He was ten minutes early for the time they were called to set, but everyone was already there before him. He could see that the room was bustling with action when he arrived.
There was normally a whole tent where the hair and makeup lady worked, but she was set up on-site with a couple of chairs and a table. Sam couldn't help but notice that there were two Lotties—Natalie was there. He cringed at the thought that Ty might have changed her mind. The makeup lady was working on the stand-in, getting her made up to look just like Ty, who was in costume, standing in the kitchen area, talking to Alex and Judd.
Ty glanced his way when she saw him walk in, but they didn't hold eye contact. Alex was right in the middle of saying something to her, and she stayed engaged with him, only glancing at Sam for a second.
"Okay, Sam, you look great," Cameron said, coming up to him.
"Did she change her mind?" he asked.
"Did who change her mind?" Cameron asked, clueless.
"Ty."
"About what?"
"That other girl is here."
"Oh, yeah, no, we knew she would be here. Alex told her to go ahead and get ready just in case. He just wanted to cover his bases so we can make sure to get what we need today."
"Oh, so Ty's doing all of it?"
"Yeah, as far as I know. Alex just wanted the other one to be here just in case. Do you feel ready for the scene? You guys seemed like you had it down yesterday."
"Yeah, I felt good about it. How long do I wait to come back in after I leave with Katherine?"
"I don't think it matters. I think we're cutting there, but Alex is going to meet with you guys in just a minute, and he'll have notes about that."
Alex noticed Sam and announced that they would get started early, and within five minutes, he gave a whistle, calling everyone to attention in the kitchen area. Sam had just come to stand near Ty when Alex began talking.
"Okay, guys, this is a great scene, and we're going to make it great. Cameron has two extra pans, and we're standing by with everything we need to wash them. We have what must be three dozen eggs."
"Four dozen," Cameron said.
"We have plenty of eggs," Alex said. "And we can get more if needed. All this to say that I'm getting the shot today. Lottie, let's not forget how important your role is during Tommy's dialogue with Katherine," Alex said, looking at Ty. "He's going to be talking to her, but we'll have a camera on you, and you're listening to them, getting built up for him to come back in and kiss you, okay?"
Ty nodded.
"Listen, guys, all scenes are important to me. You guys know that. But I love this one enough to make sure we get perfect footage. And don't get me wrong when I say that. I'm not trying to say you can't mess up. What I'm saying is that I want Tommyand Lottie to really connect here. If we don’t get it in the first take, we'll do it a hundred times. Okay?"
Sam and Ty both nodded because he was looking mainly at them.
"And if we have a mistake or something happens, we're just going to roll with it and keep filming. I'm going need all the footage I can get so I have editing options, okay? That's why I brought Natalie in again today. I might have you guys trying things like ten or twelve times, and I just wanted to have my bases covered."
Sam looked at Ty when Alex was saying that, and he could tell by her body movements that she didn't ask for the other woman to be there. This gave him way too much satisfaction. He was excited to do the scene, and while he thought they could nail it, he secretly hoped that they would have to run it several times before Alex was satisfied.
Alex had a few more things to say to the actors before speaking with the crew.
And just like that, Sam found himself on the other side of that door, waiting for the que to go into the kitchen and become part of the scene.
He had spent a lot of time preparing for this scene, and he knew his lines like the back of his hand.
Alex called for action.
He heard her crack the egg, and a feeling washed over him—one of excitement and joy. Sam held in a smile as he opened that door and walked into the kitchen. He had a box in his hands, and he went towards the table with it. Ty glanced behind her, and they half-acknowledged each other.
"That's not how she makes the eggs," he said in a soft but urgent tone when he noticed that she was frying them.
He moved quickly to stand behind her, and she resisted a little, but she realized what he was doing and didn't move awayfrom him. She looked into the pan as he began to stir. He held onto her, helping her scramble the eggs. He helped her stir for minute before moving his other hand. He touched her stomach, and at the same time, he put his mouth next to her ear. It wasn't in the script that he let his mouth touch her ear, but he did it, his lips brushing against the edge of it. The contact was light, but she felt it because she reacted by taking a hitching, unsteady breath. Her chest rose and fell, and goose bumps formed on her arms.
