When Monday morning rolled around, Cosmo ended up leaving his house way too early. He had wanted to make sure his car ran smoothly, and to his amazement, it did. The gods of fate or love or…something were on his side.
As he drove through beautiful southern California that morning, he couldn't help but think that the sun was shining a little more brightly than usual. At the realization that he was thinking about Jean more than he ought to after just one meeting, he laughed at himself and pulled up to Jean's apartment building twenty minutes early. Cosmo expected to sit and read the paper until she came out at eight o'clock.
To his amazement, no sooner had he shut his engine off did Jean throw the front door open and hop down the few steps to the front walk. He watched in amusement as she stopped and seemed to talk herself out of being overly excited on her first day of rehearsals, and she walked the rest of the way to his car as cool and collected as she had been at her audition.
Cosmo was holding her door open by the time she reached him and she seemed to falter as she gazed into his bright blue eyes.
"Ms. Larson," said Cosmo giving an overly dramatic bow. "Cosmo Brown, Monumental Pictures chauffer and sometimes composer, at your service."
"Mr. Brown," smiled Jean as she accepted his help into the car. Her smile faded though as she glanced behind Cosmo at his run-down vehicle. "When R.F. said he was sending a car I suppose I just didn't think-"
"That you'd ever get so lucky?" finished Cosmo.
"Well, not exactly," she replied uneasily.
"I'll have you know that they don't come any finer or more reliable than ol' Betsy!" Cosmo retorted as he rounded the car and got in behind the wheel. "Why, just listen to her purr!"
Cosmo reached to turn the key and start up the car, but instead of a gentle purr there resounded more of a loud cough and a wheeze. Jean began laughing uncontrollably.
"Why, Mr. Brown, if they came any more reliable than ol' Betsy we might actually make it to the studio on time!"
In the cab on their way to Monumental, Jean got quieter and quieter until Cosmo doubted she even remembered he was still there. She chewed her lip as she stared out the window, and Cosmo couldn't help but smile.
"You know, they have breakfast at the studio, Jean."
"Hmm?" she replied distantly. Then she seemed to process what he'd said and turned towards him. "I beg your pardon?"
"The lip, Jean," Cosmo said with a smile.
"Oh, I apologize!" Jean exclaimed looking embarrassed. "I guess I'm just nervous. First day and all. But I suppose you wouldn't understand, having worked with the studio for so long and having grown up with Don Lockwood himself."
"Well," said Cosmo, puffing himself up, "I do happen to know R.F. Simpson personally."
"Really?" asked Jean, looking impressed.
Cosmo laughed. "I wish I could say it was more of an accomplishment. But I can understand your nervousness. You know, my mother used to say something that would be quite fitting here."
"What's that?" inquired Jean, anxiously biting her lip again.
"'Cosmo!' she'd say, 'No matter how nervous you get, you must never eat your face!"