From Side Dish
An hour later, things still weren’t working. Becca truly felt sorry for Sam because he was trying, but he couldn’t act his way out of a plastic baggie. Nora, on the other hand, was acting her sweet little pea pickin’ heart out. Of course, Nora could command attention in a soup can. But Becca wasn’t sure how much of what Nora was doing was acting, or just her natural demeanor around men. It was her nature to lay it on a bit thick.
Patricia coached from the sidelines and Suzie just looked distressed.
Becca sidled up next to the author. “Not going so well, huh?”
“You can say that again.”
Patricia leaned in. “We made a mistake doing this out in the wilderness. We need something to give it some pop. Nothing out here but mountains and trees and wildflowers.”
“Sam is struggling,” Suzie added.
“He’s just not that into Nora.”
“I could have told you that.” Becca shrugged when both women stared her way. “Hey, I notice things.”
“Too bad she’s into him, though,” Patricia said.
“You think so?”
“Look.”
Becca did. Nora was giggling and trying to feed Sam a piece of cheesecake. He sat stiff as a board, his mouth open, while she tried to pop a nugget in his mouth. She missed and laughed. Sam frowned and then catching himself, half-heartedly laughed, too.
For just a second, he caught Becca’s eye.
Nora then dipped a forefinger full of strawberry glaze and brought it her mouth. Her tongue snaked out and she slowly licked and then sucked. Becca’s gaze went to Sam’s face. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, then he turned his helpless stare toward the trio standing off to the side and said, “Suzie? Isn’t this about enough?”
“Give him a break, Patricia. Certainly we have what we need now.”
Thank God, Becca thought. She was almost embarrassed for Nora.
And Sam.
Patricia studied the scene before her, then glanced to her right at Suzie and Becca, and then back to Sam. “Sure. Okay. After just one more shot.”
Everyone on the set groaned.
Everything around them went silent for a brief moment.
Abruptly, Patricia grabbed Becca by the arm and tugged. “Makeup!” She shouted. “Suzie! Get that picnic basket and fill it up with food. Anything! Just put something in it. Nora! I need you over here, sweetie. Sam? Don’t you move from that spot, do you hear me? I know we have one more shot in you.”
Suzie scurried away.
Patricia dragged Becca toward the picnic table.
Nora stood with a deer-in-the-headlight look on her face.
Becca wasn’t sure what the hell was going on.
And Sam looked like he could simply wither.
Then, before she realized it, Becca was overtaken by the make-up girl and being fluffed and buffed, while Nora was lead off by Patricia, whose lips were moving a mile a minute while Nora stood hands-on-hips, her head nodding, her eyebrows bobbing, and her nose wrinkling.
Becca looked to Sam. “I don’t have a clue what’s happening here.”
“Just go with it,” he said. “It’s out of our control.”
“Maybe we should just play and be nice and then we can take our toys and go home soon.”
“Promise?”
“One can hope.”
“I’d like to go home with you and play with your toys.”
Immediately, Becca flushed. And reddened. She was pretty darned sure. The makeup girl grimaced and buffed at her cheeks some more.
“Okay, so here is the deal.” Patricia was back. “Sam, you stay where you are. Nora, take your seat again across from him. Suzie, give Becca that picnic basket. Becca, I want you to come sashaying in from the right and interrupt their lunch. I want you to flirt like hell with Sam and Sam?” His head whipped her way. “I want you to flirt like hell back. We need some conflict in this matchmaking seduction scene and this is the only way I know how to do it.”
Conflict. Shit. Patricia Plum had no earthly idea how much conflict this was going to cause between her and best friend.
Nora looked at her with eyes round as buttered biscuits.
“Not my idea, Nora.”
“All right!” Patricia clapped her hands and the crew fell into their places. Suzie shoved the picnic basket into her hands and the next thing Becca knew was that some guy was snapping a clapper thing in front of her and shouting, “Action!”
In that instant, she knew there was only one thing left to do.
So, she did it.
She plastered a huge grin on her face, sashayed her ass over to the table, winked at Sam, and thought about one thing and one thing only—taking her toys home to play with Sam.
