by Ward, Alice
“What!” I gasped. “When did this happen? How did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Janette laughed. “I didn’t tell anyone, because it all just seems so surreal… like it’s happening to someone else.”
“No one understands that better than I do.” I assured her.
“I know, but it’s not a done deal yet… I keep waiting for it to fall apart. An executive from Sony was at our last Morell’s gig… he just happened to be there on a date with his wife, and he liked our show. He approached us after, and we’re about half way through the audition process for a real recording contract.” She finished with a grin.
“Janette, that’s fantastic!” I beamed. “Does anyone else know?”
“I told Paul,” she confessed with a blush, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
“I completely understand.” I assured her. “I’m so happy for you!”
“Thanks,” she grinned. “I’ve been thinking… you’re doing really well and making good money, I’m about to be making good money. What if we got a place in Manhattan together?” She asked with a smile.
“I thought that you and Paul were going to move in together?” I reminded her.
“Well, the three of us could share a place.” She suggested. “Wouldn’t you like to be able to just walk a few blocks and be at work?” She asked.
“It would be wonderful.” I agreed. “But I signed a one year lease just a couple of months ago.”
“We could always find sub-letters.” She reminded me. “Just think about it… unless of course you’d rather move in with Max… he’s already in Manhattan.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” I said quietly; I filled Janette in on my last conversation with Max.
“Oh, Kate, I’m sure he was just having a bad day.” She assured me. “It’s hard for a man, when his girl is more successful. They all try to deny it, but it’s the way they’re wired. I’m sure that Max will calm down, come to his senses, and apologize.”
“I hope you’re right.” I told her as she poured two glasses of red wine. “Don’t let me have more than one.” I insisted. “I have to be at the top of my game tomorrow or I’m going to get fired before I make my debut.”
“It was that bad?” Janette asked sympathetically.
“Awful.” I told her. “I know I shouldn’t let those women get to me, but that’s a lot harder than it sounds. If Dylan hadn’t been so helpful, I wouldn’t have made it through the day.”
“What’s he like to work with?” Janette asked, a starstruck grin on her face. “Is he as gorgeous in person as he is on television?”
I smiled. “He’s hot alright. He’s also a notorious player… but he has this way of looking at you and making you feel like you’re the only two people in the world.”
“You sound smitten.” She teased. “Does Max have something to worry about?”
“Max has plenty of things to worry about,” I snored, “but Dylan Matthews isn’t one of them.”
“Are you sure?” She pressed. “Lots of theater people end up marrying their costars.”
“Do you pay attention to the celeb mags?” I laughed. “Dylan will never get married… and there’s no woman in her right mind that would put up with his shit. I appreciate what he’s doing for my career, but I’m not going to cross the line with him.”
Janette’s front door opened and Paul stepped into the room. “Hey baby,” he told Janette as he leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Hey, Kate,” he smiled at me.
“Hi Paul,” I greeted him. “Did you get the stuff?”
“Hell yeah I did,” he said, pulling a large plastic baggie from the inside of his coat. “It’s good shit, have some.”
I grabbed a glass pipe from Janette’s kitchen cabinet and loaded a bowl. I took a hit and turned to pass it to Janette; she and Paul were locked in a passionate embrace. I took a second hit, coughed, and they pulled apart.
“Sorry,” Janette blushed.
“It’s no problem.” I assured her. “I’m going to head home; I have to be up super early in the morning. Can I take this?” I asked, holding up a dime bag.
“Sure,” Paul answered quickly. “I’ll separate the rest of yours out and bring it over tomorrow.” He offered.
“Thanks,” I said as I moved towards the door. I returned to my apartment and burrowed into my bed. Before heading over to Janette’s, I’d silenced my cell phone and stowed it behind my pillow. As I settled in for the night, I retrieved it and glanced hopefully at the screen; my heart sank when I saw no missed messages from Max. I pulled up his number and sent a quick text.
“I’m sorry about the article. Call me when you feel like talking.”
I hit send and spent a fitful night trying to convince myself that things would be better in the morning
***
Tuesday’s audition was scheduled to start at eleven, so I’d planned on sleeping in. Those plans were interrupted by an eight o’clock phone call from Max.
“Hello?” I mumbled, still half asleep.
“Hey baby,” he said softly. “Kate, I don’t even know what to say… there’s nothing that I COULD say to make up for the way I spoke to you yesterday. I know that you have rehearsal later, but do you have time for breakfast?”
“I could probably meet you somewhere.” I conceded with a yawn. “I need an hour, where do you want to go?”
“How about Ellie’s Diner?” he asked. “They have great coffee and it’s close to the theater.”
“Fine,” I agreed. “I’ll see you at nine.”
I hung up my phone and took my time getting ready. I was still pissed at Max and the idea of making him wait at the diner alone for a few minutes was incredibly satisfying. I took a long, hot shower and then wove my hair into an intricate braid. I pulled on another set of designer workout clothes and slipped into my new running shoes. After I light touch of makeup, I lingered over coffee for twenty minutes before walking to the train station. I finally stepped into Ellie’s at half past nine; Max waited anxiously at a small booth.
