7. Jess #4
I popped one into my mouth and moaned over how good it was.
The crisp savory wrapping crackled when I bit into it, revealing a creamy texture and tiny lumps of crab meat and a few other things I couldn’t identify.
I initially thought it was a crab rangoon, but it was definitely something else as the flavor profile changed.
Somehow it was both sweet and umami at the same time.
When I looked at Daniel, there was an expression on his face that I had seen once before.
It took me a moment to realize that he wasn’t staring lustfully at me.
He was looking at the plate of dumplings like a man denied pleasure for months.
I pushed the plate into the middle of the table. “Let’s share.”
“I shouldn’t,” he said, shaking his head.
“I won’t tell,” I promised. He hesitated, so I leaned over and put a pair of chopsticks in his hand before reciting one of my favorite Roderick quotes. “Feast now, for there may be no dawn to celebrate.”
He smiled. “The wine-tasting scene.”
My grin grew so wide it almost hurt my face. It was one of my favorite parts of The Chaos Trail. It was a small quote, but he remembered it from the book, which told me he wasn’t skimming through it. “The wine-tasting scene,” I repeated, that warmth going through my chest again.
I watched him pop one of the dumplings into his mouth, and his face went from smiling to ecstasy. He closed his eyes, savoring the food and letting out a small groan as he did.
“Well, there’s a face I’m familiar with.” I blushed, embarrassed to have said that out loud.
He almost choked on the dumpling. “Wow. Okay. I was not expecting that.”
“Sorry. It just came out.”
“Nothing wrong with a little outburst. Nothing at all,” he said with a smirk as he reached for another dumpling.
“Oh, aren’t you bold?” I teased and saw his hand retreat. “I’m kidding. Please, I had three drumsticks earlier today. I’m going to be rolling back to my hotel.”
We split the plate of dumplings between us.
“If my trainer finds out, I’m going to have to do forty sets of burpees to make up for this,” he lamented.
“I won’t tell,” I promised again.
“Yeah, I’ll probably confess,” he admitted as the next course came to our table.
This time, Daniel got a plate of his own.
The plate of steamed chicken and broccoli which looked plain and sad next to my entrée.
My plate had delicate flowers cut from vegetables and what appeared to be a salmon filet in a shallow bowl of broth.
This time I had no sense of hesitation or concern for the food placed in front of me.
I dove in. While I savored my food, poor Daniel poked at his food with a fork as if he expected it to crawl off the plate and bite him.
“Would you like some of mine?” I offered.
“I’m good,” he promised me. “I’ll pretend it’s something else.”
“Are you that good of an actor?” I teased.
“No one is that good of an actor.” He took a few bites of broccoli, then pointed his chopsticks at me. “So, I’m curious. If you could have anyone in the world cast for the show, who would your choices be? Other than Tyrst’an.”
I snickered. He had no idea the can of worms he’d opened. “Oh, you want to go down that rabbit hole? I’ve got lists upon lists for all of them.”
He smirked at me as he poked at his chicken. “The main characters then.”
“Well, I have no complaints for Fiona and Oderan. Isla and Miles are perfect casting,” I said, doing my best to resist devouring the salmon in one bite.
“Agreed,” he nodded. “I got to do a table read with them. They are amazing. What about Roderick?”
I sighed and shook my head. “You’ll think I’m nuts.”
“Try me.”
I put down my chopsticks and leaned on the table. This was an important topic for me, and I needed my hands to emphasize everything. “All right. So back in the late 90’s there was this urban fantasy movie that came out and bombed called The Scotsman. It was about an immortal Scottish warrior–”
Daniel burst into laughter, and a scowl formed on my face. “Don’t make fun of me,” I warned him.
“No, no, no.” Daniel shook his head. “I love that movie! I have a poster of it in my dressing room!”
I eyed him warily. No one ever admitted they liked The Scotsman. Even Bray and Bennet couldn’t stand that movie. “You are lying.”
“No, wait! I’ll prove it.” He pulled out his phone and scrolled through it a bit before he handed it over to me. It was a picture of Paige glaring at the camera and giving Daniel the middle finger. Sure enough, over her shoulder was the original theatrical poster, framed and hanging on his wall.
“I can’t believe someone else loves this movie!” I laughed.
Daniel’s face went serious and then in a perfect Scottish accent uttered Angus MacDougall’s catchphrase: “There can be no others. Only the last one standing.”
