way out.
“We’re going to have to change some of the uniforms,” Catherine said patiently.
“Is there anything wrong with mine?” he asked.
Catherine took a closer look at his uniform. She had to admit that it fitted perfectly,
emphasizing his broad shoulders but not exaggerating them, tapering in at his lean waist.
She looked at his tunic. On his shoulders were the bars of a captain. Across his breast he
had pinned on a splash of brightly colored ribbons.
“Are they impressive enough, Boss?” he asked.
“Who told you you were going to play a captain?”
He looked at her, seriously, “It was my idea. Don’t you think I’d make a good
captain?”
Catherine shook her head. “No. I don’t.”
He pursed his lips thoughtfully. “First lieutenant?”
“No.”
“How about second lieutenant?”
“I don’t really feel you’re officer material.”
His dark eyes were regarding her quizzically. “Oh? Anything else wrong?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “The medals. You must be terribly brave.”
He laughed. “I thought I’d give this damned film a little color.”
“There’s only one thing you forgot,” Catherine said crisply. “We’re not at war yet.
You’d have had to win those at a carnival.”
The man grinned at her. “You’re right,” he admitted sheepishly. “I didn’t think of
that. I’ll take some of them off.”
“Take them all off,” Catherine said.
He gave her that slow, insolent grin again. “Right, Boss.”
She almost snapped, “Stop calling me boss,” but thought, the hell with him, and
turned on her heel to talk to O’Brien.
Catherine sent eight of the men back to change their uniforms and spent the next hour
discussing the scene with O’Brien. The little corporal had come back briefly and then had
disappeared. It was just as well, Catherine thought. All he did was complain and make
everyone nervous. O’Brien finished shooting the first scene before lunch, and Catherine
felt it had not gone too badly. Only one incident had marred her morning. Catherine had
given the infuriating extra several lines to read in order to humiliate him. She had wanted
to show him up on the set to pay him back for his impertinence. He had read his lines
perfectly, carrying off the scene with aplomb. When he had finished, he had turned to her
and said, “Was that all right, Boss?”