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“And?”
“It’s my agent. Micah proposed when I got this role, and he wants me to keep it quiet. Something about being more marketable if it appears I’m available.” She shakes her head and picks at her food.
“Ah. Not easy keeping something like that a secret. Congratulations, by the way. When’s the big day?” I taste the pie. It’s delicious. And the coffee is good and hot. I need to remember this place. Maybe bring Fiona here for a quick lunch or a late-night treat. She’d love the pie.
“I don’t know. We wanted to get married as soon as we wrap shooting here, but Patrick thinks it’s a bad idea.”
“Patrick is your manager?” I haven’t spoken to the guy.
She nods. “I miss Micah so much. We talk every day, but it’s not the same as seeing each other in person.”
“It isn’t.” I know the feeling too well after spending years on the other side of the content.
“I appreciate you giving me a shot with this movie. This won’t affect my acting any more than it already has. I’ll get it together.” She gulps down half of her water. The pie is still untouched.
“You should at least taste the pie. It’s pretty good.” I take another bite of mine.
“I really shouldn’t.” She smiles, eyeing the baked goods.
“Why? Already worried about fitting into your wedding dress?” I’d heard all about those woes from my future sister-in-law.
That makes her laugh. “No. At this point, I don’t know when or if I’ll ever get married. Career’s got to come first. I’m not very hungry.”
“What does that have to do with anything? It’s pie.”
Another smile, and she takes a tentative bite. “It’s good.”
“It is. Now let’s see what we can do about this whole Micah situation. What if I figured out a way to get you a long weekend off? So you could fly out to see him for a couple of days?” I ask.
“That would be amazing. But is that even possible?” The hope in her eyes makes me swallow hard.
“I’ll make it possible,” I promise, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. “I’ll need something from you in return, though.”
“Anything.”
“I need you to make this work with Anton. I know he isn’t the easiest person to be around, but I really need some on-screen chemistry.” I pull my hand back and pick up the abandoned fork.
“I can do that. I actually like him. He can be ... difficult, but he’s an amazing actor.”
“That he is.” I see a flash outside. It’s not the first one I noticed. They must be heat lightning over the ocean. I haven’t seen them in years.
“Thank you. For taking a chance on me and for this. And it’s okay if you can’t make the break work. It’s a big ask.”
“I’ll make it happen. Now let’s get out of here before the weather gets any worse.” I wave the waitress over to get the check, confident our shoot tomorrow will go better than today.
“Kayla, you’re out late. How’s Spike?” I ask when I see my young neighbor walking down the stairs.
“He’s great, and it’s not that late. It’s only nine. I’m checking the mail for Mom. You should come visit. I’m sure Spike misses you. Oh, and ...” She stops and wrings her hands.
“Yes?”
“Would you mind if I changed his name?” Her eyes are wide, staring right at me.
“Of course not. He’s your cat now. Spike was really more of a nickname because of his sharp claws.” I smile, hiding the fact that it hurts a tiny bit that she’s thinking of renaming the little guy.
“It’s a good nickname, but Mom fixed those. No more scratches, see?” She holds out her arm. It has a few little scratches, but they are mostly healed.
“How’d she do that?” I ask.
