by Jane Tara
“I don’t mean to be patronizing. I feel nothing but adoration and admiration for women—collectively I mean.”
“How New Age of you.”
“Did I interrupt something?” He sounded genuinely concerned.
“Only me having a howl.”
“Did someone die?”
“No…I wish…”
“Oh, harsh. Boyfriend troubles?”
“Mother issues.”
“Well, she’s a bitch.” His voice echoed through the auditorium.
“Excuse me?”
“I said that’s a bitch. Parental conflict—it’s always difficult.” He moved toward the center of the stage.
Rhi wiped her eyes with the corner of her sleeve. “I just needed to let off some steam.”
“Don’t let the old witch get you down.”
They stared at each other for a moment too long. “What did you call her?”
“I apologize, I was just joking…trying to make you feel better about your mother.”
“Oh.”
“She might be perfectly nice for all I know.”
“She has her moments. She had one in 1974 apparently.” Her voice cracked as she erupted into tears again.
“Oh, the tears!” Without warning, he broke into song, his powerful voice belting out “Cry Me a River”. He sang a verse of that and then with a spin and a transition only a seriously talented performer could make, he began tap dancing to “Singing in the Rain.”
Rhi laughed and clapped. He certainly knew how to break the tension.
He stopped, placed his hands out flat to show they were empty, and then one clap and he produced a handkerchief, with a rose on it. He tossed it to her and it fluttered through the air until she placed her hands under it and caught it.
“A rose for a rose. Wipe your tears.” And then with a dramatic roll of his eyes. “And women aren’t sensitive?”
She dabbed her eyes. “Perhaps you could clap again and produce someone who knows what the hell they’re doing, because I sure don’t.”
He wiggled an imaginary cigar and sounded like WC Fields. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no point being a damn fool about it.”
Rhi was doubled over laughing as he finished with an elaborate little bow.
“Oh god, you think I should quit?”
He crouched down on the edge of the stage. “No way. I think you’re doing a marvelous job.” He paused, watching to see that she was listening. “I think you’re very smart and utterly gorgeous.”
Holy hell. He thinks I’m gorgeous? “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
He rolled his eyes. “Not for a helluva long time, believe me.”
He turned and looked around the theater. He seemed entranced, staring beyond her, drinking in the changes she’d made. Finally his eyes drifted to the ceiling above the stage, which had been repaired. It looked brand new, the old damage impossible to see. He strode out to the edge of the stage, his presence filling it.
Rhi watched, captivated. He was sexy and unpredictable. Very different to how he’d been the other night, although admittedly that version of him seemed more reliable. Right now, she had no idea what he’d do next. It both excited and unnerved her.
He didn’t disappoint.
“To be or not to be: that is the question.”
Rhi’s heart beat wildly in her chest. Hamlet’s soliloquy?
“Whether ’tis nobler in the mind…”
She moved forward, almost unaware that she did so. He filled the character, became the character and expressed him in a way that sent waves of pure emotion rippling around the theater.
“To die, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream.”
Rhi was rooted to the spot. She couldn’t think, couldn’t respond. All she could do was watch and feel. He was not only a talented musician, but he could act. Really act.
He finished and turned to her, their eyes connecting in a blaze of heat.
Rhi nodded and sat down on the edge of the stage. She gazed out at the phantom audience, the one she longed to mesmerize, the way he’d just mesmerized her.
“Was that an audition?” she asked.
“When do rehearsals start?”
“When I decide what play will open the season and hold auditions.”
“C’mon, Rhiannon. I thought we’d already discussed this. The play will be Hamlet.”
“You suggested it. I said it was an interesting option.”
“Great! Then that’s settled.”
Rhi sat with her mouth hanging open. She couldn’t believe his nerve. He really knew how to get under her skin. “What’s it to you which play I choose?”
He shot her a look as if he was a little tired of her acting like an annoying child. “Because I will be the lead.”
