Take a Bow, page 14
“That’s not what I meant.” She kissed him again, the adorable man. “But yeah.”
“Want some water?”
“You spoil me,” she teased. “Orgasms and water.”
“Only the best for you,” he murmured. But he didn’t sound like he was kidding.
She felt something in the region of her heart move, as if a pebble holding a boulder in place had been dislodged and something titanic was shifting inside her. It felt scary and big and too much to keep inside.
“Nash?” she said suddenly.
“Yeah, honey?”
Her mouth went dry. She scrabbled for words—any words. “Thanks.”
“Entirely my pleasure, Mimi.”
As soon as he opened the door and disappeared downstairs to get them water, she became aware of the thickness of the air in his room, of the smell of sex. She thought about getting up and using the shower, but that might imply she was staying over. He hadn’t asked her to. That had never been part of the deal before. But that was then. Now, they were…involved. More than hooking up. Did that mean she was supposed to stay over?
She already had, the night they fell asleep on his couch. It wasn’t as if a precedent was being set. Not really. Before she could decide or do more than slip her underwear back on, Nash was back with two glasses.
“Do you want to grab a shower?” he asked.
“Um...” She swallowed some water.
“Or are you a morning shower person?”
“Will I be here in the morning?”
“Do you want to be?”
She thought about it. She had to work. But she didn’t want to go home. She hadn’t gotten her fill of him yet. It would be fine if she got up early enough to stop by her apartment to change.
“Yeah, I do.”
He smiled big, and for a second she experienced a moment of pure joy. She didn’t have to leave this man, and he didn’t have to leave her. Not right now. They could be together all night long. It felt right, until she thought about logistics. Toothbrushes and pajamas and the fact that she didn’t do co-ed sleepovers. This was another first, no matter what she’d tried telling herself earlier.
But again, he made it easy for her. He had an extra toothbrush, got her a clean towel, and offered her a T-shirt to sleep in.
“Wearing your clothes is becoming a habit,” she observed as they got into bed, together, and turned out the lights, together. It felt so grown-up. So adult. Weird but good.
“I like seeing you wear my clothes,” he admitted. “You look good in them.”
“I look good in plain white T-shirts?”
“Very sexy.”
He was right. She felt sexy and satisfied. And tired. But she still had trouble falling asleep. It was a strange bed, with a strange smell and strange noises. And Nash was right there. She could hear him sniffing and turning as he got comfortable, those intimate little noises that came with sharing a bed.
She marveled. She was sharing a bed with Nash Speedwell. Over the years, she’d been so careful to keep her distance, not to confuse her familiarity with every plane of his face from watching him on screen with real-life intimacy.
She was intimate with books, with music. She often poured a glass of wine, put on her favorite album, and read the afternoon away in a tepid bath.
That was the type of intimacy she was comfortable with—intimate with herself, with her own company. She didn’t know how to allow someone else in, had thought maybe she wasn’t capable of it. But she was beginning to see not only was she capable of it, she craved it. She craved him.
It wasn’t working to pretend this was only casual, only an experiment.
Mimi still didn’t know how to be in a grown-up relationship. She felt like she’d mostly failed at her meager attempts. But Nash was still here. Still waiting patiently for her to get a clue.
How much longer would he stick around and let this play out? Was he as invested in this as she was beginning to be? Or was this just an extended version of their former game?
She yawned and stretched and tried to find a comfortable spot on her pillow. She was overthinking things. She listened to Nash breathe and told herself tomorrow was another day.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Erika: Oh, you know what I also heard? They cast Stephanie Mae!
Jules: Not to be mean, but am I supposed to know who that is?
Erika: I actually only know her because my cousin is obsessed with her show. She’s been acting for years on cable sitcoms and stuff, but this would probably be her most mainstream project.
Jules: Okay, cool. According to the Internet, they cast a complete unknown named Henry Yu to play a character named Kai Wild. Wild. So how is he connected to Parker?
