“Um, sure,” he said, eyeing her dubiously. “Though I won’t be doing anything very Christmas-y at the store….”
“Don’t you worry. My job is to captureeverything.”
“All right, then.” He turned to Penny. “Would you care to join us?”
“Of course,” Penny said.
It was hard for Penny to tell for sure —it was dark outside and Daniel’s expression was still firmly in the serious zone — but it seemed that her answer pleased him. “Shall we?”
Together, they headed across the gravel lot toward the orchard’s general store. As they walked, Eva ran around them, filming them from every conceivable angle.
“Eva,” Penny said, beginning to feel self-conscious.
“Sorry,” the girl said as she dashed ahead and then whipped around to film them approaching. “I know it looks like I’m doing a crazy dance right now, but I have to get the establishing shot.”
“The ‘establishing’ shot?”
“To show the audience where you are.”
“And you know about ‘establishing’ shots because…?”
“Because filmmaking isawesome. I’ve watched so many tutorials and I didn’t even have to.”
“I didn’t know you liked filmmaking.”
“I guess I do? I’ve never done it before. But here’s the thing. As your director, I need you to stop talking to me.”
Penny smiled. “You want me to ignore you?”
“Yes, exactly! Act like I’m not here. Forget the camera.”
“For real?”
“Absolutely. Mr. Bedford, you good with this?”
“Um, sure,” Daniel said.
As their surprisingly eventful walk across the gravel lot came to an end, Daniel took a key from his pocket, opened the store’s front door, flipped on the lights, and ushered Penny inside. The space, with its vaulted ceiling, soft gray-white walls, and rough-hewn shelving, offered a pleasing blend of rustic and modern.
“Wait,” Eva said, following them inside. “I want you to do that again.”
“Do what again?” Daniel asked.
“Walk in. I’ll already be in here. I want to film you two walking into the store.”
Penny suppressed a smile. Her young friend’s earnestness was, well,adorable.
Daniel glanced at Penny. “You okay with…?”
“Of course,” Penny replied. They left the store and shut the door. Eva turned off the lights and called, “Okay, action!”
Too softly for Eva to hear, Daniel whispered, “This must be what actors have to deal with.”
“‘All the world’s a stage,’” Penny whispered back, “‘and all the men and women merely players.’”
Daniel’s eyes flashed. “Shakespeare.”
“One of my mom’s superpowers is pulling quotes from thin air. Every once in a while, I can do the same.”
