Tina blew an impatient breath out, biting down on her lip. Her aviator-style sunglasses hid her hazel eyes, but the tightness in her face and slight frown couldn’t disguise her perplexed reaction to how the meeting was starting.

After half a minute of silence between them, as he continued to watch her, he said, “You ever look at someone and wonder, what could be going on inside her head?” His grey-blue eyes were twinkling again.

“Funny you should ask, because that’s exactly what I’m wondering about right now,” she shot back.

He chuckled as he stepped away from the table. He slipped back into the water and leaned again on his chest, elbows out, facing her. “At least you’re wondering!”

“But this meeting is about you, actually. If you haven’t guessed, yet. So you can wonder all you like about what I’m thinking about right now!””

She started to protest, but he cut her off. “I’m interested to know what your dreams are, Tina. What are your remaining creative ambitions?”

“And what about yourself, Gavin? I’m surprised you recommend what I think you may be hinting at. If I may say so, your last few role choices have been pretty mainstream; hardly the type of films to distinguish your talents …”   That came out before she could stop herself. But what he’d been saying had provoked her. She was having a hard time biting her tongue.

He smirked. For a moment Tina wondered if she’d gone too far. He’s someone you need, Tina. Can you try to hold it back?

But after a beat, he said quietly, “So this is what I concluded after my research: I think you’re capable of doing amazing things. Things you haven’t had a chance to do, given your current situation. You have a certain finesse, a certain polish. I can’t explain it, but I swear you have a unique touch that films you become personally involved with have in common. It can’t be the directors, because they’re all different. Can’t be the actors. Or the writers. Just you. The films don’t have the same approach, or the same themes, or are even in the same categories. But they all have that certain something. That “Tina” something – which has yet to come to full flower.”