Erika: OMG, do you think Parker has a son? With Amy?
Jules: Well, according to my intel, this Henry Yu guy is 22, so probably not.
Erika: Oh. Bummer. They would have the freaking cutest babies.
* * *
From The Sawyer’s Cove Rewatch Project Podcast: Reboot Roundup
“Surreal, isn’t it?” Jay said.
They were standing in front of Smith’s Soundstage, the home base of Sawyer’s Cove production past, present, and future. The soundstage had been converted years ago from an enormous barn on a large farming operation. It had metal siding and heavy doors, but the entrance they’d been told to use was propped open by a rock.
Nash lifted his eyebrows at Jay. “Great security, man.”
Before Jay could answer, a man the size of a truck stepped outside and asked them for their IDs, which he checked against a list before issuing them badges.
“I spoke too soon.” Nash followed Jay inside and down a hallway.
“This is Cami’s first production, but she knows what she’s doing,” Jay said mildly.
“Apologies for implying otherwise.” He breathed in the slightly industrial scent of the hallway and could have sworn it smelled the same as it did when they were all clueless teenagers working their first big job.
“I can’t believe the last time I was here, I was nineteen. It feels like yesterday, man.”
“I don’t know,” Jay said slowly, “I feel like a different person now.”
“What do you mean?” Jay had been out of the game for a long time, but he’d basically lived and breathed his character.
“We were just kids; everything was an adventure. It was different stakes. Now we’re adults. Our decisions have consequences. I feel like this time it’s all on us, you know? All these jobs, all this money. What if we screw it up?”
Nash knew what Jay meant was, what if he screwed it up. Nash was confident he could play Will O’Connell, and he thought the writing was solid enough that the episodes would be good. Whether anyone watched or not—well, that was a function of marketing and luck. Would they hit the culture at the perfect time for a rediscovery of a nostalgic favorite? Or would they be watched by the die-hard fans and ignored by everyone else? They didn’t have control over that.
“Listen, right now all we have to do is go in and read lines with our friends. It’s supposed to be fun, remember? It’s play. You know Parker Wild like the back of your hand. Be him for a few hours. I know you can do that.”
Jay rubbed his neck and then cracked it, rolling his shoulders to loosen up. “Yeah. I can do that,” he said with more certainty.
“Let’s go have some fun, brother,” Nash said.
They found the right room, a medium-sized conference room with a big table and a dozen or so chairs. A stack of goldenrod-colored scripts sat on the table, along with a water dispenser and some platters of food. A cluster of people stood around, talking animatedly as if this was a cocktail party, not a workday.
“Oh, my God!” An auburn-haired woman rushed up and threw her arms around both of them at once, somehow gathering them to her in one gigantic hug. “What happened to the sweet boys you used to be? Who are these giant men?”
“Hi, Ariel,” Nash said, laughing.
She let him go first and clung to Jay a little longer. “I missed you,” she said, a whisper of tears lacing her voice. Ariel had never been one to hide her emotions.
“Missed you, too, Ariel.” Jay gave her a crooked smile. Nash hadn’t given Jay the opportunity to drop him completely once the show was over, but he knew Jay hadn’t kept in touch with anyone else. That included their other co-star, Spencer Crosby—Sawyer North himself—who was walking up behind Ariel.
“Jay. Nash,” he said in that slightly formal, standoffish way he had. “Good to see you.”
“Hi, Crosby,” Jay said, friendly, but not as warm as before. They shook hands. The two of them had always gotten along fine, but never had been close. Crosby was a tough nut to crack. He wasn’t close with anyone, it seemed, though the peacemaking Ariel had done her best to include him.
“Hey, man,” Nash said, ignoring Crosby’s outstretched hand and hauling him in for a back-slapping hug. “It’s been too long.”
Crosby held himself stiffly through the hug, but he was faintly smiling when he stepped away. “Last time was at the Rainbow Canyon fundraiser in Malibu, I believe.”
