Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
N ick opened one eye and grimaced at his phone.
The loud chime had startled him awake and interrupted a comfortable sleep.
He hoped after this initial meeting and introduction he could give the folks in New York a friendly reminder that an eight-thirty morning meeting there made for an awfully early start in Colorado.
He’d hardly be coherent. He swung out of bed and headed for the shower. Hopefully that and some strong coffee would clear the fog.
At his computer thirty minutes later, he opened the meeting invitation and introduced himself to the other part of the HomeBuilders production team. Todd was to be his producer and Sherra the writer.
“Great to meet you both. Looking forward to working with you.”
“Same,” Todd told him. “Congratulations on the win. Your tapes are excellent. I just sent you a packet of information, but in a nutshell, here’s what we need you to get started on.”
Sherra picked up the conversation. “Keep in mind you’re not talking to experts. You’re talking to regular homeowners. Think about what they might need to know if they’re planning a renovation. What to look for and consider in terms of materials, structure, trends, things like that.”
Nick nodded. “Sure. Makes sense.”
“Keep it as simple and snappy as possible. Any time you get a chance to be personal on camera, mention a mistake or a preference, do that. It’ll make you more human, and that helps the audience relate to you.”
Snappy…okay. He had a feeling that would happen more off the cuff than in a script.
“Don’t worry too much,” Todd said. “Everything will be edited before airing. So try to be natural. At this point, we need high-level points you want to make.”
“The main things to remember are to have fun and be confident. There’s a sample script and template in the packet.”
Nick nodded. Obviously, he’d need to do a deep dive into that packet.
“One of the easiest ways to get started is to think of a list of dos and don’ts to share,” Sherra added. “People love those, and that’s something we can post on the website, too.”
“Cool. That’s a good idea.” He could do those in his sleep.
“We’d like to get the basic structure and script nailed down this month and begin filming first of April,” Todd said. “Then we can get you back out for any re-shooting in May and the production team can edit and have the episodes ready for early fall airing.”
“We’ll need to get you into the houses before filming of course, so you can familiarize yourself with the spaces.” Sherra began ticking off a timeline and outline of who would do what.
At least that’s what Nick thought he heard. He was having trouble concentrating as his throat tightened. He heard one thing loud and clear. Filming first of April? He swallowed hard as he ran a hand over his jaw. Please don’t let this conflict with Kat’s show.
He absolutely had to be in New York the first weekend of April for Kat’s show. That wasn’t negotiable. He started to clarify, but the woman didn’t take a breath.
Finally, she stopped talking and blinked at him. “You don’t have a problem working weekends, do you?”
Nick cleared his throat. “Not at all. Most of that sounds great. Only potential problem is that I have a previous commitment the first weekend of April.”
Todd and Sherra exchanged a glance then stared at him.
The back of Nick’s neck heated. He hoped they couldn’t see him break out in a sweat. Was the schedule already set in stone? Did they assume he had no other work or obligations?
“Hmmm.” Sherra looked at her papers again. “We’ll lose a day for the travel. All right. Let’s set up travel from here that first Monday. That work for you?”
Her voice was friendly enough, but the raised brows and steely eyes weren’t accompanied by a smile. Nick had the feeling that was the best he could expect. He did tell HBTV on the initial application six months ago, that he had the flexibility to make the schedule work.
“Sure. That’s great.” He breathed a sigh of relief and took a sip of coffee—and decided against mentioning early morning video meetings.
“Just a couple more things,” Todd said. “The dress code. Your sample video looked good, but you won’t need dress slacks or a tie.
We want a nitty-gritty working feel, so faded jeans and a work shirt that look like it’s seen better days are great.
Rolled up long sleeves tend to look better than short sleeves. ”
“You’ll need to look comfortable and confident,” Sherra added. “You’ve got a great smile. Be sure to use it.”
“All of these tips are in your packet. Read it. Refer to it often. It’ll make the process run smoothly.” Todd ping-ponged back in.
Nick figured as producer, Todd was in charge, but the two obviously worked closely together and had been a team before.
“We’ll need your initial thoughts by end of day Wednesday. Just fill out the forms in the packet to get started,” Sherra said.
