Page 23 of Arranging Ayra
“I see.”
“It’d be nice if we could have pieces from that time period.”
“1811 to 1812, if memory serves,” he said.
“That’s right.”
He pulled out the pencil that was tucked behind his ear, licked the point and began to cross items off my list. “Wrong period. Wrong period. Way off period. Decades off. This... hmmm. In a bind it could do.” He looked at me. “Many of these items appear twenty to thirty years after thePride and Prejudicetime frame... and these Christmas trees...” He shook his head.
“Oh,” I said, a little at a loss. “Well, truth is, if it works in the scene, we’re okay with... you know... fudging it a bit.”
“I see. Why don’t we take a look around and see what we can do. I’m certain we’ll find you plenty of worthy items for your movie.”
I followed along behind him as he meandered through the maze of settees, writing desks, pedestal tables and rocking chairs.
“I do have a limited budget,” I called out to him before he considered showing me any pricy item.
“Of course you do.” He stopped at a beautifully ornate tabletop mirror. “Now this is a gorgeous piece.”
Indeed, it was, as was virtually every item he showed me,
By the time we left the shop an hour later, I had more than my list required, but I felt certain every purchase would be appreciated.
“I thought you were the producer of this film,” Barn said as he slammed the tailgate shut. “How did you end up shopping around for movie props?”
I walked back to the passenger side door. “Cindy, the prop master, has her hands full as it is. I thought I’d give her a hand. I admit I didn’t expect such an extensive list, but... well... as it turns out, this is fun.”
“I’m happy to see that you’re enjoying yourself.” He got behind the wheel. “What now?”
“All I need now are some Christmas wreaths,” I said as I buckled up. “Any idea where I could find some at this time of year?”
“I may not know where you could find wreaths, but I do know a craft store that will sell you everything you need to make some.”
As he pulled out of the parking lot, I looked at him.Make them? I have no idea how to make a wreath. What was he thinking?
“I see the skepticism in your gaze,” he said, his eyes on the road. “I’ll have you know that, not only does my mother have an eye for the perfect antique, she is also the queen of wreathmaking.”
I smiled at him. “And let me guess; she taught you everything she knows.”
“That’s right.”
We arrived at the craft store that was fill with floor to ceiling joy. Anything and everything an artist or crafter could possibly need was there; paints, canvas, ribbons, beads, and... greenery for our wreaths. We bought everything we needed and returned to the movie set. We haven’t taken an item out of the back of the truck before Cindy was at our side.
“Find everything I asked for?”
“I think you’ll be very happy,” I said.
Nodding her approval, she looked at the numerous items. “Good. Yeah. This will do. We’ll paint this gold. But there are some items missing.”
“The antique expert that assisted us with our shopping said a number of items were of a later time period... far too late even if we weren’t being too precise with that sort of thing.”
Slightly offended, she simply nodded. “What about the wreaths?”
“Right here,” Barn said as he pulled a bag of greenery out from the back seat of the truck.
“What’s that?” she huffed. “Just a bag of spruce bits.”
“These ‘spruce bits’, as you call them, will be transformed into magnificent wreaths.” He turned to me. “Come on, Ayra. Let’s get to work.” He grabbed the other bag that was filled with ribbons and turned once again to me. “Ready?”
