I clench my jaw to keep from saying anything I don’t mean to.
“It is so nice to meet you both,” Charlotte says with a light southern twang. She takes the empty seat right next to me, and without thinking, I shift my body slightly away. Ty plants a light kiss on her cheek and heads back to his mark.
Charlotte stretches out, resting both elbows on the armrests and making it impossible for me to take any more space unless I physically move my chair away.
“Miles Casey.” She shakes her head. “I’m a huge fan. I loved you inThe Last Candle.”
Of course, she lovedThe Last Candle. It was an indie film I made in my late teens, and it made the small awards circuit. There was a buzz of Oscar talk, but no nominations. I say, “Thanks.”
“I mean it. That performance moved me so much. It literally changed me as a person. It’s why I got into acting.”
“Oh, are you an actor?”
“I’m a model. I just got into acting a couple of months ago. Elsie, you should write me a great role like the female lead inSwipeor likeAva’s in this movie or something and put me on the map.”
Elsie giggles uncomfortably, still holding the two coffees Minnie handed her before she ran off. Elsie thrusts one at me. Charlotte perks up. “Ooh, coffee. I’d love one. It’s freezing out here.”
Minnie walks by with a steaming cup, beelining it to Natalie. One of these coffees had probably been for her in the first place. She’s noteven looking in our direction, her eyes solely focused ahead, her mouth set in a grim line, her cheeks splotchy like she’s been crying. On her way back from handing off the cup, Charlotte grabs her arm. “Excuse me… Do you think you could get me one of those coffees?”
Minnie nods, looking down at the ground the whole time.
“And a blanket if it’s not too much trouble?” Charlotte looks toward us. “Y’all got blankets out here for while you’re waiting or watching, I guess?”
Elsie shakes her head like she’s watching a car crash. It seems I’m not the only one who knew about Minnie and Ty. “I…uh…I’m not sure.”
Minnie says in a small voice, barely above a whisper, “I’ll see what I can find.”
“Oh, honey,” Charlotte says, patting Minnie’s arm. “You gotta learn to speak up if you ever want to be heard. Women gotta speak twice as loud. You know what I’m saying? Otherwise, people’ll just walk all over you.”
Minnie makes eye contact with Charlotte now, and if looks could set someone on fire, that one would for sure. She nods and leaves.
“Sweet kid.” Charlotte smiles. She seems pleased with herself for having imparted some wisdom to this young girl in the industry. I’m sure she means well. That’s when it dawns on me that Minnie is not the only one betrayed here.
Ty’s monologueis on the sixth take when I head to get for more coffee. I’m about to enter when I hear a soft sniffle coming from behind the tent. I follow the noise and find Minnie, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, tears rolling down her face.
She quickly wipes them away when she sees me. “You were right about him.”
“Minnie.” I hold out my arms to hug her, but she shakes her head. “I didn’t want to be right. I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
“No.” She stands a little straighter. “I’m fine, really. I’m going to get that horrible woman a blanket, even if I have to knit it myself.”
I put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll find her something. Why don’t you go take a break? Maybe you could head back to the cabins for the day? I can let Natalie know you weren’t feeling well.”
“Really? You think it would be okay?”
I nod and find another member of the crew, ask him to drive Minnie back to the cabins, and he agrees. While I’m at it, I also ask him to grab a blanket, even though I shouldn’t care if Charlotte freezes. Although she didn’t do anything wrong. This whole mess is Ty’s fault. He hasn’t changed at all—still using people, destroying everything in his path.
Ty’s monologue calls for thirteen takes. Natalie clearly isn’t the superstitious type. I’ve known some directors who would do one more take just to not end on thirteen. But not her. I hate to admit it, but that last take was really something special. He might get a supporting actor nod out of this whole thing.
The afternoon is a mix of gray and gold, the clouds dark, the opening in between shining brighter as if to make up for it. We don’t have much daylight left today. Around here, the sun sets before four p.m. these days. And I thought the days were short during winter in Brooklyn.
The PA is back with a blanket for Charlotte. “Oh, thanks, hon. You know, I never did get a coffee.”
After all this time, why hasn’t she just gone and gotten her own damn coffee? No one else is being waited on hand and foot. How can Ty choose this self-absorbed princess over Minnie?
I find my mark for the fight scene, still seething about how careless Ty is with people. Natalie’s words from the beginning of the production echo in my head:Make it work for you.
Ty gets to his mark after a quick costume adjustment. He gives me a wink—an honest-to-God wink. “Ready for this, old man?”
