“Sure you could’ve.” Brittany grinned. “But I’m glad you didn’t choose to.”
Ten minutes later, amid steaming cups of coffee and tea, Tangie spread the audition forms across the table. “Let’s start with the ones who can sing.”
“Sure. We have quite a few in that category.” Gregg took a drink of his coffee, thumbing through the forms. “Now, Margaret Sanderson will play the lead, right? She’s by far our best singer.”
Tangie bit her tongue, willing herself not to knee-jerk. This was bound to be a source of contention.
“She’s our strongest vocalist and has a lot of experience.” Gregg looked over her form, nodding as he read the comments. “And she’s tiny enough to play the role of the little sheep, don’t you think?”
“Yes, she’s the right size, but. . .well, experience isn’t always the only thing to consider.”
“What do you mean?” He looked up from the form, a puzzled expression on his face.
Tangie leaned her elbows onto the table and stared at Gregg. “Don’t you think she’s a little. . .well. . .stuck up?”
“Hmm.” He shrugged. “Stuck up might not be the words I would’ve come up with. When you’re really good at something, sometimes you come across as overly confident.”
“She’s overly confident, all right. She pretty much told me I was giving her the lead in the show. And you should hear what her mother’s been saying to people.”
Gregg laughed. “She’s used to getting her way. I’ve seen that side of her before.”
Tangie opted to change gears. “What about Annabelle? How did she do in the vocal audition?”
“Annabelle Lawrence? The new girl?” He shuffled through his papers until he found the right one. “Oh, right. She had a nice voice for someone with no experience. Pitch was pretty good. Nice tone. But she’s not a strong performer.”
“What do you mean?” Tangie felt more than a little rankled at that comment. “She did a great job in the drama auditions.”
“Really? Hmm.” Gregg shrugged. “Well, maybe you can give her a small part or something. And she can always sing in the choir.”
“I don’t think you’re hearing me,” Tangie said, feeling her temper mount. “If Annabelle can sing, I’d like to consider her for the lead role.”
Gregg paled, then took another swig of his coffee. “Lead role? Are. . .are you serious?”
“Of course.” Tangie stood her ground. “Why not?”
He shook his head and placed his cup back on the table. “Look, I already botched up the Christmas play. I have a lot to prove with this one. My best shot at pulling this off is using kids who are seasoned. Talented.”
“So, this is about making you look good?” Tangie quirked a brow. Looked like he was trying to prove something here, but at whose expense? The kids?
He groaned and shook his head. “Maybe I put too much emphasis on that part. But I feel like I need to redeem myself after what happened before.”
“But at whose expense?” She stared him down, curious how he would respond.
“Whose expense?” Gregg looked flustered. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, Margaret Sanderson is at a crossroads. She’s a little diva and she needs to understand that she won’t always be the one in the lead role. Sometimes the underdog needs a chance.”
At once, Tangie’s hands began to tremble. Something about the word underdog sent a shiver down her spine. How often had she been in that position over the years? Too many to count. Take that last play, for example. The one where she’d been promised the lead, but had had to settle for a bit part in the chorus. She’d handled it as well as could be expected, but when would she get her turn? When would she take center stage?
Tangie sighed, then turned her attention back to the forms. This time she could actually control who landed in which spot. And she would make sure she didn’t botch it up.
***
Gregg stared across the table at Tangie, confused by her words. “Tell me what you’re really thinking here, Tangie. How many grown-up Margaret Sandersons have you had to work with?”
“W–what do you mean?”
“I mean, maybe you’re sympathetic toward Annabelle because you can relate to her. That’s my guess, anyway. How many times did you try for the lead role and someone like Margaret got it instead?”
Ouch. “A million?” Tangie responded, after absorbing the sting of his question. “But I got over it.”
“I’m not so sure you did. I think maybe you’re still holding a grudge against leading ladies and want to prove a point. So, you’re going to use Margaret to do it. If you prevent her from getting the lead, it will be payback to all of those leading ladies who got the parts you felt you deserved over the years.”
