Waiting in the Wings

by Melissa Brayden

  “A watched pot never boils, you know.”

  “I’ve heard that somewhere.” I took the hint and sat across from her while we waited. My body began to warm up and it helped my mind return to a place of clarity. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

  She laughed sardonically. “Nothing happened between us, that was pretty much the problem. I know part of it was my fault, but she spent our entire evening with the blonde she used to work with. She seemed much more interested in that conversation than anything I had to say. I called her on it and she pretty much admitted to me I was just a piece of ass and we had nothing intellectually in common. She had the nerve to suggest we just enjoy each other sexually and leave the rest out of it.” She sat back in her chair, tears reaching her eyes again. “I told her to go to hell.”

  “So other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?”

  Adrienne laughed, perhaps caught off guard by the comment. It made me feel better to see her smile, even briefly. “You mean the reception? There wasn’t much of it left. Ben and Lanie ran through the sparklers as they made their exit. I watched from inside with Craig, who, well, he’s a good friend.”

  I nodded, understanding that Adrienne had been upset by that point.

  “Oh wait.” She straightened. “There were fireworks, out over the water. They were beautiful.”

  I had seen fireworks from the beach and stopped to watch. I had no idea they were from the wedding. “Lanie didn’t mention there would be fireworks.”

  “She didn’t know. They were a gift from Ben, a surprise.”

  I felt immediately horrible. I should have stayed and shared that with Lanie. I was her maid of honor, for God’s sake, and I had just taken off on her? Who does that to their best friend? I shook my head, disgusted with myself. “I should have been there for her.”

  “If it helps at all, she spoke to me before she left. She said you needed some air, and honestly, she understood, Jenna. Don’t beat yourself up.”

  “I guess you’re right,” I conceded, moving toward the whistling kettle. I poured us each a mug and let the tea bags settle in.

  “Why did you leave the reception, if you don’t mind my asking?”

  I sighed, not feeling the need for any dramatic confessions when Adrienne had already had a very rough evening. “I was just worn out. It’d been a long day already and the noise of the crowd was a bit too much. I needed some space, I guess.” I took my mug and moved quickly into the living room.

  Adrienne wasted no time following me. “Is that all?” She could so see through me.

  “Listen, I’m exhausted and I’m sure you must be too. Maybe it’s best if we just call it a night.”

  “If that’s what you want,” she said quietly.

  I nodded. “I’m going to turn in. You’re welcome to stay here if you don’t want to head out this late. There’s a second bedroom down the hall.”

  “Thanks, but you’ve already been more than accommodating. Do you mind if I finish my tea?”

  “Of course not, take all the time you want.” I paused. So now what happened? Was I supposed to hug her good night? It was almost like I didn’t know how to act around her anymore. I didn’t know what the proper etiquette was for this kind of situation. So I did the lamest thing known to man. I put out my hand. Adrienne studied it and slowly took it, squeezing it softly. She met my eyes.

  “Sweet dreams, Jenna.”

  “Yep. Good night.” Why was I such a dork? I could not believe I actually shook her hand. I felt ridiculous, but if anything, she seemed slightly amused. I rounded the corner leading down the hallway to my bedroom where I could wallow in humiliation alone and undetected.

  *

  It was windy outside. I knew this because I was having a hell of a time sleeping in the midst of the whistling window above my bed. After a few hours of tossing and turning, I decided a glass of water might help. The layout of the cottage was still a bit foreign, but the numerous windows throughout its design allowed enough moonlight into the house to light my way.

