Playing for Keeps

by LuAnn McLane

  While nibbling on her inner cheek, Olivia tugged on the stretchy white shirt that went with the outfit and then slipped on the light pink velour pants. She tried to pull them up, but they were the style that settled on your hips and had a white drawstring that was merely for show. She tucked in the shirt and then looked in the mirror. “Damn,” she said for the second time and then shook her head. The pants molded to her butt and the white piping down the side made her legs appear even longer. The clingy top hugged her breasts, so she put on the matching pink hoodie in hopes of hiding her curves, but it was short and snug, making matters worse if anything. “Grrr …” Olivia shook her head and her perky ponytail slid over her shoulder. She flipped it back with a small smile. This morning she had automatically started to put her hair up and the ponytail was the result of her continued effort to break the bun habit. She hadn’t worn her hair in a ponytail in forever, and she had to admit that it was fun.

  Olivia stared at her reflection for a moment, thinking that she looked ten years younger. She had always worn conservative clothing, even in high school. She had simply never wanted to cause her father any trouble and had tried to be the perfect daughter in every way possible. No cursing, no drinking, no trampy clothing. “Oh, boy, this just isn’t me,” she muttered and was about to peel the pants all off when the doorbell chimed. “What?” Noah had always arrived late for tutoring in high school, but today he was fifteen minutes early! She stood there uncertainly while her heart thudded. She glanced at the ripped jeans and then at her closet and then back in the mirror. What was she going to do? The doorbell chimed again in the slow way that said he was holding his finger on the button thinking she hadn’t heard it the first time.

  “Well, damn it all to hell and back!” Olivia didn’t even mutter it this time, and then felt a sense of freedom from saying her father’s favorite expletive. Who knew it could be so empowering? She stomped her bare foot, but when the doorbell rang for a third time she hurried down the hallway and across the living room. “I’m coming!” she shouted, something else she rarely did even while teaching. But when her hand found the doorknob she paused and tried to regain her composure, which had taken an extended holiday since the arrival of Noah Falcon. With shaking fingers she turned the gold knob and pulled the heavy wood door open. “Hello, Noah,” she said brightly, hoping her cheeks weren’t as pink as her too snug pants.

  Noah’s gaze swept over her and he silently stood there holding a big pizza box.

  “Are you okay?” she finally asked. He was staring at her as if he was at the wrong house.

  He frowned slightly and then seemed to snap out of it. “Yeah, I, uh … was waiting for you to invite me in.”

  “What, are you a vampire?”

  He angled his head at her and gave her a slow grin that made her stomach do flippy-floppy things. “I don’t think so. Why?”

  “They have to be invited in,” Olivia explained and thought to herself that he must think she was a complete nut.

  “Good to know,” he said with another grin.

  “That you’re not a vampire? You betcha.” She stood back for him to enter. “Please, come on in.” She swept her arm in an arc of welcome.

  He laughed as he walked past her. “No, that they have to be invited in.”

  “I’m a teacher. I know all kinds of weird stuff. Ask me anything.”

  “Where do you want the pizza?”

  Olivia rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. “Well, that wasn’t very challenging. In the kitchen. Follow me,” she added and then wondered if her butt looked huge in the tight pants. She considered squeezing her cheeks together and then wondered if she had a visible panty line. She made a mental note to do something about her underwear situation the next time she went shopping for cute and sexy clothes. Well, the first time she went shopping for cute and sexy clothes, since it was glaringly obvious that she had never gone that route before. “Right here is fine.” She gestured toward the table and then turned to face him. He was still grinning, making her wonder if she did have a panty line. She decided to ask … well, in a roundabout way. “What are you smiling about?”

  Noah shrugged his shoulders, making her admire the way his yellow V-neck sweater molded to his muscles. She just bet that he hadn’t obsessed over what to wear. Of course, when everything looked good on you what did it matter? “I don’t really know. You just make me smile.”

