Page 12 of The Location Shoot
“What about love?” he asked. “Do you think love brings us pleasure?”
“There’s nothing more devastatingly beautiful or pleasurable than love, I imagine, although I’m hardly an expert.” He smiled warmly at her and she continued, “It’s incredibly difficult to pin down. Love means so many different things and is experienced in innumerable ways. How do we define it without limiting it? There’s a materiality or physicality to the topics I’ve selected that’s impossible to have with an abstract concept like love.”
“I see,” he said.
“Still, it naturally creeps in when writing about these four topics. Love is part of all of them, with sex perhaps being the most obvious. Sex between people truly in lovewith one another can bring enormous pleasure, both physically and spiritually. Or so I’m told.”
“I think so too. Or at least I hope so.” They held each other’s gaze for a long, comfortable moment. Eventually, he said, “I apologize if this is a stupid question, but will you use the same writing style for all four books? Are they meant to mirror each other?”
She smiled brightly. “That’s a fantastic question. I’ve never been what you’d call a traditional writer. My writing merges different styles and structures—essays, fiction, plays. Creative thinking demands creative writing. I imagine the books will each be close to the same length but with differing approaches. Whatever works to deliver the ideas, you know? So far, I have rough drafts of the volumes on sex and art. I’m hoping to refine those while I’m here, with Jean’s input, and this feels like the ideal place to start on the nature book.”
Finn turned his attention out the window. “The grounds here are spectacular. The sun doesn’t set until around ten o’clock, and even after, it never really gets totally dark this time of year. I find the light in the evening to be particularly beautiful. Maybe one night after dinner we could take a stroll.”
“I’d love that,” she said.
Just then, the waiter delivered their breakfast.
“Bon appétit,” she said.
“Bon appétit,” he replied.
Before they could take a bite of their food, Michael came barreling into the room. His eyes went straight to Ella like a laser, as if he had been looking for her.
“Ah, it looks like you wouldn’t have been alone this morning after all,” she said to Finn.
“I have a feeling I’m not the one he was hoping to see,” he whispered.
She giggled.
“Michael, come join us,” Finn called.
“Thanks,” Michael said, dropping in the chair beside him. He threw his hand up to signal to the waiter and then hollered out his order: “An espresso and an egg white omelet with spinach, no dairy.” He turned to Ella and said, “You look lovely today. How was your first night in our humble abode?”
“Fine, thank you. I was glad for a good night’s sleep. It’s so quiet here. There’s nothing like the country, especially when you’re a city girl.”
“Where do you live?” Michael asked.
“All over. I rarely stay in one place for long. I’ve been renting a little flat in Paris, but then Jean started pestering me.”
“We’re all looking forward to having you on set today,” Michael said. “If you have any questions about the film, feel free to stop by my trailer and we can speak privately.”
She glanced at Finn, and he watched her eyes linger on his smile. Moving past Michael’s invitation, she picked up her small spoon and tapped on the egg’s light brown shell. “What is it about that sound that’s so satisfying?” she asked.
Finn smiled.
She stuck her spoon into the egg with consideration, slowly penetrating the white until she reached the runny yolk. She lifted the spoon, dripping in glistening, orange yolk, looked Finn directly in his inviting eyes, and said, “See? There’s something so pleasurable about that, and I haven’t even taken a bite.”
She and Finn smiled at each other like two people in on a private joke.
“What did I miss?” Michael asked, a bewildered expression on his face.
THEY WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF SHOOTINGthe same party scene they’d been working on since the first day of filming when Ella strolled onto set that afternoon. When Jean yelled, “Cut!” the band stopped playing and the actors wandered away from their marks.
Jean flashed a genuine, broad smile at the sight of her, something the actors had never seen on set before. As Ella flitted over, Michael whispered to Finn, “God, she’s gorgeous.”
“That she is. I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful. I was speaking with her this morning about her work. Fascinating stuff. She’s a brilliant woman,” Finn replied, staring shamelessly.
Still gawking, Michael said, “She has something special, some quality about her. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s intoxicating.”
