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Ivy moved over behind the camera and looked through the lens at the ice-skating rink. She noticed that from the camera’s perspective, in the foreground, she could only see the rollerbladers from the waist up. Two extras were now gliding back and forth on the asphalt, but it looked like they were wearing ice skates with actual blades, not wheels. In the background, she could see the plastic ice that actually did look like ice now that she was farther away.
“That’s so cool,” Ivy said to no one in particular. Then Drew joined her.
“Now you get it?” he said, perhaps a bit smugly, but Ivy brushed it off.
“You were right. It does look real.”
“Just trust me. I’ll always take care of your story,” he said.
“Thanks. Sorry about the shirt.” Ivy walked back across the set to her canvas chair and almost stopped because sitting in the chair next to hers was Nick. She’d figured he’d left after dropping off the coffee. He’d already noticed her so she couldn’t turn around and run off. She became resolute and walked to her chair and sat down.
“Hey, Ivy,” Nick said.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well, that’s not very welcoming. But if you must know, Amari invited me. And I wasn’t too busy at the winery this morning, so I thought I’d stop by.”
“Great,” Ivy said. Sarcasm dripped from her voice.
Nick ignored her unfriendly remark. “I don’t see how this can look like a real ice rink.”
“Well, you wouldn’t understand this because you’re not in the film business, but when all the actors have their winter gear on and they’re gliding around the ice, it’s going to look very real,” Ivy said, almost duplicating what Bruce had told her. She hated how snarky she sounded but Nick seemed to bring out the worst in her ever since she’d returned home to Geneva.
“Okay. You’re the pro. So, what’s up with you and this Drew guy?”
“Well, if you have to know, we’re going to be moving in together. In Downtown LA.”
At that moment, Bruce came rushing over to them. “Do either of you know how to skate?” They both answered yes at the same time. Bruce laughed. “Of course you do. This story is based on your love story.” Ivy noticed that Nick’s face got red. Was he blushing, or was that a sunburn that she hadn’t noticed?
“Loosely based,” Ivy said as she looked away.
“Anyhoos—we’re short on extras for the scene, and Vera thought it would be nice to include you two. Ivy, you could have your Hitchcock moment,” Bruce said. Ivy knew what he was talking about. In almost every classic Alfred Hitchcock movie, Hitchcock made sure to insert himself in one scene. During film school, it had always been fun to look for that Hitchcock moment. But now, sitting there with Nick, Ivy didn’t want her Hitchcock moment. At least not with Nick!
“Sure, happy to help,” Nick said nonchalantly. “Just let me go home and get my skates. I can be back in fifteen minutes.”
“Great!” Then Bruce turned to her. “Ivy?”
“Sure,” she said, knowing that she didn’t really have a choice. If Vera wanted her to do something, she was going to do it. “Just let me go home and get my skates. I’m sure my mother kept them.”
“Need a ride home?” Nick asked.
“Nope. I’ve got a rental car,” Ivy said. The last thing she wanted to do in that moment was to get in a car with him.
“Okey dokey! See you back in fifteen. We’ll start filming then,” Bruce said enthusiastically. His walkie-talkie squawked, and he sprinted away.
***
Back on the set, Ivy and Nick laced up their skates. They watched as stunt doubles for Amari and Griffin twirled around the fake ice. They both finished lacing at the same time. They walked toward the open door of the fake rink. Even just walking, Ivy was wobbly at first, but she noticed that Nick was steady.
“When was the last time you went skating?” Ivy wondered.
“I was just going to ask you the same thing,” Nick said.
“So?”
“Probably the last time I was with you.”
“Me too. Senior year. Christmas.”
