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“That’s awesome! I’m glad you’re busy enough to need someone. I’m sure you’ll keep it up. Your work is amazing.”
I blush. “Thanks. It’s nice to get compliments. I have imposter syndrome most days.”
“Me, too. I guess I’m an actor, and being an imposter is my job.”
“Yeah, but still. It feels like everyone is better than you.”
“I worry I’m past my prime. I got started so young and stayed on my show for a long time. Now that I’m an adult, it’s hard to like, break out again. No one seems to want me.”
I want you, I think, and the thought scares and excites me. Instead of saying that aloud, I say, “You’ll find your space. I think you just need to figure out what your niche is now. What do you want to do as an actor? TV? Movies? More of a crew role?”
“Those are not easy questions to answer. I want to do it all, but that’s not possible. It would be cool to get a spot on another TV show. I thought movies were what I wanted until now. TV offers more opportunities. Like, maybe I could direct an episode or two if I were in a TV show. I see that happening a lot these days.”
“That would be great for you! I remember you saying you want to write and direct in the future.”
Spencer looks down at the ground. “I forgot I told you that. I don’t tell a lot of people.”
“I think it’s awesome. You’d be good at it. You’re creative.”
“Maybe. It’s a whole different world. We’ll see what happens.”
“I hope you do it. I’d love to see a movie you wrote.”
In my head, I think about how I want him to write it in the office I designed for him. He still hasn’t seen it yet, and I’m excited for it to be finished so I can see his face. It shouldn’t be much longer.
“I want to do something different, too,” I admit. “I love interior design; I just think it would be fun to branch out into new areas of design.”
“Have you ever thought of doing sets for movies or TV shows?”
“I’ve thought about it, but I’m not sure if I would like it.”
“You never know if you don’t try.”
“I guess that’s true. Same goes for you.”
“Here’s to trying new things!” Spencer says.
I laugh, and we high-five. As we continue to walk through the gardens, talking and getting to know each other, we stumble upon the café that sells different kinds of food, including sandwiches.
My stomach rumbles, and Spencer laughs. “Do you want to stop and grab some dinner?”
“Yeah, that would probably be good. I had an early lunch today.”
“Perfect.”
We each order a sandwich and sit at one of the picnic tables shaded by a tall tree in the garden. There’s a little pond to the right where a duck swims. Though the gardens are fenced in, it still feels like we’re out in the wild.
“This is nice. I’m glad we came here. I’ve lived in LA my entire life, and I’ve never been.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. I feel like gardens aren’t really something people do on purpose. I always loved being outside and stuff. The garden at my parents’ house is huge because of all the work I put into it. Well, I guess it was huge. As soon as I moved out, they let it get overgrown. I didn’t have the time to go back and keep up the work.”
“Sounds amazing.”
I take a bite of my deli sandwich. When I’ve swallowed, I say, “I have pictures if you want to see them.”
“I’d love that.”
I scroll through until my beloved garden fills up the screen.
“I just wish I could do something like that here. I miss having space for a garden. The place I lived in Mass let me do it, but I asked here, and the landlord said no.”
“That’s too bad. You’re amazing. I love the different colors.”
“It’s a fun hobby.”
“You don’t want to make it a job?”
I shake my head. “It’s something fun for me to do outside of work. I thought about it, but then I realized I need a hobby for just me. I guess this is it.”
“Sounds like a good hobby. It’s no wonder you wanted to come out here today.”
“It’s one of many things I need to do in LA. Going to a concert is on the list, even though I hate the crowds. I’ve heard there are some cool venues here.”
Spencer nods. “You should give it a shot. Make sure it’s an artist you really like.”
“That’s key. Now that we’re hiring someone new, I should have more free time. That’ll make it easier.”
Everything about this is really nice. It’s easy to talk to Spencer. I’ve always had a hard time communicating with people because I only like to talk when I have something to say. It seems I have a lot to say to Spencer.