  Olivia found his unexpected yet simple admission touching and was rendered speechless.

  “It was a compliment,” Noah explained when she gave him a perplexed look.

  “Thank you,” she replied shyly, and damn if he didn’t want to pull her into his arms and kiss her. When she’d opened the door dressed in that pink jogging thing, he about swallowed his tongue. He had already guessed her baggy clothes had been hiding a great body, but actually seeing her sweet curves had blown him away. And her long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail gave her a fresh girl-next-door look that he found to be flat-out sexy. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Sure.”

  “Sweet tea okay? I made it fresh today.”

  “Sounds great,” Noah replied and watched her bend over to retrieve the pitcher from the fridge. She had a kick-ass butt and endless legs that were meant for wrapping around a man. “Hot damn …” Oh, crap, he hadn’t meant to mutter that out loud.

  She straightened up and turned around. “Excuse me?”

  “Uh, hot damn, that pizza smells good. I’m hungry.”

  “Well, hot damn, me too,” she said as she brought two tall glasses of tea to the table.

  “Why, Miss Lawson, I’m shocked,” he said in a teasing tone, but in fact he was shocked in more ways than one.

  Olivia shrugged as she placed plates and forks in front of them and sat down. “I’m trying to learn to loosen up,” she casually admitted, but the color in her cheeks gave her away. “Is it working?”

  Noah found her quirky personality endearingly amusing, and he chuckled.

  “I guess I need a little more work in that particular direction.”

  “Well, you’re in luck.”

  “I am?” She took a sip of her tea and waited. The look she gave him suggested that she was never in luck, and he found that a little sad. Pretty little Miss Lawson needed some pampering and he was just the man to do it.

  “Yep, I happen to be an expert in being laid-back. In return for acting lessons I’ll teach you how to chill. Deal?”

  “Deal.” When Olivia nodded, he placed his hand over hers and squeezed. The gesture was merely meant to be reassuring and friendly, but simply touching her sent a jolt of awareness tingling up his arm. When her warm brown eyes widened slightly, he wondered if she had felt the same reaction. He sure as hell hoped so, but then he reminded himself that he wasn’t supposed to go there and reluctantly removed his hand from hers.

  Olivia opened the pizza box, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. “Oh, that smells heavenly.”

  Noah grinned. “Surely there’s gotta be pizza in heaven.”

  She opened her eyes and nodded, making her ponytail swing back and forth. “Papa Vito’s pizza,” she agreed and slid a pie-shaped spatula beneath a slice. When the cheese clung in long strings, she pulled it free with her fingers and then laughed. “Let’s hope there are napkins too,” she added, but when she licked some sauce from her thumb, the simple gesture somehow seemed incredibly sensual.

  “Of course, first I have to make it there,” he said in a teasing tone, but he wasn’t entirely joking. Too much money, too much time, and no real direction had been a bad combination. He had been on a fast track toward his own reality show.

  Olivia put a slice of pizza on her plate and then gave him a wry smile. “You were reading my mind.” Of course, she was joking, and he wasn’t about to let her know how close to the mark she really hit.

  “One of my many talents.” Good thing you aren’t reading my mind, he thought as he watched her take a bite. When the cheese stretched, s
he circled the gooey goodness with her tongue and then licked a dollop of sauce from the corner of her bottom lip.

  “Wow, this is so good,” she said and took another healthy bite. “I haven’t had it for a while.”

  I could help you in that direction skittered across his mind, but he wasn’t thinking about pizza. “I wasn’t sure what toppings you liked, so I went with basic pepperoni. I figured it was easy to peel off if you didn’t like it.”

  “Classic pepperoni is fine, but I like anything except for anchovies, so you couldn’t go wrong.”

  “Pineapple and ham?” he challenged.

  “Sure.” She lifted one shoulder. “I’ll go Hawaiian when I’m in the mood.”

  In the mood? He had another sexy visual. The girl was killing him.