“Oh yeah, thanks for doing that.” Nash remembered cautiously asking Crosby to help when he found out the recipient of Rainbow Canyon’s annual service award was a huge fan. He’d asked Crosby to put in an appearance and take some pics with the guy, and Crosby not only had agreed and shown up, he’d actually smiled and been charming. One of the organizers of the event had even let it slip that Crosby donated a chunk of change that night, too.
He wasn’t a bad guy, but it seriously took a crowbar to get him to loosen up.
“Hey, you made it.” Cami joined the group and stood next to Jay.
Nash caught the subtle brush of her hand against Jay’s arm. He loved seeing their casual intimacy, but he was jealous. They were going to get to spend the entire day together, while he had to wait until they wrapped to see Mimi.
They’d woken up early and gone for a walk on the beach as the sun rose, stopping to admire the view and make out a little before she’d gone home to start her day. He was still feeling the buzz of having her in his bed last night. They’d made plans to meet for dinner—maybe she’d be into a repeat of the after-dinner activities as well.
“We’re not late, are we? Nash wanted to carpool.” Jay’s voice conveyed no anxiety, but Nash could still tell his friend was nervous.
“Carpooling is encouraged, and you’re right on time. We’re still waiting on Selena and a couple of others,” Cami said.
“Wow, the five of you look so incredible together.” A girl walked over, cell phone in hand. “Can I take your picture? For, like, posterity?”
“And social media?” Ariel asked, but not unkindly.
“Good idea, Steph,” Cami said. Somehow, she got them all lined up and facing the girl in under ten seconds.
While he dutifully smiled for the pic, Nash realized the picture taker was Stephanie Mae, one of the new cast members. She’d been cast as one of the fresh-faced Cloudy Cove teens. Nash had never met her in person, but he’d read up on the new cast members to get a feel for their resumes before they started work. She was young, eighteen, and had cut her teeth on a popular cable channel where she’d been one of the only Korean-American actors to headline her own show. She also had an artificial right leg, a silver prosthesis affixed to her thigh, which Nash could see ended in a sparkly blue sneaker.
She snapped the picture, then gave them a brilliant smile. “We’re making history today, folks.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself.”
Selena Echeveria swept into the room, followed by Becca, her assistant. Selena was a round woman in her thirties, with a riot of black curly hair and crimson-painted lips. All eyes turned to her, the showrunner, the one with the overarching creative vision for the entire reboot.
Nash couldn’t be prouder of the woman he’d first met when she was an assistant writer on the original show. She rocked and deserved this chance. They were making history, and he was grateful to be a part of it.
Everyone took their seats around the table. He found himself between Ariel and Jay, and across the table from Stephanie and Henry Yu, another one of the newbies. Selena quickly took her place at the head, while Becca passed out scripts.
Selena had them go around and introduce themselves and outlined the schedule for the rest of the day. She then put on round red reading glasses, turned to the first page in her script, looked at Crosby, and said, “All right. Act One, Scene One. Sawyer—you’re up.”
And they began to read.
Six hours later, Nash was exhausted in the best possible way. His friends had all stepped up to the plate, and they’d had a blast reading through the first two episodes. The new kids on the block had been good, too. They’d clearly been cast well, and they’d done their homework. They fit right in, as if they’d been part of the cast for years.
In fact, the entire thing had felt surprisingly natural. More like a theater troupe who played off each other than separate actors with their separate egos, trying to make their mark on the production. He supposed they’d built up trust with each other that hadn’t fully gone away in the intervening years. And Selena was just as good as Ryan Saylor, the original creator and showrunner, at bringing out the best in each of them.
Even Crosby was smiling as they milled around after Selena called a wrap for the day.
“Nice work, Nash,” he said as he grabbed his denim jacket from his chair.
Nash blinked. Crosby wasn’t known for his liberal distribution of compliments.
“Thanks,” he said after a beat. “You, too. This is going to be fun.”
