Page 17 of Wrapped in You
"Beck, look at this!" The assistant costumer waved him over.
Beck cackled and looked Sophie in the eye. "She's playing with fire!"
From the other side of the cameras, Derek called for the final rehearsal before rolling. Everyone scampered to their places and left Sophie and Randy to continue prep for the next break. The assistant costumer hollered a last thanks and took her croissant with her.
There was more coffee to brew, eggs to arrange, and bacon to pull out of the coolers. Randy took several breaks for water, so much so that Sophie considered sending him home to sleep off his hangover.
"I never should have hung out with the sound guys," Randy moaned. "I'm ruined!"
Sophie laughed. It was sometimes hard for her to remember what it had been like to be twentysomething—eager to forget that tomorrow was fast approaching and you had to pay for your mistakes sometime. She and Jeremy had probably been like that, celebrating their youth and their life and their love as often as they could.
As though she'd called him, Jeremy hurried past the catering tent to grab a cup of coffee. His eyes found hers as he raised his cup, careful not to make any noise that would distract the film process.
A shiver went down Sophie's spine.
But already, Jeremy was gone.
His quick appearance and disappearance gave Sophie whiplash. It was like he took this job just to bother her.
Or he took it to get her back.
Did Sophie want that? After everything he'd put her through?
Then again, she hated how her father and mother sometimes talked about Sophie's future, as though it was already ruined because she hadn't married yet. Maybe getting back together with Jeremy would get them off her back?
But she didn't want to "just get back together" with Jeremy for such a silly reason.
Suddenly, Derek's assistant, Cara, stood in front of the catering table. Sophie blinked out of her reverie and smiled, remembering that Derek had stormed out of the bar last night. What was it Cara had said to make him so angry?
Just like always, Cara was dressed chic, with high-waisted pants and a shining bob. Just now, she watched filming through the gap in the cameras and equipment with a strange expression. Derek demanded more of Natalie, trying to pull an Oscar-worthy performance out of her.
It was just a Christmas film. Why was he acting like he was Martin Scorsese?
Then again, probably all film directors wanted to be Martin Scorsese. No job was small.
Cara cleared her throat quietly. Sophie wished she could read her mind.
When filming broke for a minute, Sophie leaned over the table and whispered, "Can I get you a coffee, Cara? A croissant?"
Cara turned so that her bob flipped. "That would be great. Thanks." She smiled.
"We have the Christmassy croissant or the regular," Sophie explained.
"What does the Christmassy croissant entail?" Cara asked.
Sophie described them, and Cara laughed so hard that she bent over. "It's so nice to be out of California," she said. "I'm remembering how to eat again."
"Does that mean you want the Christmas version?" Sophie asked.
Cara's eyes glinted. "It means I want a bit of whipped cream and a bit of jam. But go light, Sophie. I'm used to green smoothies and low-carb diets."
Sophie fake-shivered, then laughed. "Sounds awful."
"It is!" Cara giggled.
Over by the cameras, Derek called for a break. "Natalie, go back to your trailer and say your lines as many times as it takes to believe them," he ordered.
Cara sighed, gripping a cup of coffee with both hands and watching Sophie as she smeared a thin layer of jam over the croissant. "Let me know if he gives you any trouble about the croissants," she said softly.