Tangie’s face paled. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” she argued. “It’s just that the character of the baby ewe is a really sweet personality and Annabelle can pull that off. Margaret couldn’t pull off sweet without a significant amount of work.”
“But I want her in the lead because she’s the strongest vocalist.” Gregg stood his ground on this one. If they put anyone other than Margaret in the role, it would double his workload.
“I have to disagree.” The creases between Tangie’s brows deepened and she leaned back against her seat, arms tightly crossed.
Gregg stared at her, unsure of what to say next. Why was she going to such lengths to challenge him on this? Margaret was the better singer. Who cared if she had a little attitude problem? They could work with her and she would get over it. Right? Yes, this production would surely give them the platform they needed to further develop her talents while giving her some gentle life lessons along the way.
Tangie began to argue for Annabelle, but Gregg had a hard time staying focused. Thankfully, the waitress showed up to take their order. That gave him a two-minute reprieve. After she left, Tangie dove right back in. They were able to cast everyone in the show—except Margaret and Annabelle. This was an easy one, to his way of thinking. Give Annabelle a smaller part and let Margaret take the lead.
Unfortunately, Tangie refused to bend.
They finished the meal in strained silence. Afterward, Gregg led the way to his car. He’d never had someone get him quite as riled up as he felt right now. As he opened the car door for Tangie, he paused to tell her one more thing. “It’s obvious we’re two very different people with two very different ways of looking at things.”
“What are you saying? That I’m too different for this church? For this town?”
He paused, not knowing how to respond. “I just think we need to pick our battles, Tangie. Some mountains aren’t worth dying on.”
She stared at him, her big brown eyes screaming out her frustration. “We both need to go home and sleep on this,” she suggested. “I’m too tired to make much sense out of things tonight. And besides, we’re meeting tomorrow afternoon at the church to finalize things, right? Let’s just drop it for now.”
“But I don’t want to leave it hanging in midair till then.” Gregg shook his head. “I want to understand why you’re being so stubborn about this. What are you thinking, anyway?”
“I’m thinking this will be a good time to teach Margaret a couple of life lessons. The top dog doesn’t always get the bone, Gregg.”
“She’s a kid, not a golden retriever,” he responded.
Back and forth they went, arguing about who should—or shouldn’t—play the various roles in the play. All the while, Gregg felt more and more foolish about the words coming out of his mouth. In fact, at one point, he found himself unable to focus on anything other than the pain on her beautiful face and guilt over the fact that he’d put it there.
Tangie’s hands began to tremble—likely from the anger—and he reached to take them, suddenly very ashamed of himself for getting her so worked up.
With hands clasped, she stared at him, silence rising up between them. Except for the sound of Gregg’s heartbeat, which he imagined
she must be able to hear as clearly as he did, everything grew silent.
Then, like a man possessed, Gregg did the unthinkable.
He kissed her.
ELEVEN
On the morning after auditions, Tangie wandered the house in a daze. He kissed me. He. Kissed. Me.
“But, why?” She’d done nothing to encourage it, right?
Okay, there had been that one moment when she’d paused from her righteous tirade, captivated by his bright blue eyes. . .eyes that had held her attention a microsecond longer than they should have, perhaps. But had that been enough to cause such a reaction from him? Clearly not. And wasn’t he interested in Ashley, anyway? Why would he be so fickle as to kiss the wrong woman?
Hmm. She couldn’t exactly accuse others of being fickle when she had flitted from relationship to relationship, could she?
“Still. . .” Tangie paced the living room, her thoughts reeling. “What in the world is wrong with him?”
“Wrong with who?” Gramps asked. “Or would it be whom? I never could get that straight.”
“Oh, I. . .” Tangie shook her head, unable to respond. She raked her fingers through her hair. “Never mind.”
