Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
T here was a car in the driveway when Lauren reached the share house. It was a big black van with East Coast Productions painted in gold on the side. She knew that was the name of the production company that was partnering with the reality show. They’d almost ruled out shooting on Nantucket, because of the difficulty and expense of transporting film equipment there.
This production company was based on the island and co-owned by the actress Cami Carmichael. Lauren knew that Cami made her home in Nantucket now that she was engaged to the chef from The Whitley, the luxurious waterfront hotel where Cami had stayed for several months.
Lauren’s contact at East Coast Productions was Hudson Winters. They’d traded a few emails. Hudson was an equal owner in the production company with Cami Carmichael. She’d looked him up online and saw that he brought years of experience on both drama and reality shows as a cameraman, producer and director. He was leading the project from the production side and would be there daily with the three main cameras they’d have onsite, in addition to the tiny cameras in each room that would film around the clock.
The front door was slightly ajar when Lauren reached it, so she didn’t need her key. She stepped inside and closed it tightly behind her and put the key back in her purse. She stood in a bright, sunny foyer with a twenty-foot cathedral ceiling and a dramatic curved staircase to the second floor. She stepped across gleaming light hardwood floors and walked toward a gorgeous kitchen on the right. On the left was a big family room with a wall of windows that had stunning views of the water. The surf was bigger than usual today, because of the storm the night before and the waves were tipped with white.
She walked into the kitchen and sighed. It was pretty much her dream kitchen. There was a massive center island with eight stools along one side and two on the end. The countertops were honed marble, with a luxurious and almost velvety feel as she ran her fingers across it.
What made the kitchen even more dramatic was that the floors were made from the same marble, but polished instead of honed. Seafoam green subway titles made up the backsplash, and the appliances were all the high-end brand, Miele—the gas stove had six burners and the refrigerator was hidden behind creamy white wood that matched the cabinets.
Lauren walked into the family room and stood by the window for a moment, gazing out at the ocean before turning her attention back to the room itself. She was glad to see that it was plenty big enough for the cameras and for the producers to sit back out of the way. She and Eloise would be there in the background for the better part of the day and most evenings—whenever they had any kind of events planned.
She was about to explore the rest of the house when she heard footsteps coming down the hall. A dark-haired man of average height, maybe five-ten or so, walked into the room and stopped short when he saw her. His eyes were a deep brown, just a little lighter than his hair, which was a bit long. He brushed it out of his eyes and nodded. “You must be Lauren? Or Eloise? I’m Hudson.”
“I’m Lauren. Eloise will be here soon to help get everyone settled in. I just wanted to stop in first and get a look at the place before they all get here.”
Hudson nodded. “I was just testing all the fixed cameras to make sure they’re all working as they should be. They are and they’re on now. I was just about to bring the main cameras in and get set up to film their entrances and first reactions.”
Hudson seemed focused and businesslike. Lauren’s initial reaction was that he would be easy to work with. Which was a relief.
“Sounds good. I’m going to check out the rest of the house quickly, then head home and drop some stuff off. I’ll be back around four to help Eloise and watch everyone arrive. I think they’re mostly due around the same time, between four and six.”
Hudson grinned. “I’d be willing to bet at least one of them will have a late arrival.”
Lauren laughed. “I haven’t heard anything yet, but you’re probably right.” She looked at him curiously. “Do you have family here on the island? I read that you did a lot of work on the West Coast for a while.”
“I do. And I was in LA for twelve years. I hated it there, but it’s where the work was. Until Cami decided to move here. We’d worked together on a few projects and she knew I grew up here. She asked if I might be interested in moving home and I jumped at the chance.” He smiled, and she noticed two deep dimples appear on either side of his mouth. “My mom is still here. She’s a widow now, and the timing was good for me to move home.”
“That’s awesome. I wish there were more opportunities on the East Coast,” Lauren said wistfully.
“Do you have family in New England?” Hudson asked.
“Cape Cod actually. I grew up in West Yarmouth. My parents still live there.” She smiled. “They are hoping to get here for a long weekend soon.”
Hudson’s phone vibrated, and he glanced at it. Then quickly typed a text response. “I should probably get a move on and get these cameras in. See you in a bit.” He headed out the front door and Lauren did a quick walk-through of the rest of the house. There were eight bedrooms in total. Several of the rooms had two beds, so some people would have to share. They’d let the cast know that it was to their advantage to arrive early, as the rooms were unassigned.
The house was lovely, light, and spacious. There was also a hot tub on the side porch. And it was an easy walk down to the beach. It was a dream vacation house, and these influencers were all being paid well to stay there for the summer. Lauren felt lucky too that she was also being paid to enjoy a summer on Nantucket.
Lauren passed Hudson on her way out and headed back to the inn to drop everything off and put her cheese in the refrigerator until she was ready to head to Angela’s later that evening. They were meeting at seven, so she planned to join Eloise at four and would stay until about six thirty. Eloise would remain until the others arrived.
Lauren headed back to the share house at a few minutes before four. She walked over and when she reached the house, she saw that there were several cars in the driveway. When she stepped inside, she saw that Eloise had arrived and Mike and Tom, her mid-twenties cameramen, were talking to Hudson.
Lauren had worked with Eloise before and was glad to see her. Eloise was tall, blonde, bubbly and full of energy. And she was very good at her job. People tended to instantly find her likable and easy to talk to. Eloise usually handled the side interviews where they got the cast members’ perspectives and she was able to easily get them to open up. It made for fascinating TV.
Eloise walked over and gave Lauren a hug. “Nantucket is even more gorgeous than I imagined. I can’t believe we’re here all summer.”
Lauren agreed. “I know. I’ve always loved it here. How’s your cottage?” Eloise and the rest of the production team were in a summer rental nearby.
“Oh, it’s great. Not as new as this place, but it’s really nice and just a short walk to the beach.”
Melissa, the catering manager, was bustling around the kitchen, setting out platters of tuna salad and roast beef sandwiches on the huge island. She also put out a big salad and a selection of snacks—including potato chips, salsa, guacamole and tortilla chips and a bowl of peanut M&M’s. Since they weren’t sure exactly what time people would be arriving, it seemed like a good mix of easy snacks.
They chatted with Melissa for a bit. Eloise helped herself to a sandwich, but Lauren just had a handful of M&M’s. She didn’t want to ruin her appetite. At a quarter past four, they heard the first car pull into the driveway. Melissa stepped out of the kitchen so she wouldn’t be filmed, while Lauren and Eloise went to sit in the back of the room near the cameras. They all wanted to be out of the way, so that Hudson and the guys would get good shots of the influencers as they entered the house and to capture their first reactions to the house and each other.