  “How about you?”

  Noah nodded. “Definitely an in-the-mood kind of combo.” He tilted his head and said, “Let me know when you are.”

  “Are what?”

  “In the mood.”

  “Okay,” she answered innocently. “I try to be good and stick to mostly veggies, but when I visit my dad, he has to have a meat lover’s.” She groaned and put a hand to her midsection.

  Noah laughed and beat on his chest. “It’s a guy thing.” He was used to women who picked at their food, and it was refreshing to be with someone who enjoyed eating. Olivia Lawson wasn’t his type at all, and yet he couldn’t take his eyes off her and he was attracted to her in ways he couldn’t even explain. They munched in silence for a few moments.

  “So you were impressed with Madison’s play, Just One Thing?”

  “I really was.” Noah nodded and then dabbed at his mouth with his napkin. “I found it laugh-out-loud funny but also a compelling and insightful look into the relationship between a man and a woman. Too often we go after what we really don’t even want and then wonder why we’re not satisfied,” he said and then wondered if he had just found the reason why he was so drawn to Olivia. Was she the type of woman he really wanted? “And I think Madison’s message was spot on,” he continued slowly. “We’re looking for happiness in every which way, sometimes overlooking the one that matters most. I know I was,” he revealed and then had to clear his throat. There was something about Olivia that made him open up and say things he hadn’t disclosed to anyone else. Perhaps it was the warmth in her eyes or the compassion in her voice?

  “Wow,” Olivia said and blinked across the table at him.

  “What?” It disappointed him to no end that she looked as if she couldn’t believe he actually had a brain. It hurt like a kick to the gut. “So you’re surprised that I have an opinion?” he asked a little stiffly.

  “Of course not,” Olivia replied easily.

  Noah tilted his head to the side. She kept surprising him and he liked that. “Sorry. I have a chip on my shoulder when it comes to the whole dumb-jock thing.”

  Olivia arched an eyebrow. “I’m a high school teacher, remember? I don’t let athletes get away with sliding by. Because you can hit a ball doesn’t mean you don’t have a brain. I can’t stand stereotypes.”

  “Ah, smart and sexy …”

  She leaned forward. “You can be both.”

  “I wasn’t talking about me,” he replied and watched her cheeks turn as pink as her cute little hoodie.

  “Oh.” Olivia opened her mouth and closed it, clearly flustered, making him wonder if anyone had ever told her how lovely she was. Noah wanted to drive his point home, but he was afraid she would take it as mindless flirting and so he refrained. But then she lifted one shoulder. “Really? Well, I was talking about you.”

  Noah was floored by her admission. “So you think I’m smart?”

  “It’s easy to hide behind a stereotype.”

  “And you think I did that?”

  “I always knew you were smarter than you’d let on.”

  Noah arched one eyebrow. “So you think I’m sexy?”

  “You know you’re sexy.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  “Let’s move on. Shall we?” Olivia folded her hands on the table and raised her chin a notch as if trying to channel her prim and proper persona, but her perky ponytail and tight pink outfit totally blew that out of the water. For some reason that made him want to kiss her. Then again, everything made him want to kiss her. “Well, I’m glad that you were so moved by the play and have such a strong opinion. Being passionate about it will certainly help you in your role as Ben.”

  “That makes sense.”

  Olivia nodded. “Closeness to the part is called perception of yourself in the part and the part in you. This will be an important aspect of your acting process. It isn’t just about executing the lines or the physical action, Noah. It’s about your own inner feelings and taking over the role of Ben as if it was your own life. We’ll go over the methods and tools you’ll need to use to fulfill the obligations of the material.”

  “I really do want to bring Ben’s character to life on the stage.”

  “The fact that you understand the theme of Madison’s play is key,” she told him and then paused.

  “But?”

