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“Hey, I can be fun,” Maye defended.

Tracy froze and stared at Maye. “Says the woman having black coffee at a hotel breakfast buffet.”

“I’m not that hungry. I can’t eat when I’m nervous.” Maye tapped her coffee mug until Tracy held it still. “Sorry.” Maye sat on her hands. “I’ve just had something on my mind since yesterday and I’m going to run it by you, okay? And you have to tell me if I’m way off base.”

“Can I keep eating my pancakes?”

“I don’t know how to feel about that moment on the stage with Chris,” Maye admitted. “I mean, part of me was really in the moment, but on the other hand he was probably acting. I mean, that’s what he does for a living. He’s supposed to be good at convincing people to feel something, right?” Maye reached across the table and grabbed a potato off Tracy’s plate. “I just don’t want to make things weird by reading something into it if there’s nothing there, you know?” She grabbed a strip of bacon from Tracy’s plate. “And I’m just getting over a break-up, right? It’s a vulnerable place for anyone to be. People are way more susceptible to new attention after a relationship ends. I know better than to fall for that. I should just accept it for what it was: a cool experience.” She grabbed a fork full of scrambled eggs. “Right? What do you think?”

Without looking up, Tracy said, “I think you should get your own plate of food.”

- 20 -

Pilot Episode

When Maye and Tracy arrived back at the elementary school, Chris was waiting for them in the parking lot.

“Morning, ladies!” he said as he handed them each a coffee cup. “I guessed on your preferences. Tracy you seem like a peppermint mocha all year-round kinda gal, and Maye, I got yours plain black with no room for sweetener or fun flavors,” he couldn’t even finish the sentence without cracking a smile. “I’m kidding! They’re both plain so you can add your own cream and sugar.”

“Why, thank you,” Maye said as she took a sip.

“I wanted to meet you out here today because you should know that things will be a little different than yesterday.” Chris started walking and Maye and Tracy followed him inside the building. “We won’t have any of the movie set perks because our little project is not associated with the production, but Lars is cool with us freelancing a bit as long as we stay out of the way.”

Chris led them to a classroom that had been converted into a make-shift set. Dusty chalkboards lined the walls and the tiny desks and chairs had been moved to one side of the room. The space was cluttered with tripods holding lights and cameras, and cables snaked all over the floor. They were all pointed at a sparsely decorated set with two faux leather armchairs angled towards each other, each with a microphone positioned by its side. Beside each chair was a short Christmas tree decorated with lights and a tree skirt that looked like a small patch of snow. Behind the chairs, Jayce was clipping a green screen into place and noticed the trio as they entered.

“Oh, hey, you’re here!” He walked around to greet them. “We can get started if you’re both ready. We’re going with a three-shot—”

Chris leaned toward Maye. “That means three cameras recording at the same time so we capture a wide shot of the full set, and individual close-up shots of each of us. We’ll cut into different shots in editing.”

“Got it,” Maye nodded. “And the green screen can be anything, right?”

“Right,” Jayce confirmed. “So, as far as the structure of the show, I was thinking four segments. I’ve written questions related to the movie for you to launch into conversation…” he paused and turned to Maye. “Maye, you look confused. What is it?”

“Um…what movie?” she asked timidly.

“Oh, yeah, okay,” Chris said, “I can explain. Jayce and I talked about focusing the show around one movie, and then we can see where the conversation goes from there. Have you seen Almost Only Counts for Horseshoes and Hand Grenades but Never Kisses?”

“That can’t be a real movie…” Maye tried not to laugh.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Chris said. “That’s okay. I’ll explain the plot as we go and you just add commentary. We’ll just sort of wing this one since it’s the first try.”

“So, you two,” Jayce continued, “you each give your initial thoughts, then dive deeper into how you feel based on your experiences, then question each other’s logic, then finish with a high-concept, thought-provoking question. Sound good?”

“That sounds good to me,” Chris said, “but I think we need some catchy segment names.”

“Ooh,” Tracy leaned in. “What about Hot Take, All the Feels, Wait, What?, and, um…” she thought for a moment. “Oh! What’s Calling my Heart?”

“I love it,” Chris said, and the others nodded in agreement.

“Great contribution, Tracy,” Jayce added. “You’ve earned a spot as Associate Producer for this episode.”

“Woo!” Tracy pumped her fist. “Do I get paid?”

“No,” Jayce answered swiftly.

“Do I get my name in the credits?”

“No.”