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 alovely 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 havethe 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.”
