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“Great. Let me get this taken care of. I’ll call you if I run into any issues.”
“Thanks. I’ll email you her contact info.” I pull out my phone and take care of the task as I walk into the writer’s room that serves as my temporary office until we have a location.
I’m deep into the script, making notes of changes we need to make when Fiona steps in and knocks on the door frame.
“We’ll have to find you an office of your own around here,” she says, looking at the script spread out across the conference table.
“This works for now. Once we film, I’ll be out on location or in the editing room. And if I need to hide away for a bit, I have my apartment. You should stop by and check it out. I’m in 204.”
She looks up, surprised. “I didn’t realize you were two doors down.”
“Is that a problem?” I ask, curious about her reaction.
“Of course not. Listen, I was thinking of setting up a lunch meeting with Charles. There’s a cute little cafe we’ve used in projects a few times. It might work for a couple of restaurant scenes. We can kill two birds with one stone.”
“Sure. I’m free tomorrow. What about lunch today? Would you like to go grab something with me?” I ask. My stomach growls at the thought of food. Unlike the rest of my apartment, the fridge was still relatively bare, and there hadn’t been anything edible for breakfast.
“I can’t. I’m waiting for a couple of phone calls, and I’m buried in paperwork. You should go out and get a feel for the city, though. Consider it a scouting trip.” She waves and turns to head back to her office.
“Looks like it’s just me, myself, and I,” I mutter to myself as I make my way through the office, past Cara’s empty desk. Even Dave is gone from the look of his empty office.
Fiona was right. It was good to get out and get a feel for Wilmington. Between the jet lag and the trip back home to Rockville, I hadn’t made the time to go out and explore. I grab a hardy lunch at a German restaurant that serves surprisingly good Knoedel and Sauerbraten. I haven’t had anything that good since spending a summer in a small town in the Black Forest in high school.
After the heavier than anticipated meal, I need a walk to keep from falling into a food coma. I stroll through downtown, stepping into an antique store that looks like a good source for props. And who knows, I might actually pick something out myself for my apartment. I smile at the thought and am once again eternally grateful for Cara’s help yesterday.
“Can I help you find something?” an older woman with light-gray hair asks.
“I’m browsing around, getting ideas for a new project,” I say.
“Oh, you must be one of those film people. My husband works with one of the studios. Is it a period piece?” she asks, eyes gleaming with interest.
I shake my head. “Modern day drama. But we might pick up a few knick-knacks for the sets.”
“You’d have to buy them, though. We only rent out the antique farm equipment.” She motions to a door in the back. I can make out the faint sound of engine noise coming from what I assume is a warehouse or garage behind the shop.
“Of course. I wouldn’t expect you to rent it. This china set is lovely. How much?” I hold up one of the delicate white cups with little blue flowers drawn on it. It’s nothing fancy but would add a nice touch to my main character’s place. More importantly, it was the kind of anchor piece I love picking out as we start to build the story.
“Two-hundred and fifty for the whole set,” the woman says.
“Sold.” I hold out my hand to shake on the deal.
“You’re supposed to haggle,” she says with a laugh.
“A deal is a deal.” I shrug. I’m not going to haggle with a small business owner who reminds me of my grandmother.
She shakes her head. “Let’s make it two hundred and trust me, that’s still more than I expected to make on this set when I picked it up,” she adds when I raise an eyebrow.
“Alright, if it makes you feel better. Two hundred it is.” I pull out my wallet and hand her my credit card.
“Let me wrap this up for you. I’m Claire, by the way. Claire Harris.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Claire. I’m going to keep this place in mind if there’s something else we can use.” I stroll around, looking for something to take back to Cara as a thank you for everything she did yesterday.
I find a crystal vase that looks art déco and at the same time plain enough to fit in with whatever her place looks like. It makes me realize how little I know about the woman. It would be much easier to pick something out for Fiona. She’d love the painted antique water pitcher and would get a giggle out of the unicorn coffee mug with an entirely inappropriate saying on it. I think about picking them up for her but decide to skip it. The way she’s been acting today, I get the feeling she won’t take kindly to a gift. “I’ll take this vase too.”
Ten minutes later, I’m on my way back to the office. There isn’t much to do, and Cara is thrilled with my gift.
“Mind if I cut out early, boss?” I ask, walking into Dave’s office.