Instead of being irritated that I was late, Max seemed relieved to see me. “Thank you so much for coming, baby.” He said as he crossed the floor to greet me. “I ordered coffee and fruit.” He said, gesturing to the table. “I know that you don’t like to eat heavy before work.”
“Thanks.” I said casually as I took my seat. I sat silently, nibbling a piece of melon. Max sat opposite of me and stared me in the eyes for a long moment before speaking.
“Kate, I had no right to talk to you like I did yesterday. That was inexcusable.” He sighed sadly.
“You were completely out of line.” I insisted. “I’m sorry that things didn’t go well with The New Yorker, but it’s not my fault… you were downright hateful to me, Max.”
“I know,” he sighed again, “and I’d do anything to take it back. I know exactly what this looks like, Kate.” He continued. “It looks like I’m one of those assholes who gets jealous of his woman’s success… I acted like a threatened little boy. I’m so sorry, and I promise you that it will never happen again.”
“Like I said,” I told him, “I understand that you were having a bad day. I will forgive you THIS time… but if it happens again, I’m gone.” I warned.
“That’s completely fair.” He agreed quickly.
I studied him carefully for a moment. His remorse seemed genuine, so I decided to let him off the hook.
“I forgive you, Max.” I smiled. “We both had bad days yesterday, let’s just put them behind us.”
“Kate, I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there when you needed me… I hate that the rehearsal didn’t go well, do you want to talk about it?”
I sighed and let loose the flood gates; I told him about the catty women and all of the mistakes I’d made during my first rehearsal. “I looked like a fish out of water,” I told him, “it’s probably just a matter of time before Bruce tosses me out on my ass.”
“Don’t talk about your
self like that, Kate.” Max insisted. “You deserve that role. Yesterday was just your first rehearsal, there’s no way they expected you to be perfect right off the bat. Did you learn from the mistakes you made?”
“Yes,” I replied quickly. As flustered as I’d been by those horrible women, I’d paid attention to the way things were supposed to go. I was confident that I’d have all of my stage directions right during the second run through.
“Then relax,” he smiled. “Did Bruce mention when your debut performance will be?”
“We’re shooting for Monday,” I answered nervously, “if I can be ready by then. I get five free tickets to my opening show… I thought I’d give them to you, Janette, Paul, Parker, and Mark.”
“Monday… that doesn’t give us much time to party plan…” Max said thoughtfully. “I need to call Janette… if she’s talking to me, that is?” He asked.
I laughed. “Yes, she’s talking to you. I vented to her last night, but she took your side. She said you were probably just having a bad day and that I should cut you some slack.”
“I’ll have to thank her for that,” he smiled. “So, Monday night… is there anything in particular you want to do? Someplace you’d like to eat after the show?”
“Surprise me,” I smiled. “But don’t spend too much money…”
Max laughed. “You just worry about killing it on stage, let me worry about the finances. This is a big deal, and if I want to go overboard a little, I will… and speaking of overboard.” He said, pulling a mall blue box from his pocket. He slid the Tiffany’s box across the table to me and smiled. “The second we got off the phone yesterday, I felt like an ass. I wanted to make it up to you… so I went shopping.”
I was overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. On one hand, I appreciated the gesture. On the other, I didn’t want to set a pattern with Max, to make him think that he could say or do whatever he pleased as long as he bought me a present after. I looked at the box but didn’t touch it.
“It’s a gift, Kate.” He said softly. “Just something small to remind you how much I care for you.”
He gave me a sweet smile and I melted. I lifted the lid from the turquoise box; a velvet ring box fell into my hand. I opened it and gasped.
“I know that emerald is your birthstone,” Max explained with a smile, “I thought of you the moment I saw the ring.”
I lifted the delicate white gold band and held it to the light for a better look. The antique style setting held a single, giant emerald. The rectangular stone was at least a carat and a half; I slid it onto the ring finger of my right hand and admired the way the stone sparkled.
“You shouldn’t have done this, Max.” I insisted. “I know that you don’t like to spend your money, and I already forgave you for yesterday.”
“This wasn’t an ‘I’m sorry’ present, Kate.” He insisted with a shake of his head. “I know that you’re about to be incredibly busy. Eight shows a week is a rough schedule, and I realize that we won’t get to spend as much time together as we’d like. I wanted to get you something that you could wear while we’re apart. Now, whenever you miss me you can look at the ring and remember how much I love you.”
I gasped and my heart fluttered in my chest. ‘He said it first.’ I thought. ‘He feels it too.’ I beamed at him from across the table.
“You love me, huh?” I asked with a giddy, teasing smile.
“You know that I do.” He grinned. “I love you more than I ever thought possible. I’m so proud of you, Kate, and I promise that I will spend my life making you happy, if you’ll let me.”
Tears filled my eyes and I laughed. “Careful,” I warned him, “if you keep talking like that, I’m going to move this ring to my left hand.”
He took my left hand in his, brought it to his lips, and kissed it softly. “I assure you, when the time comes to adorn this hand, I’ll do way better than an emerald.”
