As promised, Norm, the technical director, along with two other members of the movie crew, arrived at Jewel’s home at noon.
“Good to finally meet you, Ms. Fontaine,” Norm said. “We promise not to get in your way—or at least as little as possible.” He smiled. “The plan is to take a bunch of exterior shots and shots of the first floor and of course the surrounding property. A couple of hours, tops.”
“Not a problem. Where do you want to start?”
“Why don’t we start inside, so we can get out of your way as soon as possible.”
“Sure. I’ll show you around.” She took them on a quick tour of the main level: living area, den, kitchen, a small bedroom that at one time had been the servants’ quarters, bathroom and the back veranda.
Norm took notes as they walked, with his two assistants trailing dutifully behind them. He turned to Jewel. “I know I said the main level, but is it possible to see the rooms upstairs to give us more options?”
Her stomach knotted. The last thing she wanted was for her father to become upset with strangers tramping around the house. His setbacks were becoming more pronounced and prolonged, and she didn’t want to do anything to make it worse.
“Well, why don’t you get started down here? I have to make some arrangements.”
He looked at her curiously.
“My father...isn’t well,” she said in response to his look.
He held up his hands. “Hey, not a problem. I don’t want to cause an issue.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks.” He turned to his assistants. “Okay, fellas, let’s get started. I want multiple shots of everything on this floor from various angles, full shots to close-ups.”
Jewel went in search of Minerva, who was just finishing up her father’s bathing. She quietly explained what the crew wanted to do, and Minerva assured her that she would keep Augustus occupied in his room—which was to remain off-limits.
“Hopefully it won’t take long,” Jewel said.
Minerva clasped her shoulder. “It will be fine.”
Jewel crossed the room and went to sit on the side of her father’s bed.
“Hey, Daddy,” she said softly. She took his hand in hers. “How are you today?”
He blinked and slowly focused on her. He smiled. “Jewel. My Jewel.” He squeezed her fingers. “Beautiful as ever. Just finished my bath,” he said in a teasing tone.
Jewel grinned. “I bet you enjoyed it.”
“Where’s that young girl that works with you? Haven’t seen her in a while.” He frowned in concentration.
Jewel angled her head. “Mai Ling?”
“Is that her name?”
“Yes, Mai Ling. She doesn’t work with me anymore.”
“Who?” His gaze grew cloudy. He began to fidget.
Jewel gently patted his hand. “Mai Ling doesn’t work with me anymore.”
He stared at her. “I’m ready for my lunch.”
Jewel sighed. She leaned over and kissed his forehead. “Sure thing, Daddy.” She turned to Minerva and hoped the heartbreak that she felt wasn’t reflected in her expression. “I’ll let you know when they are ready to come up,” she said softly. Minerva nodded.
Jewel returned to the main level and advised Norm that when they were ready she would take them upstairs.
She sat quietly on the sidelines, in total fascination, while the team took innumerable pictures. When Norm said, “from every angle,” that was exactly what he got. What made the process more real was that before every final shot, a digital image was printed first so that they could be sure of every angle.
It was one thing to live and walk through your space day after day, year after year and basically not pay things much attention beyond cleaning and maybe updating furniture or draperies. It was a completely different experience to see your home through the eyes of a lens, the eyes of others.
The very unique features of her home came to life for the camera—the gleam of the wood floors, the intricacies of the crown molding, the banisters and inlays in the walls, the majesty of the sliding doors, built-in cherrywood cabinets, cathedral ceilings and crystal chandeliers. Over the years Jewel and her father had worked hard at maintaining the original woodwork, nooks and crannies right down to the claw-foot tubs and wall sconces. Of course, all of the internal workings of the house had been upgraded, but on the surface the home was very much a reflection of what it looked like more than one hundred years ago.
This home was her legacy. Allowing the filming, although intrusive, had bought her the time and money that she needed to hold on to that legacy until she could find a way to ensure a steady and substantial flow of capital. Her father and her grandparents and great-grandparents deserved to have what they’d earned maintained.
* * *
The photography took a little more than three hours. Norm thanked Jewel for her time and even left her with some of the photographs on his way out.
“You have a fabulous place. A lot of history here,” he said and took a final look around.
“Thank you.”
“Good to meet you. But I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”
“I’m sure.” She stood on the threshold and watched as the team piled back into their vehicle and drove off. Jewel shut the door with a satisfied feeling. She’d made the right decision, and she was starting to believe that everything would work out.
She checked the time on the antique grandfather clock that resided in the foyer. Three hours before Craig would be there to take her to dinner. A shiver of anticipation fluttered through her, and a flash of their night together shocked her senses. There was no guarantee of how many more nights like that they would share together, but if she had anything to do with it, tonight would be another one.
* * *
Craig was on his way out of the production suite en route to his room when Milan stopped him in the hallway.
“Hey, Craig.”
“Milan.” He stopped in front of her.
“I was on my way to find you.”
“Problem?” He shifted his iPad from one hand to the other.
“No. Not at all. Actually, I was hoping that we could make some time before shooting to...talk.”
He tapped back the groan that threatened to escape. “I could order something up to the suite. We could chat there,” he said, giving Milan a graceful way out—without him saying no—and him the distance that he wanted to maintain.
“Are you afraid to be alone with me?” she asked, taking a step to close the distance between them.
His mouth quirked with a sardonic grin. “Why would I?” His lids lowered over his eyes.
“You tell me. You’ve done everything short of becoming invisible any time I’m in the vicinity. I want us to be able to work together—to be friends.”
“I thought that’s what we were doing. I’m always available to listen to what my actors have to say.” He stared at her. “Should I order up something to the suite?”
Her full lips drew into a single line. “Some other time.”
He gave a slight shrug. “Not a problem.” He breezed by her, covered the hall in long strides and entered his room. He was pretty sure the hot spots he felt on his back were daggers Milan was throwing.
More than once he’d questioned the feasibility of casting Milan. But artistry won out over his personal hesitation. However, he had no qualms about replacing her if things turned a wrong corner. Anthony had suggested several other actresses that could step into the role. They didn’t have the name and face recognition that Milan had, and he was banking on those things to create hype for the film. With Milan and Hamilton in the lead roles, the film was guaranteed to garner the attention and box office success he knew it deserved. But he wasn’t above casting an up-and-coming actress and making a star if Milan made life difficult.
He emptied his pockets on the top of the dresser then decided to send Jewel a text message before getting in the shower. He pulled up her number from his contacts.
I heard that things went well today. Great shots. We can talk about next steps later tonight. Looking forward to seeing you. C.
He hit send. Within moments the phone chirped with her response.
Looking forward to seeing you, too.
Craig grinned, pulled off his clothes and headed into the shower.