Kimberly
looked for something to shield her from the blinding sun. The
scrim fit the job and she held one over her head to block the
sun. Greg appeared suddenly and dropped down next to her. He handed
her an iced canned cola.
"You
look like you could use it," he said, smiling and taking control
of the scrim.
Greg
leaned behind her and moved the scrim against the back wall. As
he did, his arm brushed against her back. She instinctively shifted
away from him, then rolled the cold can against her forehead in
an effort to cool down.
Rising
to his knees, Greg dug deep into his back jeans pocket. Kimberly
had no idea what he was doing, but she wished he would sit down.
She had become acutely aware of his presence. She smelled the
woodsy cologne, heard his breathing, sensed his leaning closer
and closer even as he dug deeper into his pocket.
A
few seconds later he waved a bandana in the air, then shifted
until he was behind her and wrapped the cloth band around her
forehead. When he had finished, he continued kneeling behind her,
his hands resting casually on her shoulders, and said, "That should
help. The sun is really intense today."
That's
not all, she thought. His breath whispered against her ear and
cooled her cheek as he spoke. The warmth of his palms resting
on her shoulders radiated more heat than the late morning sun
burning her exposed sun. The soft, lingering scent, reminding
her of a cool, dew-drenched forest, mingled with the humid air
between them.
Despite
the awkwardness of the moment, she didn't move. She liked his
touch, his scent, his attention.
A
sharp whistle blast shattered the moment. Barry, in a hurry to
finish the scenes on the roof, was trying to hustle everyone into
action.
"Guess
it's time," Greg said, his voice still soft.
She
nodded. "Yes, we better go." She saw Barry waving for her to join
him. "Barry calls."
Greg
laughed and got to his feet. "At least he hasn't blasted us with
his whistle."
When
Greg left, she felt the loss. She couldn't sit around thinking
about him, so she grabbed the script and jogged over to where
Ricardo had set up the camera. Thanks to Barry, she had something
else to keep her occupied. Barry had the actors do a number of
retakes and Kimberly could see that Marla was getting tired. Maybe
the heat was starting to get to her. It certainly was slowing
Kimberly down.
During
the last take, Kimberly started to think something was off, not
quite right. She watched Marla pace in front of the camera, each
step retracing the exact path she took before. Despite her careful
efforts, Kimberly couldn't figure out what was bugging her.
During
a short break, Ricardo slipped next to her. "You sure are watching
Marla. Don't tell me you want to be her understudy."
"Hardly,"
she said and shrugged. "I don't know. Something just doesn't feel
right."
"You
and Greg make a real pair. You both need to relax. Everything
looks fine."
Shading
her eyes, she looked across the roof. "Did you watch Marla do
the crossover earlier?"
"Yeah,
of course I did. Through the camera," he said and folded his arms
across his chest. "Who wouldn't watch her make her moves? Did
you see how her hair swings gently at the end as she takes a step?"
Then his smile sagged. "You don't think Marla made a mistake,
do you?"
Kimberly
sighed. "I don't know. Maybe I'm trying too hard. You're probably
right and everything's fine." She glanced at Marla again and watched
her throw her head forward then toss her long silky-red mane.
"She
looks good to me, girl," Ricardo said and shifted his weight to
get a better look at Marla. "She hardly ever makes a mistake;
but, look, if you really think there's a problem you need to tell
Greg now."
She
stood and replayed the last scene in her mind. She tried to visualize
Marla's actions. Nothing. She still could not get it out of her
head by the time Greg joined them.
"Looks
like we're ready to break everything down, pack up and leave,"
he said, but his clear eyes shadowed when he looked at Kimberly
and Ricardo. "What's the problem?