Page 30 of Trick
Dustin gave me a big smile when I walked into the studio with one minute to spare, but Steve called out a greeting and jumped right into his vision for the commercial. He thenmotioned to Danielle, who was running the sound board, letting her know we were ready to start.
Three takes later, and the production team decided they were satisfied.
Dustin approached me as soon as they announced that we could go.
“Hey, let me grab a shot of us both to post on my social media accounts.” It was something all of us did to keep our name out there, in the minds of casting directors and – in my case – audiobook listeners.
I nodded, and we squeezed in close for the shot.
“I’ll tag you in it,” he said, his fingers flying over the phone screen at an impressive speed.
A few moments later, he turned the screen toward me so I could see it.
“It’s always a great day when I get to work with Laura Asher. Incredible voice, incredible lady.”
He’d added a few hashtags, as well as tagging my professional accounts in it, as promised.
“Thank you,” I told him sincerely, hoping that would be the end of it.
“You’re very welcome,” he replied, stepping a little closer to me. Before he could say anything else, we were interrupted by Steve, who asked him about another commercial they were planning to record later in the week.
Feeling terrible for taking the coward’s way out, I took advantage of the diversion and slipped out the door with a quick wave and what I hoped was an apologetic smile.
Since I had some time to kill before my booth session started, I decided to stop in the break room to lubricate my voice. It didn’t take long to boil the water for a cup of tea, adding some of the honey and lemon the studio stocked for us.
I closed my eyes and smiled as the first, soothing sip hit my throat. Pure bliss in a cup.
“Good morning.”
My eyes flew open to see JD standing just inside the doorway, holding his tool bag.
“Didn’t mean to startle you,” he said apologetically, “I just need to check for a small leak under the sink.”
I shook my head, chuckling softly. “It’s not your fault. I was so focused on my tea that I didn’t even hear you come in.”
We chatted for a few minutes, mostly about the overbearing owner of the building – who also happened to be his aunt – and the monthly inspection she’d made over the weekend.
“I have a whole list of stuff to fix, whether anything’s actually wrong with it or not, like this sink. She didn’t see any water under there, but said that it ‘smells damp’, so I need to fix it.” He shook his head, and explained with a shrug, “She likes to make sure she’s getting her money’s worth from paying my salary.”
We were interrupted when Dustin walked in, grinning when he saw me.
“Hello again, pretty lady. I was hoping to catch you before you jumped into your next session.” he said. “I had a wonderful time Friday night…before my car trouble, that is. Do you suppose we could have a do-over tonight, maybe check out that new Greek place that just opened on Marshall Road?”
I glanced over his shoulder at JD, who was focused on unpacking his tools.
Not wanting to have this conversation in front of an audience, I cocked my head toward the door and discreetly tugged on Dustin’s arm. He seemed to understand that I wanted to speak with him privately and followed me out into the hallway without hesitation. I walked several feet away from the break room and kept my voice low so we wouldn’t be overheard.
“I’ve had a really nice time with you, Dustin, but I don’t want to lead you on. I don’t think a third date is a good idea, but I would really like it if we can continue to see each other strictly as friends.”
The expectant look dropped from his face, and he rocked back on his heels, glancing at the floor for a second before looking back up at me.
“I’m disappointed, but if I’m honest I was sort of expecting this,” he said quietly. “Is it because of the biker guy who was at your house when I picked you up? I thought I detected a weird vibe between you two.”
I shook my head, not willing to go into that with Dustin when I hadn’t even figured it out myself. “No, but I ended a long-term relationship just before moving to Indianapolis, and I’m not ready to jump into anything new.”
“I wish things were different, but I get it,” he said, accepting my explanation gracefully, “and I would love to grab a coffee now and then…just as friends,” he added.
“I’d like that,” I replied, grateful that he’d taken my rejection well.
