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“But, Maye, we aren’t supposed to be anywhere until tomorrow. Look, the casino’s along the way. We go there, introduce ourselves as international businesswomen, play cards, they’ll see that we’re big spenders, we’ll get comp’d dinner tickets, we’ll keep playing, have a few vodka cranberries on-the-house, play some more with our winnings, we’ll get comp’d a room for the night, so we keep playing, then we stop while we’re still up, and we’ll have our free dinner, stay in our free room, and count our winnings! Then the next morning we drive the last couple hours and we’re there in plenty of time for lunch. It’s perfect!”

Maye thought through all of Tracy’s points and was having a hard time finding a major fault in her logic. “I mean, the odds of winning are obviously astronomically low, but…”

“It sounds fun, right?” Tracy said. “Plus, I have a system, Maye.”

Maye shook her head to herself but was mildly intrigued by this idea. “Okay, I think we should do it,” she said.

“Really??” Tracy shrieked. “Casino New Brunswick, here we come!”

Maye and Tracy arrived at the Casino New Brunswick full of vigor and sugar from the candies they ate along the way.

“Okay, here’s the plan,” Tracy said as they pulled into a parking spot. “We leave our stuff in the car and go in like we’re just stopping by for a quick game or two. We get on a roll. They’ll offer us a private game and spot us a huge line of credit. We decline, say we’re just playing a few games and we’re almost done. They’ll realize we’re about to walk out with our winnings. They’ll want us to stay so they can try to win their money back. But we have a system. So we accept a drink or two, one of us casually mentions that we’re getting hungry and should hit the road. The dealer overhears this. They signal to the pit boss who signals to the floor manager who comes over with meal vouchers. You want to stay, but I am really looking forward to a Hook & Ladder from Firehouse Subs. I begrudgingly agree to accept the meal vouchers. We play another hand, then go get dinner. After dinner, we walk toward the doors. The personal concierge who’s been assigned to keep us at the casino notices this, greets us and asks about dinner. You say it was lovely. I say my steak was a little tough. They apologize and offer to bring us the dessert tray while we play another game. I ask if there’s fresh cannoli and say I can always tell when it’s fresh. They say the pastry chef will make a tray for us and then they guide us to a private table. We employ the system and give them a scare as we continue to win while finishing our cannoli. I say I am ready to go and that we’ve been driving a long time. They hear this and offer a room for the night so we can get a fresh start in the morning. I tell them I don’t like noisy hotel rooms. They assure us a quiet suite. They send a bell hop to our car to retrieve our things and bring them to our suite, and then set the temperature to precisely 68-degrees for our comfort. We lose a hand or two on purpose as a gesture of gratitude. Then, we cash out and head to our room for a great night’s sleep.”

Two hours later, Maye and Tracy lay side-by-side in the queen-sized bed they were sharing, in a room that Tracy booked using her brand new Great Canadian Rewards club card, cashing in 50,000 rewards points to retrieve $50 off the nightly room fee. They shared a large order of chicken tenders and spent the night watching ghost hunting shows on TV. Apparently, Tracy’s system had a few flaws.

The next morning, both Maye and Tracy were in great spirits despite their struggles at the blackjack tables. They were back on the road before 8:00 a.m., which gave them plenty of time to make a couple of stops and be at their hotel in Halifax before lunchtime.

Part Three:

Jolly Junior

- 18 -

Movie Set

Maye followed Chris’s directions to get to the set and parked exactly where he told her to. When she and Tracy stepped out of the car, they were greeted by a friendly, high-energy Production Assistant named Hanna.

“Hi!” Hanna said as she handed Maye and Tracy lanyards. “I’m Hanna, part of the production staff. These are your access passes. Please have them handy at all times. I have an NDA for each of you to sign, standard practice on our sets. Please sign these for me,” Hanna extended a clipboard and a pen. Hanna began walking even before Maye and Tracy had finished with their paperwork.

