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“This is crazy. There is no way I can do this,” she told Marianne.
“What choice do you have? He’s already in the movie as the boyfriend. It’s either this or find another actor.”
Davina grunted.
“Maybe you don’t need the scene at all?” Marianne said. “Just skip it.”
Davina plopped down on a kitchen stool.
“I can’t, it’s pivotal. It’s the whole reason she calls off the murder and the boys go a bit nuts. The other scenes we have won’t make sense without this.” She reached for the plate of brownies and helped herself to two, one wasn’t going to be enough. “How am I going to get him to do this?”
“Why not just ask him? Tell him it’s practice for the class you teach. Tell him you want to run through the scene with him before you try it on your students.”
Davina thought about it. It could work. She wandered back to the window. Jack had made a good job of clearing the garden. She was beginning to see the shape it once had. It must have been amazing when Millie owned the house. It was bittersweet watching the garden come alive. She loved this house, she felt like she belonged in it – and she would have to leave it. Jack stopped digging up a flower bed for a moment and Davina felt a wave of need knock her backwards. Images from the dark interior of the car flashed through her mind. And then so did the guilt.
He walked towards the wheelbarrow.
“Does he look like he’s limping to you?” she asked Marianne.
Marianne joined her at the window.
“I don’t think so. Did he injure himself cutting down the tree?”
“Not exactly,” Davina said. “I accidentally kneed him in the balls last night.”
Outside Jack had a coughing fit. He bent over, which didn’t help. His rear end was delicious in those buttery jeans. Her fingertips actually tingled as she thought about touching him.
“How can you accidentally do that?” Marianne shook her head at the thought.
“We were getting acquainted in the car,” she said then cleared her throat loudly. “Anyway, things got a little fuzzy – too much lust and not enough reason. And the next thing I knew, I slipped on top of him while trying to avoid the car horn.”
Marianne stared open mouthed at her.
“I didn’t want the noise from the horn distracting us,” Davina said.
“Yeah,” Marianne said. “I can see how disabling him would have been the better option.”
Davina bit her lip.
“He probably isn’t in a good mood. I’m not sure he’ll be friendly enough to help me. He can get really grumpy. I think it’s because he’s so accident prone. Every time I turn around he’s getting injured.”
Jack coughed again. From the back it looked like he was laughing.
“Look, you don’t know if he’ll help unless you ask.” Marianne looked at the clock. “Derek will be here in an hour to film the scene. You can’t do anything else because the boys are in school. So this is it. And as Derek keeps telling you, we all took time off to help you with this movie. I won’t be happy if you bail on me now.”
Davina looked at her friend.
“You will make a great mother one day,” she said, “or a prison warden, whichever way you go.”
“Take some brownies, butter him up. Tell him whatever you have to tell him to get the scene done.” Marianne handed her the plate of brownies. “And whatever you do, try to keep your hands off the man. Nothing good ever comes of it.”
Davina took the brownies, grabbed the script and did as she was told. It really cheesed her off that Marianne was always right.
Davina stood beside Jack as he continued to dig. He didn’t look incapacitated. He raised an eyebrow in her direction. No smile. Her heart sank. Surely he knew it was an accident. She held the plate of brownies towards him.
“I’m really sorry about your balls,” she said.
He started to cough again. It looked suspiciously like someone smothering a laugh and choking instead. He sat on the low wall that surrounded the flower bed and proceeded to scoff the brownies. Davina looked around; she had no idea what to say. Marianne made a thumbs-up gesture from the kitchen window.
