Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Tom stepped out of The Salty Spoon with a to-go bag in hand. The appetizing smells of the Reuben and French fries that he’d ordered wafted up at him, and his stomach growled eagerly.
He chuckled as he began to stroll away from the cheerfully bustling restaurant.
He never seemed to want to cook for himself on his days off, even though he was always seeing recipes that he was dying to try.
He simply never felt like making that much of an effort just for himself, even though he would often tell himself that he was definitely going to make roasted duck with apricot chutney that night—or some other elaborate recipe that sounded delicious.
He would end up ordering a pizza or doing what he’d just done—stop at one of the local restaurants for a bag of to-go food.
Sometimes he even stopped by The Lighthouse Grill and let his friends, the other chefs there, cook him whatever they felt like making.
It was a beautiful day, with a steely-blue sky that was becoming more cheerful by the moment as the last of the clouds blew away into the west. A light spring breeze ruffled against his coat collar, and the sun fell warmly across his face as he walked.
He decided that rather than go back to his house, he would go to the center of town and sit in the town square. There was a lovely little park there and plenty of picnic tables, and he could enjoy his meal and the pleasant weather at the same time.
It was a short walk to the town square, and as he entered the little park, he noticed someone sitting alone in the gazebo. His heart skipped a beat as he recognized the person as Delilah Bates, wearing a becoming light blue dress paired with a leather jacket.
She looks like a movie star, he thought. Even though she’s just sitting there thinking. She’s got so much charisma, even from this distance.
He found that his footsteps were taking him in her direction, and he didn’t stop himself until he noticed that she had a document in her hands, and that she was clearly studying it.
He slowed down in his walking, and was about to turn around, since he didn’t want to bother her, when she looked up as a sudden gust of wind rushed across the park. A moment later she saw him and lifted her hand in an eager wave.
She recognizes me? he thought, stunned. That can’t be right—I only met her the one time. Maybe she thinks I’m someone else.
But he continued to approach her, and her smile didn’t waver as he got closer. She seemed to genuinely remember him, and—what was far more surprising—she seemed to be delighted to see him.
“Good afternoon,” he said, reaching the side of the gazebo and leaning against the railing. He smiled at her. “It’s such a beautiful day, isn’t it?”
“Just gorgeous,” she agreed, flashing that stunning grin of hers at him again. “I knew I had to come out here to work. It would be such a shame to be cooped up on a day like this.”
“Well, you did very well for yourself,” he said. “It didn’t take you long to discover our town’s loveliest spot.”
“This is the loveliest spot in town, huh?” She looked around with an almost dreamy expression.
“I can believe that. I saw this gazebo the other day, and I wanted to sit in here for a while. I was hoping it might give me inspiration—or something of that sort.” She held up the document she’d been holding as if it was some kind of great puzzle that she was still working on figuring out.
He sat down next to her on the bench inside the gazebo. “Is that the script you’ve been studying? For the audition?”
Delilah nodded. “It is. I’ve been studying for this audition like it’s a medical exam or something.
” She laughed. “Acting isn’t just about memorizing the lines and putting on an emotion, there’s all kinds of things you can think about and play with in order to make a performance truly excellent.
I’ve been thinking so much about this character, I feel like I’m becoming her.
” She shook her head, smiling as if trying to laugh at her own silliness.
“I think that’s wonderful,” he said. “I’m sure whatever work you’re doing is going to pay off.”
She gave him a radiantly grateful look which made his heart skip a beat.
“Thank you. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this audition.
I really want to land this role, and I want to practice—but I think part of it is that I like being this other woman.
I like living in her discovery that happiness can be found in rest and simple joys. ”
He wanted to blurt out that she could live in that discovery whether she was playing a character or not, but in the next second she spoke again.
“Were you kidding about offering to help me run lines?” she said, her tone teasing.
“Because if you weren’t, it would actually be very helpful for me.
” She smiled almost shyly for a moment and then kept talking rapidly.
“Of course, I don’t want to put any kind of pressure on you.
I joked about you having been kidding about it because I don’t want to assume that you actually have the time—I’m guessing you probably don’t.
And I’m sure cooking in a hot kitchen for many hours, while being rewarding, creative work, is bound to be tiring and you probably have much better things to do with your time off other than help me, but…
well, I thought I’d bring it up again, just in case. ”
Tom held up a hand, smiling. “I would be more than happy to help. It’s actually my day off today, and I don’t have anything planned.”
“Really?” She sounded thrilled.
“Yes, I’d love to.” He grinned, not quite sure what to make of her.
