together as she walked up to the deck and sat beside Aria.
“Hey there.”
“Aubrey.” Aria seemed startled to find Aubrey sitting next to her. It was odd since she hadn’t exactly tiptoed up to the deck. “When did you get here? Are they ready to go?”
“Not yet. We still have a few minutes.”
Rather than start her usual chatter, Aria fell quiet, and her eyes drifted out toward the horizon.
“Is something wrong?” Aubrey asked.
“No. Yes. I don’t know.” Aria trailed off, choking on the last word.
“Do you want to talk about it? Maybe it’ll help.”
“Oh, you know, it’s the typical stuff that Italian operas are famous for. Unrequited love, desperate yearning, and all that.” Aria’s tremulous smile made Aubrey reach for her hand. “I know he feels the same way I do. I can feel it in my bones, but he keeps pushing me away.”
“You mean Lucien?” The words popped out before she could stop them.
Aria sucked in a surprised breath. “Landon wouldn’t have mentioned anything.…”
“Of course not. I guessed something was there that night you sang for us.”
“That obvious, huh?”
“It was the song. I couldn’t stop crying.” Aubrey squeezed the hand she held. “But Lucien. The way he looks at you and talks to you. I don’t think your love is unrequited. Far from it.”
“You are so sweet,” said Aria, a sad but genuine smile lighting her face.
“I’m also right.”
“It’s time, ladies!” one of the crew members? yelled from the doorway.
“It was wonderful to chat. You have a way of making people happy.” Aria linked her arm through Aubrey’s, and they headed for the set.
Aubrey’s second day of filming went much more smoothly than her first. She still couldn’t stand the crowd, lights, and heavy makeup, but for the most part, she felt less like a train wreck. All in all, she couldn’t wait to be done with her television career.
From the first “Ready. Set. Action!” there was no hint of sadness left in Aria as she threw herself into her show. She was a pro through and through. Aubrey’s respect for her grew even more.
“Something smells marvelous in here. It must be your cookies.” Aria turned toward Aubrey. “Should we take a peek at them?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Aubrey said, putting on her oven mitts. “Do you see how golden brown they are around the edges? They’re ready.”
“Mmm. They look and smell marvelous.” Aria sounded genuinely excited as she watched Aubrey pull out the cookies from the oven. “I wonder how your Moscato sorbet is doing.”
“Why don’t we check?” Aria’s excitement was contagious, and Aubrey opened the ice cream maker with a little flair. The stunt sorbet they scooped out of the ice cream machine was perfect per script. “It looks ready, but there’s only one way to know for sure.”
In real life, as she’d written in her recipe, the sorbet would need two hours in the freezer to be firm enough to hold their shape between the cookies yet soft enough to scoop. Television magic made perfection a few steps quicker.
“It’s time to taste test the ice cream sandwiches.” Aria clasped her hands together.
“Let’s go to the assembly line.” Despite it being part make-believe, Aubrey couldn’t help getting excited about her Moscato sorbet sandwiches. “This batch of cookies was baked earlier in the morning so they’re ready to be assembled. Be sure to cool your cookies to room temperature at home before you assemble the sandwiches.”
It was so much fun putting together the ice cream sandwiches and chatting with Aria that Aubrey almost forgot she was being filmed. When they toasted each other with the finished product and took their first bites, they moaned in unison and dissolved into laughter.
“Cut! Great work, ladies.” This time, Stan said it with a smile. “Now, I think the rest of the crew should enjoy some of those ice cream sandwiches.”
To the cheers of the crew, Aria and Aubrey assembled the rest of the sandwiches and passed them out. Aubrey was filled with joy and pride. It was so gratifying to see the crew devour them with appreciative murmurs. Impressing them was no easy feat, considering these people were used to eating the fine cuisine that celebrity chefs prepared on their shows.
As she turned the corner to feed the rest of the crew, she heard Landon greet Stan and Aria. Her heart picked up speed with anticipation. She’d missed him all day, and she couldn’t wait to see his face. Moving as quickly as she could, she made sure everyone had their