“What has Gregg done now?” Gramps asked, putting up his fists in mock preparation for a boxing match. “If he’s hurt your feelings or gotten you worked up over something, I’ll take him down. Just watch and see. I’m not too old to do it.”
Tangie chuckled and then released an exaggerated sigh. “Gramps, there are some things about men I will never understand. Not if I live to be a hundred.”
“I feel the same way about women, to be honest,” he said, and then laughed. “And I’m three-quarters of my way to a hundred, so I don’t have a lot of time left to figure it all out. So I guess that makes us even. We’re both equally confused.”
Yes, confused. That was the word, all right. Everything about the past couple of weeks confused her. Driving in the dead of winter to a town she hardly knew. Taking a job at a church where she clearly wasn’t wanted. Working with a man who. . .
Whose eyes were the color of a Monet sky. Whose voice sounded like a heavenly choir. When he wasn’t chewing her out or accusing her of being too outlandish.
She turned to Gramps with a strained smile, determined not to let him see any more of her frustration or her sudden interest in the music pastor. He’d seen enough already. “Are you hungry? We could go to the bakery.” Tangie reached for her keys and then grabbed her coat from the hook in the front hall. “My treat.”
“Sweet Harmony? I’d love to!” His eyes lit up. “I’m always up for an éclair or one of those bear claw things. Or both. Just don’t tell your grandmother when she gets back from her nibble and dribble group.”
“Nibble and dribble?” Tangie turned to him, confused.
He shrugged. “You know. That ladies’ tea she goes to every month. It’s just an excuse for a bunch of women to sit around and sip tea and nibble on microscopic cookies and cakes and dribble chatter all over one another. Never could figure out the appeal. I’d rather have the real thing from Sweet Harmony. Now there’s some sugar you can sink your teeth into.”
Tangie laughed. “Ah, I see. Well, I’m in the mood for something over the top, too. But you’ll have to hide all of the evidence if you don’t want Gran-Gran to know.”
“Good idea. I’ll bring some mint chewing gum with me. That’ll get rid of the sugar breath and throw your grandmother off track.”
“You sound like you’ve done this before.”
He gave her a wink. “Let’s hit the road, girlie.”
“I’m ready when you are.”
All the way, she forced the conversation away from Gregg Burke and toward anything and everything that might cause distraction.
Her thoughts kept drifting back to the auditions. The kids expected the cast list to be posted on Wednesday evening before service. How could they post it if she and Gregg couldn’t even come to an agreement? When they met together this afternoon, they would come up with a logical plan. Surely the man could be reasoned with. Right?
Every time she thought about spending time with him, Tangie’s thoughts reeled back to that tempestuous kiss. Sure, she’d been kissed before, but never by a man so upset. Gregg had been downright mad at her just seconds before he planted that kiss on her unsuspecting lips. She hadn’t seen either coming—the anger or the startling smooch. And both had left her reeling, though for completely different reasons. She didn’t know if she wanted to punch his lights out or melt in his arms.
The former certainly held more appeal than the latter, at least at the moment.
Tangie did her best to focus on the road, happy to finally arrive at the bakery. With Gramps leading the way, she entered the shop.
“Hey, Penny,” Gramps called out.
“Well, Herbert, it’s not Sunday,” Penny responded, her brows rising in surprise. “What brings you to the shop today?”
“This granddaughter of mine. She talked me into it. Tangie’s got sugar in her veins. It’s from all those years working at the candy shop in Atlantic City.”
“She’s working for me now, you know,” Penny said. “And we’re talking about adding candies to Sweet Harmony.”
“Ya don’t say.” His eyes lit up.
“Yes. And by the way, Tangie can take home leftovers any afternoon when we close. So, between you and me, you don’t have to pay for your sweets anymore. Except on Sundays.”
“Are you serious?” From the look on Gramps’ face, he might as well have won the lottery. He turned in Tangie’s direction. “Well, why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t know. But we’d better take it easy with the sweets. Don’t want your blood sugars to peak.”