Rhi added arrogant beyond belief to the list of reasons why she should steer clear of him. Yes he was entertaining, and fun, and too damn sexy. But he also seemed to have a multiple personality disorder.
She strode toward the stage. “Just because I got this place off you doesn’t mean you have any say in how it’s run.”
Tad sighed impatiently and folded his arms. “Didn’t you like my Hamlet?”
“That’s beside the point.”
“Aha! So you did like it? Well, why begin with mediocrity?”
Rhi had to agree with him on that, but was boiling inside at his attitude and nerve. She didn’t need to put up with this. He was in her theater now. She had a contract. She paid rent. She had restored the place herself. With her bare hands and all of her money. She was the boss and it was time he understood that.
But his performance was sublime.
“Okay,” she whispered.
“Okay?”
“Yes, I said okay.”
He leaped up into the air. “Yes!”
“We’ll do Hamlet first. But I remain in charge. And I’m directing.”
“That’s fine by me. I just want to act.” He looked like he’d won the lottery.
Rhi stood and thrust her hands into her pockets. “I need to get to work, but I appreciate you dropping by and…showing me your Hamlet.”
He grinned, sexy as all hell and he knew it. “Go on, say it…I’m the best you’ve had…”
She had to put a stop to this flirting. “The best what?”
He pretended to be horrified. “The best Hamlet. What did you think I meant? God, Rhiannon, you’re my director. You need to stop flirting with me.”
Rhi turned and walked toward the entrance.
“I ask that you stop sexually harassing me while we’re in rehearsals.”
“You’d better watch yourself or I might cast you as Yorrick,” Rhi shot back over her shoulder.
Chapter 16
Despite the effortless rhythm of Annie and Tye’s friendship, which Rhi had initially envied, both women welcomed her into the fold with surprising ease. She spent a lot of time with them, hanging out at each other’s houses. It was an unexpected bonus of moving to Hamlet.
Tonight they were at Annie’s, drinking wine in her hot tub. Annie’s house was a small, two-bedroom cottage only steps away from the beach. She’d retained the quirky exterior, but inside she’d completely gutted the place and made it simple and modern. The bedrooms—upstairs under a sloped roof—were the only segregated rooms. Downstairs was one large room, all white and eggshell blue, flowing beautifully to a small garden with a hot tub at the back and a terrace overlooking the ocean at the front.
“Your turn with the talking stick, Rhi,” Annie said, passing Rhi a fresh wine instead. “How are things?”
Rhi was still slightly surprised that anyone was genuinely interested. Spending time with Tye and Annie, seeing how they both offloaded and listened to each other’s day, was something of a novelty. It brought to light just how one-sided her relationship with Vic had been: their regular lunches were usually a chance for Victoria to offload all her shit. Rhi couldn’t remember the last time Vic took an intere
st in her.
“How are things with me?” She relaxed back in the hot, bubbling water and looked up at the stars. “Truthfully, I’ve hit a bit of a wall with the renovations. With money.”
“You’ve run out of money?” Annie was surprised. She thought Rhi was loaded, and she usually had a nose for this type of thing.
“Not run out exactly.” Rhi took a swig of wine. She felt like she could share everything with these women. “I came into some money when I was younger, and I’ve budgeted most of that for the big jobs and rent. However I also get an income from a trust fund that my mother runs. I’m paying all the smaller jobs with my monthly checks. At least, that was what I planned. My mother, who I have numerous issues with, doesn’t want me living here, so she changed the structure of the trust, which means I don’t get paid for three months. So for the next three months, I’m broke.”
“What sort of mother does that?” Tye exclaimed.
“The sort who eats her young,” Rhi said. “Sometimes she makes Joan Crawford look like Mother Theresa.”
“What are you going to do?” Annie asked.
“I’ll slow down. I’ll reschedule a lot of the smaller jobs. And I’ll hold off painting the theater until I can afford it. And I’ll do what I can myself.”