‘I am going to marry this man.’ I thought contently. “I’ll hold you to that.” I told him with a wink. “Baby, I hate to leave…”
“But you have to, I know.” He nodded. “I’ll pay the check and then walk you to the theater… unless you need some time alone to focus.”
I shook my head. “I’d love nothing more than to have you walk me to work.” I smiled. He paid for our breakfast, and then we walked hand in hand to the theater.
CHAPTER 15
Max and I arrived at the theater ten minutes later; I said goodbye to him on the sidewalk, steeled my nerves, and walked inside. I was almost an hour early for rehearsal and I was relieved to find that I had the place to myself. I walked out onto the stage and stared into the vast, empty theater. I couldn’t believe that in less than a week, the seats would be filled and I would be performing in front of a giant audience. I was startled out of my daydream by the sound of someone clearing their throat. I turned and saw Dylan standing behind me.
“Hey,” I blushed. “I thought that I was the only one here.”
“I was in my dressing room.” He explained. “I’ve been waiting for you… I wanted to make sure that you were alright after this morning’s article.”
“What article?” I asked as panic filled my heart.
“Come with me,” he directed, taking me by the arm. He led me to the dressing room area and I was startled to see my name on one of the doors.
“I get…?” I asked, pointing at the placard.
“Yes, you get your own dressing room.” He laughed. “Go check it out and I’ll get this morning’s theater section.”
I walked to the door in disbelief and pushed it open. The small room held a plush blue velvet sofa, a well lit vanity, a mini fridge, and a flat screen television. I sat on the sofa as Dylan entered the room.
“How bad is it?” I asked.
“It’s a horrible article, but it will fill the seats.” He answered, offering me the paper. I looked at the bold headline at the top of the front page of the theater section. “FAN FAVORITE BOOTED FOR UNKNOWN- Everything You Need to Know About Our New Lorraine.”
“Oh… my… god.” I gasped. I scanned the article. It began by officially announcing the recast of the role. Poppy Martin had provided several quotes, making it clear that she felt she’d lost the job because of my ‘willingness to do whatever necessary to win a role’. Several unnamed sources from the theater recounted rumors and insisted that I’d been seen entering Dylan’s dressing room just days before being offered the job. One source told the story of my Phantom audition; I wanted to sink into the ground and disappear.
“This is the worst thing that could ever possibly happened.” I said, dumbfounded.
Dylan chuckled. “That is so far from the truth, Kate.” He told me. He seemed amused that I wasn’t seeing the bright side of the situation. “You can’t pay for publicity like that.”
“Everyone in the audience is going to think that I’m only here because I’m slutty. That isn’t the kind of publicity I want, thank you very much.” I spat.
“Yes, that’s the impression people will have when they show up. But then you will wow them with your talent and they’ll forget about everything they’ve heard. You’re fantastic, and everyone is going to love you.” He assured me.
“Dylan, my parents are going to read this… my friends…” A realization came over me and I started panicking again. ‘Max reads the paper every morning… he must have skipped it before breakfast, but he’s going to see this soon enough.’ I knew that I had to do damage control. I grabbed my phone and sent Max a text.
“The Times has everything wrong… please don’t believe a word of it, Serena and her friends are stirring up shit.”
He replied in a matter of seconds. “I didn’t believe it for one second. Have a great rehearsal. I love you.”
I grinned broadly as I stuck my phone in my bag.
“I take it whatever that was went well?” Dylan asked.
“Yes.” I told him. “And maybe you’re right about the article. No one I care about will believe
that horrible trash and it will fill the seats. And once the audience is in front of me, I’ll show them exactly how I got the role.”
“That’s the kind of talk I want to hear.” Dylan grinned. “I’ll leave you to settle in to your room… buy some stuff for the walls and get comfortable. You’re going to be here for a long time.”
***
I sat back down on my new sofa and stared at the blank wall in front of me. As I considered how I wanted to decorate my new home away from home, I heard a loud knock at the door.
“Come in,” I called out. I expected to see Dylan, but Bruce appeared instead.
“Harper, good morning,” he said briskly as he stepped into the room. “Look, I’ve read the article and I want you to know that I had nothing to do with it.” He continued. “I’m not going to lie and say that I was thrilled about the casting decision, but if anyone had asked me I’d have told them that you’re talented.”
“Thank you, Bruce,” I smiled. “I know that I’ve been a giant inconvenience for you, but I’m ready today. You’ll be impressed, I promise.”
“About today…” Bruce hesitated, “I think it would be best to do things a little… differently. Considering that everyone is… a bit on edge.”
“I’ll be happy to do whatever you like.” I told him quickly. “I’m not going to let them get to me… I can handle the gossip.”
“Be that as it may, I’ve decided that we’re just going to rehearse your scenes today, instead of the entire show. We’ll have a limited orchestra, you, me, and Dylan.” He explained.
I breathed a sigh of relief. As much as I didn’t want the special treatment, I appreciated it. “Thank you, Bruce.” I smiled. “That will certainly make today easier than yesterday… though I assure you that I can play nice with the rest of the cast.”
“It’s not them I’m worried about.” He sighed. “I hope you have some thick skin, kid. You’re going to need it.”
“Yes sir.” I nodded.