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It felt nice to hear the words. How had my life gotten so out of control? A few weeks ago, I’d been happily working on wrapping the second season of a comedy show for a streaming service with not a thought wasted on Joe McAllister.
12
JOE
“Good morning. Where do you want to start today?” I ask Fiona when I walk into the office the next morning, pleased with how my new apartment looks. I can’t wait to show it to her.
“Let’s see. We need to give Charles a call if you’re still okay with using him as our main location scout. He and his team have always done a good job for us. Other than that, it’s a matter of putting the casting directors to work. I’ll have Cara pull permits. Anything else you can think of?” She’s glancing through her planner, barely looking up at me.
“Sure thing. Wanna grab some coffee and maybe some breakfast before we dive in?” I ask, eager to get back to the ease we had in Rockville.
“I can’t. Too much to do. But you go ahead. I’ll check in later in the day.” She turns her back to me and opens her laptop.
“Alright. I’ll catch up with Louise if you’re okay with us having her on the writing team. Who do I talk to about travel arrangements and accommodations for her?” I ask.
“Cara can handle that,” Fiona says and types away furiously.
“You’re going to wear those keys out,” I say.
“Excuse me?” She swivels around and looks up at me.
“Your keyboard keys. That’s some aggressive typing.”
She shakes her head and turns back. “Anything else?” she asks, over her shoulder.
“No, I’m good.” I walk out of Fiona’s office, closing the door behind her.
“Joe, how’s everything coming along?” Dave asks when I walk past his office on the way back to the writer’s room where I’ve taken up temporary residence.
“So far, so good. We’re putting teams together, and if everything works out, we’ll have the casting directors start auditions tomorrow.”
“Good. I’d like you to take an active role since you’ll be the one working with the talent. I know that’s not possible for the West Coast ones, but do what you can to get through the tapes. I’d like to get this cast and filming as quickly as possible.”
“Will do.” It had been my plan all along, but there was no need to rub that into my boss’s face.
“Oh, and Joe? Bring Fiona in on all this. She’s got an eye for people like you won’t believe.”
“Will do, boss.” I walk off when his phone rings.
“How was the first night in the new place?” Cara asks when I make it back into the main office.
“It was good. The mattress store guy was right. I haven’t slept that solidly in a while.” And it had been nice not to wake up in a hotel again.
“I’m glad. Let me know if there’s anything else you’re missing. I’m heading out over lunch to grab a couple of things to make the place look homier. You know, some throw pillows and stuff.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I say. She’s done so much already.
“No trouble at all. I enjoy that kind of stuff. You should have seen what I did to the set of the last movie we shot. The living room where all the friends hung out during a crucial scene looked more like a waiting area ...”
I half-listen as she prattles on about transforming the room into something cozy that made the whole scene. Looking at my apartment, I don’t doubt her and file that bit of information away in the back of my mind.
“Who do I talk to about making travel arrangements for one of our writers?” I ask when she finishes.
“That’d be me. What do you need?” She pulls a notepad toward herself and asks me a series of questions. She’s through, and I have no doubt Louise’s flight will be booked and she’ll have a cozy little place to stay before the day is over.
“When do you want her to get here?” Cara asks.
“As soon as possible. She’s ready to leave the moment we have everything arranged.”
