“I guess I don’t really need more than a dozen Waterford crystal champagne glasses,” Lynne said with a sigh. “Unless . . .” She turned to Delores. “Would you like the other four dozen, Delores?”
“Oh, my!” Hannah recognized the amazed expression on her mother’s face. “I . . . I’d love to have them, but I want to pay for them.”
Lynne shook her head. “No, I’m giving them to you as a gift. They were a wedding present from one of Tom’s clients and I won’t be entertaining in Lake Eden the way I did out here. I want you to have them, Delores. It’s a small price to pay for all the help you’ve given me during the past five days.”
“Well . . . if you’re sure . . .” Delores gave a little nod. “If I take them, you have to promise to come to all my dinner parties. And I promise not to partner you with any unsuitable men.”
Lynne laughed. “It’s a deal. I love to go to dinner parties.” She turned to Hannah. “When we’ve finished packing, I’d like you to look around at the things I’m leaving behind. If there’s anything you want, just tell me and I’ll arrange to have it trucked to Lake Eden for you.”
“Thank you, Lynne!” Hannah was impressed with Lynne’s generosity. “You’re going to sell everything else, aren’t you?”
“Yes, my real estate agent will check with the buyers. If they want anything, she’ll set a fair price and add it to the sales price. Anything that’s left will go to Robby and Maria. I’ve already promised that they can hold an estate sale and keep whatever money they make.”
Lynne’s cell phone rang and she picked it up and glanced at the display. “It’s my agent,” she told them. “I’d better answer this.”
“What are you going to take, Hannah?” Delores asked as Lynne walked out of the room.
“I don’t know. I don’t really need anything, Mother.”
“But Lynne has some beautiful things.”
“Yes, she does.” Hannah thought about that for a moment. “Maybe I’ll just ask her to choose something for me. I know she’ll choose something she really likes and if she has any regrets later about giving it to me, she can have it back.”
“That’s a marvelous idea!” Delores said, just as Lynne came back into the room.
“I’m really sorry, but we can’t keep our lunch reservation today. I have to go to the studio for a final commercial. Gibson Girl Cosmetics decided that they need one more for their flight of commercials to be shown next month.”
“That’s all right,” Hannah said quickly. “Work comes first, Lynne.”
Delores nodded. “Yes, and I’m not really hungry after three pieces of that marvelous coffee cake Hannah made for breakfast.”
“Thanks for understanding. And I do have a little surprise for you. The director agreed to let the two of you come on the set when we’re filming the commercial. Would you like to go with me?”
“Oh, yes!” Delores responded immediately. “I’d love to go!”
“Hannah?” Lynne turned to her. “And if you go, would you bring a couple of pieces of that coffee cake for the director? He’s wild about home-baked goodies.”
“I’ll go. And of course I’ll bring some coffee cake with me,” Hannah said, but she added another sentence in her mind. I have to go so I can keep Mother in line. She’s so starstruck that I may have to tie her up to keep her from asking everyone there for an autograph.
* * *
Hannah was surprised as she followed Lynne and her mother into the building that contained the sound stage. It was a huge warehouse, seemingly empty except for the section at the far end containing a set that duplicated a cosmetic counter in an upscale department store, complete with stocked shelves and makeup chairs in front of the counters.
“I thought it would be more glamorous than this,” Delores confided to Lynne.
“It’s a working set,” Lynne explained. “Gibson Girl Cosmetics rents out this part of the building and this is where they shoot all their commercials.”
Hannah noticed that Delores still looked puzzled. “But . . . I thought there’d be people with clapboards and all sorts of costumed actors and actresses running around.”
Lynne shook her head. “Not here. This sound stage is set aside for filming commercials, and the production company moves in their own sets. They just rent the space, that’s all.”
“Oh,” Delores said, looking very disappointed.
“Before we leave, we’ll have lunch in the studio commissary. I have a pass to the executive dining room. It’s on the second floor and we’ll ask for a table on the balcony that overlooks the commissary. There’ll be all sorts of actors in full makeup and costume down there.”
“That would be wonderful!” Delores looked excited at the prospect. “But do the stars actually come to eat in their makeup and costumes?”
“Yes, if they only have a short lunch break and they’ll be filming again when it’s over. It takes a long time to put on makeup, especially if it’s elaborate. Even some of the minor characters in science fiction or fantasy movies have to come in hours before they start shooting.”
“Lynne!” a voice called out. Hannah turned to see a tall, thin man with dark hair hurrying toward them. “You’re here early!”
“Yes, I wanted to introduce you to two of my friends from Lake Eden, Minnesota.” She gestured toward Hannah. “This is Hannah Swensen. You’ve heard me mention her. And this is Hannah’s mother, Delores Knight. I’d like you two to meet our director, David-Paul.”
“Hannah,” the director acknowledged her, “and Delores. Lynne’s mentioned both of you. Would you like to watch while we shoot the commercial?”
“We’d just love to!” Delores answered for both of them. “It’s so exciting being in a real movie studio!”
“Not if you work here every day,” David-Paul said with a laugh. “It’s just a giant warehouse, and even with air-conditioning, it can get hot under the lights.” Just then his cell phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket to answer it. “Excuse me for just a moment, will you?”
“It’s late notice, Harry,” Hannah heard him say as he walked away. “Our lead is here already.”
Lynne and Delores began to talk about the upcoming commercial. Hannah listened with mild interest, but she was much more interested in watching David-Paul’s face. The conversation he was having with the person named Harry must have been irritating because he was beginning to scowl.
“She’ll never work for me again!” Hannah heard him say, and then he jammed the phone back in his pocket and walked back to them.
“Cynthia can’t make it,” he said to Lynne. “Something about her husband being in the emergency room. Sorry, Lynne. Looks like I got you all the way out here for . . .” He stopped and moved a step closer to Delores. “How old are you?” he asked her.
“Excuse me?” Delores just stared at him. “A lady never tells her age!”
As Hannah and Lynne watched, David-Paul began to smile. “Perfect!” he said. “You’ll do just fine.”