“My blood sugars are perfect,” he explained. Turning to Penny, he said, “So I’ll have a bear claw, an éclair, and a half dozen donut holes for good measure.”
“Sure you don’t want a kolache to go along with that?” Penny asked.
“Why not?” He shrugged. “Tangie’s paying.”
“I might have to mortgage the house to cover that order,” she said with a laugh. When his eyes narrowed in concern, she added, “But that’s okay. You’re worth it, Gramps. You’re worth it.”
***
On Monday around noon, Gregg slipped away from the office to grab a bite to eat at home. After taking a few bites of his sandwich, he paced his living room, thinking back over the events of the past twenty-four hours.
He still couldn’t get over the fact that Tangie didn’t want to cast Margaret Sanderson in the lead role. Didn’t make a lick of sense to him. Then again, women didn’t make a lick of sense to him.
On the other hand, his own actions didn’t make sense, either.
Had he really kissed Tangie? Right there, in the diner parking lot for the whole town of Harmony to see? Why? What had prompted such irrational behavior on his part? Something about her had reeled him in. What is my problem lately? Why is everything upside down in my life all of a sudden?
Something about that crazy, unpredictable girl had gotten to him. And it frustrated him to no end. Gregg took a seat at the piano. . .the place where he always worked out his troubles. Somehow, pounding the black and white keys brought a sense of release. And there was something about turning his troubles into beautiful melodies that lifted his spirits. No, he certainly couldn’t stay upset for long with music pouring from his fingertips, could he?
Gregg was halfway into a worship medley when the doorbell rang. He answered the door, stunned to see his younger brother.
“Josh?” Gregg swung the door back and grinned. “You should tell a person when you’re coming for a visit.”
“Why?” Josh shook off the snow and shivered in an exaggerated sort of way. “It’s always so much more fun when I just show up. Besides, you know I don’t stay in one place very long. I always end up back here, in Harmony.”
“Yes, but you’re back sooner than usual this time. What happe
ned in New York?”
Josh shrugged as he eased his way through the front door. “Oh, you know. A little of this, a little of that. More this than that.”
“Mm-hmm. What’s her name?”
After a moment’s pause, Josh offered up a dramatic sigh. “Julia.”
“She broke your heart?”
“No, but her boyfriend almost broke my nose.” Josh grinned, then rubbed his nose, making a funny face.
“You’ve got to get past this thing where you jump from girl to girl,” Gregg said. “It’s not healthy—for you or the girls.”
“Might work for you to dedicate yourself to one at a time, but I’m not wired that way.” Josh shrugged. “Got anything to eat in that refrigerator of yours?”
“Sure. Help yourself.” Gregg sat back down at the piano and continued to play. A few minutes later, Josh showed up in the living room with a sandwich in hand. “That’s a great piece you’re playing. What do you call that?”
Gregg looked up from the piano and shook his head. “Not sure yet. I’m just making it up as I go along.”
“No way.” Josh smiled. “I thought it was a real song.”
“It will be.” Gregg allowed a few more notes to trip from his fingertips, then turned around on the piano bench to face his younger brother. They hadn’t seen each other in months. And knowing Josh, he wouldn’t be here for long.
Gregg spent the next hour talking to his brother—catching up on the time they’d been apart.
“I’ve been talking to Mom at least once a week,” Josh said. “So, I know everything that’s going on. She’s doing better than I thought she would.”
“Yes. Does she know you’re back?”
“Yeah. I stopped by the shop just now. She seems to be doing okay. I hear she’s hired someone to help.”
“Yes. Someone I know pretty well, actually. A girl from church.”
Josh’s brows elevated. “Oh?”
“She’s not someone you would be interested in. She’s a little on the wacky side.”
“I like wacky. You’re the one who picks the straight arrows. Not me.”
Love at Center Stage: Three Theatrical Love Stories Page 8