  I drank the entire glass easily and left it in the sink before making my way back to the bedroom. I stopped on the way, however, unsure I was actually seeing what I thought I was. But there she was, curled up on the couch, sound asleep. I stared at her, taking a moment to decide if I was dreaming or not. Adrienne’s long hair fanned out across the couch cushion and her lips were lightly pressed together. She looked like the subject of an Italian painting. Mesmerized, I took a few steps forward, sitting on the couch next to where she lay. For a few moments, I simply watched her sleep. But I couldn’t help myself any longer. I reached out and gently stroked her cheek. She was so peaceful, so beautiful that it almost hurt to look at her. Reacting to the touch, she stirred slightly and opened her eyes and stared up at me. Neither of us moved for a moment, my hand still cradling her cheek. Finally, she reached up and took my hand in hers, slowly bringing it to her lips and kissing my open palm softly. I closed my eyes, savoring the intimacy of the moment, and allowing it to wash over me entirely. When I opened my eyes, Adrienne was again asleep. I looked around the room and found a blanket folded in the corner bookshelf. I brought it over and covered her with it, careful not to disturb her. I kissed her forehead and made my way back to bed, sleeping soundly for the next five hours. When I awoke, she was gone.

  Chapter Twelve

  Maybe it was the gorgeous morning sunshine, or the fact that someone had already brewed the coffee for me before I woke up, but I had a lot of energy that next morning. After showering and dressing, I toasted a bagel and made my way onto the patio to watch the world go by. It was already past ten, and there were quite a few people out and about. I love people watching to no end, and this morning was no different. Runners jogged by and dog walkers took their time letting their companions frolic in the water, sometimes throwing balls for them to chase. All seemed to be enjoying the fresh morning air. Something about that got me pumped for the day and whatever it might bring.

  I wondered where Adrienne was and what time she’d left. I thought back to the moment we’d shared on the couch last night and wondered now if it had been a dream after all. But a glance down to the coffee in my hand that certainly hadn’t brewed itself reminded me that someone had, in fact, stayed over.

  I glanced at my watch and realized I needed to call Lanie before her flight left. She would be at the airport now. It was my hope that, despite my disappearing act toward the end of the night, Lanie’s wedding day had been everything she hoped for.

  I grabbed some shoes and headed down to the shore. A stroll on the beach seemed in order.

  “Hello?” Lanie answered.

  “Hey, you, how’s married life?”

  She chuckled. “I don’t know. It still doesn’t feel like we’re really married. I guess I’m waiting for it to sink in. Whatever it is, it feels good. How are you? Bit of a rough night?”

  “I’m fine, really. But I do want to apologize for not seeing you off. I should have been there.” I ducked under a Frisbee headed my way.

  “Stop with that immediately. You were there for me all day. If you needed to be on your own for a bit, I completely understand. I feel like maybe I instigated some things with the dance I forced on you. That probably wasn’t my best idea. Sorry.”

  “I’ll make you a deal. If you’ll forgive me, I’ll forgive you.”

  “Done and I accept. Ben, in case you can’t hear him, is insisting I say hello to you this very minute.

  “Aww, give him a kiss for me. A platonic one please, I know you.

  “You’re no fun. Soooo, I have another minute before we board and we’ve both been kind of dying to know what happened last night. I gave Adrienne the address to your cottage. She was pretty upset and I knew you’d be there for her.”

  “Yeah, she was there when I got home.”

  “Did you take care of her in her time of need?”

  “Um, depends on the definition. I gave her some tea and we talked for a little while. End o
f story.”

  “That’s it?” she asked, clearly disappointed.

  “That’s it.”

  “Did she stay over?”

  “Yes.”

  “I knew it!” she shouted into my ear.

  “On the couch.”

  “Damn.”

  “Sorry to be unexciting.” I kicked at some sand. “I don’t know what’s going to happen between us, Lane, but at the very least, I want her in my life.”

  “Are you scared she doesn’t have the same feelings for you that you have for her?”

  “Yes, I think that’s part of it. I know there’s a physical attraction there that goes both ways, but I’m not sure where her head is beyond that and I’ve already been burned once.”

  “Promise me you’ll take this risk and tell her how you feel.”

  “I don’t—”

  “Promise.”

  “You’re feisty this morning. Have you had a lot of coffee? Okay, fine, I promise to tell her…at some point.”

  “Soon,” she said.

  “All right, all right, soon.”

  “That’s all I’m asking. Now where is Adrienne right now?”

