Take One by Karen Kingsbury Page A

get me in the movies, are you?”
    Keith winced. “Actually, let me explain what we need …” Five minutes later when he got off the phone, they had the promise
     of a hot filet of Alaskan salmon every morning for the next four weeks—starting with the piece he was putting in the broiler
     even as they spoke. After this morning, JR would even deliver the cooked fish to the set each day at seven. He would deliver
     it to the food ser vices truck, where it would be kept warm until Rita reported for breakfast. In turn, Keith had promised
     the guy he could be a professor walking in the background on one of the scenes set to be shot on campus next week.
    The salmon wasn’t free, of course. At twenty-five and change per filet, they’d just added more than five hundred dollars to
     the budget. Keith had no choice. They’d have to find the money somewhere. He climbed into his rental car and headed toward
     Town’s Square. As he drove, he found a reason to be grateful. Yesterday when they were setting up, dozens of towns people
     approached him to ask questions about the film. Be kind to the locals, that’s what they’d learned in the mission field. In
     the two years since then, he and Chase had worked on the set of a new hit reality show, and they’d produced a few direct-to-DVD
     films for the Christian market.
    With each project, Keith had only become more convinced about his philosophy regarding the locals—they’d get a lot farther
     in their goals if they were extraordinarily nice from the get-go. Loving people the way Jesus loved them. Not only did kindness
     foster good will among the neighbors and make them more agreeable to the disruption of a film crew taking over their street,
     but oftentimes producers needed a certain car in a shot, or some yard furniture moved to create a different look. Any of a
     hundred strange requests, and always the neighbors were more inclined to work with the producers if they’d been shown kindness
     and respect.
    Now they could take the next step toward their goals all because he’d been nice to a local. Keith bounded up the steps of
     the restaurant, and after only a few minutes, JR handed him a plastic plate with a great-smelling piece of salmon and a heap
     of fresh steamed broccoli. Keith shook the man’s hand. “I might have to get you in two scenes for this.”
    “No problem.” The man tipped his baseball cap. “Glad to be of ser vice.”
    Keith pulled up on the set and hurried the hot plate to Rita’s trailer door. He knocked and waited a full minute before she
     opened it. She was still in her pale blue wrap, and she scowled at him, ready for a fight until she saw the plate in his hand.
     “Here,” Keith gave it to her. “Salmon and broccoli. The same thing will be here for you every morning from now on.”
    Rita studied the plate and her expression softened. “Thank you.” She smelled the plate and a quiet, nervous-sounding laugh
     came from her. “I don’t mean to be any trouble, Keith. You know that. I didn’t think you’d find salmon this morning, and,
     well … I wouldn’t really have walked. It’s just … someone dropped the ball—not you and Chase—but someone, and …” another laugh,
     “I can’t work without salmon.” She smiled again. “You understand, right?”
    “Of course.” Keith took a step back and checked his watch. “When can we expect you on set?”
    “How about twenty minutes?” Again she looked sheepish. “Sorry if I made a scene. I can be a little … overdramatic at times.”
    “We want you happy, Rita.” He tried to see her as a vulnerable human being, not as a spoiled actress wasting precious money
     and making unreasonable demands. His smile felt genuine as he took a few steps away from her trailer. “We’ll do whatever we
     can. See you in twenty.”
    On the short walk back to the set, Keith thought about the change in his star actress. What if he’d fought with her and chastised
     her for her demands?