“But that will put you so far behind schedule.”
“Can’t be helped.”
“Don’t worry about a thing, Rhi. We look after our own in Hamlet.” Annie glanced at Tye across the rising steam from the water. “We’ll do what we can, won’t we, Tye?”
“Of course we will. And Annie’s boyfriends.”
“They’re not my boyfriends.”
“Okay, your pets.” Tye grinned.
Rhi laughed as Annie flicked water at Tye.
“At least I’m not pining over some dream man.” Annie turned to Rhi. “Tye is totally saving herself for this guy.”
Tye rested her head back on the side of the tub. “You make me sound like a virgin.”
“Virgin on the ridiculous.”
Tye laughed. “I love how you always change the subject when we talk about Jake and Sam.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Annie said.
“Rubbish,” said Tye. “So who is it? The older more sensitive Sam, or the younger, sexy Jake?”
“You don’t think Sam is sexy?” Annie looked surprised.
“So it’s Sam?”
“I never said that.”
“When are you going to choose, Annie?” Rhi asked.
Annie stared at them both, mouth open, as if she’d never even considered it. “That’s ridiculous. We’re friends. That’s all.”
Rhi and Tye give her a mutual oh really? look.
“I could never choose.” Annie looked like she was about to cry.
“Haven’t you thought about this before?” Rhi asked, surprised.
“No! I mean, people tease us, but I’ve never seriously thought that anyone expects me to choose. That I should choose.”
“Why not?” Tye asked. “Put them out of their misery.”
Annie looked mortified. “You think they’re both miserable?”
“I think they’re hanging around, hoping you’ll choose.” Tye ran her hand over her shaved head. “Everyone expects you to choose. Including them.”
“You can’t keep both on a string forever,” Rhi reasoned.
The doorbell rang and Annie placed her glass on the table next to the hot tub.
“Saved by the bell.” She grabbed her towel and stepped out of the water. “Damn, it’s cold.” She grabbed two fluffy guest robes and held them out for Rhi and Tye.
Rhi stepped out of the tub and into the robe. She knew the routine at Annie’s now. Tye followed, but she wasn’t going to let up, just because Annie was trying to give them the slip.
“Annie, are you in love with both of them? Is that why you won’t talk about this?”
Annie waved a hand in front of her face, as if to say stop. “I’ve got to work this out myself. Now the pizza’s here—where’s my wallet?”
“I thought friends were meant to help.”
Annie looked up at Tye. “Normally, I would agree. And of course I’d speak to you…and to Rhi now too. I feel like I’ve known Rhi for years.”
Rhi was unexpectedly moved. She felt the same.
“But Sam and Jake have been my friends my whole life. My whole life. Every memory of every birthday party, every school event, every major life event includes both of them. Both! They’ve both been there for me. And vice versa, I’d like to think. I might not tell them the things I tell you—it’s a different type of friendship—but it’s real and rich and I can’t imagine life without them. So if I were in love with one, or god forbid, both, and we changed that dynamic…what would be left?”
“You might find something even more important,” Tye said.
Annie headed toward the front door. “True. Or I might lose them both. And I’m not willing to take that chance.”
Chapter 17
The following Saturday, Rhi arrived to find the theater surrounded by people. She saw Hank, the drama teacher from the high school, talking to a group of teenagers. She noticed Jake carrying a ladder around the side, and then Dan throwing something into one of his dumpsters. Were people working on her theater? She hadn’t organized this. She didn’t have the money to pay anyone at the moment, and had postponed all work. She quickly parked the car and jumped out.
“Morning, Rhi.” Annie was standing at the doors of the Majestic, which were open. She was in old jeans and had a scarf tied around her head. In her hands was a paint scraper.
Rhi stalked over to her. “What the hell is going on, Annie?”
“It’s a bee.”
“I can’t afford this.”
“The very nature of this is that locals get together and work for free. It’s for the community.”
“Oh Annie, I can’t ask everyone to do this for me.”
