Chapter Two
Ashlyn didn’t know if she should even expect Brandon to show up, but there was a small part of her that hoped he would. During their first day, they blocked off one end of the beach and filmed an intimate scene between the main two characters. Ashlyn enjoyed the scene, because the words from both characters gave her hope for a future filled with love.
That evening, Brandon did not come by. Ashlyn had showered as soon as they were done filming and changed into something that was semi-nice, but she didn’t want anyone to know if Brandon didn’t come, so she tried to occupy herself with a book and pretend that she wasn’t waiting for anyone. She couldn’t hide her disappointment though as she climbed into bed at 12:00am and Brandon still hadn’t shown up. She held the same hope for the following night, but Brandon did not show up then either.
The next morning, she had dark bags under her eyes from not sleeping well. And of course, that was when Brandon showed up for the extras casting. Ashlyn saw Brandon, and she waved to him as he was corralled around with the extras. He waved back, but they didn’t have an opportunity to talk. Ashlyn wondered if there was some way she could put in a good word for him, or if after letting the camera take a spill in the woods, it was better for her not to say anything. Gary still was not very happy with Ashlyn.
Pamela approached Ashlyn. “Do you know that extra? He seems to be smiling your way an awful lot.”
“Which one is it?” Ashlyn asked, not wanting to do anything to indicate that they were talking about Brandon.
“He’s got dark, longish hair, looks like some sort of beach bum.”
Ashlyn laughed. “Yeah, I met him the other day on the beach. That is an interesting story. I’ll have to tell it to you later.”
Pamela laughed. “Ashlyn, you always have an interesting story. Your life is never boring like the rest of ours where we just work, eat, and sleep without any fun in the middle.”
Ashlyn smiled, knowing her friends’ words were true. “Yeah, except with that guy, his name is Brandon, I really think he’s a gem. He’s a gentleman to begin with. He has that whole Southern charm thing going for him. I might see if he can hang out at the beach house after filming. Let me know what you think of him.”
“Now, you want my opinion,” Pamela gave Ashlyn a serious look. “I thought you could navigate these waters by yourself.”
Ashlyn shrugged. “Maybe I can, but I don’t know. I think Brandon may really be a good guy for once.”
Pamela shrugged. “Invite him over. See how he does with groups. It’s hard to get a true perspective of a guy when you’re the only one observing him.”
Ashlyn agreed and repeated her effort to invite Brandon over. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted it to happen. As soon as they were done filming for the day, Ashlyn hurried over and invited Brandon to the beach house. She didn’t want to sound desperate, but she really didn’t want him to turn her down. That would be a true indication that he was not interested in her.
“Hey, what are your plans for the night?” Ashlyn asked.
“I don’t have any plans,” Brandon replied. “I’m a pretty boring guy, remember?”
“Well, the crew always has a good time. I’m sure we have enough food for one more. Sometimes, we play games or something after dinner or we just talk. You could get to know the crew.”
Ashlyn pushed her hands into her back pockets and turned her eyes away from Brandon in an effort to hide how much she cared what his answer would be.
“That sounds fine to me,” Brandon said. “As long as there truly will be enough food and I am not intruding.”
“It’s fine,” Ashlyn assured him. “Why don’t you just walk back with us?” The crew stored their equipment after carefully wiping it down to get rid of any spare sand particles. Dinner was tacos, and everyone began chowing down. Ashlyn found a place at the table across from Brandon and found that he was easily fitting in with the crew. Everyone asked him about his job and what he did, etc. Ashlyn sat back and smiled as she watched him interact. It seemed like she had picked a real winner this time.
When they were done eating, Brandon casually picked up Ashlyn’s plate and rinsed it off at the sink for her. Ashlyn looked over at Pamela who had also noticed his action. Pamela gave a small thumbs up. That was all the encouragement that Ashlyn needed.
She got next to him to play a game of Phase 10, but the game was taking forever. They had six people playing, and it seemed as though she would never phase up. The points were quickly mounting, and one person was even in the thousands. Ashlyn didn’t want to quit the game, but she couldn’t help feeling a little bored. She wanted to talk to Brandon. She wanted to have his attention, not be shoved behind other people.
Ashlyn nudged Brandon as she started her fifth round on level six. “What time do you need to get back?” It was a subtle hint that maybe she should walk him back to his car, but he didn’t seem to be getting the hint.
Brandon merely shrugged. “Maybe in an hour or so. I have to feed the dog, but she’s outside and she can wait some more.”
Ashlyn nodded and waited another five minutes for her turn. She wondered if Brandon would be up for a walk outside on the beach. It was too tempting to pass up. Ashlyn finally spoke again.
“Do you want to walk on the beach?” she was trying to speak quietly so that not everyone would hear her.
Brandon looked at her for a minute then nodded. “That’s actually a really good idea.” He looked at his watch. “We should go right now.”
Ashlyn wondered at his sudden change in attitude, but she didn’t give him time to change it again. “I fold,” Ashlyn laid her cards in the middle. The other players protested, but she knew they didn’t mind. They were probably just as annoyed by how long the turns were taking as she was. Ashlyn stood up and stretched. She was ready to talk to Brandon and see if he thought of her as anyone special.