“Yeah, I guess it is.” He looked at his phone and casually said, “You want to grab some dinner?”
Nash wanted to say yes. He’d love the chance to reconnect with Crosby. But he had plans with Mimi. Crosby’s smile dimmed at Nash’s hesitation, and he hurried to explain. “That sounds great. I’m just supposed to meet my—” he waited only a beat before finishing the sentence with “—girlfriend for dinner.”
“Oh. You brought someone with you to the shoot?” Crosby asked with uncharacteristic curiosity.
“No, she’s a local. Mimi. Um. Orlando.” He kept the smile on his face, even though he had no idea how Mimi would react to him calling her his girlfriend or outing them to Spencer Crosby. They hadn’t talked about any of this, and he felt like he was impinging on her privacy. But he was also being honest.
“Mimi? Jay’s sister?” Crosby’s lips twitched. The little shit was amused.
“Yes.” He glanced around the room. Jay was gone. They’d arranged earlier that he’d catch a ride out with Cami so Nash would have the truck to himself. “That’s right. Jay’s sister.”
Crosby whistled and shook his head. “I thought this time there’d be less drama. Of course I was wrong.”
“Hey, there’s no drama. We’re adults.”
“And Jay knows you’re fucking his sister?” Crosby said.
“Jesus Christ, Crosby. Mind your own business.”
“Sorry,” he said. His mouth turned serious. “I only met her once or twice. Nice girl?”
Nash smiled with teeth at the characterization of Mimi as “nice.” “She’s fucking spectacular,” he said, hearing the edge of a warning in his voice. “Smartest person you’ll ever meet. You’d like her.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to impose on couple time,” Crosby said acerbically.
“It’s not like that.” Oh hell, they’d been talking for two minutes and were already devolving into sarcasm. “Why don’t you join us for dinner? You can get to know her yourself.”
Crosby’s eyes widened, as if his bluff had been called. “Nah. It’s okay.”
Nash suddenly realized while he had Mimi, and Jay, and Cami, and even Pauline and Deb, Crosby had no one. At least not in Misty Harbor.
“No, seriously. Come with me. Mimi was just going to order pizza because I didn’t know how late this was going to go. I’m sure she’d love to have you, too. We can hear about what you’ve been up to. Your latest Broadway show and all that.”
“You sure?” Crosby seemed hesitant but hopeful, and Nash felt bad for the guy who was usually pegged as an asshole because people couldn’t see past the aloofness to understand he was shy. “I don’t want to crash your party.”
“No, it’s cool. Follow me there, okay?”
“Okay,” Crosby said. “Thanks.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jules: From what I understand, pre-production has been going on for a while, and they’re going into production any day now.
Erika: Which means, theoretically, if you went to Misty Harbor, you could probably catch a glimpse of them actually filming.
Jules: We could be extras! Why aren’t we there?
Erika: Because if we ever met anyone from the show in real life we’d probably turn to stone?
Jules: Speak for yourself. I’m great with famous people. Remember that time I waited on Diego Luna?
Erika: Didn’t you spill cream on his shoes?
Jules: Yes, but he was super nice about it.
* * *
From The Sawyer’s Cove Rewatch Project Podcast: Reboot Roundup
“Your phone’s buzzing. Want me to get it?” Trevor called from the living room while Mimi was opening a bottle of wine in her closet-sized kitchen.
“Uh, who is it?”
Trevor had come by the library just as she was leaving to bring her some leftover apple turnovers, because he knew they were her favorite, and she’d impulsively asked him if he wanted to come home for dinner. She’d been trying to find a time for him to meet Nash, and even though she knew she shouldn’t ambush him after a workday, she’d also found herself wanting to have the focus pulled from their relationship for a minute.
Last night had been so intense, and she was still sorting out how she felt about it. Trevor was a buffer. Maybe they didn’t need one, but it couldn’t hurt to split the pizza three ways until she got her footing. Besides, Trevor was a sweetheart. He deserved a nice surprise.
