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Chris took Maye’s hand and led her onto the stage.

“You coming?” Maye turned to Tracy.

“I need to sit down for a minute,” she said as she folded down one of the seats. “This is overwhelming.”

Up on the stage, Maye walked with Chris along a pathway defined by mounds of puffy cotton stuff designed to look like snowbanks. He stopped her at center stage and showed her the marks on the floor that designate where he and Ashley will need to stand to ensure they are in focus for the camera.

The director, Lars, stepped up to the front of the stage.

“Hey guys, you mind if we block the shot while you stand there? Ashley is doing a quick pick-up for another scene, and we can get this setup ready if you just stand there while we set this shot, yah?”

“Is that okay with you?” Chris asked as he turned toward her.

“Yeah, sure,” she said. “That’s fine with me.” How cool is this? Maye thought to herself. She snuck a look at Tracy sitting in the third row and both silently eek’d at each other.

“Okay,” Chris said as he turned his whole body to face Maye, “stand like this and put your toes up against the tape on the ground.”

Maye turned to face Chris and stepped up to the tape. When she looked up at him, they were only inches apart. Suddenly, the overhead lights in the auditorium shut off, leaving only the lights that were set up to illuminate the stage. She must have jumped when it happened because Chris grabbed her hands.

“It’s okay,” he said. “They’re just setting the lighting for the scene. They want the focus to be center stage where we are standing. Next, they’ll start the fake snow machines.”

Right on cue, Maye heard a machine start churning and small droplets of white foam began to fall as if it were snowing inside. Instinctually, she stuck her arms out to catch the snow, and was quickly reprimanded by Lars.

“Places, please, yah?” he announced from behind the video village that was laid out at the foot of the stage.

“Whoops,” Maye said as she got back into position.

Chris smirked and flashed his eyebrows conspiratorially.

“So, in this scene,” he spoke quietly and Maye had to lean in a bit to hear, “my character and Ashley’s character are demonstrating a duet for the students. The wide camera shot will capture us moving about the stage, but then her character trips and I lean in to catch her, and then we stand up and we are this close to each other. That’s when the camera shot switches to a close-up. I brush her hair out of her face like this…” he said as he tucked Maye’s hair behind her ear and then held the side of her face with his soft, secure hand.

Maye took a sharp breath in and held it.

“And then,” he continued. “I pull her tight against me to make sure she’s safe…”

Maye nodded hastily. She wasn’t sure if there was music playing or if it was just in her head, but she heard an orchestra of strings swelling as the snow lazily fell around them. The lights shone so the only thing she could see in front of her was Chris and the twinkling lights of the trees behind him. Her heart fluttered as she leaned in to his lips.

“Okay, we got it guys, yah?” Lars announced as the house lights flipped back on overhead and the final snowflakes fell to the ground.

“Then the school kids “oooh” and “aaah” and interrupt our almost kiss,” Chris said as he stepped back and relaxed.

“Just your standard ol’ interrupted kiss, huh?” Maye said coolly, but inside she was not cool. Not cool at all. Did she just try to kiss Chris on an elementary school stage while an entire movie production team watched? He was just acting out a scene that he’s probably done dozens of times. Was it obvious to him and the entire crew that she had fallen for it? She felt a wintry mix of embarrassed and horrified, with a dusting of gratitude.

Finally, a voice cut through the silence that had fallen over the entire auditorium. From her seat in the third row, Tracy shouted, “My turn!”

- 19 -

Breakfast Buffet

with Tracy

The next morning, Maye and Tracy woke up early enough to make it down to the hotel breakfast buffet before they had to meet Chris and Jayce. Tracy loaded her plate with scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, a few strips of bacon, and a stack of pancakes. Maye started with just coffee.

“Today’s the big day,” Tracy said as she joined Maye at a small table. “How’re ya feeling?”

“Actually,” Maye took a moment and assessed her mental state. “Kind of nervous.”

“I don’t think you need to be nervous. Just be your unfun, practical self,” Tracy said with a smirk.