Behind the Scenes

by Elisa Preston

  “So what’s the deal? Are you going to see her again?” Seth turned on his blinker so he could fit in between two minivans. He was a master city-traffic navigator; Levi trusted him more than any cab driver in the city.

  “She said it wasn’t the right time.”

  “Two people talk for an entire seven-hour plane ride? Seems like kismet to me,” he said.

  “That’s what I thought, but she is one focused woman. Has some big work thing here in the city. Couldn’t get her number, her last name, nothing. Not even the name of her company. Oddly enough, with all that we talked about, she held back on those specifics. I know that she loves hot air balloons and a good cappuccino, but I have no idea what her full name is.”

  Seth was drumming lightly on the steering wheel to an old Springsteen song coming through the speakers. It was one of their favorites from high school, a soft number that didn’t warrant the drumming. But Seth, always the one moving either his mouth or his body, would drum to the tune of a leaky faucet.

  Levi and Seth were alike in muscular stature, since they worked out together any day they were in the same city, and they favored the same food, music, books, and politics. Each liked to travel but preferred to be home. They had been best friends since Seth stood up for Levi when a bully grabbed his glasses in first grade, and the two had been inseparable since.

  Yet, the two friends contrasted each other in some big ways: Levi with his shirt-and-tie, Seth with his jeans, monotone t-shirts, and Converse sneaks; Levi with his laser focus that expressed itself in tight, meticulous decision-making, and Seth with his grand ambitions that he tried out one at a time in the background of his app developing; and Levi with his love for cooking and fine food, and Seth with his daily propensity for take-out.

  “How much time do you have off until your next gig?”

  “I think prep starts in one month? They’re working on getting all of the other teams together since it takes an army to pull off that whole shindig. I know I have some network and studio meetings before then to start working on the next season of Downhome Made New. And Tutto Mangiare has a lot of meetings this week—we are pushing into the Pacific in just two weeks.”

  “You won’t be there for that? I thought you liked to be there when ribbons were cut.”

  “I usually do, but the Pacific is Kelsey’s baby. I let her take the reins. I’m thinking of moving her into a much higher role so she can oversea that whole portion of Tutto Mangiare. She has no idea. I’m going to see how this trip goes and then broach it with her.”

  “Lose Kelsey as your assistant?”

  “She’s too sharp for it, Seth. She can do so much more. We’ll see. I don’t even know if she’d want the higher role.”

  Levi and Seth remained silent while Seth moved in and out of lanes, side streets, and the two million-plus cars on the road. Seth was right; even though he had been somewhat softened by years of boarding school in Canada, the city boy had not been left behind. Levi had been living in Manhattan for more than ten years, and he still was in awe of his friend every time they drove together. Without honking his horn or making a big to-do about it, Seth always got them safely from point A to point B. Levi joked once in a while that he could become a high-end, black car service driver and make great money, since he’d be the best in the business.

  “Thanks, but no thanks. Driving your celebrity self around is about as much chauffeuring as I need,” he always said with a smile. Plus, as an IT genius, the man could work from anywhere and live off of the consultant projects that seemed to come in at a steady one-at-a-time stream. He may be overly ambitious and give the appearance of not having it together, but Seth Reed liked financial cushions. Currently, he was in the middle of his next project: developing an app that would connect adoptable senior dogs to potential owners.

  “How’s your app coming along? Do you have a deadline that it’s due to the developer?”

  “I have one more month. Just in time to help you with the party, I guess.” He paused while he changed lanes. “And just in time to want at least half the dogs in their register. If you ever go for another dog, highly consider this organization.”

  Levi smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. After a beat he spoke again, going back to their original topic. “I don’t see how I’m going to get her off my mind.”

  Seth looked sideways once again and offered a best friend’s smile. “Tell me again how she made such an impression on you? Millions of women have flung themselves at you over the years, and you have maintained your integrity to such a high, confusing degree,” Seth said, ending on a chuckle.

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “You’ve never let any of those millions of women enter into the Land of Levi. What makes this one so different?”

  “Virginia. What makes Virginia so different.”

  Seth put his hands up, as if surrendering to Levi’s defense of Virginia. Not without calling him out on it, though. “See? You’re defending her when no one has attacked her, setting me straight about her name.”

  For the next forty-five minutes, while Seth wove through the boroughs, around pedestrians and through the rain that had just started, Levi told him why Virginia was different. He spoke of Virginia’s hazel eyes and how they remained on his while he spoke. He talked about how those eyes held depth that he wished he could know, wisdom beyond her years, loss as she spoke of her father’s passing when she was twelve years old, and a true confidence he found incredibly attractive. He noted her laugh, how it sounded fresh, authentic, and reckless. Levi commented on how close Virginia is with her mom, who had to be amazing to raise such an unbelievable woman in Virginia.

  “What happened with her dad?” Seth asked. “That’s young to lose a parent.”

  “I guess I’ll never know.”

