Mac spoke up. “The office scenes were pretty generic looking. We could probably pull together some office furniture and do tighter shots instead of zooming out and seeing the entire squad room. To me, all interrogation rooms look alike. That should be an easy fix.”
“What about moving up the location shoot?” Keely asked. “How difficult would that be? While we filmed in Vancouver, any sets that needed to be rebuilt could undergo construction while we’re gone and be ready when we come back.”
“I agree,” Sydney said. “I was thinking that very thing. Jayla? How difficult would it be to rearrange the location schedule?”
The assistant looked up from her iPad, where she’d been taking notes. “That would mean arriving more than a week early. I would think late Wednesday would be the earliest we could get the entire cast and the crew we’re using up there to begin filming on Thursday. Also, we need to check with the availability of the Canadian crew since more than half our production members include them. They may be finishing up on other shoots.”
Jayla paused and Keely could see the assistant’s wheels turning. “It would involve changing a few permits. Checking to see if we could use the same hotel to house everyone or find a different one and then move when rooms become available. If that’s the decision, I need to jump on it right away.”
Dash looked to Rhett, who nodded. “I think that’s the smart play. We’d only lose three days of filming next week. We could make that up on the back end.”
Sydney looked to Mac. “Are you comfortable moving that far ahead in the script?”
Determination filled his face. “I’m a team player. I’ll do whatever you need, Sydney.”
She thought a moment. “Let’s get together tomorrow morning. Ten. Since I wasn’t present during the table read, I’d like to go over the last quarter of the script with you and Keely. Hear you read with one another. Give you any notes.”
“Let’s make it nine,” Mac said. “It shouldn’t take but a couple of hours. That way, you could be free by noon to work on things with Jayla.”
“Come to my place,” Keely added. “I’m sure it’ll be a zoo here.”
“All right,” Sydney agreed. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Mac walked Keely out to her SUV. He rested his hands on her shoulders a moment and gave her a rueful smile. “So much for our romantic weekend.”
Keely grinned. “Sydney won’t arrive until nine. We’ve got plenty of time between now and then.”
◆◆◆
Mac drew in deep, even breaths as he and Keely ran through Stanley Park early on a Sunday morning. The path, over five miles long, ran along the park’s perimeter. It was hard to believe this oasis of mature trees and diverse terrain existed so close to a thriving, international city. He’d already spotted a heron and several geese as they passed the water.
Though he’d known they headed to Vancouver for location shots, he hadn’t a clue why since Murder at Magic Hour took place in Seattle. Most of his stunt work had been in LA and the immediate area. Keely explained how Vancouver was nicknamed Hollywood North and that multiple TV series and movies shot here, thanks to tax incentives offered by the Canadian government. Not only was it in the same time zone as LA and only a three-hour plane ride away, experienced film crews were readily available. Vancouver subbed for many urban cities in films and he found it interesting that the city had a consistent cloud cover. Because of that, the weather diffused natural sunlight, making it simple for lighting directors to add supplementary light and vary the look of scenes via digital magic.
The path narrowed slightly and he beckoned Keely ahead of him, mostly so he could enjoy watching her swinging ponytail and tight ass.
And to bring his hand to his stomach and see if the ring, wrapped in a handkerchief, still rested just inside his waistband.
Mac wasn’t sure what possessed him to buy a ring, much less bring it with him to Canada. Since Knox was the most recently married member of his new circle, he’d asked him for advice on where to shop for an engagement ring. Knox took him to the jeweler that had created London’s and steered him through the entire process. Mac had thought to ask Scarlett if she knew Keely’s ring size but as tight as the two women were, he couldn’t be sure that Scarlett wouldn’t spill the beans. Instead, he’d sneaked into Keely’s jewelry box and tried on a couple of her rings to see where they sat along his pinkie. That gave the jeweler a good idea of Keely’s size but the man assured Mac he could bring the engagement ring back for any adjustments.
He hadn’t wanted to leave it in California at his apartment, which he barely saw anymore, and didn’t want to hide it at Keely’s place in case she somehow stumbled upon it. That’s why he’d brought the ring to Vancouver. Mac ditched the bulky, black velvet box in favor of the handkerchief and had planned to put it in their hotel suite’s safe. Unfortunately, Keely had placed extra cash and a few credit cards inside it the moment they arrived.
Hence, he kept the ring on him—even when they were filming the past three days.
Sydney had created a very tight schedule. Originally, ten days had been planned on location. Now, they were trying to do the same number of scenes in nine, and that was with Cassie’s rewrites. They’d filmed three days after arriving, had today off, and would shoot six straight before flying home. To say Mac was feeling the pressure had to be the understatement of the year. He knew how much of the production rode on his shoulders to begin with. Now, with a condensed shoot, he needed to nail as many scenes as possible right out of the gate. Time was money in this business. Not only did he understand the position RCDS was in with all of the problems that had arisen on this production, but the foursome had become his friends. Close friends. He didn’t want to screw up their financial situation or professional reputations. Sydney, especially, was known for bringing in pictures under budget and before schedule. Mac did not want to disrupt her pattern in any way.
He rejoined Keely and they finished the last two miles of their run side-by-side. They slowed as they came to their original starting point and began walking. Mac spied a street vendor and steered them toward his cart. He purchased four bottles of water. They each drank the first one down immediately and then strolled as they sipped on the other.
It felt good to be out in public with Keely. He was still relatively unknown, especially now that they were out of LA. She was famous but with her sunglasses and cap, no one gave them a second look. Even better, no paparazzi trailed after them. Mac had once come across a show called The Bachelor and watched, horrified, as a camera crew followed a couple on a date. He found it hard to believe they could act so naturally and have a conversation and kiss multiple times with a camera in their faces. He’d shut the TV off, never wanting to see anything like that again.
Now, because of Keely’s fame and possibly his own in the near future, he was living the same scenario himself. Or he would be once they returned to LA. He respected her need for privacy but knew it would be good for their relationship to get out some. Eat at a restaurant. Go see a sporting event. Take in a play or movie. He would broach the subject with her once their film wrapped.
They returned to their hotel and showered together, taking time to enjoy the shower in more ways than one, before dressing for brunch. Knox and London had discovered an out of the way place in Gastown the last time he’d filmed in Vancouver and they’d encouraged Mac and Keely to try it. They reached the small café at nine-thirty and claimed the last empty table in a corner though it had great natural light coming from the window next to it.