  “Always remember that you are bringing your vision of the play to the audience. You can understand your part and sympathize with the character, but you also need to put yourself in Ben’s place so that you will act as he would.” Olivia leaned over and tapped his chest. “Use your own feelings, and when you speak the lines they will be coming from your heart alone, not even from Madison’s.” She settled back in her chair. “Does that make sense?”

  Noah nodded. “On the soap I memorized the lines but never really put myself into the role of Jesse Drake. I pretended, but I didn’t really feel as if I was him. But I get it. I just hope I can do it.”

  Olivia took a sip of her tea. “The big difference between the art of an actor and all other arts is that in all other arts the artist creates when he is inspired or in the mood. Actors in the theater must call forth inspiration during the actual hours of the performance. Not always an easy task.”

  “The-show-must-go-on kind of thing?”

  “Exactly. And I’m sure you experienced some of that during your baseball career. You had to go out there and play ball and give it your all whether you felt like it or not.”

  Noah nodded. “As a relief pitcher I had to be ready at a moment’s notice and of course come into the game during a stressful situation.”

  “So you understand.”

  “Absolutely. I didn’t realize there were so many parallels.”

  “To tell you the truth, me neither!” She seemed excited about the revelation and waved her slice of pizza in the air. “And, Noah, to be a truly great actor you have to draw from your life experiences.”

  “Oh, I have plenty of that …”

  “Then you use affective memory recall.”

  “Um, explain, please?”

  “This is an emotional preparation technique used to reactivate an emotional or psychological experience from a past event and then trick your psyche into thinking it is the present.”

  “How in the world do you do that?”

  “You answer the questions that you ask yourself with your senses, not with words.”

  Noah leaned back in his chair. “Oh, boy …”

  “Hey, we’ll do some exercises, and after a while it will come as second nature. As an athlete you have a couple of key things going for you that will help you. First, you have to believe in yourself and be confident onstage. If not, you will never convince the audience. As a professional pitcher you have to have this same kind of belief in your ability or you would never get the ball over the plate.”

  “True again.” Noah nodded in agreement.

  “As a pro athlete you have had amazing life experiences. And to be a great actor you have to live life a little over-the-top. Know what’s going on around you. Understand human nature. What did you feel when you were on the mound pitching?”

  “I had to get into the head of the batter. O
utsmart him.” He tapped his head. “Yeah, and understand human nature.”

  “The sign of a great actor. I bet that every move you made on that mound had a motive. A reason for the particular action.”

  Noah nodded slowly. “You’re right.”

  “That’s how it is in a play. Every movement across the stage has a reason. Your actions should be based on inner feelings. For homework I want you to go through the entire play, find the right physical actions, and imagine yourself executing them from start to finish. This will help you grasp the role concretely and you will sense a real kinship with Ben.”

  “Okay. It sounds like an interesting exercise and I get why it will help.”

  “Great! I’m going to do the same thing with the role of Amy. It’s the first step in merging with and living with your part. Make a list of physical actions you would do if you found yourself in the same situation as Ben. It really brings the character to life.”

  Noah put another slice of pizza on his plate and then offered Olivia one. She seemed to feel more at ease with him, and he found her knowledge fascinating. “I’ll be honest. I’m intimidated by live theater.”

  Olivia leaned forward. “Noah, you’ve been performing before a crowd almost all of your life.”

  “Oh, this is way different.”

  She shrugged. “Yes, but then again, in baseball you wanted to engage the crowd. You were still entertaining. In theater you have to engage the audience as well. You want them to pull for you much like cheering fans. When you engage the audience you’ll feel it. You wouldn’t pitch as well to an empty stadium, right? You know how it feels to have the crowd on your side. The spectators are a creative participant in the performance. There’s nothing like it!” Her face flushed with excitement, and she reached over and put her hand on his forearm. While there wasn’t anything sexual or even flirty about the gesture, Noah was acutely aware of her small hand resting on his skin, and when she pulled away he wanted to reach over and put her hand right back.