The drive to Phoenix from WestWorld in North Scottsdale was a good forty-five minutes, but at least it was a Saturday, so they wouldn’t have to deal with Phoenix’s rush hour, which was hell to be stuck in.
Honey Bear’s, close to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, served Tennessee-style BBQ and had been around for almost forty years. It had become a fixture in Phoenix.
When they arrived, Tucker and Ellie picked one of the white tables with red bench seats in a corner. Ellie sat at the table while Tucker went to the front counter to order. He returned with two pulled-pork sandwich meals, along with collard greens, “Cowbro’” beans, fries, and coleslaw for sides, and two Cokes.
She spooned the sides onto her plate. “I am so hungry that I could eat yours and mine.”
He pointed to his plate. “I’ve got two, and I’m willing to share.”
“Nah, I told you I only wanted one sandwich.” She smiled as she picked up hers. “The sides will fill me up just fine.”
She took a pretty good bite of her sandwich and chewed with obvious enjoyment. Tucker ate his while he watched her and wondered what she would look like while they were making love.
The thought just about knocked him off his seat. Where the hell had that come from? He had to focus on something else.
He cleared his throat. “Tell me about your social media business.” He took a bite of his sandwich and waited for her to respond.
She swallowed and dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “I started it about seven years ago when I helped out a friend and found I enjoyed it and was good at it. Now, I have a long list of clients and my own YouTube channel, where I provide tips and tricks for social media. It has garnered a great following and more clients.”
He took a healthy swallow of Coke, then set the cup down. “You must keep busy.”
“Too busy.” She sighed. “I can’t complain, but I will hire someone, and it won’t be soon enough. With the voicework I’ve been doing, I’m having a terrible time keeping up.”
He raised a brow. “Voicework?”
“I’m a voice actor.” She smiled. “I’ve been doing it for three years, and I’ve recently started being cast more frequently, making it even harder to keep up with my business.”
Her voicework career piqued his interest. “What does a voice actor do?”
She swallowed her bite. “I do voices for animated shows and movies. I started with anime and have flown to Japan a few times. I did a major motion picture, which will be out this fall.” Her excitement in her work was evident. “I was also selected to be the main character's voice in a Lara Croft-style game called Myth Hunter, which will be out in less than a month.”
“You’re always doing voices.” He thought about it. “You’re a natural.”
“Thank you.” She picked up her cup. “I’ve been doing them since I was a little girl—I would make my toy horses, dolls, and stuffed animals talk to each other.”
He grinned at the thought of the little girl she’d been. “I can see why you’d feel overwhelmed.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” She sighed. “I should have hired someone a while ago—I’m being torn in two. But I love both, so I don’t feel like it’s a hardship. I need help so that both careers get the attention they need.”
Her schedule gave him pause, making him wonder how she could fit a relationship, much less children, into her life.
“I keep busy with one career.” He shook his head. “Can’t imagine having two.”
“We’ll see what happens when I have help.” Ellie gave a sheepish grin. “It’s hard to turn over something you’ve worked so hard to build. Tanner thinks I should consider selling the social media business. I hadn’t seriously considered it, but maybe I should. There is something to our twin connection, and he’s always looking out for me. We look out for each other. I think he might be right. My schedule would slow down, which I think I do need.”
“It’s a big step.” Tucker studied her, glad to hear she was trying to ease the pace she was keeping now. “Give it some time to chew it over. If and when you decide to sell, you’ll know you’re doing what’s right for you.”
Ellie nodded slowly. “I’ve got a lot to think about.”
“Tell me how you got involved in being the heroine’s voice in the game.” Tucker’s interest had been piqued. “Myth Hunter, am I right?”
“That’s right.” She tilted her head to the side as she thought about it. “They came to me. The producer heard me on a short film I did, and he said he loved my voice and thought I’d be perfect for Myth Hunter.” She shrugged. “I auditioned, and next thing I knew, they offered me a contract through my agent.”
“You mentioned you’ve done voicework for anime in Japan?” He wrinkled his brow. “I assume that means dubbing English?”
“Yes, dubbing.” She pushed away her plate and folded her arms on the tabletop. “I learned Japanese from a friend in high school and learned more through Rosetta Stone and the Duo app. I’m not fluent, but I understand and read it well and am not too bad at communicating verbally.” She said something in Japanese and then translated. “Fall down seven times, stand up eight. That’s a popular Japanese proverb and my approach to life.”
“I’m impressed.” Tucker sat back in his chair. Ellie kept surprising him. “I speak Spanish well, but that’s my only foreign language. Do you speak any other languages?”