  “Right now? I don’t know she’s…playing volleyball, apparently.” I tilted my head in utter confusion at what I saw a few yards to my right. But there, right in front of me, was Adrienne in running shorts and a sports bra smashing a volleyball around with seven shirtless men on the beach. Okay, now this was something you didn’t stumble onto every day.

  “What do you mean playing volleyball?” Lanie asked.

  “Exactly,” I said, drawing the word out, at a loss for how to explain. “Can we finish this conversation later perhaps?”

  “Sure, we’re about to board anyway. I’ll call in a couple days. Be good.”

  “You too, Mrs. Costa.”

  “Oh, that sounds so ethnic and interesting. I love it. Bye, sweets.”

  I put the phone away and walked a few paces to the sidelines and looked on with curiosity. Adrienne in all her five-foot-five glory was scampering across the court with great speed, diving for the ball and achieving an impressive dig that ultimately earned her team control. Further observation revealed she also had no problem harassing the other team, calling out good-natured insults to them, and high-fiving her own teammates. I shook my head in wonder. This was definitely a side of Adrienne I hadn’t seen. Two points later, she caught sight of me sitting in the sand and jogged over.

  I shielded my eyes from the sun so I could see her better as she approached. She paused in front of me, sweaty, sandy, and definitely in good spirits. “What in the world are you doing?” I asked in mild amusement.

  “Well, if you must know, I was out for a run this morning and these guys needed a fourth for their team. I decided to help out.” She flashed one of her dazzling smiles my way and my stomach fluttered. It also might have had something to do with her toned, bare stomach.

  “I didn’t know you played volleyball.”

  “I can do a lot of things.”

  “Evidently.”

  “Hey, A, does your friend want to play?” one of the guys called from the court. “Charlie can sit out. She’s cuter than he is.”

  “I think I’ll just watch,” I called back. “But thanks.” I turned back to Adrienne. “You better get back out there, sport. Your team needs you.”

  “Will you stay?” she asked, jogging backward.

  “How could I not?” I laughed. “This is a rare opportunity.”

  And it was. Adrienne was quite good. These were some big guys she was up against—leaping, blocking, and spiking the ball relentlessly—but she held her own. I noticed she wore a small, flesh colored knee brace on her once injured leg, and for a moment I was worried she might hurt herself out there. But that fear subsided quickly once I saw how easily she moved. She would die if she knew this, but I found her scrappiness quite cute. She would prefer tough to cute any day.

  The players took a break with the score tied at one game apiece. They toweled off and downed sports drinks as they chatted more with Adrienne than with one another. One of the guys went out of his way to sit next to me, however, and struck up a conversation that mostly consisted of small talk. His name was Ethan and he seemed sweet. I enjoyed getting to know him and tried to ignore the fact he was shirtless and dripping with sweat. Adrienne stood a few feet away autographing the volleyball, as apparently the owner grew up watching her on television.

  “So how do you know Adrienne?” Ethan asked, following my gaze.

  “We did a show together a few years back. We also just shot a film.”

  “I thought you looked familiar,” he exclaimed, taking off his sunglasses to see me better. “Were you in Tenth Avenue?”

  “Yeah, that was me.”

  “I love that movie, gritty stuff. I just got it on DVD.”

  “That’s awesome. Thanks.”

  The other players stared at us from the court, ready to play again. “Hey, Ethan!” Adrienne yelled. “You wanna maybe get in the game, or would you rather just ogle the girl some more?”

  “Sorry, gotta go,” he said, standing and pulling something from his wallet that’d been lying in the sand. “But here, call me sometime.” I took the business card he offered and shrugged at Adrienne, whose eyes narrowed at our exchange.

  The game was a brutal battle to the end. I was a most excellent cheerleader, however, for both Adrienne and Ethan, who just happened to be on different teams. Luckily, Adrienne’s team won or I would probably never have heard the end of it. Her aggressive side was clearly out in full force this morning, and because of that, I wanted to stay in her good graces.

