Page 62 of His Leading Man

“Cut!”

The second time Drew misjudged when he reached back for Steve’s hand and accidentally smacked him in the face.

“Oh shit!”

Steve stopped before Drew did, raising a careful hand to his face, leaning over awkwardly. He didn’t want to bleed on his wardrobe and cost them valuable time. But miraculously he didn’t seem to be bleeding.

“Are you okay?” Drew asked even before Nina called, long-suffering, “Cut!”

Steve’s eyes were watering, but he blinked back the tears from the impact. He didn’t want to wreck his makeup. “Fine. I think. It’s still attached, right?”

“Let’s see.” Drew took him by the shoulders and put a careful hand on his jaw, turning his head this way and that. “No damage,” he pronounced finally. “You’re just as bent as ever.”

“Oh God,” Nina muttered. “Are we good to go?”

Steve wiggled his nose—sore but definitely not broken. “I’m good. Just try not to hit me again.”

“Take three!”

This time they had one of the production assistants hold Rita’s collar until they got partway through the tunnel. Steve counted Drew’s steps and anticipated the hand, and this time he caught it without breaking stride. Rita caught up to them as they reached the end of the tunnel, but the shots would be short and spliced together, so it didn’t matter.

Drew squeezed Steve’s fingers once before letting go. “I guess the third time’s the charm.”

SHOOTINGwrapped on a Thursday, in the studio where they’d been shooting a bunch of green-screen shots. But instead of an actual green screen, this time they had a whole chapel mocked up: arched stained glass windows, pews, tacky flowers, an altar, and, of course—

“Better get used to the setting,” Steve’s mother teased, straightening his clip-on tie as though Will wouldn’t wring her neck. “I hear you’re booked up come wedding season.”

“Two is hardly booked up,” Steve protested. “How did you land this gig, anyway? You don’t exactly fit the casting call.”

Marla smiled her most secretive smile. “Darling. You’re not the only one who has connections in this business. Besides.” She took a step back and did a twirl, showing off her sequined jumpsuit. “I look fabulous.”

“I can’t argue with that.” Steve gestured with his head toward Will, who was clenching and unclenching his hands rhythmically. “I have to go let Will mess with my tie again. You know how it is.”

She heaved a theatrical sigh and waved him off.

Nina arrived on set with Rita, fresh from her grooming appointment. A lacy white bow with a red rose adorned her collar.

“My beautiful girl!” Marla cried and floated away to shower Rita with love.

Smiling to himself, Steve headed over to Will for primping.

When the set was prepped and everyone on their marks, Nina called, “Action!” and Steve’s mom vamped “Unchained Melody” in a passable false tenor. At the back of the “church,” the door opened and the extra playing the chapel’s wedding coordinator peeked in, headset in place. Then she disappeared again and Drew appeared, wearing an ill-fitting gray suit and holding a bouquet of dollar-store fake flowers.

For a few heartbeats Steve forgot to act, but he was pretty sure it wouldn’t matter.

Drew got all the way down the aisle without breaking character, which impressed Steve, considering he had to do it with Marla in his line of sight. For his part, Steve was glad he had an excuse to turn away. He knew his mother, and he knew she would pull out all the stops. Making them break character to laugh would be a matter of professional pride.

Drew didn’t even look at her. He kept his eyes on Steve.

They held hands over Rita’s leash and looked deep into each other’s eyes. When the film was cut together, this scene would be interspersed with shots of the two uniformed police officers who had been chasing them as the wedding coordinator told them they would have to wait for the wedding in progress to finish, and would they like to pick a package in the meanwhile?

The cops would burst in on the ceremony eventually, by which time Scotty, Morgan, and Roxy would be hightailing it through the parking lot toward the car. It wouldn’t be revealed until several minutes later, with a shot of Steve’s hand, complete with wedding band, on the steering wheel as he drove them toward home, that they’d actually gone through with the whole wedding.

But they shot that already. This was it. A handful of lines and Steve would officially have finished his first role in a Hollywood production. He’d have a filmed, if not edited and produced, writing credit to add to his name.

And his mother would have her first soundtrack credit.

She never did like to be outdone, Steve thought fondly.

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