Page 28 of Jaime
Thankfully, Arty, my producer interrupted by walking in, a big grin on his bearded face.
“Hey buddy,” he said, slapping me on the shoulder, “our ratings are up again!”
“No way.”
“Yeah man, people love their McIntosh apples.”
He winked, and I shook my head in wonder.
Getting to do this show had been a bit of a shot in the dark to begin with. The fact that so many people were tuning in now, in Gaynor and the surrounding towns, was awe-inspiring.
“Ready to get another one in the can?” he asked.
I nodded.
“I sure am.”
I stood up, unable to help checking my phone one more time. Jaime still hadn’t responded.
Disappointed, I pulled open the top drawer and tucked it inside with my wallet before turning to go to the stage.
“Aren’t you forgetting your guitar?” Naomi asked, watching with that amused smile still plastered on her face.
“Shit,” I muttered. “And I forgot to tune it.”
I picked it up, slinging the strap over my shoulder with a sigh. Hopefully, no one was in a rush today. My head clearly wasn’t quite in it yet.
“Oh, you are so not getting away without telling me the details,” Naomi swore.
“Fine,” I chuckled. “After the show.”
She grinned triumphantly.
* * *
It took effort,but I was able to push Jaime from my mind while I worked. Focusing on the script and the story I told today—a classic, The Tortoise and the Hare—took over. I’d worked hard on that skill over the years, of focusing on the moment and being present. That didn’t mean that the second we were done filming I didn’t immediately remember our unfinished conversation.
Since it was such a small production, there was very little staff. Greg, the all-arounder, took care of the lights and camera, while Arty, the producer took care of the basics, like renting the studio and working with the hired editing company. Aside from that, it was me and Naomi. There was no makeup crew or anything fancy like that, and, today, I was grateful for the lack of personnel, because that meant as soon as I thanked the guys for their work, I was free to take off to the makeup table to check my phone.
“Holy hell, who has you wrapped around their little finger?” Naomi demanded playfully. “You promised gossip!”
There was a new message from Jaime. My heart leaped.
I would love to see you again ASAP. If you know where to find a babysitter, please let me know. lol
“Don’t tell me it’s Evan?” she demanded, gasping dramatically. “Oh my god, did he finally win you over when he dropped by? You spend the weekend together?”
I looked at her, not even following.
“Huh?”
She stared at me.
“Okay, not Evan, then.”
“Evan?” I blinked. “What? Hell no. That guy is too wild for me. He showed up and made a bit of a scene, actually.”
Her brows shot up.