“You didn’t. I did.” Annie put her hands on her hips. “Honey, this is just Hamlet. It’s how things work around here. If you’re going to call yourself a local, then you need to get used to it.”
Rhi bit back her tears. “Geez, people are doing this to help me?”
“It’s not a big deal,” Annie whispered. “Don’t cry. Smile and give them all a job to do.”
Rhi smiled, but still her chin quivered.
“Great,” said Annie, “now you look like something about to eat its prey.”
“Everyone knows about my money problems?”
“No. I just threw the invite out there. These are the folk who turned up. I certainly didn’t relay our conversation in the hot tub.”
“You two were in a hot tub together?” Jake appeared and gave Rhi a kiss on the cheek.
“Yes we were, Jake,” Annie said, teasingly. “And Tye was with us.”
“Why don’t I ever get invited to these evenings?” he said, pretending to be wounded.
“Because you’re not very interesting.”
Vaniqua Boyken interrupted at that moment and enveloped Rhi in a hug and a cloud of musk perfume. “Can I just say, this is the most exciting thing that’s happened to this town since Denzel Washington was seen on the beach with his family two years back.”
“I remember that,” Annie said. “Built like a god.”
“Mmm hmm.” Vaniqua fanned herself to emphasize the point.
“Many locals said at the time that we have a similar build,” Jake said, flexing his arm.
Annie rolled her eyes. “C’mon, muscles, Sam is lugging stuff himself and needs some help.” She grabbed Jake’s hand and dragged him toward his brother.
Rhi smiled at Vaniqua. She was such a nice woman, and had been very supportive of her upcoming classes. “I can’t believe the turnout.”
“People care. There are a few theater folk in town too. Give the place a knock and they’ll crawl out of the woodwork. I was a founding member of the Singing Shakespeare Company.”
Rhi wa
s impressed. “Seriously? I love their work. I’ve seen all their shows. What was that first one?”
“Othello in D Minor?”
Rhi suddenly twigged. “Oh my god, you were Desdemona.”
“That was me.”
“Midsummer Night’s in B…and Romeo and Juliet Rap.”
Vaniqua nodded. “My life, before I fell in love with a banker and moved up here. I also taught singing and voice for years, so if there’s anything I can do to help you, just let me know.”
“Thank you so much, Vaniqua. I will.” Rhi was excited now. Vaniqua would be perfect for the company. “Would you be interested in some work?”
“Hell, yes. The twins are older now and I’m going a bit stir crazy with playing the perfect mother role. I need something for me. Count me in.”
Vaniqua walked off and Rhi made her way into the auditorium. Both Jake and Sam were now heading up teams of people who were scraping paint from the walls. Tye was perched on top of a ladder cleaning a vent. Stan and a stout blond with a cheery face and big blue eyes were placing paint covers over the auditorium seats.
“Rhi, meet the missus,” Stan called.
The woman gave Rhi a warm hug. “I’m Jules. I’ve heard a lot about you from the boys.”
“You two have more than enough work with O’Reilly’s without doing this,” Rhi said.
“It’s give and take in Hamlet,” Jules said. “Oh by the way, I’ve popped an Avon catalogue on the desk for you. You might need a hand cream after all this manual labor.”
Rhi looked down at her dirty hands and chipped nails. “You might be right, Jules.”
One after another, Rhi met the locals. Hank, the drama teacher at the school, called out to her. “Rhi, come and meet these guys.”
She was introduced to six senior drama students: Indy, Raffy, Oscar, Tadhg, Quinn and Ren. They were thrilled that a theater was opening in Hamlet, and enthusiastically promised to do everything from stage managing to ushering.
“Treat us like interns,” Ren suggested.
Rhi watched as the people of Hamlet hammered and scraped and painted and cleaned her theater. Being a tight-knit community, this type of support wasn’t unusual, and Rhi knew that. And yet to be the one they were supporting was a humbling experience.