Pleased by the compliment about her complexion, Katrina sipped her water to hide the little blush she thought might be coloring her cheeks. She’d never had someone like Franny examining her face so minutely before.
“Oh, that’s perfect!” Franny clapped her hands together as she grinned. “You’ve got a perfect rosy blush. I know Sonia isn’t going to want me to hide that in the close-ups.” The comment only made Katrina blush hotter as Franny chuckled.
“Give her a break, Fran,” Deidre said, smiling. “We don’t want to scare off our leading lady before filming even starts.”
“It’s okay, really,” Katrina protested.
“Sorry, hon,” Franny said, still smiling, her words kind. “When you’re in the makeup biz, you tend to notice the minutest things. I have to, because you can bet the camera will catch every little thing I miss.”
After that, the talk turned to scheduling, and as they ate, Katrina was able to ask some questions of her own about how things worked on set. The girls were friendly and willing to answer her newbie questions. Katrina took mental notes that she would input into her master plan once she got back to her hotel room.
“You guys were right. The food here is excellent,” Katrina commented, keeping to herself her amazement at the mass quantities of meat and side dishes the two women were putting away. Her brother didn’t even eat that much. She wondered if this was their only meal of the day or something. Maybe they were both on some crazy fad diet where they only ate once every twenty-four—make that forty-eight—hours?
“Yeah, the chef here really knows what she’s doing,” Franny commented in between bites of pot roast. “I met her the other day. She also owns the place.”
Katrina looked around the courtyard and could see the feminine influence in the décor. There were potted flowers everywhere, including some night-blooming varieties that came into precedence as the evening deepened. Strings of Edison bulbs hung overhead in a scalloped canopy that gave the whole place a fairytale feel.
Katrina lingered over her dinner salad and vegetable soup, enjoying the warm night air and the ambiance of a place that was new and enchanting. Being waited on, instead of waiting on others, for a change, was nice. Of course, Katrina knew from long experience how hard the staff worked to create this effortless feeling and make every guest feel welcome and well-served. She resolved to leave a nice tip, now that she was earning good money.
“Do you want to get dessert?” Franny asked with a gleam in her eye as she saw a frothy confection delivered to the next table.
“Yes,” Deidre replied immediately, her gaze also on the heavily whip-creamed cheesecake slice a table over.
As much as Katrina might have enjoyed something sweet and decadent, she settled for a cappuccino, which was sort of decadent in its own way. She sipped from her soup-bowl-sized cup while the other two women gobbled down their sweet stuff. Apple pie a la mode for Franny and cherry cobbler for Deidre. The portions were large, but that didn’t stop them a bit, and Katrina was entertained by how much the others enjoyed what they ate and the comments they made about everything.
Irreverent didn’t even begin to cover Franny’s sense of humor. She declared her dessert better than sex at one point, then amended it to very specific terms. It was “better than sex with my ex,” she said, clarifying that there might be a man out there, somewhere, that would prove to be better than the crispy, hot apple pie with homemade vanilla bean ice cream, but she hadn’t found him yet.
Katrina just chuckled and sipped her cappuccino, which really was one of the best she’d ever had. The thought felt a little traitorous because the barista at her family’s restaurant was really top notch, but Katrina figured it was okay to be a tiny bit disloyal, this once, as long as Katrina didn’t mention it when she got home.
After dinner, the trio strolled back to the hotel and parted ways in the lobby. Katrina had a lot of information to put into her planner and lines to study before she went to bed, so she picked up a bottle of chilled water and an apple from the supply in the lobby on her way to her room.
Katrina changed into comfy yoga pants and a loose T-shirt and padded around barefoot as she unpacked her bags so she could find things quickly. She had just spread her planner stuff out on the desk in the room when there was a knock on the door. It was Stella, one of Sonia’s assistants. She handed over a sheaf of paper with a smile.
“Here’s the amended schedule. There were some minor changes since the last edition,” Stella said, her smile bright. “Nowadays, scheduling is usually done electronically, but Sonia is a bit old-fashioned. I’ll probably be coming by every night with addendums.”
Stella was very young and had a bubbly personality. Katrina had liked her immediately, sensing a mischievous spirit that appealed to her. Katrina leaned against the open door and folded her arms, one hand hanging onto the papers.
“There’s something to be said for pen and paper, you know,” Katrina countered with a grin.
“Oh, don’t tell me. You’re a technophobe, too?” Stella rolled her eyes, playing along.
Katrina shrugged. “Not really. I just like to see things, visually, on paper.” She gestured toward the desk that was visible from the doorway, where all her planner stuff was spread out.
“You’re an artist?” Stella asked, her eyes wide, taking in the array of colored pens, washi tape and other items visible on the desk.
“Not really, but I am drawn to the visual. I like to create and doodle, so a paper planner is really my thing. It helps me think and get organized.” She raised the schedule papers in her hand. “This is right up my alley.”
Stella chuckled. “You and all the other dinosaurs in this cast.” She shook her head, clearly amused. “There are digital updates from time to time, so keep your phone or tablet on you, just be sure to shut any alarms or ringers off when you’re on set. The instructions are on the second page of what I just gave you.”
“Will do,” Katrina assured the younger woman, who was clearly preparing to get on with her task. “Have a good night, Stella.”
“You, too, Kat.” Stella grinned and offered a jaunty salute as she went on her way to deliver the schedule to her next stop.
Katrina shut the door and locked it, already reading the schedule addendum. She went back to the desk and had fun adjusting her planner notes for the next day and the rest of the shoot. Katrina’s days had always been busy, but in recent years, they hadn’t ever filled up to this extent, where almost every minute of the day was accounted for by one task or appointment or another.
It was fun, in a way. Though, to be honest, it looked exhausting. Katrina knew she was going to earn the generous salary she’d been offered for this work, but she also sensed she would enjoy every moment of it. This film could—and would—change the course of her life. It had already done so. She’d told her parents she didn’t want to work for them anymore. That was already a huge change.
She loved them, but she couldn’t live the life they envisioned for her. She had to find her own way. She had realized, only after she’d told them, that they’d known it all along. Her mother had given her a big hug and told her to pursue her dreams.
“Do what you love,” her mother had said. Katrina had been taken aback by their easy acceptance of the radical change in her plans, but she was so grateful for their love and support.