Chapter 12
I had been volunteering at a large church in Denver for years.
I had been around cameras and production equipment before.
But I had never experienced anything like this.
There were at least a hundred people in costume and all seemed to know what they were supposed to do.
I glanced around, trying to look like I belonged there.
The music was real, and it was good. I stared at the musicians who were playing a folk song on period-appropriate instruments.
I breathed in, imagining what life must've been like back then.
I heard a woman next to me say the name Alex, and at that moment, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
I turned just in time to see Alex Stockton standing there.
I started to show my true surprise, and then I kept my expression more neutral, giving him a shy smile.
He was dashing. His hair was combed back with some kind of product that made it shiny and held it back, away from his face.
He offered his hand to me, and I breathed inward as I smiled and put my hand in his.
He pulled me toward the dance floor. I moved like I was on a cloud because I felt like I was.
He led me onto the edge of the dance floor and then fluidly pulled me into his arms and began to dance.
He did a turn with me that was in view of a camera before leading me further onto the dancefloor.
I was so overtaken with emotion that I forgot to think about what I was doing.
I just moved as gracefully as possible, letting him pull me along with utterly no resistance.
I realized Alex was a good dancer, and I smiled at the fact that I did not know what to do, and yet still felt like I was doing fine.
"Hello there, Josie Wells," he said to me.
I was so overcome, I forgot we could talk. "Hello, Alex."
He held me a little closer as we moved along with the other dancers.
"I thought I was dancing with a guy named James."
"No, you're not. You're dancing with me."
"Is that okay?" I asked.
One corner of his mouth turned upward in a sly smile. "Is it okay with you?"
"Of course, it's okay with me. I was asking about the show… if James is going to go looking for me."
"James is fine. He did what I asked him to do. You can just relax."
"I have to relax," I said. "That's the only way I'm making it. I feel like Peter with the walking on water right now. I'm blindly trusting you to carry me around this dance floor. If I think about it, I might sink like a stone."
"Then don't think about it," he said, pulling me into another slow turn.
"How do you know these moves?" I said, letting my weight be pulled along with his. "You must have been practicing with them."
"No, I haven't," he said with a smile.
"Then how do you know what to do?" I asked, showing my own vulnerability.
He gave me a reassuring smile as we continued to move. "This is my baby, this film. I know what the camera's catching right now. I know where we are in the crowd and what I want to see. I'm making this couple look exactly how I want us to look."
He took a few more steps, and we glanced at each other.
"Of course, you're contributing a great deal," he said. "You're making my job easy. I thank you for that."
I smiled. "I'm just holding on for dear life."
He stared at me calmly. "You don't seem like it."
"What do I seem like?" I asked, genuinely, not fishing for a compliment.
"Amazing, beautiful, delicate, confident, perfect," he said.
I cleared my throat. I wanted to melt. I wanted to run away with this man. Could I have him, please? I thought, prayed.
I stepped with him, thinking about the dancing…1,2,3…1,2,3… I smiled pleasantly, taking in the sight of Alex and the others on the dance floor.
When I wasn't making gut-wrenching eye contact with Alex, I would look down at his arm or the side of his body, and quite honestly, all of it, every last inch of him, made me feel warm waves of attraction. He was a gorgeous human specimen, a sight to behold.
I trusted him, and we danced effortlessly.
"Can you stay until we're finished tonight?" he asked as we moved. "I probably won't have another minute to talk to you until then."
"I'm just happy I'm getting to talk to you now," I said. "James was nice, but you're…"
"I’m what?"
"Nicer."
He grinned. "I'm nicer?"
"Better. I like you more."
"Oh, you like me?"
My heart was on fire at the sound of those words and the teasing tone.
"I, yeah, I guess you could say that."
"Good."
"This is elaborate, Alex. I had no idea it would be like this. You must've really gotten a budget."
"Yeah, I'm thankful. How late can you stay tonight?"
"How long are you working?"
"It'll be midnight. After we wrap, I have meetings with the team to give them editing notes while they're on my mind. We have to talk about tomorrow, too."
"Yeah, I drove with my sister and niece, so we probably need to get back to Missoula. We had planned on that."
"Of course, I understand. Can you stop by my trailer for five minutes before you go back? I'll kick my team out for a minute so I can talk to you."
"Yeah, I'll come by, but no kicking out is necessary. I could just tell you goodbye real quick."
"Oh, you could?" he asked, giving me an amused grin. "What if I don't want that?"
"I just don't want to distract you from your work. This is amazing, one of the most fun things I've ever done. Thank you, Alex." I was casual and unaffected when I said it, and his grin broadened.
"I'm not distracted. If anything, you do the opposite for me. I love that you're here." He paused and looked at me, and I felt speechless and shy.