  Levi knew he was bordering self-pity. He also knew that being vulnerable and in the position of wanting something—in this case, a relationship—was not something he was comfortable with. For as long as he could remember, he sought the desires of his heart and he was always successful. That didn’t mean there weren’t bumps and bruises along the way, of course there were. No great amount of success, especially the kind Levi lived in, comes without hard work and some good old fashioned blood, sweat, and tears. Still, the goals he went after were exactly what he had told Virginia—gut instincts that required action. So to have this thing that he wanted—to know her more, to learn everything he could about her—that he couldn’t even begin to achieve was maddening.

  “Hey, man, you never know. She might pop up where you least expect it. You’ll have to follow through on that ridiculous promise you made to her if that happens, you know that right?”

  “What ridiculous promise?”

  “The ‘I am yours’ thing. You’ve promised your future to a woman you may or may not ever see again. You are nothing if not full throttle, man.”

  “I’ve never argued that. It’s helped me get to where I am.”

  “Yes. However, life might be about to teach you a little lesson about patience and a slow-and-steady pursuit instead of a bull plowing out of the gate.”

  “How many more analogies are you going to come up with for my assiduous personality?”

  “Dude, I have been reading scores and scores of those dog descriptions. It’s all from the same company and they’re trying to be clever with their explanations so nothing is repeated. My analogy vocabulary is certainly expanding. For example, we could also say that you’re less like a chess player and more like a high-stakes poker player: all in right away. Once you have decided on your goal you are meticulous and careful in which means you choose to help you achieve your goal, but once you decide on the means, it’s like a bat out of hell. There’s no stopping you. Most of the time that’s a really great way to be.”

  “But sometimes…?”

  “Sometimes it just seems to rush the experience for you? Removes some of the emotion—good and bad—that comes with living life to th
e fullest, a pursuit to which you know I am committed.” He put his hand on his heart for good measure.

  Levi smiled at his friend’s assessment and wit. If anyone could tell Levi the truth about himself, it was Seth. No one aside from Levi’s parents had spent nearly as much time with him as Seth had, and even between the two of them and Seth, his best friend probably won out because of all those years at school. Levi’s sister might have come in second, but the two were four years apart and while they got along well and always had fun on visits and at holidays, they spent time in two completely different circles at the same school.

  Levi walked into his apartment a couple hours later after a late, leisurely dinner. He took a deep breath upon opening the door. Everything was in its place, exactly how he’d left it a week ago before his trip to Los Angeles for network promotions.

  Levi followed the same routine he had held since he started traveling for work five years ago when his celebrity status had first elevated. He placed his keys in the bowl on the waist-high table just inside his door. The bowl sat next to a quote he liked to read when he left and returned home: FOOD FOR THOUGHT: IT’S IN YOUR HANDS TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE, Nelson Mandela.

  He then walked his small, black suitcase over to the bar counter between his kitchen and the living space, opened the fridge, retrieved a bottle of sparkling water, and made his way to his favorite spot in the apartment.

  Levi had looked for almost a year for this apartment. Talk about meticulous, he had given his realtor a run for her money when he set out to find the place he planned to live in until he retired, if such a thing existed for Levi’s line of work. No one he knew and admired in his profession ever retired. Slowed down, maybe, but not retire. Really, he just knew he’d live there until his grandchildren had families of their own. Levi knew that he would be lucky enough to one day find a wife with whom he could raise a family.

  Virginia. Virginia is that woman.

  Ay. Being alone with his thoughts would make time crawl. He shot a quick text to Seth.

  Workout later? About an hour?

  Sounds good. Meet you downstairs.

  Levi sent a thumbs-up emoji and slipped his phone in his back right pocket.

  Putting thoughts of Virginia to the side—for now—he remembered how the espresso-stained floors had been the first selling point when his realtor showed him the place. Next had been the open layout. The only real dividing feature in the entire front of the apartment was the bar counter between the kitchen and the living room. The dining room sat to the right of the front door, and the space was marked only by the table and chairs; it flowed freely into the living room. For a chef who loved to create, a wide-open space in which to build a comfortable living area was just right.

  Levi walked through his living room, picking a noticeable piece of black string off his cream-colored upholstered couch. He moved through the square design of his sofa, two love seats, and coffee table over to the rectangular sunroom that lined the south side of his apartment. It spanned three-quarters of the wall, with floor-to-ceiling windows on both the interior, which looked back into the apartment, and the exterior, which looked down toward Rockefeller Plaza. He had set up two rustic-stained rocking chairs with a table in between them, facing the windows that looked outside.

  When he was home in his apartment, Levi relished his morning coffee and evening wind-down in this space. The hustle-and-bustle twenty floors down never fazed him from in here; his detachment from it seemed to calm him. When he looked out at the city, he was home, and though he loved to travel, he breathed easiest in those two rocking chairs and in his own bed.

  And while seated next to Virginia.

  Levi relived his day, from the surprisingly easy ride from his hotel to the airport, to the emergency landing on his way to New York, to the dark brunette he hadn’t wanted to let go. There was no mistaking that he and Virginia experienced a Meet Cute, that moment from a romantic comedy when a future romantic couple meets for the first time. That’s what it felt like to Levi: like a dream, a movie, a string of moments so surreal he couldn’t be sure they had actually happened. Yet, all he had to do was take out his phone to see that yes, in fact, it had happened.

