“Starving. I know it’s early, but I’m ready to eat. Must be the salty sea air,” she exaggerated her drawl and fanned herself, mimicking a proper Southern lady.
“Aye. Or perhaps all the physical activity.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, making her laugh. “I found us a highly rated seafood restaurant to dine at when you were in the toilet earlier.”
She wrinkled her nose at his phrasing. “I know it’s what the British call restrooms, but saying ‘the toilet’ just sounds weird to me. Because the toilet is what you useinthe restroom.”
“And yet you also call it a ‘bathroom’ when there’s no bath in the room,” he replied. “Don’t get me started on your strange language habits.”
They volleyed shots back and forth all the way to the car, laughing at each other’s attempt to outdo the other. The restaurant Fin found was close, so their banter didn’t last long.
The cuisine was excellent.They coordinated their orders so they could sample and share each other’s food. Alex was a huge fan of crab and Fin ordered the steak.
After settling into their meal, Alex asked the question she had been wondering all week. “Fin, if you hate the publicity, why do you do it? Isn’t fame part of the package?”
“Fame is part of the package if you become famous. I read a study once claiming several hundred thousand actors exist around the world, along with a million more aspiring actors. How many of them are famous?” He took a drink of his water. “I do it because I love the craft.”
“What does that mean? What is it about the craft that you love?”
“Look, acting is more than merely pretending to be someone else. It’s storytelling at its finest. And for me personally, it’s the opportunity to see things in a completely different light… to experience the world through the perceptions and emotions of someone new. It allows me to see this world in ways I’ve never seen it and perceive things I’ve never noticed before. And that’s just talking about the character. We haven’t even gotten into the story the character is walking in.”
“You can actually adjust your thinking and see things differently?”
“Yes. I suppose that’s why people like me. They believe me because I become that character.”
Alex nodded. She had seen several of his films and he seemed like a different person in each one. “I think I understand what you mean. Some actors are completely unique in each film they star in, like yourself.” She nodded to him. “And then you have those who are always the same person, no matter what the story is. Don’t get me wrong.” She held up her hands and continued, “I’m not knocking them because I can’t imagine portraying someone other than myself.”
She slowly sipped her wine. “You must have great empathy to transform yourself like that.”
Fin shrugged. “Perhaps. I’ve never labeled it. I just love doing it.”
Before he could say more, Alex’s eyes widened at the man who walked up and clapped a hand on Fin’s shoulder.
“Yo, Scotsman! What the hell are you doing down here?” Mac McBrewster wore a cowboy hat, a large belt buckle, and cowboy boots.
“Mac!” Fin stood up and shook his hand, throwing one arm around his shoulders in a half-hug. “Hey, it’s good to see you. I thought you’d be in Los Angeles already.”
“No, I followed your lead and did the tourist thing. I wound up down here. I have a couple of lady friends meeting me here soon, but got here early enough to check out the bar.” Mac tipped his hat at Alex. “Ma’am.”
“Let me introduce you to Alex. Alex, this is Mac McBrewster, one of my costars on my latest film and someone I consider a friend. He helped me navigate the press junket last week.”
“Nice to meet you, Mac. Would you like to join us while you wait for your friends?” Alex asked. She smiled as Fin’s brows rose in question.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude.” He hesitated.
“Of course. No problem. We were talking about acting or ‘the craft’ as Fin called it, so your timing is fortuitous.” Her grin grew as Fin cleared his throat and ducked her head at her reference.Interesting, she thought, and made a mental note to ask him why it embarrassed him to discuss his trade.
Mac made himself comfortable as Fin signaled the server to take Mac’s drink order. Once he was settled, the discussion moved back to acting. Alex asked him questions about his career, and Fin even asked a few himself. Mac entertained them with stories of mishaps and misadventures until he spotted one of his companions arriving for their dinner date.
“Before you go,” Fin said as Mac stood up to leave, “how long will you be in Houston?”
Mac admired the leggy blonde walking toward them from the front of the restaurant and replied, “Undetermined. At least until Tuesday, but maybe longer if things go well tonight.” He looked back at Alex and gave an exaggerated wink. “Why?”
“I’d like to meet with you and talk further about your production ideas. I’ve also been considering doing something on my own, and I think the two of us should discuss a partnership. From what I can tell, we think alike on the important stuff and would complement each other on the outliers.”
Mac narrowed his eyes at Fin while he considered this and replied, “Sounds intriguing. Call me.”
“You got it,” Fin said as he shook Mac’s hand.
Mac turned to Alex. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Alex. I hope to see you again.”