"I don't know what to say. Thank you. I'm happy."
"Your face is exquisite in this light, and you're going to look so good in this scene."
"Well, your face is… this light is good for your face, too. And thank you for including us tonight. I never dreamed I'd be doing something like this."
"I'm sorry to rush off, but the song's about to end and I've got to go to work. You did amazing. Stay with those ladies until we finish this scene. I might seem a little distant while I'm working."
"It's fine, I'm thankful for this dance."
"You aren't missing James?"
"Who's James?"
He smiled at that. "I've got to let you go. Once we wrap, come by my trailer."
"I will," I said, nodding at him.
I barely had time to get out my agreement when the song changed and the dancefloor shifted. He let go of me, and I followed what others around me were doing and gave him a little bow. Everyone else knew what was going on, and all I did was follow their lead.
"That's the scene, everybody! Thank you so much!" Cameron had been the one to speak, and she came up and handed Alex the megaphone.
"Yes, thank you all. Let's take a ten-minute break so we can review the footage," Alex said.
"We may do it once more, and we may be moving onto the table scene.
Just sit tight. Ash and his band might be so kind as to keep playing for you guys.
Thanks again for an amazing job. I could feel that it went well. Give yourselves a hand."
Everyone clapped, and I did as well. I had taken a step back from Alex when he started talking, and glanced back at me when he finished.
"Thank you for the dance," he said to me in a quieter voice. We were in plain sight of about a hundred people, and I just gave him a little bow. He waved, and we parted ways.
Within seconds, the band was playing again, and I was on my way to find my sister. I had gotten turned around, and I was closer to her than I thought.
"What was that?" she said, staring at me with wide eyes as I approached her.
"What?" I asked, smiling.
"You know what. You were on the dance floor with those people."
"I know."
"Did you practice that?"
"No. I mean, sort of, but no."
"Can I go dance with them?" Luna asked, coming to stand with us. Her friends were waiting for her, and her mom was the one to answer. "Sure, but be good."
"Lu?" I said.
She looked at me.
"You guys be calm, and no running around."
She nodded and took off with her friends.
"You don't have to be a buzz kill," Audrey said.
I shrugged. "It would kill her buzz even more to get scolded by one of the crew members."
"She won't. How did you end up dancing with the director? Did you know you were going to be doing that?"
"Not before tonight."
She looked at me with a skeptical expression. "You sure seemed to be confident with what you were doing."
"What are you saying?" I asked.
She shrugged. "Nothing. It just looks like you practiced with him."
"Well, I didn't. Thank you, I guess," I added in an uncertain tone since it seemed like she was accusing me of something rather than complimenting me.
The camera lights were off, and I was glad it was dark enough in there that it wasn't obvious I was blushing.
There was a mix of emotions happening inside me as I stood there, trying to act normal in front of my sister.
Mostly, I was remembering that dance… the way I felt dancing with Alex… the things he had said to me.
"Are we done after this?" my sister asked. "The camera didn't even really go where I was standing, so it's kind of pointless for me to be here."
"There's another scene being filmed after this one," I said. "It's in this same room, so I don't think we're supposed to go anywhere until they're done with all that. They might need us."
"Well, not right now, at least. It's going to be a minute, so I'm going to check out these musicians. I'll be back."
It was a phrase I was used to hearing growing up with Audrey as my older sister.
When she said she would be back, it meant she didn't want me to follow her.
I took a step toward the wall so that I could get out of the way and have something to lean against. I watched my sister and my niece, along with the rest of the crowd.
Audrey went to the front of the dance floor so that she could be close to the musicians. They were all handsome young gentlemen, and they played well, so I wasn't surprised they had caught her eye. She had always been the one who went to concerts and made friends with musicians.
I could have asserted myself and started a conversation with the people around me.
They seemed to know each other, and they seemed cordial enough.
But honestly, it was nice to have a minute alone to process the dance.
I could not believe what I had just done, and I had to stifle the urge to grin as I remembered it.
I was still lost in thought a few minutes later when someone came up to me. "Did you dance with Alex?"
It was one of the girls from before—one who said she was on the dance squad. A few of them had walked up to me.
"I did," I answered plainly.
"How? Do you know him?"
I nodded. "Yes, we're friends," I said.
She nodded at me.
I tried not to care that she seemed visibly disappointed that it wasn't her who was dancing with Alex.
"You did a nice job," the other girl said.
"Yeah," someone else agreed.
"Thank you," I said, quietly with a small nod.
I didn't expect to wear this dress. I didn't think I'd have my hair up or that the dance team girls would be envious of me. The whole night had been one shocking twist after another.