  With as much drive as he pursued his professional goals, he wanted to see her again. He knew—just knew—that it was meant to be more than a stranger-on-a-plane situation. She didn’t believe it yet. Admittedly, he had a hard time figuring out how it would be possible. Still, he it knew it to be true.

  Thoughts of Virginia popped up all night.

  During his workout with Seth, even through his friend’s light ribbing.

  During his walk to the grocery store and back, when he looked at every dark brunette to see if it was her.

  When he set up his favorite dark roast K-cup in his Keurig for the following morning and wondered what she was doing tonight to get ready for her work thing tomorrow.

  As he unpacked his suitcase and emptied the contents into either his laundry bin, his closet, or his bathroom.

  While he brushed his teeth and tried to think of anything but her laser hazel eyes that had made him forget he was stuck on a plane with increasingly tipsy and antsy passengers.

  While he changed for bed, and again while he peeled back his charcoal gray-and-steel blue, synthetic down comforter that had been a gift from his assistant. She had somehow learned that he had been using just sheets and a blanket for six months. He had told her he just hadn’t found the right comforter yet. In truth, he had been too busy to look for one. Kelsey, in her expert way of taking care of him, had promptly ordered him an entire bedding set that matched his style: geometric, sleek, clean, and warm.

  Flinging his head onto his pillow, he succumbed to a full night’s sleep, ready to focus until the next step with Virginia became clear.

  Chapter 5 

  Levi walked into the ten-story, east-side building that housed his office and those of his team. After a fitful night’s sleep and two full cups of highly caffeinated coffee, he was ready to get as many items checked off his to-do list as he possibly could.

  He needed progress, he needed movement.

  Donning dark jeans, blue suede shoes, and his favorite light blue and black tie, Levi could handle a lot today; every bit of restless energy would go toward his Tutto Mangiare project and prepping for Downhome Made New meetings.

  The elevator dinged on the seventeenth floor of Levi’s office building and the double doors opened to Kelsey standing by with a bottle of water and her infamous clipboard that held the key to the day’s activities. He had hired Kelsey four years ago, and since the moment she stepped on board Tutto Mangiare, his life and everyone’s on the team had gotten infinitely better. She was kind, patient, and trustworthy, and her work ethic rivaled Levi’s, especially when she got rolling on the topic of Tutto Mangiare

  “Morning, Kelsey,” he said with a smile.

  “Good morning, Levi. How was your trip?” She handed him the water as they began walking toward his office.

  “You know how my trip was, we talked every day. I like your new ‘do,” he said, nodding to her once-brown, now-blonde streaked head.

  “Thank you,” she said with a kind, slow smile. “I wanted a summer cut and style, and this seems to bring out the blue in my eyes?”

  Four years ago, her statements-turned-questions confused Levi; was he supposed to answer them? Or was she just mixing an out-loud other-person conversation with inner dialogue? He had finally figured out to speak the truth; she valued little more than honesty.

  “I agree. You said you didn’t want it mousy-brown anyway. You got your wish and it looks great, it really does.”

  She smiled. “Now. Down to business,” she said, looking down at her clipboard for a moment before rattling Levi’s Monday responsibilities. “You have three conference calls today: one with your agent and the studio; one with the team going to the Pacific in a couple weeks; and one with your family.”

  “Sounds good, what—“ he cut o
ff mid-sentence and stopped walking, having processed what Kelsey had just told him. “I’m sorry, I have a conference call with my family?”

  “You’ve been so busy and they have something to talk to you about, but your mom felt bad asking you to take some of your personal time. She and I text once in a while and I suggested we just schedule it into your work day.”

  Levi was confused, but half understood the reason for it. Two years ago, his family staged a mutiny. His parents and little sister had shown up, unannounced, at his apartment to let them know that they hadn’t heard from him in almost six months. It was a splash of cold water in the face. He had never meant to disrespect or scare his family like that. Since then, Levi had re-prioritized and made sure to stay on top of his familial connections.

  Levi and Kelsey continued walking down the bright hallway, the cream-colored walls lined with large, compelling photographs of families Tutto Mangiare had helped. One little girl could be seen holding a handful of snap peas she had harvested from her garden. Her bright white smile contrasted against her dark skin, but anyone looking at the photo knew that the radiance exuding from that little girl came from her knowing that she and her family wouldn’t have to depend on a weak economy any longer; they had a flourishing garden that fed all five kids and then some, enough that they sold their overages at a local farmer’s market, the profit from which helped with the non-food expenses.

  Another framed print little girl and her mom could be seen enjoying fresh water for the first time in their lives. A photographer had captured that candid moment and gifted it to Levi’s office.

  Each and every face on those walls reminded Levi and the others that they would work to help families around the world become self-sustaining as long as they possible could.

  “Okay, so three meetings. What else?” Levi asked as they walked through the glass double doors to his office. He set his backpack down near his desk, sat down in his swivel chair, and took a deep breath toward the wall of windows that had sold him on renting the entire floor five years ago. He knew he could run his professional life from an office with that view. So far, he hadn’t been wrong.