Page 55 of At the Heart of It
Amy shrugged. “He’s good. Got a little bristly when the props girl suggested he put down the Ann Patchett novel and read Sports Illustrated instead, but overall I think he’s fine.”
Kate felt a flush of relief, both that Jonah seemed fine and that Amy hadn’t forced her to spell out who “he” was. Then again, maybe that wasn’t a good thing. Was it that transparent Jonah was on her mind?
“How’s Viv?” Kate asked.
“Good. Centered, according to her. She was studying a bunch of notecards when I saw her last. I reemphasized the importance of making sure this sounds unscripted.”
“She’s good at that,” Kate said. “Remember her last appearance on Oprah?”
“She was adorable.”
“Exactly. Just remind her to bring more of that.”
Kate glanced at her watch again and tried not to feel nervous. Today would be their first time shooting with all four players—Viv, Jonah, and the couple they were tasked with helping.
“How’s his cat?”
Kate looked up to see Amy giving her a tiny smirk. It wasn’t a judgmental one, so at least there was that.
But Kate couldn’t afford to have her going doing that path. She shrugged and gave her best look of nonchalance. “Beats me. I haven’t seen Jonah outside work since I went over and talked to him right after the pre-production meeting.”
Technically, that was true. But that didn’t mean they hadn’t texted each other regularly. Sometimes it was all-business, sometimes it was flirty, but it definitely toed the line between professional contact and something more.
Last night had been more of the same. Kate had texted around 10:00 p.m. as the tub was filling in her hotel bathroom.
I emailed you a new draft of the contract. Have your attorney look at it if you like, but we need signatures by Friday. Also, there’s been a venue change for next Wednesday’s shoot. I’ll forward the info.
She’d finished pouring bubble bath into the tub before climbing in, resting her phone on the edge with a silent prayer of thanks for the invention of the waterproof phone case. She hadn’t expected Jonah to text back, but felt a tiny shiver of pleasure at the new message chime a few seconds later.
Got it. Thx.
Was it wrong to feel disappointed by the brevity? Yes, of course. This was business. They were business colleagues, and they couldn’t afford to be chatty or too friendly.
Even so, Kate felt a flutter of excitement when the phone buzzed again.
Tell me the truth: Do you ever stop working?
Kate smiled to herself, then texted back.
I’m not working now. I’m actually relaxing.
There was a brief pause, then a bubble to indicate he was texting back. An image popped up on screen, and Kate clicked to see what it was.
Marilyn, the judgey-eyebrow cat, does not believe you.
Kate laughed at the cutesy meme of his cat, her feline features arranged in a look of perfect skepticism. She stared at the photo a few more seconds, then typed a response.
I promise I am. Look.
She hit the camera icon, then aimed the lens at the beer bottle perched on the edge of the tub. She turned it a little to the side, angling the camera so she could get the words Jamaican Me Pumpkin and 10 Barrel Brewing in the photo, along with a froth of bubbles visible on the edge of the tub.
The second she hit “Send,” she wondered if she should have done it. Would it seem too flirtatious? Had she meant it to be?
Of course not, she reassured herself. You’re just making a friendly connection with a cast member. It’s perfectly innocent.
Which she knew wasn’t true. Knew she’d deliberately slipped one bare leg up through the suds, lending a backdrop of naked flesh to her bathtub beer pic.
But the beer was in the foreground. Maybe that’s all he’d notice.