  As the guys packed up their gear and headed out, calling good-byes to us as they departed, Adrienne plopped down next to me, lying back in the sand, proud of herself.

  “I forgot how competitive you are. I’m a little scared of you right now.”

  She laughed and pushed herself up onto her elbows. “I do get a little carried away, don’t I? I should work on that. Plans for today?” she asked. “What do you have going?”

  “You know, I hadn’t gotten that far.”

  “You should come with me on my quest. I’ve decided I’m heading into town for some antiquing.”

  “Wow. Antiquing.” I made a point to sound overly impressed. “I can’t think of anything better to do in this gorgeous vacation spot than antiquing. I know that, for me, when the weather is a perfect seventy-three degrees and the sun is shining, I have an implicit need to hunt down dusty old furniture.”

  She slugged me in the arm. “Stop that. It just so happens that antiquing is a lot of fun, thank you very much. There’s something utterly thrilling about the hunt; identifying the antique, negotiating, bargaining, and then taking your new, rare find home. You should try it. In fact, I insist you do. You’re coming with me.”

  I rubbed my arm. “If it means you won’t hit me again.”

  “We’ll play it by ear.” Adrienne arched one eyebrow and gave me goose bumps in the process. She jumped up and brushed the sand from her clothes. “I have to shower first at the hotel. I’ll pick you up in an hour at the cottage. Be ready.” I offered a halfhearted salute, wondering what kind of afternoon I was getting into. I spent the next few moments watching her jog down the beach with much appreciation. Oh, what a slippery slope…

  *

  The doorbell sounded exactly one hour later. Adrienne was always on time, I reminded myself. That was one thing we had in common. As I pulled open the door, I saw a newly transformed Adrienne, now sporting a green sundress and lipstick. Gone was the rough-and-tumble athlete of this morning. She was now fresh-faced and stunning as ever. I admired her changed look maybe a bit too long. Her mischievous smile told me she’d noticed. “You clean up nice,” I finally said. “I think I might be underdressed though.” I glanced down at my jeans and tank top.

  “Are you kidding? I love you in jeans. It’s your best look. Now come on, the clock is ticking and we have several spots
to hit.” She popped on her oversized sunglasses and led the way to a navy blue convertible beetle parked in the driveway.

  I pulled the passenger’s side door open. “Is this your car?”

  “I’m a New Yorker, I don’t have a car. It’s a rental.”

  “It’s cute. It works for you.”

  “Thanks. What do you LA girls drive?”

  “I drive a BMW M3.”

  She whistled low. “Nice. I can see that.” She raised her sunglasses and regarded me. “Someone’s made some money.”

  “Not as much as you’re thinking. The car’s my one luxury. I’ll probably need to sell it though, when I move to the city.”

  She glanced over at me as she drove. “So you really might move to New York permanently? You’re serious about that?”

  “That’s my plan. Now that I have a job. Speaking of which, give me the update on Cabaret. I haven’t seen any reports in the trades on who’s playing Fraulein Sally Bowles.”

  “Well, look again on Monday. I signed the contract two days ago.”

  “Really? And you’re just now telling me this? That should have been the first thing out of your mouth,” I said incredulously. “Honestly though, I’m very proud of you for taking the leap. You’re going to be awesome.”

  “I simply took some very wise advice.”

  “The wisest,” I echoed. “Genius caliber.”

  She laughed and hit the accelerator, taking us swiftly through the twists and turns of the small town, the breeze lifting our hair as we drove. We finally pulled to a stop in front of a quaint little store with several rocking chairs in the picture window up front. The sign above the shop read Merritt Antiques.

  Adrienne’s face was lit up with something close to religious adoration. “See those chairs?” she asked quietly.

  I followed her gaze. “I do.”

  “People drive hundreds of miles to this very store to snatch up one of those guys. They’re Victorian Platform Rocking Chairs, most of which are rumored to be in great condition. Normally, these chairs sell for six, seven hundred dollars. It’s our goal to seal the deal at no more than four fifty.”