“No problem.” Aaand…Rebecca Andrews’ mantel just got another couple of days to dry. In his head, he shifted around his calendar and wondered when he’d have time to drop by the shop let alone work any shifts. Or squeeze in another trip to New York before the show.
“All right. We’ll talk again after that. But don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.”
They ended the call, and Nick immediately opened his email to find the all-important packet that would dictate his schedule for the next few months.
Anticipation warred with apprehension as he opened the document.
His plate felt as if he’d over-indulged in an all-you-can-eat buffet line.
Could he give all these commitments—including a relationship with Kat—the time and attention they deserved?
* * *
Kat hit “send” on the email she’d finished with a few updates for Cassie to have in hand for the afternoon staff meeting. Then she pulled her cell phone from her purse and made a call to Loft Images.
Matt’s friendly voice came on the line.
“Hi, Matt. It’s Kat Andrews. How are you?”
“Not too bad. I was going to call you this afternoon. Got notice from Ace that your pieces will be ready for delivery Friday. If you want to see them before they ship, you’ll need to get over there this week.”
Her heart lurched, and she put a hand to her chest. “Oh, my gosh! That’s earlier than I thought.” She gave a breathless laugh. She couldn’t wait to see how they turned out. “I’ll get over there. By end of day?”
“Not sure. I’d call them if I were you.”
“Okay. And they’ll go straight to Loft? You’ll store them until the show?”
“Sure. Want me to use the same credit card as before for the balance?”
“Yes, that’d be great. Hey, I was actually calling to check on the promo postcards for the show. I’d like to start sharing them as soon as possible. Any idea when those will be ready?”
“I’ll have to check with Pete on that. He’s been talking about going digital. Skipping the printing costs, you know?”
Kat’s shoulders sagged. Of course he was—at least for the no-name shows. She’d had visions of leaving the postcards at some coffee shops and libraries that had community bulletin boards and in the break room at the museum.
“Oh. So nothing to hand out.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll be on the website and will go out to his email list. You can share the link. A direct link is going to be more effective, anyway. One click to get all the show information plus your bio and samples of your work.”
Probably. She could put the link in a text to her friends and on her own website. She’d planned to upload the postcard. Now, she’d have to recreate it herself. No physical piece also meant no keepsake to send to Nana or her parents. Maybe her dad would open a link.
“Okay. Any idea when the newsletter will go to the email list?”
“That usually happens a couple of weeks out, so we still have some time.”
With March closing in, she’d better switch gears and get her website updated.
The museum project had eaten up so much of her time the past few weeks.
And her nights, well, it was crazy how much time she could spend on a call with Nick talking about nothing and…
everything. She wouldn’t be cutting those out.
His positive energy kept her inspired at the same time his smooth, deep voice grounded and soothed her.
She darted a glance at her computer. Too bad she couldn’t squeeze in a mid-day pick-me-up.
An hour later, she grabbed a notepad and headed to the conference room. Other team members shuffled in, and Kat caught Cassie’s eye. She gave an almost imperceptible nod, which Kat took as a sign to speak up about the gallery show.
Amy breezed in and closed the door behind her. “Everybody here? Let’s get started. We have a lot to go over today.”
Kat smiled and sat straighter, giving Amy her full attention. Not that she didn’t always, but today, she wanted to make sure she was engaged and making eye contact.
“First, I have to thank you all for such an incredible response and effort to get the bamboo exhibit pulled together. You’ll each get a bonus personal day this year as a little thank-you.”
Time off instead of a bonus. Not ideal, but Kat forced the smile wider as she nodded. “Thanks, Amy. That’s great.” At least it was something. Overall, she couldn’t complain about the museum.
“Be sure to tell your friends and families about the exhibit and do everything you can to help spread the word. It’ll be in the upcoming magazine and newsletter.
And we’ve managed to schedule some amazing speakers.
The man who makes the chairs we’re displaying is going to give a presentation, and we’ve got someone from The Smithsonian coming.
I’ll be handling the publicity for opening day. ”
Kat’s grin was real. All of those kinds of things brought attention to their work and increased the value.
“Installation begins next week. Be prepared to pitch in any way you can, even if it means running down to the cafe for snacks.”