Page 32 of Love Scenes

The repetition makes me panic. Maybe everyone’s slightly awkward, hasty departure after the engagement announcement triggered another heart attack from Dad. It sounds preposterous at first, but after call number four, I’m convinced I’m correct, picking up the phone with tears in my eyes.

“Finally,” Mom says before I even greet her. “Haven won’t go nude.”

“Huh?”

“Haven is refusing to go nude. We negotiated all of this in her contract. It’s only the side of her left breast. In a medium shot. She gets to choose which take she likes best. And we hired that woman specifically to manage all of this stuff. Make sure it’s alldonecorrectly.” I can practically hear the air quotes in her voice as she talks about our intimacy coordinator, as if she’s angry that we’ve made progress toward making actors feel safe at work when she never got the luxury. “Now Haven’s saying she doesn’t want to do it at all.” This is one hell of a way to finally open the line of communication between us. She reads my stunned silence as permission to keep talking. “Of course that’s all we’re shooting today. She couldn’t tell us this two days ago? No. She had to let me know last night after I got home. Via text.”

“Maybe she’s changed her mind. Let’s get to the lot and find out before we panic.” As the words leave my lips, I realize my error.

“If you’ll recall, I’m not allowed today,” Mom reminds me. “She’s already called me this morning to say she won’t do it. Since you’re the only producer there, I need you to handle it.”

Nowmy made-up job is important to her again. “I’m not forcing her to get naked. No one has died from a lack of side-boob in a movie, Mom.”

“Sloane, I have to get to yoga. I start shooting tomorrow, and Iwillbe doing my nude scene. Make sure today’s taken care of.” She hangs up on me without a goodbye.

She doesn’t even have a nude scene.

When I arrive on the lot, Joseph is sitting outside his trailer holding an iced coffee.

“I thought you were a tea drinker,” I say.

“This is for you, actually.” He hands me the coffee, then stands up to let me inside. His teakettle is whistling. “Consider it a peace offering.”

“For what?” The iced coffee looks delicious but I don’t take a sip. Instead I set it down on the coaster he keeps out for me and my love of drinks with condensation.

“Am I wrong to say things have been a bit strange between us?”

“Define strange,” I bait. “Attending my dad’s engagement dinner at the request of his next wife strange?”

He hesitates. “Before that, actually. Didn’t I break one of your rules when we went to the diner? You asked me not to run my mouth about anyone on this set. I went and did it anyways, talking about Haven.”

“Oh. Yeah.”

His eyes don’t meet mine. We both know the weirder part is what my mom said, but neither of us needs to mention it.

“Is that Joseph Donovan I see? Staring into his mug like his tea leaves are telling him a fortune?” I ask in my most exaggerated impression of him, every word coated with his lilting, lyrical way of speaking.

The callback makes him grin. “I promise you, from now on, these lips are sealed.” He makes a zip gesture and tosses away an imaginary key.

“Hold on a second. There may need to be an addendum to the rules.” I explain to him what’s going on with Haven and how my mother expects me to handle it.

“Christ alive. Tell HavenI’llget naked. If your sister and Guy want a tight shot of my ass, they can have it. Free of charge.”

I have to laugh.

“All this time, all I’ve had to do is agree to nudity to get you to laugh at me?” He sits beside me on the couch. “I dunno how much she will listen to me, but I can talk to Haven. I did convince my mam to let me get a tattoo when I turned eighteen. This can’t be any harder. Of course I convinced my mother after it was already done.”

“Maybe.” I finally sip my coffee. It’s a cold brew with a splash of cream, exactly the way I like it. “Thank you for this, by theway. I was running so late I didn’t have time to pick one up for myself.”

“Don’t mention it. I figured you could always use another. I’m just glad you came.”

I’m glad too, I think to myself.

We try to go about our usual rehearsal process, but neither of us can focus. Haven’s trailer is right next to Joseph’s, and every time we hear someone walk by, both of us flick the blinds to see if it’s her. Eventually I suggest we relocate to the steps of his trailer to watch for Haven’s arrival.

There’s not enough room for us to sit side by side, so Joseph ends up on the ground in front of me, my knees pressed into his back. It feels easy to have him rest against me. Nice, even.

I shudder, but I don’t move.