“Oh, Les found the cutest little train set! We’re going to get it and put it away for Charlie for Christmas. He’s been looking for his next woodworking project, and we thought maybe the train set would inspire him to build a little town for it.”
“That sounds brilliant. Show me!”
Taking hold of Gemma’s hand, Frankie led her out of the Halloween area and toward the Christmas decor.
In a couple hours, I’ll have forgotten about Henry anyway.
* * *
Later that evening, Gemma swirled some white wine around in her glass while listening to the soft, soothing voice of Elvis play out from the jukebox in Suzy and Mr. T’s den.
Frankie and Charlie hadn’t returned from their after-dinner stroll by the lake. Knowing her friends, they weren’t likely to come back anytime soon. They’d be too busy snogging or who knew what else.
“Dinner was delicious, as always. Thank you so much for inviting me over tonight,” Gemma said.
“You’re part of the family, dear.” Suzy sat down next to her husband, who draped an arm across her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. “Frankie mentioned you had something you wanted to ask us about tonight?”
Before Gemma could find her voice, Frankie’s father blurted out, “She’s going to ask you to help with her audition video forCupid’s Arrow,and if you know of any single young men you can set her up with for a date.”
Suzy swatted Mr. Tomlinson’s hand. “Rich! You were supposed to besubtleand let her ask us.Not the other way around.”
He shrugged. “Gem knows I’m a straight shooter who likes to get right to the point.”
“It’s true.” Gemma’s body shook with laughter. “Who told you about my lack of a dating life? Was it Leslie or Frankie?”
“Neither. It was Charlie.”
Gemma smiled to herself. “I should’ve known. He can’t keep a secret.” She set her glass of wine down on the side table. “Well, now that the cat’s out of the bag, here’s what I was thinking about for the submission video.”
Gemma explained what she and Frankie had already put together and her thought process for the remaining minute and a half of time she had left.
Mr. T stroked his chin. “That’s all well and good, Gem, but it’s too straightforward. I think you need to be a little more playful with the camera.”
“I’m afraid to ask, but what do you have in mind?”
He smirked. “I think you should play a round of rapid-fire twenty questions. Have Frankie shout things at you from behind the camera that will show the casting directors a little more of your personality and how quickly you can think on your feet.”
Suzy smiled and rubbed her husband’s shoulder. “Rich, that’s a wonderful idea.”
“I’ve been known to come up with something good every now and again. That’s old age for you.”
Gemma smiled. Here was another couple she could use as a source of inspiration. Mr. T had never thought he’d find love, yet he’d not only met Suzy on a dating app, but he was happier than ever. If it were even possible, they looked like they’d fallen even deeper in love since the last time she’d seen them. They finished one another’s thoughts and instinctively seemed to know what the other person needed.
“I was going to suggest that your video opens with a clip of you jumping in midair. I was reading something recently about how the human mind decides in the first three seconds of seeing a video if they’ll be interested or not. You need to capture your audience right from the get-go,” Mr. T said.
Gemma opened a blank note on her mobile and began writing down the list of suggestions being offered to her.
A half-hour later, they’d come up with an improved outline for her video.
Opening Scene:
-Jump or spiral sequence
-Or a clip of me sitting in a chair in my Cindy costume with only one skate
Introduction:
-Give my name, age, and profession only