“Yes!” My hands shot up into the air, and we both laughed long and hard. When I caught my breath, I continued. “Anyway, there’s a character in the movie named Salazar, played by Sebastian Glass-”
I stopped because Daniel’s face lit up in enthusiasm. “What?”
“I know him! He’s amazing!” he exclaimed. “He and I are good friends.”
I laughed. “Shut up. You’re lying to me. He’s one of my favorite character actors.”
He pulled out his phone and scrolled through it once more.
“Whenever I get a break from the show, Stella books me special engagements for various off-Broadway productions. I’ve done two shows with him.
He was Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, and I was Sky Masterson.
Then a few years later, we did Long Day’s Journey Into Night with him as James and me as Edmund. Ah! Here we go!”
I took the phone again, and this time it was a picture of Daniel and Sebastian Glass dressed in pinstripe suits and snappy hats. I gawked at the photo. A thought popped into my head of what Daniel’s singing voice would be like. “Are you serious? You worked with him?”
“Everyone has worked with Sebastian,” Daniel said, taking back his phone and smiling at the picture before he put it away.
“He’s guest starred on hundreds of shows, has been in tons of movies and countless plays.
He’s never gotten the big roles or the recognition he deserves, but everyone loves him. So, he’s your choice for Roderick?”
“Yes!” I shouted. “He’d be perfect for the role.”
He leaned on the table, speaking to me as if he held a secret. “Did you know he was nominated for a Tony for his portrayal of Falstaff?”
I gasped, realizing that my gut instinct about Sebastian for the role had been right. “I didn’t! Oh, that cinches it. He would have been perfect as Roderick.”
His smile widened. “You know, he’s going to be here tomorrow attending the convention.”
My eyes practically popped out of my head. “He is?!”
He nodded in response. “He was a last-minute addition. He’s doing autographs and photos as it’s the thirty-year anniversary of The Scotsman.”
“How did I not know this! I knew it was the thirtieth anniversary, but…. Oh, I’m so signing up for that,” I declared, reaching for my phone to book a ticket.
He smiled and tapped his fingers on the table. “Or you can join me for lunch tomorrow and meet him.” He offered.
I froze. Was he serious? “Oh, I couldn’t.”
“Don’t be silly,” he said, inspecting a piece of broccoli. “The Scotsman was one of his favorite movies that he worked on. I insist you meet him with me.”
“I wouldn’t want to impose,” I said, shaking my head. Inwardly, I was torn. On the one hand, this mess between me and Daniel kept getting more complicated. On the other hand, I would get to meet one of my favorite actors and talk about my favorite character in all of film.
Daniel made the choice for me. “You wouldn’t be imposing. In fact, it would make his day. You’re coming. I won’t take no for an answer.”
I grinned at him like an idiot.
“I’m taking that as a yes,” he said, pushing his half-eaten plate away.
By the time I was done with my meal, I was warm, full, and looking at Daniel in a new light.
“I don’t know how you got into the owner’s good graces, but I’d say it was one hundred percent worth it,” I sighed, my heart and stomach feeling full and content.
“He’s a good man. I had him cater a few meals at the studio when footage got deleted, and we had a nightmare week of reshoots.
The crew was frazzled, and the cast was completely overwhelmed.
A cast meal from Kao’s was just what everyone needed to reset.
Plus, it didn’t hurt that his wife is a big Minutes fan. ”
I could see why people liked Daniel and why Bray told me to give him a chance. He had a genuine concern for others and tried to take care of them. A rare trait in most people, and in my experience, even rarer in actors.
The plates were taken away, and a waiter brought out a small pot of green tea and poured it for us. As I took my first sip of the tea, I realized Daniel’s eyes were on the table and focused on the small cup. He couldn’t look me in the eye. I then remembered the second part of why we were here.
“Now that you’ve buttered me up, why don’t you ask me that favor?” I said, giving him a smile, trying to ease the moment of tension.
He grimaced. “Knowing what I know now, I feel horrible asking you.”
“Let me guess. MaxFlick is threatening to fire you. They want me to bring all the book lovers on board, or you’re toast,” I guessed.
He blinked a few times, and frowned. “Is it that obvious?”
“Other influencers talk. You're not the first person who's ever been put in this position. Although productions often go directly to the influencer with a cash offer,” I said with a shrug. “I call it silent sponsorship.”
He sat there for a moment or two, and I could almost see the gears turning in his head. “Have they done this before with you?” he asked.