Page 87 of Love Off-Limits
I stopped recording. “That was perfect, Mrs. Bradshaw. Thank you.”
I was running out of time. I still needed to get some B-roll before the ceremony started, but I wanted to spend a few minutes with Ethan, too. I suddenly wished I had one of our production assistants with me. The extra set of hands would have been invaluable.
I swapped out Ethan’s parents with Ethan himself, positioning him next to the window, then crouched in front of him. “This is a lapel mic,” I said, holding it up in front of him. “You’ll need to wear it through the entire ceremony. May I?” I gestured toward his chest.
“Oh, absolutely,” he said. “Thanks for filling in last minute. I was a wreck when I found out about Tom. Olivia says you’re good though.”
I grimaced. “I’ll do my best.”
“You smell like oranges,” he said as I finished securing his mic. “And pine trees. It’s heavenly.”
I stood and looked across the room to the dresser where he’d been sitting moments before. A basket of goat’s milk soap sat on the dresser. A couple of long strides took me to the basket. As luck would have it, the very scent was among those in the basket. I plucked it out and handed it to him. “They make it here on the farm.”
“You’re lying,” he said, lifting the soap to his nose. “Oh, I need this in my life.”
“I’m pretty sure that one’s already yours. And they sell more in the farm store.”
“You work here a lot then?”
I avoided Ethan’s gaze as I prepared my camera for the shot. “This is the first wedding that I’ve shot here, actually,” I said. “But Olivia’s a friend. I’m pretty familiar with the farm.”
“For a moment, I thought you were telling me this is the first wedding you’veshot,” Ethan said. “I’m so relieved you finished that sentence differently.”
I didn’t respond, but whatever expression flashed across my face clearly told Ethan everything he needed to know. “No,” he said softly. “You’re kidding me. You’ve never—”
“Ethan, I need you to trust me,” I said, cutting him off. “I know what I’m doing. I’ve never shot a wedding before. But I’ve been working in film since I was sixteen. I can handle this.”
He nodded, but his expression still looked panicked.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could handle it, all right? This is going to work. Now. Tell me when you knew that Ethan Vestry would be your happily ever after.”
His face immediately softened, and I started recording, wanting to capture the nuances of his shifting expression. He chuckled. “Oh, that’s easy. Minute one of day one.”
“Can you say it again and include the question?” I said from behind the camera.
He smiled wistfully. “I knew within the first minute on the first day I met Ethan Vestry that he was my future.” He shrugged. “That he would change everything.” He smiled. “And he did.”
There wasn’t time to talk with Tall Ethan before the ceremony. I’d left him with his lapel mic already attached before I’d gone up to see Short Ethan, so that was done, at least. But I still needed to find the officiator. And capture some footage of the farm, including the pavilion and all the wedding decorations and the surrounding views. And film the guests arriving. And still be in place by the time the ceremony started.
“How’s it going?” Olivia asked when I stepped out onto the front porch.
“It’s...going,” I said. “Where can I find the officiator?”
Olivia wrinkled her brow. “Probably down at the pavilion,” she said. “We’re less than an hour out now, so I’m guessing she’s already arrived.”
“Are there any guests here yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Okay. I need to get some footage of the farm.” I pulled a lapel mic out of my pocket. “Can you take this down to the officiator and get them rigged up?”
She nodded. “How does it work?”
I showed her how the tiny clamp opened and attached. “If she isn’t wearing anything where it can clamp on, you can use the magnetic piece here on the back and do it that way.”
“Got it. It doesn’t need to be plugged into anything else?”
“It’s all wireless. As long as I’m in range, it’ll work.”
