Page 52 of Rootbound
“What? Why? No.” I scoff and clutch my phone through my back pocket like she’s going to try and rob me of it.
“Now, now. I think it is only fair. You were incredibly rude about my taste in music. I want to know what you’re into.” She holds out her palm. I can think of a lot of things I’m into that don’t have a fucking thing to do with playlists.
I try to remember what songs are on there, not thinking of anything particularly weird or embarrassing. It’s music, not like I actually made any of it, but it feels intimate anyways.
“Alright,” I relent. “I gotta load up some stuff and will pack some lunch while you scroll.”
Five minutes later I hear her bellow…
“HENRY. GET OVER HERE.” I take the steps a couple at a time and burst in to a very red-faced Tait.
“What? Are you okay?!” I look her up and down.
“You honestly made fun of my playlist choices when you are rocking with THIS?!” She holds out my phone to me and breaks into a massive grin.
Fuck …
“Mamma Mia?!!! You’re into MUSICALS?! Come on, man. I’m trying not to judge here, but you’ve got both albums on here frombothmovies. And you judged me first! Explain yourself!”
“I… I…” I struggle for a cool explanation and come up empty. “Fine, okay. Yes, I like it. It’s Grady’s fault, though.”
“Uh-huh… sure, Abba man.” She is way too delighted at this.
“No, I swear. He got a bad case of something called hand, foot, and mouth disease when we were younger. I was old enough to watch him and the only other person who got it, so they quarantined us together… Basically I got stuck on babysitting duty while sick with him. He was a tyrant even then, and made us watch the movie andGreasefor a week straight while we alternated between ice cream and soup.”
I can’t keep the smile from my face when I remember us both from way back then. I was sixteen and still felt like an outsider most of the time, but it was after that week that I knew I had a brother in Grady.
She hands me my phone with a flourish and a smile. “I am delighted more and more by everything I find out about you that is clearly so off-brand. You contain multitudes, Henry. I’m sorry to have ever called you ‘Deliverance.’”
“Well, now I know what I want to listen to today.”
We finish loading her camera equipment and spend the ride over to the house blasting theMamma Miasoundtrack in hysterics. Her enthusiastic air drum solos are Oscar-worthy, and despite the bruise still left on my self-esteem from her dismissal, I find myself wanting to enjoy her presence more than worrying about my pride.
The ride ends too quickly, and I drop her off at the house to get the rest of the group while I go check on the horses. By the time I head back, I can hear Tait’s laugh above the rest all the way from the porch.
That smile falls when she sees my face, though, and the rest of the room goes awkwardly silent.
“Uh… Good morning?” I say with a frown at everyone.
“Morning, Hen. Muffin?” Grace quickly brushes over the weirdness and hands me a plate. That’s when I notice Jake Lockhart, producer (and asshole) extraordinaire. Ah, that explains it.
“Henry Marcum, speak of the devil!” he bellows. And fuck, I hate not being in on the joke.
“Jake.” I nod, friendly enough. “You’re back early.”
“All for you, too, my man. We’ve got some new extras, and Sadie will be riding this season. I need them to look like naturals. And I’d like to go over some of the scenes with you and Charlie to get your suggestions for locations. Figured we could get a head start,” he says, leaning on the counter like he owns the place. He’s wearing his overpriced, perfectly clean cowboy hat indoors, and doesn’t go to remove it even as he drags over a stool to sit on before diving into his breakfast. I share a glance with Charlie, who seemsto be noticing the same thing, grinding his jaw before stabbing a bit of eggs.
“I thought you guys already went through all of this with Duane? The locations, I mean,” I reply, carefully monitoring my tone.
“Indeed, but you know how these things go. We’ve had some rewrites. Nell mentioned some sweet spotsyoutook her too, actually, that she thinks would be ideal.” The meaningful look he throws me from under his stupid fucking hat is smug. I’m tempted to tell him that his ex-fiancée (Nell—aka Sadie Dollar—a fan-favorite who he fucked around on constantly) actually followedmeout one day during filming last year, put herself in my truck, and asked to go to my place—claiming that the bathroom options were all taken. Nothing happened while we were there, but the illusion she wanted to create was solidified when she continued to flirt shamelessly and aggressively the rest of the season, always turning it up a notch in Jake’s presence. I’d never taken the woman anywhere else on this whole damn property, though, but I didn’t know if I should tell Jake that and sell her out… We’d become pseudo friends over our shared enjoyment at pissing off Jake, after all.
“Uhhh… sure, Jake. I’m busy today, though.”
“Already got it covered. The lovely Tait can join us. Nell and the extras get here next week and we’ll make up the time during production as long as we get a plan together,” he proclaims, smacking around an overly large bite of eggs. My eye twitches and I feel my lip curl, but I let out a grunt of agreement.
I catch Tait’s watchful eye as I sit down across from her with my muffin clenched a little too tightly in my fist, somethingin my face making her flinch. She must read me too well, already, and feel guilty.
She confirms it by speaking up next. “I figured we could all go, two birds with one stone, you know. That way you’re not stuck carting me around extra, on top of advising for the show. I’m sure your time is stretched thin as it is.” She throws in a few casual shrugs, but I don’t miss the apologetic note. I feel my jaw clench, but I quirk an eyebrow at her and shrug back.