Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
“ R hett said he was going to save us two seats at the bar,” Lisa said to her friend Marley as she pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot.
“I’m looking forward to this. I watch a few of those reality shows. Southern Charm , and some of the Housewives .”
Lisa laughed. “I had no idea. You’ve never mentioned it before.”
“Well, that’s why I said yes so quickly when you invited me to come tonight. I don’t mention it because I know none of you watch those shows. Lots of people think they’re silly.”
“I’ve never watched any. What do you like about them?” Lisa asked as they walked in the front door. Rhett was behind the bar and waved them over. He’d saved the two seats at the end of the bar, the side closest to the dining room, where they’d have the best views.
“Ted will be back in a minute. He’s changing a keg. Daou cab for you?”
Lisa nodded. “Thanks honey. Marley, are you having a cocktail or wine? We could share a bottle if you like cabernet?”
“Sure, that sounds good.”
They settled themselves onto the bar stools. They were the comfortable kind that were leather padded with a solid wooden back and armrests. Rhett returned a few minutes later, opened their bottle of wine, and poured a glass for each of them. Lisa lifted hers and tapped it against Marley’s. “Cheers! To our reality show adventure tonight.”
Marley laughed. “So, to answer your question from before. I like reality shows for a few reasons. They’re fun and kind of messy, like real life—but amplified. A lot of these people are drama queens. But it’s also interesting to see inside someone else’s world. To see romance develop or disappear. There are lots of ups and downs and they edit out the boring stuff, so it keeps it interesting.”
“Well, I’m certainly intrigued to see what this show is like,” Lisa said.
They didn’t have to wait long. Lisa was on her second sip of wine when the door opened and a small crowd walked in. It was just five o’clock, and there were only two other tables taken in the entire restaurant. Which was probably a good thing because this group was loud—they were laughing and joking as Rhett went to greet them. He led them to a big table that was off to the side, but still in view from where Lisa and Marley sat.
It was easy to see who was in the cast and who was part of the production team. Lauren waved at Lisa as she walked in with another girl and sat at a smaller table near the big one.
Once the cast was all seated, Lauren walked around the table and spoke with them for a moment or two. Lisa couldn’t hear what she was saying but imagined she was giving them some direction before filming started.
“What do you think she’s saying?” Marley asked.
“I haven’t the slightest.” Lisa was curious, though.
“From what I’ve read about these shows, they sometimes suggest topics of conversation. Maybe she was doing that? I am pretty sure that the producers watch the overnight filming that happens when the production team goes home. If they see anything interesting, she might remind them to mention it, possibly?”
“I forgot that they have those hidden cameras. Lauren mentioned that one morning at breakfast,” Lisa said.
“Ladies, do you know what you’d like to order?” Ted had returned to the bar and stood in front of them, ready to take their order.
Lisa laughed. They hadn’t even opened their menus yet, they were too busy watching the filming activity.
“We might need just another minute, Ted,” Lisa said.