4
Lucy
Lucy gazed at the misty scene out her own window.
The drive in the rental car seemed to go on forever, with Adrian staring pointedly out his window into the rain, silent as a statue.
The whitewashed buildings of the small downtown melted into endless palmetto trees and moss-hung maples before Lucy’s eyes.
She’d known South Carolina would be different from Pennsylvania, but this felt like another continent.
The road wound in aimless loops around hills and creeks, until at last there was an opening in the trees and they pulled into a sand parking lot in front of what looked more like a campsite than a motel.
A half-dozen small cabins were sprinkled throughout the clearing. A massive fallen tree rested against the roof of the furthest one, its muddy roots hanging like a wig over the front door.
“Wow,” she murmured, but Adrian made no comment.
They got out of the car and made their way to the cabin at the center with the Motel Office sign swinging from the portico.
Lucy stood in the small lobby, watching in disbelief as the scenario she’d dreamt of on so many lazy Saturdays played out before her eyes.
“I’m so sorry, sir,” the receptionist said, twisting the end of her blond ponytail around her finger winsomely.
Lucy hadn’t fantasized about the flirting clerk, but the rest was on the level.
“But, we had reservations,” Adrian said.
“Well, a tree fell,” the young woman said. “We can’t control that.”
“Why wasn’t I informed?” Adrian asked coldly.
“We sent an email to your office this morning,” the woman replied, looking at the screen. “A. Harkness at William Howard Casting, right?”
“Are there any other accommodations nearby?” Adrian asked.
“Um, no,” the girl half giggled. “Did you want to cancel Cottage #7?”
“No,” Adrian replied immediately. “We’ll take it.”
He turned to Lucy.
She tried desperately to ensure that her face was a blank slate.
“Looks like we’re bunking together, kid,” he told her.
“No problem,” she replied in what she hoped was a crisp tone. “I wanted to go over some of the choices with you before tomorrow anyway.”
Adrian finished checking them in.
“It’s the far cottage on the left,” the receptionist said helpfully, twisting her ponytail again flirtatiously.
“Thanks,” Adrian said, not noticing, or maybe just not caring.
Lucy hopped up and they went out the front door and into the misting rain.
It was hard not to look up at the ancient pines and wonder if another one might come crashing down on them at any moment.
“They’re fine,” Adrian said. He was facing forward, not even looking at her.
“Pardon?” she asked.
“The trees,” he clarified. “The one that fell was already dying. You can tell by the color of the inner branches.”
“Oh,” Lucy said, stunned that he knew so much about trees. Adrian was a city guy through and through. Or at least she’d always thought he was.
They reached the porch of the small white cottage. It had two rocking chairs, which faced out into the lush trees.
Adrian opened the door and Lucy followed him in.
It was really tiny. The room was barely big enough to hold a small table, one bed and a bathroom.
One bed.
Lucy felt the blood rushing to her cheeks again.
“I’m going to freshen up,” she said quickly, dropping her bag and dashing into the bathroom.
She closed the door behind her and surveyed her surroundings - a clawfoot tub with a view of the trees, a toilet, a sink with a storage vanity, a mirror. She briefly considered whether she could just sleep in the bathtub. It was certainly large enough, unlike the rest of the place.
Snap out of it, Lucy. You’re going to talk shop with Adrian and then go to sleep on one side of that bed, fully dressed. And you’re going to be an adult about it.
End of story.
By the time she returned to the room, she was feeling calm and in control. She grabbed her bag off the floor and headed over to the little table as Adrian went into the bathroom.
She opened her laptop and pulled up the head shots of the actors they were seeing tomorrow.
The client was big, really big. Horizon Greeting Cards spent a lot on advertising and their message was always the same - beautiful and wistful. Lucy cried all the time while watching their commercials.
Now she had to cast one.
The trouble was that Horizon was also extremely particular about their image, which meant doing social media searches on the actors in addition to looking at résumés.
If Lucy could find one image of the actor in question drinking alcohol or behaving improperly they were out for the count. Since actors weren’t exactly known to be an introverted bunch, about 80% of the talent she’d initially been interested in using had already been eliminated.
Making things even more interesting, Horizon was now insisting on completing the final callbacks here, near their national headquarters in the tiny town of Kingsbay, so that the company’s owner could stop in and express his preferences, if he had any. There was only one big hotel near the downtown of Kingsbay. Since Adrian and Lucy didn’t want to fraternize with the actors, that meant they were relegated to the cottages. Or in this case, the cottage.
“You like her,” Adrian observed softly. He had entered the room so quietly that Lucy hadn’t even heard him.
Lucy smiled and gazed at the black and white image in front of her. From the screen, Adelaide Collins seemed to smile back.
“I saw her do improv in Chicago,” Lucy said. “She was… phenomenal.”
“She’s not what they’re looking for,” Adrian warned.
Horizon was just one of the many companies who requested “all-American” actors, which Lucy had learned was industry code for Caucasian and Barbie doll-style beautiful.
Adelaide didn’t fit that physical description. But Lucy couldn’t imagine any other actress who could better fill the role in question than the stunning, full-figured, African American actress, whose initial audition had hit Lucy right in the heart.
“She is what they’re looking for,” Lucy amended. “They just don’t know it yet.”
He chuckled and sat down beside her.
“Who else do we have?” he asked.
Lucy clicked out and they both studied the page of thumbnails, so many smiling faces.
Lucy’s phone buzzed.
Text from Jeremy Hall
The client. Or at least the grandson of the client, and the man who had hired them on the client’s behalf. From her interactions with him so far, Jeremy seemed like a nice enough guy.
Jeremy Hall:
You guys make it ok?
Lucy Wren:
Yes, thank you.
Jeremy Hall:
Sweet. I’m coming to pick you up for dinner in town. B ready in 10
Lucy smiled. She’d been a little worried about a whole night alone in here with Adrian, but Jeremy was a decent guy and he seemed super relaxed. Maybe his laid-back presence would melt Adrian’s ice. And though Lucy would rather curl up with her book than go out, a night out meant less time in the cabin.
Alone.
Together.
“Why are you smiling?” Adrian asked.
“We’re going out,” she told him.