Page 19 of Shooting for his Heart
“I’ve been working out. This boy in my class said meat and stuff like that helps you get muscles.”
“He’s right, but you have to eat fruit and vegetables with all that meat so you have a balanced diet.”
“I like fruit… I just don’t want no vegetables,” he replied.
“Me either,” Evan chimed in.
I shot Nicholas a knowing look, implying that Evan was only copying his big brother. “You might not want them, but you’ll eat them. They’re not that bad. Besides, it will hurt your auntie’s feelings if you don’t at least eat a little of the salad she worked so hard to make.”
“He’s right. I almost cut my finger off cutting up cucumbers and tomatoes.” Marshae sighed to sell it.
“I’ll try some…” Evan decided.
“Good. I would hate for my hard work to go to waste,” she said, directing her attention to Nick.
“I’m gonna eat some, Auntie.”
“It’s good with this white sauce, Nick,” Evan informed him as he stuffed a forkful of salad in his mouth.
“It’s called ranch dressing,” Nick said, educating his younger brother.
“Well, I like it.”
“Unc, are we going with you to the set tomorrow?” Nick asked.
“Yes, but you’re going to have to be up early, or I’m leaving without you.”
It always felt good to have the boys see what I did for a living. It was one thing to live in a cool, lavish house without a care in the world because you had a rich uncle. It was a whole other thing to see how he brought home the bacon and afforded that lavish lifestyle.
“All right, boys… Before we go in here, do you remember the rules?”
“Yes!” Evan quickly answered. He was usually the one to break the rules, so I was interested in hearing what he had to say.
“Quiet on the set,” Evan stated proudly.
“For sure. What else?”
“I don’t want a whole bunch of running around. This ain’t no playground. People are trying to work,” Nick said in an attempt to imitate me.
“Really?” I shook my head.
“I don’t know, Shawn. He has you down pat.”
“Can you do Auntie Shae?” I asked, interested in how he would imitate her.
“No…” The smirk that covered his face told me otherwise, but I decided not to push it.
“Let’s go to the craft services tent to get food. We are about to start filming in about thirty minutes,” I announced.
I led the way to craft services, hoping to get a cup of piping hot coffee if nothing else. I’d rushed the boys out of the house so quickly this morning that I hadn’t had a chance to get my morning cup. I was more concerned about running late than I was about getting my daily fill of caffeine.
Once they spotted the craft services sign, the boys took off running. They knew this was a safe area for the ripping and running I didn’t want in other places. I gave them clear directions about running around whenever I brought them on set. I also let them know where it was cool to play. Young, energetic boys needed a place to blow off steam, even when they were held hostage on a movie set with their uncle. They stopped shy of the entrance, giving Marshae and me time to catch up with them. I don’t remember having so much energy when I was their age. I wasn’t a slouch by a long shot, but I could admit that the boys were running rings around me, even on a good day.
I felt her presence before I fully opened the tent to let my sister and the boys inside. As soon as I walked into the oversized tent, my eyes swept the interior until they landed on my target. When our eyes met, it was like an arrow through my heart every single time.
“Hey, Shawn. I see you have those handsome little guys with you today. I was wondering if I would get to see them this time.” Gia greeted me, tearing my eyes away from my Georgia peach.
“Uh, yeah. You know they try to come down and check things out at least once during shooting. They have to make sure I know what I’m doing.”
