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Suddenly Frannie realized that she was thinking more about the Greek cuisine than she was about her deceased husband. She sighed. It had been three years. Everyone kept telling her that she needed to start dating. Especially Nick and Denise. They wanted to see her happy again. She told them that she was happy, which was true. But she wasn’t fulfilled. Not romantically. She took off the dress from her honeymoon and tried on the low-cut black dress. It felt right. She was ready for this date.
Frannie was applying her mascara when there was a knock at the front door. She heard the door open.
“Mom? Mom?” Denise called out.
“Up here.”
Denise ran up the stairs to find her mother in the black dress. “Wow. Where are you going?”
“On a date.”
“Really?” Denise said wide-eyed.
“Don’t act so surprised.” Frannie laughed.
“That’s great, Mom. Who is he?”
That was a good question, Frannie thought. But she wasn’t going to reveal that to her daughter. “A nice man who likes to cook.”
“Great. Very happy for you. But I was hoping that I could look in your closet. Some of the extras for the movie need to wear some period dress. And you have more clothes from the nineties than anyone else I know.”
“Since when did the 1990s become period clothing? Sure, take a look. I’d better run or I’ll be late.”
“Have a great time. And, Mom, stay out late. As late as you want.” Denise smiled knowingly. Frannie just rolled her eyes.
“I’m sure I’ll be home by nine o’clock, in time to watch my shows.” Frannie grabbed a bottle of Shepherd’s award-winning wine, Poison Ivy, and ran out the door.
She drove slowly down Exchange Road, looking for the address. She didn’t see any apartment buildings and was confused. She checked the paper again. Finally, she decided to get out of the car and look for the address on foot. She held up the slip of paper and looked at the number:238. She noticed a storefront with that number, but it didn’t look like a place to live. In fact, it looked empty. Then she noticed young men and women walking in and out of the storefront, carrying walkie-talkies and boxes of water and soda.Could this be where J. B. lives?She ventured forth, nervous but excited.
Frannie opened the door, and there he was—J. B. She breathed a sigh of relief before she looked around and noticed that they weren’t alone. In fact, they were surrounded by about fifty people, all sitting at folding tables and chairs.This doesn’t seem like a date!
“You made it!” J. B. smiled. He came over to her and kissed her first on one cheek and then on the other cheek. Very French. She relaxed a bit.
“I did. Some place you’ve got.”
“Thanks. You look great.”
“I didn’t really know what to wear.”
“Oh,mon dieu.” J. B. slapped himself on his forehead. “Did I forget to mention that I’m the caterer for craft services on a movie?”
“Yes,” Frannie said, wide-eyed, as she tried to hide her shock.
“So sorry. I hope you can forgive me. They are filming an outdoor Christmas scene tonight, and so this is where they wanted the cast and crew to eat dinner.”
“It’s okay. Is this the movie written by the local girl, Ivy Green?”
“Yes. It is. Do you know her?”
“Of course. Everyone knows Ivy. It’s a small town.”
“Yes, yes. She’s a lovely girl. Now you must sit, sit.”
Frannie waited as J. B. pulled out a chair for her, and she sat down at a round folding table. It was covered with a light-blue tablecloth topped with a mason jar filled with fresh daisies. She had to admit—he had done a nice job of creating ambiance in an industrial setting. She didn’t know anyone at the table. They were all busy eating. The lasagna looked delicious. Frannie wasn’t sure what to do so she introduced herself. “Hi, I’m Frannie Shepherd.” Across from her was Vera, the production designer, the cinematographer, and an empty chair. Vera’s eyes darted upward in recognition.
“The co-owner of Shepherd Winery,” Vera said. Frannie nodded. “We owe you a debt of gratitude.” Vera turned to the cinematographer and the production designer and added, “She made it possible for us to film at the winery we wanted.” Everyone applauded and thanked her. For the first time, Frannie felt very at ease.
J. B. rushed over with two plates of lasagna. “Come with me. I have a nice table for us outside.” He smiled. Frannie followed him outside to a Christmas set where they sat down at a table for two. They were surrounded by Christmas garlands and poinsettias. A large pine tree was decorated with colorful balls and other ornaments. She smiled at all the Christmas decorations. J. B. put a red cloth napkin and silverware in front of her.