“So, where are we?” Maye asked as she tried to keep up with Hanna. “I mean, where are you filming today?”

“This is an elementary school. We’re filming a school play scene and needed a stage, so we’re using this school auditorium and some other spaces in the building. I’ll be taking you to the cafeteria now because that’s where Chris and some others are having lunch. It worked out really well that we had a cafeteria to use for our craft services area.”

Maye followed her into the cafeteria where the catering team had set up big round tables and full-sized chairs on the right side of the room. Each table was covered with a dark tablecloth and stocked with condiments and seasonings in the center. Across the room, a long row of tables had been arranged in front of the kitchen for the chafing dishes and salad station and an assortment of other food and drink options. Posters on the walls encouraged students to eat their vegetables and toss their trash in the right place. In between the food serving area and the designated dining area, in the middle of the room, a long, rectangular kid-sized cafeteria table had been unfolded.

“Everyone likes to sit at the kids table,” Hanna whispered. “I think it brings people back to their school days.” Hanna turned to address the room and announced their arrival. “Hello lovely people! I have some visitors!”

And there, among a small group at the kids table, Chris turned around to look at Maye. His knees bumped into others and hit the tabletop as he maneuvered. He brushed off his faded jeans and flattened his red flannel shirt as he stood. His hair was cropped neater than Maye had seen before and his beard was trimmed neatly. They locked eyes and held each other’s stare for a moment, but then she looked away, attempting to regain some composure and let her face relax. When she looked back up, his eyes hadn’t shifted an inch. She cracked a smile again.

Maye clasped her hands together to keep from biting her nails. She had thought about this moment a lot during the drive. Chris only knew her from the times they had spoken and texted, but she had been watching him in movies and keeping up with his social media updates. Their relationship might feel unbalanced and it could hamper the natural development that occurs among friends as they get to know each other. The one-sided intimacy gap was something that came up often when having a superfan like Tracy in her life. She had connected with Chris more than the average fan, but this was a whole new dynamic.

As he started walking toward them, Tracy couldn’t contain herself. She let out one of the fan-girliest fan-girl shrieks Maye had ever heard Tracy shriek, but she recovered well and was able to regain her composure.

Maye had also considered how she should greet Chris when she finally saw him. They knew each other but it seemed too soon for a hug. A handshake might be too formal, but it felt appropriate. As she extended her hand, he approached with open arms. She quickly adjusted and opened her arms, and then walked right into his extended hand. A classic introductory faux pas.

“Oh, sorry,” Maye said as she stepped back and chuckled awkwardly.

“It’s so nice to see you, Maye,” Chris welcomed her warmly. “Thank you for coming all the way out here,” and then he wrapped his arms around her into a comfortable hug. Instead of patting his back a couple of times and backing away, she leaned into the embrace. She held her arms around him and squeezed a little bit, resting her head perfectly against the top of his chest. He smelled fresh like lavender and felt solid, like she could run and jump into his arms and he wouldn’t fall back one inch. He would just catch her and hold her in the air as he spun her around and around and around—

“What is going on here??” Tracy said as she popped her head up in front of Maye’s face, her eyes wide and full of glee.

Maye smiled sheepishly and stepped back. Both her and Chris’s arms lingered as the distance between them increased. Normally, when caught in an intimate moment like that, Maye’s natural reaction would be a burst of panic, as if she had just woken up and realized she overslept. Instead, it was like she was in a bubble of calm and control. She didn’t want to move, but she knew she couldn’t just stand there. Lucky for everyone, Tracy broke up the standoff.

“My turn!” she shouted as she squeezed herself in between Maye and Chris and wrapped him in a big bear hug.

“It’s nice to see you, too,” Maye said, finally. “I almost didn’t recognize you with the tidied up hair and beard.”

“Yeah, well, it’s what the fashion experts call elementary school music teacher chic,” he held a fashion pose for a camera that was not there. “So, you two must be hungry. Come with me,” he said as he pulled Maye by the hand toward the catering trays.