped against Becca, who petted her hair. “And I have the added benefit of being able to carry your sister.”
Joan turned around and groaned.
“Come on, Coach. We’ve got this.”
I held out my fist.
She smiled and bumped it softly. “Okay, then.”
twelve
JOAN
“He’s going to offer you coffee,” I said very quietly. “Just accept it and drink it. Don’t make a face.”
Brady just had time to say “What?” before Ian opened the door to me, my siblings, and Mercer standing on his front porch.
“Come on in, y’all.” Ian smiled as we passed. “Thanks for making time to go over this stuff ahead of the rehearsal. I know you’re very busy this week. I’m actually a little nervous and just want everything to be perfect.”
And I had to admit, Ian did look nervous. It wasn’t an expression I’d seen on him very often, but if you knew where to look—the overly toothy smile, the wide eyes, the stiff set of his shoulders—it was pretty obvious.
Thiswasa busy week, Ian was right about that. It was Tuesday, and Candace and Mercer were getting married on Saturday evening.
But I knew for a fact that Ian was busy, too. Between the movie and George and all the time we’d been spending together, Ian had a lot on his plate.
I now saw George most days. Save for the weekends when I was busy selling Christmas trees on the farm. But during the week, George was withme for most afternoons. Sometimes Sophia was there, and sometimes she wasn’t. They focused on his schoolwork in the mornings.
Ian had been finding ways to slip away. He’d been joining George and me for lunch nearly every day. And he’d been making it to most of our morning runs, too.
Despite being tugged in many directions, Dorian Masters would be officiating the upcoming wedding ceremony.
Initially, my brother had offered to marry the happy couple. He’d officiated our friends Chloe and Jordan’s wedding last summer, and wouldn’t shut up about it. But Brady was Mercer’s best man. When Ian had found out, he’d offered up his services. Said he’d love to marry Candace and Mercer.
Ian had asked us to come over this morning to discuss the vows and make sure they were exactly right. He’d also requested the presence of the best man and the maid of honor, hence the reason Brady and I were in attendance.
Perhaps it should have been strange that an A-list celebrity was going to not just attend but officiate my sister’s wedding, but for some reason, it was easy enough to accept Ian’s involvement. It probably helped that he seemed genuinely happy to do it.
That was the thing about Ian. He was adaptable and easygoing. He’d charmed the locals and hadn’t batted an eye during the bachelorette party. The man traveled the world and went to award shows, walked red carpets and worked sixteen-hour days on set.
The more I learned about Ian and got to know him, the more I realized that my earliest assumptions had been off base.
He loved being a performer and had been interested in acting since childhood.
And his current acting role was very important to Ian. I knew because he’d told me, and I’d been curious despite myself. We’d had plenty of conversations about the production, how it was a much smaller budget when compared to Ian’s other projects. But he’d wanted to work with Della. Hevalued her process and vision, and respected what she did and how she did it.
Plus, he was a producer on the film, which was a big deal to him, careerwise.
One day, a few weeks ago, as we’d sat on a picnic table and watched George hop across the bounce pillow, Ian had confessed that he’d love to slow down on the acting portion of his career and hoped to write or direct someday. But he didn’t know if it would ever happen. That he might never be taken seriously and always be seen as superhero material. That was another reason he’d wanted his current role so badly. So he could work with someone like Della, whose gritty, artistic films were often nominated during awards season. Ian hoped to expand his portfolio and diversify. He wanted space to pursue his interests which would allow him to cut back on acting so that he could spend more time focusing on George.
I’d learned a lot about the movie they were making in my own backyard, too. Ian’s character was a blue-collar mechanic, a small-town guy who got caught up in a murder mystery plot after he and his sister discovered a body in the woods.
I knew they’d be wrapping up production in Los Angeles following the location shoot in Kirby Falls. They needed studio space to film some of the interiors they didn’t have access to here. But the majority of the movie took place outdoors.
Ian had explained how they shot scenes out of order, which seemed wild to me. And that was why things like continuity were so important. Like how they trimmed his short hair weekly and kept six of the same shirt in wardrobe, just in case.