“I’ve always assumed that if I ever met a movie star, they would act distant and aloof, but you’ve been so kind and genuine.
That… well, it’s made a very good impression on me, and now I don’t just think highly of you as a performer, I also think highly of you as a person.
Your kindness to me has lingered in my mind, and I’d be only too happy to be of assistance.
” He cleared his throat and then laughed sheepishly.
“I guess we both gave into some nervous rambling today.”
She laughed a bit sheepishly as well. “I liked your speech. It touches me deeply that you feel that way about me. Thank you, Tom.”
“Don’t mention it,” he said, feeling his ears redden when she used his first name. He could hardly believe he was really in the situation he was in.
She smiled at him. “When would you be available to start?”
“Is that the screenplay in front of you right now?”
She nodded, holding it out toward him. “Yes.”
“Well, then how about we start right away? No time like the present.” His hunger and his bag of takeout had been entirely forgotten for the moment. All he could think about was how much he wanted to extend the time he was spending with Delilah.
“I’d love that!” She grinned. “I have to be back at the film shoot in half an hour, but I’d be delighted to work on these lines with you as much as we can until then.”
“Great.” He grinned back, his stomach dipping a bit like he was on a rollercoaster.
“Let’s work on this page here, okay?” she said, handing him the screenplay. “I have this one memorized, I think. Go ahead and read me all the lines that don’t say, ‘Annie,’ and I’ll say all of Annie’s lines. If I get a word wrong, stop me and tell me what the right one is.”
“Are you sure? I’d hate to interrupt you.”
She shook her head, smiling. “It’s helpful, I promise. I want to do an excellent job auditioning, and that starts with being word-perfect in my memorization. I don’t have to memorize the entire screenplay, obviously, but this page is one of a few that they’ve asked me to prepare for the audition.”
“Okay.” He smiled at her. “So I should just read this line in front of the first Annie line whenever?”
She nodded, closing her eyes and tilting her head upward slightly, as if the scene was a ray of sunshine that was about to cascade over her.
He cleared his throat and read the line aloud, feeling clunky and awkward.
What happened afterward, however, sent a thrill up his spine.
Delilah, with her eyes still closed, recited her next line perfectly, and with totally sincere emotion as if she was having a real conversation with him.
Emboldened, he read his next line with less awkwardness.
He could hardly believe how many butterflies were swirling in his stomach as they continued to go through and then repeat the scene.
At moments he felt as though he’d forgotten how to read, and his hands broke into a sweat a few times as he realized at the last second how to pronounce some of the longer words.
They soon fell into a rhythm, however, and even though the last time Tom had attempted to act was as a rabbit in his elementary school production of Snow White, Delilah’s sincerity as she spoke the lines made him begin to feel as though it was really a conversation they were having.
It was as if the energy she was sending to him through her performance was a ball that he was learning to toss back cautiously in her direction.
“Ah, I’ve got to go,” she said, and for a second, he scanned the page, wondering where that line was and feeling confused.
“Oh, of course,” he said, looking up and clearing his throat.
Delilah’s eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were flushed. “Thank you so much, Tom,” she said warmly. “It’s a wonderful script, isn’t it?”
“So wonderful,” he agreed, although he was thinking more of her performance than the screenplay.
She stood up a little reluctantly. “I really enjoyed reading with you, Tom. I have some more scenes from this screenplay that I need to practice. Would you help me with those as well sometime?”
“Yes,” he said, blurting the word in an almost stumbling hurry, because what he’d almost said instead was, “Undoubtedly.” He stood up with her, but then wished he hadn’t because he felt like it made him look as though he was hoping for a hug, which would have been much too forward of him.
“Great.” She smiled at him, seeming to be about to say something else, and then she glanced at her watch again.
“I’d better dash. So great to work with you.
I’ll—I’ll be in touch.” She hurried off with a smile and a wave, and he sat back down as he watched her go.
The skirt of her blue dress rippled a little in the wind, and he smiled, thinking that she brought a little bit of movie magic with her everywhere that she went.
He took a deep breath and then let out a long, contented sigh. He’d had more fun reading with Delilah than he’d had in a long time, and that was saying quite a bit considering how much he loved his job and how often he spent time with his friends.
I can’t wait to read with her again, he thought, his heart swirling with happiness. I can’t believe this is something I get to do with my life.
All of a sudden, he remembered his lunch and he grinned.
He pulled it out of the bag, pleased to find that it was still somewhat warm.
He took a large bite out of the creamy and tangy Reuben sandwich and chewed contentedly.
Another gust of wind blew across the town square, and Tom felt as though his heart was like a kite, getting blown upward in a sudden rush of joy.